# CareerPlug — Full Content Bundle > CareerPlug is hiring and recruitment software for small businesses, franchises, and service-industry operators. This file contains the full text of every public content page on careerplug.com, organized by section. For a curated index, see https://www.careerplug.com/llms.txt --- # Home _1 page_ --- ## Hiring Software Trusted by 400+ Franchise Brands | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/ Hiring & retention software trusted by 400+ franchise brands and thousands of locations. [Start Hiring](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) [Franchisors: Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/) CareerPlug truly understands the needs of a franchise system, and we’re grateful to have them as a trusted partner. Director of People/HR Development @ Storm Guard ### Helping 60,000+ businesses grow winning teams ### Purpose-built for franchise hiring and retention Make the quality hires you need now, then onboard and retain them so you can focus on growing your business. ### HIRE Consistent hiring process across every location, from posting jobs to making offers [[Learn more](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/)](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) [[Learn more](https://www.careerplug.com/retain/)](https://www.careerplug.com/retain/) ### RETAIN Built-in tools to onboard, track performance, and keep great people engaged ### **GROWTH** Strong hiring and retention drives: * Better team alignment * Happier customers * Profitable expansion ### How to get started ### Activate your account and start your free trial For franchisees and small businesses ready to start hiring [Activate Now](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Schedule a consultation with a Hiring Expert For franchisors and multi-unit operators ready to partner for growth [Let's Chat](https://meetings.hubspot.com/al-foote/cpconsultations-hc?__hstc=149923945.5bf95f4a7f1c9defc255338ca5d995f5.1707847710712.1738248324508.1738259480698.182&__hssc=149923945.5.1738259480698&__hsfp=336580338&uuid=9fbafab4-17d3-43f3-80fc-71c0df9f950d) ### Download The Franchise People Playbook For anyone who wants to learn our proven approach [Download Here](https://www.careerplug.com/) ### Why CareerPlug? ### A proven process built by hiring experts We guide you through the exact steps that thousands of businesses use to hire better, faster. [Get Started Now](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) #### EASY Intuitive software that helps franchise owners, operators, and growing businesses hire like HR pros — no expertise required. #### EXPERTS Whether you’re running corporate or a single location, you get access to the strategies and tactics that 400+ franchise brands trust. Plus, our team of Hiring Experts will offer additional support when you need it. #### PARTNERS We’re laser focused on helping franchises grow. We care deeply about helping you get results, whether you’re building a system or opening your first location. ### Winning teams grow with CareerPlug “I have been using CareerPlug for over 10 years and have hired dozens of employees with their services and technology. They have a great platform and are always working to improve. Their customer service is also very good and always ready to help.” Colm O'Mara Fitness Machine Technicians “Career Plug provides an easy, organized way to both track applicants, and onboard new hires in one place. Since we have multiple locations it also helps communication internally and creates an efficient system that opens time up elsewhere.” Lori DiMatteo KidStrong “Careerplug’s autopilot features cut my scheduling time into half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best.” Annet Asio-Pasquali Vibrant Health Homecare “The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!” Angie Valleroy Mathnasium [Read More Customer Testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/customers/) Ready to build a winning team? Join 400+ franchise brands and thousands of locations hiring smarter [Post a Job](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) # Product & Platform _16 pages_ --- ## Premium Plan - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/premiumplan/ Automate recruitment and retention tasks so you can focus on what matters, growing your business. [Get Premium](https://app.careerplug.com/manage/welcome) ### Hire faster, manage better. Automate recruitment and retention tasks so you can focus on what matters, growing your business. [Get Premium](https://app.careerplug.com/manage/welcome) ### Save time and land more interviews with Autopilot * Stop the logistical nightmare of manually scheduling interviews.Eliminate outreach, coordination, and follow-up tasks, and focus on managing your business instead. * Get ahead of your hiring competition.Reach out to applicants as soon as they apply and get interviews scheduled quickly, giving you an edge over other employers that are hiring. * Once Autopilot is set up, you can automatically start the interview scheduling process with 2 clicks and text applicants a link to book an interview directly on your calendar. And if they don’t respond, Autopilot sends out reminders and follow-ups, so you don’t have to do it manually. ### Do more with the Premium Plan. * Streamline your hiring process from job posting to onboarding. * Use our AI job description builder to quickly create optimized job postings. * Take advantage of configurable offer letters with digital signatures. * Create a fully customizable onboarding plan to get your new hire up to speed sooner. ### Premium by the numbers ### 6-minute One-time 6-minute setup that saves you hours forever ### 8x Schedule up to 8 times more interviews ### 91% Spend up to 91% less time scheduling interviews ### Real stories from satisfied clients Join the companies already succeeding with Premium! Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates. Excited to continue to use this feature for all open roles. ### Kesia Chisholm _Recruiting Coordinator, HEYDAY_ Autopilot has become a game changer. It has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting to just get that first interview scheduled. We went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversion from interview-to-hired for quality applicants. ### Jared Amram _Operations Coordinator,Office Pride of North Georgia_ Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources. ### Lourdes Burnette _HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality_ ### Real stories from satisfied clients CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members. CareerPlug has turned hiring into one of our core competencies. -Casey Del Prete, Swimming Safari Swim School Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments. -Jamie Sutton, Franchise Owner, ServiceMaster Commercial Services Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions and assessments have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit. -Nick Sorgani, General Manager, Mosquito Hunters ### FAQs [How do I get started with the Premium plan?](https://www.careerplug.com/premiumplan/) To get started with the Premium plan, log into your account and follow the steps for “Set Up Autopilot” at the top of the navigation bar. [What is the CareerPlug Premium plan?](https://www.careerplug.com/premiumplan/) With the Premium plan you can spend up to 91% less time scheduling interviews and see a up to an 8x increase in the amount of interviews scheduled – plus win the best talent. This means you can hire faster with limited resources and get back to running your business! [What problems does the CareerPlug Premium plan address?](https://www.careerplug.com/premiumplan/) Instead of spending hours coordinating schedules and dealing with no-shows, or chasing after applicants, you can use the CareerPlug Premium plan – a game-changing solution that automates and streamlines the interview scheduling process, plus helps you contact applicants faster so you land more interviews than ever before and can hire the best talent for your team. [What automation occurs with Autopilot in the Premium plan?](https://www.careerplug.com/premiumplan/) Once Autopilot is set up, you can automatically start the interview scheduling process with 2 clicks and text applicants a link to book an interview directly on your calendar. And if they don’t respond, Autopilot sends out reminders and follow-ups, so you don’t have to do it manually. [How long does Autopilot take to set up?](https://www.careerplug.com/premiumplan/) On average it takes 6 minutes to go through the guided setup process and to connect your calendar to start scheduling interviews. [Who is the Premium Plan for?](https://www.careerplug.com/premiumplan/) CareerPlug’s Premium plan is ideal for businesses seeking tools to optimize their hiring process, regardless of their size. The Premium plan is suitable for businesses of all sizes who are looking for an all-in-one hiring solution that can help them attract, screen, and hire top talent. [Do you provide any support?](https://www.careerplug.com/premiumplan/) CareerPlug provides immediate access to our comprehensive [Help Center](https://support.careerplug.com/hc/en-us/categories/4413538542363-Support) and [Hiring Experts](https://support.careerplug.com/hc/en-us/articles/4412774448155-Contacting-CareerPlug-Support) for technical support. Additionally, our[Consultant team](https://support.careerplug.com/hc/en-us/articles/10579288211227-CareerPlug-s-Consultant-team) is available to help address any hiring pain points. [What else can I expect with the Premium plan?](https://www.careerplug.com/premiumplan/) Autopilot is the first of many features on the Premium Plan. CareerPlug will continue to roll out exciting new features this year. ### Ready to try CareerPlug Premium and put your hiring process on Autopilot? Take Premium for a test drive today! [Get premium now](https://app.careerplug.com/manage/welcome) --- ## Retain - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/retain/ Turn new hires into long-term employees with built-in tools for onboarding, performance feedback, and growth planning. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Everything you need to keep great people Built-in retention tools that help managers support their teams consistently. ### Automated onboarding workflows ### Digital document management ### Performance check-ins and feedback ### Offboarding processes ### Pulse surveys to track engagement ### Employee development planning ### Customizable workflows for your needs Onboard ### Onboard + Retain in the first 90 days Complete I-9, tax and company forms on Day 1, then use our 90-day plan to connect with and retain new hires. [**Learn more**](https://support.careerplug.com/onboard-new-hires) Engage ### Build a winning culture Earn trust by listening and responding to feedback your employees provide through our Pulse engagement feature. [**Learn more**](https://support.careerplug.com/engaging-your-team-with-careerplugs-employee-pulse-survey) Thrive ### Help employees thrive Use our prebuilt workflows or create your own to help your organization reach its potential. [**Learn more**](https://support.careerplug.com/using-your-retain-insights-page) ### **Remind** Tracks birthdays and work anniversaries to employees can be celebrated ### Review Creates a system to communicate performance feedback consistently ### **Grow** Documents growth plans for employees so they know what it takes to move up ### **Offboard** Surveys departing employees to provide insights to learn and improve ### Measure what matters to optimize for growth Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Hiring Automation Software - Fast-Track Top Applicants **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/automate/ With CareerPlug’s powerful automations, you can spend less time hiring and more time running your business. [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Automatic Interview Scheduling CareerPlug Premium comes with **Autopilot**, an automated interview scheduler that **instantly sends your qualified candidates a link to schedule an interview.** Just set your availability and Autopilot will get it scheduled on your calendar. Say goodbye to hiring delays from playing phone tag with candidates. _(Note: Autopilot is only available on the Premium plan.)_ ### Automatic Interview Scheduling CareerPlug Premium comes with **Autopilot**, an automated interview scheduler that **instantly sends your qualified candidates a link to schedule an interview.** Just set your availability and Autopilot will get it scheduled on your calendar. Say goodbye to hiring delays from playing phone tag with candidates. _(Note: Autopilot is only available on the Premium plan.)_ ### Fast Track Your Best Applicants Top talent always has their choice of where to work, and great applicants are rarely on the market for long. That’s why CareerPlug’s **Fast Track** feature lets you specify your most important criteria for a role, and our software will automatically contact new applicants who meet that criteria. Never miss out on the best candidates again. ### Automations to Speed Up Hiring CareerPlug’s automations help you **accelerate your hiring decisions** so you can hire the best talent before your competition does. Use our **candidate review automation** to instantly review and contact applicants with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down . Use our **Auto-Reject** feature to automatically email disqualified applicants and our **Express Post** feature to instantly post a job with just one click. ### Automations to Speed Up Hiring CareerPlug’s automations help you **accelerate your hiring decisions** so you can hire the best talent before your competition does. Use our **candidate review automation** to instantly review and contact applicants with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down . Use our **Auto-Reject** feature to automatically email disqualified applicants and our **Express Post** feature to instantly post a job with just one click. ### Success Stories ### Ready to Get Started? ###### Take the first step toward joining more than 16,000 businesses that trust CareerPlug to help them hire the right people, faster. [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Frequently Asked Questions ### Is CareerPlug an ATS (applicant tracking system)? Yes! CareerPlug is an ATS, a kind of software that helps you attract, evaluate, and hire candidates quickly and easily. ### How is CareerPlug different from a job board? CareerPlug is an applicant tracking system packed full of features to make your entire hiring process fast and easy –not just the job-posting part. Plus, when you post job using CareerPlug, it automatically gets published to all the major job boards instead of just one. This increases your applicant flow versus posting a job to individual job boards. ### What job boards does CareerPlug automatically post jobs to? With just one click, CareerPlug publishes your jobs to Indeed, ZipRecruiter, CareerJet, Glassdoor, LinkedIn Job Feed, JobCase, JobInventory, JobRapido, MyJobHelper, WayUp, Adzuna, Talroo, myCNAjobs.com, and Talent.com. CareerPlug also publishes jobs automatically to your own custom careers page. ### Why should I use CareerPlug over other applicant tracking systems? CareerPlug is easy enough for **anyone** to use. Other applicant tracking systems are made for HR pros, but ours is made for the everyday business owner who has a million different responsibilities to juggle, with hiring being just one of them. But just because CareerPlug is easy to use doesn’t mean it’s not powerful –our software is built on a proven process that’s helped 14,000 small businesses make the right hires for over 15 years. ### Is CareerPlug a good applicant tracking system for franchises? Yes! CareerPlug has been partnering with leading franchise brands since day one. We know that when an owner buys a franchise, they’re given an operations playbook on how to run the business, but there’s one chapter missing from that playbook: how to hire and develop the right people. CareerPlug has become industry leaders and experts in franchise hiring because we understand the urgent and frequent hiring needs of decentralized businesses. We proudly partner with franchisors to provide a system that can be adopted across an entire franchise network. ### Does CareerPlug come with automated interview scheduling? Clients using the CareerPlug Premium plan have access to Autopilot, our automated interview scheduling feature. [Click here](https://www.careerplug.com/premium-plan/) to learn more about how to upgrade to CareerPlug Premium. ### Does CareerPlug include assessments for candidate evaluation? Yes! CareerPlug gives you the option to use math/verbal assessments and personality tests in your hiring workflow. ### What does CareerPlug cost? CareerPlug pricing depends on a few factors, including whether or not you’re a member of a franchise network or association currently partnered with CareerPlug. Tell us more about your business by [filling out a demo form](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) and we can get you a quote ASAP! ### Can I try CareerPlug for free? CareerPlug offers a free 14-day trial to most clients. [Get a demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) from our Sales Team to learn if you qualify for a free 14-day trial. CareerPlug also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee to all clients if you’re not satisfied with the software. ### What Else Can CareerPlug Do? 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) [](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzAiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzEiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzQiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzIiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzMiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D) ### How It Works Our clients range from national brands to single location business owners. We’re industry-leading hiring experts in a variety of industries, including home and commercial services, insurance, restaurants, fitness, home care, and more. [](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzAiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzEiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzQiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzIiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzMiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D) ### How It Works Our clients range from national brands to single location business owners. We’re industry-leading hiring experts in a variety of industries, including home and commercial services, insurance, restaurants, fitness, home care, and more. --- ## Candidate Communication Tools - Easy Email & Text Recruiting **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/ ### Communication Made Simple Reach candidates sooner and interview faster [GET A DEMO](https://share.hsforms.com/1WAnD1t5YQb2TGkTYuwmwhw45iu0?__hstc=149923945.44c7700c5b65eed1ac152c005a49c772.1704732958919.1721934669699.1722013472528.311&__hssc=149923945.6.1722013472528&__hsfp=1138460488) ### Connect with Candidates Quickly and Easily Stop juggling multiple programs for email, calendar scheduling, and administrative tasks – it’s slowing down your hiring process! CareerPlug provides a one-stop solution that allows you to **email and text your candidates directly within the app**. CareerPlug Premium also features **Autopilot**, our **automatic interview scheduler**, so you can convert an applicant into an interview faster than ever. ### Connect with Candidates Quickly and Easily Stop juggling multiple programs for email, calendar scheduling, and administrative tasks – it’s slowing down your hiring process! CareerPlug provides a one-stop solution that allows you to **email and text your candidates directly within the app**. CareerPlug Premium also features **Autopilot**, our **automatic interview scheduler**, so you can convert an applicant into an interview faster than ever. ### Reduce Interview No-Shows and Candidate Ghosting The less engaged a candidate is in your hiring process, the more likely they are to “ghost” (suddenly stop communicating) or be an interview no-show. That’s why it’s so important for employers to communicate with candidates early and often. CareerPlug provides **all the tools you need to keep your top candidates engaged throughout the hiring process** so you can say goodbye to ghosts and focus on the living. ### Text Recruiting There’s a secret weapon many employers overlook when recruiting – text messaging. Texting is the preferred method of communication for candidates, with a response rate **8x higher than email**. CareerPlug’s in-app text messaging lets you reach applicants and schedule interviews faster than your competition. **Watch the video below to learn more**. ### Text Recruiting There’s a secret weapon many employers overlook when recruiting – text messaging. Texting is the preferred method of communication for candidates, with a response rate **8x higher than email**. CareerPlug’s in-app text messaging lets you reach applicants and schedule interviews faster than your competition. **Watch the video below to learn more**. ### Success Stories ### Ready to Get Started? ###### Take the first step toward joining more than 16,000 businesses that trust CareerPlug to help them hire the right people, faster. [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Frequently Asked Questions ### What Else Can CareerPlug Do? 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) [](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzAiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzEiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzQiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzIiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzMiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D) ### How It Works Our clients range from national brands to single location business owners. We’re industry-leading hiring experts in a variety of industries, including home and commercial services, insurance, restaurants, fitness, home care, and more. [](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzAiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzEiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzQiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzIiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzMiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D) ### How It Works Our clients range from national brands to single location business owners. We’re industry-leading hiring experts in a variety of industries, including home and commercial services, insurance, restaurants, fitness, home care, and more. ### (replace with global Circle Graphic) ### What Else Can CareerPlug Do? Click on a section to learn more! --- ## Recruiting Pipeline Software to Attract Quality Applicants **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/attract/ ### Attract Quality Applicants Stand out from the crowd in today’s competitive labor market and let the best candidates find you with optimized job descriptions, job posting distribution, and personalized careers pages. [Get started](https://share.hsforms.com/1WAnD1t5YQb2TGkTYuwmwhw45iu0?__hstc=149923945.44c7700c5b65eed1ac152c005a49c772.1704732958919.1721934669699.1722013472528.311&__hssc=149923945.6.1722013472528&__hsfp=1138460488) ### Reach Job Seekers On All the Major Job Boards Do you really want to spend all day managing your job postings on all these sites? **With just one click, CareerPlug publishes your jobs to all the major job boards including Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Talent.com, and more**! No matter the source, your applicants will show up in one place: your CareerPlug dashboard. ### Reach Job Seekers Where They Are Job seekers don’t search for jobs in just one place and there’s no shortage of job boards out there. But as an employer, do you really want to spend all day managing your job postings on all these sites? We didn’t think so. With just one click, CareerPlug publishes your jobs to all the major job boards including **Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Talent.com, and more!**No matter the source, your applicants will show up in one place: your CareerPlug dashboard. Now you can spend more time running your business and less time checking a million websites. ### Optimize Your Job Postings Do your job postings entice job seekers to apply? Polished, optimized, and high-quality job descriptions are essential for attracting the best candidates to your open positions. CareerPlug makes it easy to create an attractive job posting with all of the information job seekers are looking for with job description templates. Or, you can use our**A.I. job description builder** to streamline job description creation. All CareerPlug job postings are mobile-friendly because nearly 70% of job seekers apply from mobile devices. ### Build Your Employer Brand with a Careers Page Top performers will go out of their way to research a company before applying. They consider things like company culture, values, and work environment before they click “Apply.” With CareerPlug, you get a**branded company Careers Page** to showcase your employer brand and help you convert these high-quality job seekers into your applicant pipeline. ### Branded Careers Page Our [data](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) shows that top performers will go out of their way to research a company before applying. They consider things like company culture, values, and work environment before they click “Apply.” With CareerPlug, you get **a branded company Careers Page to showcase your employer brand**and help you convert these high-quality job seekers into your applicant pipeline. ### Success Stories ### Ready to Get Started? ###### Take the first step toward joining more than 60,000 small businesses that trust CareerPlug to help them hire the right people, faster. [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Frequently Asked Questions ### What Else Can CareerPlug Do? 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) [](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzAiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzEiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzQiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzIiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzMiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D) ### How It Works Our clients range from national brands to single location business owners. We’re industry-leading hiring experts in a variety of industries, including home and commercial services, insurance, restaurants, fitness, home care, and more. [](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzAiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzEiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzQiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzIiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzMiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D) ### How It Works Our clients range from national brands to single location business owners. We’re industry-leading hiring experts in a variety of industries, including home and commercial services, insurance, restaurants, fitness, home care, and more. ### (replace with global Circle Graphic) ### What Else Can CareerPlug Do? Click on another section to learn more! 1. **ATTRACT**: _You are here!_ 2. [**COMMUNICATE**](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/#) 3. **EVALUATE** 4. **HIRE** 5. **AUTOMATE** --- ## Candidate Assessment Software to Fast-Track Top Hires | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/ ### Improve Your Candidate Assessment Process Make better hiring decisions with easy-to-use evaluation tools [GET A DEMO](https://share.hsforms.com/1WAnD1t5YQb2TGkTYuwmwhw45iu0?__hstc=149923945.44c7700c5b65eed1ac152c005a49c772.1704732958919.1721934669699.1722013472528.311&__hssc=149923945.6.1722013472528&__hsfp=1138460488) ### Applicant Screening Tools That Fast-Track Top Candidates Choose from our bank of pre-screen questions or add your own custom questions to your job posting to**automatically fast-track applicants who meet your most important requirements and remove unqualified applicants from your pipeline.**By identifying top candidates quickly, you can contact them sooner, keep them engaged, and turn them into hires. ### Applicant Screening Tools That Fast-Track Top Candidates Choose from our bank of pre-screen questions or add your own custom questions to your job posting to**automatically fast-track applicants who meet your most important requirements and remove unqualified applicants from your pipeline.**By identifying top candidates quickly, you can contact them sooner, keep them engaged, and turn them into hires. ### Role-Specific Assessments Our assessments let you evaluate candidates beyond the resume and measure their abilities consistently across the board. Use**CareerPlug’s built-in assessment library** or leverage our partnerships with leading assessment technology provides like**Outmatch, Traitify and Predictive Index.** ### Interview Scorecards Make quality hires consistently with our interview scorecards. Evaluate candidates using measurable, objective criteria that you specify for each role (or use our built-in scorecard templates!). By standardizing your evaluation methods, you can **accurately compare strengths and weaknesses for candidates** so you end up with the right hires every time. ### Interview Scorecards Make quality hires consistently with our interview scorecards. Evaluate candidates using measurable, objective criteria that you specify for each role (or use our built-in scorecard templates!). By standardizing your evaluation methods, you can **accurately compare strengths and weakness for candidates** so you end up with the right hires every time. ### Success Stories ### Ready to Get Started? ###### Take the first step toward joining more than 16,000 businesses that trust CareerPlug to help them hire the right people, faster. [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Frequently Asked Questions ### What Else Can CareerPlug Do? 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) 1. Attract Use our templates to create an attractive careers page and job posting. Then promote it through our job board partners, as well as directly with your employees, customers, and social network. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) 2. Communicate Get notified when a high-quality candidate applies and be the first person to reach them with our communication automations. Send text and emails right from the software to quickly convert applicants to interviews. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) 3. Evaluate Use our prescreen questions and assessments to identify the best applicants. Then use our interview questions and scorecards to evaluate for the right things consistently. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) 4. Hire Once you think you have found the right person, use our reference and background check resources to verify them. Then, send an electronic offer letter from CareerPlug to close the deal! [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) 5. Automate Hiring is hard, but partnering with us makes it easier. From posting jobs to scheduling interviews, CareerPlug allows you to automate certain parts of the process to improve your results and save you time. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) [](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzAiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzEiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzQiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzIiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzMiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D) ### How It Works Our clients range from national brands to single location business owners. We’re industry-leading hiring experts in a variety of industries, including home and commercial services, insurance, restaurants, fitness, home care, and more. [](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzAiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzEiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzQiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzIiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D)[](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dpopup%3Aopen%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6Ijk0MzMiLCJ0b2dnbGUiOmZhbHNlfQ%3D%3D) ### How It Works Our clients range from national brands to single location business owners. We’re industry-leading hiring experts in a variety of industries, including home and commercial services, insurance, restaurants, fitness, home care, and more. --- ## Interview Scheduler That Books 8x More Interviews | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/ Interview more qualified candidates by automatically sending scheduling links to the best applicants 24/7. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/#) ### Benefits ### Schedule up to 8x more interviews Book more meetings with the right people by automating the entire interview scheduling process. ### Reduce scheduling time up to 91% Contact more applicants faster—without wasting your team’s time—to complete the interview process days or weeks earlier. ### 24/7 automated interview scheduling Say goodbye to endless back-and-forth communications that lead to ghosting. Autopilot instantly sends qualified candidates a link to schedule an interview. ### Connect with your calendar Contact more applicants faster—without wasting your team’s time—to complete the interview process days or weeks earlier. ### How much time is interview scheduling costing you? ### How much time is interview scheduling costing you? How many hires do you plan to make? 1 Hires 0 50+ What will it cost you? On Average The time it will take you 1.3 hours Invites you will need to send 26 Invites With Premium The time it will take you 6 minutes Spend up to 91% less time scheduling interviews Invites you will need to send 3 Invites Up to 8x more effective at getting applicants scheduled Users on the Premium plan schedule fewer interviews to get the same number of hires and convert those contacted up to 8x more effectively! *Average 3% of applicants invited to interviews per job, 2 interviews per each hire, and 15 minutes to schedule each interview. ### Testimonials “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires ### See for yourself Ready to hire & retain the right candidates?​ Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Small Business Hiring Software Trusted by 10,000 Companies | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/small-business-hiring-software/ Our hiring software helps over 10,000 small businesses attract, evaluate, and hire the right applicants. Schedule a personalized demo to learn how CareerPlug can make hiring easier for you. [Speed Up Your Hiring – Free Demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Create Your Job Posting in Minutes Save time writing job descriptions with our starter templates. Choose from our library and customize as needed. You’ll have an attractive and professional job posting ready in minutes. Don’t have a careers page to publish to? No problem. Create a branded careers page with your logo, company pictures, and links to social media. And with our mobile-friendly application forms, your future employees can apply easily from their phone. ### Automatically Publish to Indeed, LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, and More Stop publishing to multiple job boards manually. With CareerPlug, you can automatically distribute jobs to all the major sites and instantly promote open positions to potential candidates. _“CareerPlug has allowed me to cast a net that is 2-3x larger into the job posting arena… In one month, I had over 325 applicants.”_ – Rally Deleon,Chick-fil-A Operator ### NEW Get Free Sponsored Content on ZipRecruiter CareerPlug and ZipRecruiter have partnered to offer 30 days of free sponsored distribution after you become a CareerPlug customer. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careerplug-and-ziprecruiter-announce-partnership/) ### Quickly Find and Connect With Qualified Applicants Save hours reviewing the resumes of unqualified applicants. With customizable prescreen questions, CareerPlug helps introduce you to candidates that meet your requirements and weed out unqualified applicants. We’ll also immediately notify you by text or email when a great candidate applies, so you don’t lose top talent to competitors! _“The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!”_ – Ana Ortiz,Krispy Kreme Doughnuts ### Find Qualified Candidates [START TODAY](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Simplify Interviews With Structured Guides A structured and well-organized interview process helps companies make better hiring decisions. CareerPlug makes this easier with pre-built questions and scorecards, providing a consistent experience for your hiring team and candidates. Of course you can still add and modify questions, to ensure candidates meet the unique requirements of your open positions. _“CareerPlug helped us create a system around our hiring process. Being able to post jobs and move candidates through the process in one location really helps make finding and hiring good people much easier.”_ – Travis Reed,The Grounds Guys of League City ### Related Research and Resources **2020 Recruiting Benchmark Report –**CareerPlug analyzed hiring activity from over 10,000 companies and 10 million job applications to establish recruiting benchmarks for 10 different industries (e.g. education, healthcare, and retail). Some of the key findings from our research include the following: * Employers should aim for a job view-to-applicant conversion rate of at least 10%. Though companies that perform well with this metric achieve a 15-20% rate. * The number of applicants it takes to make one hire varies by industry. In education, it’s as low as 46 applicants. At the other end of the range, it’s 185 for cleaning services. The top performing industries in our benchmarks need 64% fewer applicants to make a hire than the worst performing industries. * The time of the year that a job is posted is a major predictor of the number of applicants the job will receive. The best months of the year to post jobs are January, June, and July. The worst months are November and September. * Job boards are the most common source for applicants producing upwards of 80% of applications. However, the percentage of applicants hired from job boards is 0.22%, whereas referrals and career pages contribute 19.17% and 5.18% respectively. To learn more about hiring benchmarks,[download the full report](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Recruiting-Metrics-and-KPIs.pdf)or read our summary at[2020 Recruiting Metrics: Benchmark Data by Industry](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/). ### The hiring software you need to grow your business Sign up for a free trial today! [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Text Recruiting Software Trusted by 400+ Franchise Brands | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/ Keep top talent moving quickly through the hiring process with text message recruiting. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/#) ### Benefits ### 8x your applicant response rate As the preferred partner to over 400 franchise brands, CareerPlug uses a proven approach to help your franchisees grow with the right people. ### Hire the right people 32% faster Top talent is in high demand, and texting can help you beat other employers for the best candidates. ### Stay safe and compliant Safely send secure text messages to candidates without anyone receiving your personal phone number. ### Keven, Owner College Hunks Hauling Junk “The text recruiting feature is fantastic. It’s simple, gets a fairly immediate response, and it’s considerably faster than any other option.” ### See for yourself Ready to hire & retain the right candidates?​ Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Applicant Screening Software with Assessments & Scorecards | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/ Quickly identify and evaluate top job candidates with pre-screening questions, role-specific assessments, and role scorecards. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/#) ### Benefits ### Fast-track top applicants Pre-screening questions and hiring automations help you quickly identify which candidates to prioritize without wasting your team’s time. ### Evaluate candidates beyond the resume Make sure your hires meet role-specific requirements using our built-in assessment library, creating custom assessments, or working with one of our trusted partners. ### Consistently assess candidates across locations Role-specific scorecards empower your managers to consistently compare strengths and weaknesses so you make the right hires no matter who’s interviewing. Ready to hire & retain the right candidates?​ Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Hire - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hire/ Reach candidates where they are, evaluate with confidence, and build the team your business needs to grow. [Post a Job](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) [Book a Demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Everything you need to hire better The only hiring software built by franchise experts, with the tools you need to find and evaluate candidates ### Careers page with your branding ### Post to 100+ job boards with one click​ ### Text-to-apply and mobile-friendly applications ### Automated interview scheduling ### Customizable screening questions​ ### Skills and personality assessments ### Structured interview scorecards​ ### Background check integrations ### Hiring Expert support when you need it Schedule ### Auto-schedule qualified applicants Put interview scheduling on autopilot to – connect with 8x more applicants and cut scheduling time by 91%. [Learn more](https://support.careerplug.com/getting-started-using-autopilot) Evaluate ### Hire the right people Avoid the wrong hires with proven evaluation processes that ensure you’re hiring quality candidates. [Learn more](https://support.careerplug.com/attract-job-postings) ### **Prescreen** Automatically fast tracks top applicants and disqualifies others ### **Assess** Measures personality traits and math/verbal skills against your current team ### **Interview** Ensures that everyone asks the right questions and evaluates consistently ### **Verify** Integrates with background check providers for your protection Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Job Posting - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/ Optimize and share job posts and streamline hiring across locations with the tools you need to attract and hire top talent. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/#) ### Benefits ### Attract candidates everywhere they’re searching Automatically share your job posts to all the major job boards, including Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Facebook, Glassdoor, and Simply Hired. ### Reach the right hires faster Optimized job postings with one-click mobile apply integrations make sure you stand out to top talent and streamline the application process. ### Streamline your recruiting process Even if you’re hiring for multiple offices or franchise locations, you can keep everything consistent and organized with a single solution for distributed hiring. ### Automatically post on the #1 job board Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/#) Ready to hire & retain the right candidates?​ Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Onboarding & Team Management - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/onboarding-team-management/ Build a team that grows with you by implementing tools to onboard new hires, engage current employees, and ensure everyone thrives over time. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/onboarding-team-management/#) ### Benefits ### Make the most of the first 90 days. Set new hires up for success by onboarding them the right way. Start with compliance, then build their connection to the company, team, and manager. ### Engage your team every day. Keep your team motivated and growing by leveraging employee check-ins, engagement surveys, performance reviews, and more. ### Help every employee reach their potential. Give your team the skills and goals they need to grow with the company, and check in regularly to track their progress. Ready to hire & retain the right candidates?​ Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## CareerPlug's Product Approach to AI - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/our-product-approach-to-ai/ **Updated April 13, 2026** At CareerPlug, we embrace AI as a tool to support, not replace, human decision-making and relationships in hiring and retention. AI can have immense impact, both positive and negative, and we care deeply about the impact to people and the planet (more below on that). We believe AI should be used responsibly and ethically to empower humans to save time, and make faster or better decisions through additive means, without introducing bias into the process. Using AI responsibly encompasses a number of factors – bias, fairness, safety, user experience, security, privacy, and environmental impact. AI-assisted infrastructure should be designed with human oversight at its core. This includes transparent monitoring and assessment processes, subject to auditing. Furthermore, AI systems should provide clear explanations of their workflows and recommendations whenever possible, fostering trust and accountability. At CareerPlug, any AI or AI-tooling embedded within our product offering must align with our brand promise of being Easy, Experts, Partners. Our AI-powered Job Description Builder is just the beginning. We are actively exploring AI through several areas of possibility related to our CoreFocus:_Empowering Teams to Grow by making it easier for Managers to Hire and Retain the RIGHT People._ * Can AI help our hiring managers attract the best applicants by using it to analyze hiring patterns and determining what sources may have the best chance of success? * We have “Smart Suggestions” today and it will get even smarter. We’re considering what could happen if we give an AI agent information about individual jobs, where they are in their lifecycle, the stated need of the hiring manager (how many folks need to be hired and by when), and have the smart suggestion Agent give increasingly more effective counseling. Talk about having an easy expert partner right in your moment of need. * Can AI help our hiring managers better evaluate the right hire… not by making the evaluation decision, but by giving the AI assistant information about the unique needs of the position and the information we have about the candidate to assist the hiring manager on the right interview questions to ask next? *Ideally, 80% of interview questions are consistent across candidates, but up to 20% could be customized and tailored to the specific candidate and the experience they bring, while still maintaining consistency. * Can AI help managers of new hires onboard better by giving suggestions of activities that have worked well for others? * Can AI help our managers engage their employees by giving the managers questions they could ask their employees (if we give an AI assistance pulse or long-form employee engagement data)? * Can AI help our managers identify disconnected or at-risk for attrition employees by studying their engagement patterns and analyzing the sentiments of their responses to Pulse questions? * Can AI help a Partner Admin analyze trends in the data and offer up questions the Partner Admin should ask themselves or their network members… in an effort to help the Partner Manager grow the network? As we continue refining our product to eliminate unnecessary steps, enhance automation (such as improved group interview scheduling via Autopilot), and empower partners with advanced organizational tools, soon, our Self-Serve capabilities will revolutionize how business coaches and area managers support their teams, offering more autonomy while maintaining access to our expert partner services. At CareerPlug, we don’t just adopt AI – we consider its use very purposefully as we make hiring easier, smarter, and more effective for our customers and partners, keeping human interactions as a non-replaceable aspect of the relationship between an employer and prospective applicants and employees. Lastly, we cannot claim to use AI responsibly and not acknowledge the known impact on the environment and planet, most notably the consumption of both energy and water to sustain and cool data centers that power AI technology. Until advancements can be made to more sustainably power and cool data centers, CareerPlug commits to financial investments to offset the environmental impact of AI. As of 2026, this includes the following means: 1. Increasing our contributions to WeForest, our Partner in reforestation efforts from 25,000 trees to 100,000 trees. 2. Contributions to organizations supporting clean water sustainability 3. Contributions to support green energy production 4. Contributions to reduce carbon emissions ongoing by remaining a fully-remote workforce without an office that employees are expected to commute to daily. View our most recent AI Bias Audit here: [https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-09-CareerPlug-AEDT-Bias-Audit.pdf](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-09-CareerPlug-AEDT-Bias-Audit.pdf) --- ## Product Overview - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/product/ Simplify hiring and retention. Build the processes you need to attract and keep top talent, so your business can grow. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/product/#learnmore) [Culture](https://www.careerplug.com/product/#culture) [Hire](https://www.careerplug.com/product/#hire) [Retain](https://www.careerplug.com/product/#retain) [Grow](https://www.careerplug.com/product/#grow) Culture ### Make culture your team’s foundation **Hiring and retaining the right people starts with the right culture:** your mission, your vision for the future, and most importantly, your core values. Create a culture that attracts the right hires, while helping you evaluate candidates and onboard and manage your team. Create an enticing job post in minutes, plus build a careers page to showcase your employer brand to candidates. Find the right fit by incorporating your core values into your interview scorecards Connect new hires to your culture by including it in your onboarding process Recognize employees who live the core values and work to improve alignment with those who don’t [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/product/#hire) Hire ### Hire the right people – fast. Fill your open positions quickly. Follow our proven process to hire with less stress. ### Attract Create effective job postings and compelling careers pages, then promote on job boards with one click ### Schedule Identify qualified candidates and schedule them for interviews automatically. ### Evaluate Thoroughly evaluate candidates with assessments, interview scorecards, and one-way automated phone screens. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) Retain ### Retain top talent Implement a system that gets consistent results ### Onboard Help new hires complete required forms and connect to their company, team, and manager with proven workflows ### Engage Improve engagement by giving managers tools for employee check-ins, feedback, and recognition ### Thrive Provide employees with a growth plan to develop skills and accomplish their dreams [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/retain/) Grow ### Grow your business sustainably The #1 barrier to growth for most companies is their ability to hire and retain the right people. Once you get this right, your growth potential is limitless.Investing in CareerPlug fuels your growth. These are the results that some of our clients have experienced: Save 10+ hours/week on hiring tasks so you can focus on building your business Schedule up to 8x more interviews and cut your time-to-hire in half so you find the best candidates before your competitors Reduce turnover by up to 40% to cut the costs involved in hiring and training new team members [Get Started](https://www.careerplug.com/retain/) ### See for yourself Ready to hire & retain the right candidates?​ Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Employee Pulse Surveys - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/pulse-surveys/ Increase employee engagement to drive growth and retention by gathering valuable feedback from your team. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/pulse-surveys/#) ### Benefits ### Track your team’s sentiment Gather feedback and improve employee engagement by automatically sending your employees an engagement survey and weekly reminders to complete it. ### Reduce employee turnover Understand the underlying issues impacting retention. You’ll receive recommendations based on survey responses so you can proactively prevent turnover. ### Develop a high-performing team Gather survey data to inform growth conversations with your team. That way you can ensure everyone is invested in the success of the company. ### See for yourself Ready to hire & retain the right candidates?​ Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### FAQs about Employee Pulse Surveys ### How often are Pulse reminders sent out? Pulse reminders are sent once per week on the designated day and time set by the account admin. ### Who can see employee feedback? Employee feedback can be seen by the employee’s direct manager and account admins. ### What are the Pulse questions? Pulse surveys use a 6-point Likert scale (intentionally without a true neutral option). There are 30 questions in total, designed to measure engagement, onboarding, alignment, and team experience. Examples include: * I feel well positioned to accomplish my 60-day goals. * My onboarding process was successful. * I have the tools and equipment needed to do my job. * This is a safe place to work. * I receive feedback that helps me improve my performance. * My manager has my back. * I would refer a friend to work at this company. (For the full list of questions, see the [Pulse Survey Questions document](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1F7Zo3WOCq1JPn1lajMeWvHDtWLzQ34VfriRxlc3f9j8/edit?gid=0#gid=0).) ### How long does it take employees to complete the weekly survey? On average, less than one minute. Employees can answer all questions directly from their phone—no need to log in to their CareerPlug account. # Hiring Software by Industry _17 pages_ --- ## Franchise - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchise-hiring-software/ Help your franchisees hire and retain top talent with easy-to-use software and expert support. [Partner With Us](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchise-hiring-software/#form) ### Exclusive Offerings for Franchise Owners ### Franchises As the preferred partner to over 400 franchise brands, CareerPlug uses a proven approach to help your franchisees grow with the right people. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/franchise/) ### Franchisors Gain a global view of their entire network with PartnerHub+. That way, they can diagnose issues based on insights, decide how to improve results, and give owners the resources they need to keep growing. Most importantly, they have access to our partnerships team, who will work directly with them to develop and execute a strategy to help their franchisees succeed. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/networks/) ### Stand Out to Candidates with a Custom Careers Page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Growing 400+ Franchise Brands and Counting ### Customer Stories “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires ### See How Other Franchises Have Grown See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/big-o-tires-case-study/) ### Let’s grow your franchise or network together Interested in a partnership? Our team can send you more information, or book a demo today! ### Learn more about a partnership with CareerPlug --- ## Networks - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/hiring-software-for-business-networks/ Help your network members hire and retain top talent with easy-to-use software and expert support. [Partner With Us](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/hiring-software-for-business-networks/#form) ### Networks We Help ### Buying Groups Your members rely on you to provide them with the best products and resources to grow their businesses. Drive success across your entire organization by adding hiring and retention software as a benefit for all of your members. ### Dealer Groups and Licensees Combine our expertise with your organization’s best practices. Your account comes pre-loaded with company branding, job descriptions, and hiring processes tailored to your organization. ### Cooperatives Member-owned organizations often have limited resources for attracting and engaging the right team. Lift up the entire group by joining together to provide resources and tools for members to hire and retain the right people. ### Trade Associations Your members don’t only want more benefits—they need ways to build their teams. Usher in the next generation of workers into your industry with software to hire and retain the right people. ### Exclusive Offerings for Networks ### Network members Gain access to our Grow Plan, which provides the most functionality for hiring and retaining the right people. From tailored, ready-to-go accounts to support from our team of Hiring Experts, they’ll have everything they need to succeed. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/franchise/) ### Network executives Gain a global view of their entire network with PartnerHub+. That way, they can diagnose issues based on insights, decide how to improve results, and give owners the resources they need to keep growing. Most importantly, they have access to our partnerships team, who will work directly with them to develop and execute a strategy to help their members succeed. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/networks/) ### Stand Out to Candidates with a Custom Careers Page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping Your Network Grow ### Customer Stories “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires ### See Success Stories See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/big-o-tires-case-study/) ### Let’s grow your franchise or network together Interested in a partnership? Our team can send you more information, or book a demo today! ### Learn more about a partnership with CareerPlug --- ## Franchisors & Networks - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchisors-networks/ CareerPlug partners with franchise brands and business networks to provide its franchisees and members with easy-to-use hiring and retention software. [Partner with Us](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchisors-networks/#getstarted) ### Helping 60,000+ Small Business Owners Grow Trusted Teams ### Our Partners ### Franchises Gain access to our Grow Plan, which provides the most functionality for hiring and retaining the right people. From tailored, ready-to-go accounts to support from our team of Hiring Experts, they’ll have everything they need to succeed. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/franchise/) ### Networks Help the members of your buying group, dealer group, cooperative, or trade association get the most from your organization. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/networks/) Why CareerPlug ### Unique Partner Model Built for Franchises & Networks Finding and keeping the right people is the #1 barrier to long-term, sustainable growth. CareerPlug helps you hire and retain your dream team. [Get Started](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchisors-networks/#getstarted) #### Easy We built CareerPlug for your business owners and operators—not just HR professionals—so they can hire and retain employees effortlessly. #### Experts Combine our expertise with your organization’s best practices. Your account comes pre-loaded with company branding, job descriptions, and hiring processes tailored to your organization. #### Partners You’re not just an account to us. Our whole team is invested in becoming your essential partner. And we have several Vendor of the Year trophies to prove it! ### Exclusive Offerings for Partners Franchises and networks that invest in CareerPlug receive additional functionality, customization, data, and integrations. ### Everything to Manage Hiring & Retention We deeply understand the complexities of Joint Employer concerns. Our systems and partnership model are designed to reduce those risks. * **Franchisees and network members** gain access to our Grow Plan, which provides the most functionality for hiring and retaining the right people. * **Franchise and network executives** gain a global view of their entire network with PartnerHub+. That way, they can diagnose issues based on insights, decide how to improve results, and give owners the resources they need to keep growing. Most importantly, they have access to our partnerships team, who will work directly with them to develop and execute a strategy to help their franchisees and members succeed. ### Full Customization to Stand Out to Candidates * App customization for your network or brand * Customized retention workflows (tasks and surveys) * Logo/favicon * Optional use of general workflows * Colors * Brand name * Customized onboarding workflows (forms and tasks) ### Data and Integrations to Track Your Progress * Access to network-wide onboarding and retention data via PartnerHub+ * Partner API and webhooks for operational integrations with your other software * Dashboards and data to track new hire progress and retention rates * Option to purchase SSO (single sign-on) integration ### Let’s grow your franchise or network together Interested in a partnership? Our team can send you more information, or book a demo today! ### Learn more about a partnership with CareerPlug --- ## Automotive Hiring Software | Trusted by Midas & Big O Tires | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/ Handle the high volume and high turnover of the automotive industry with software that helps you find and grow the right team. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find technicians who stick around We get how tough it is to find the right people for your automotive business. With an aging workforce, rapid technological changes, and a shortage of technicians, it can feel like you’re losing team members faster than you can hire. We analyzed benchmark data from the automotive industry to better understand how you should hire and retain your team. Here’s how to get them to stick around: * Pre-screen candidates through questions and assessments early in the application process * Recruit heavily from employee referrals and post your jobs to custom sources like Craigslist * Focus on employer branding to attract the best candidates [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0?__hstc=149923945.89191c3891cd0e2e4445c5491378a25a.1777064758309.1777064758309.1777064758309.1&__hssc=149923945.1.1777064758309&__hsfp=a9cc2efcfcc506695dc904ec491f705f) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping automotive franchises build winning teams ### Customer stories "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/wireless-advantage-case-study/%20) A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/awesome-doughnut-llc-case-study/) In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/chick-fil-a-case-study/) Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/kona-grill-case-study/) See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/americas-swimming-pool-company-case-study/) 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/handyman-connection-case-study/) Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/servicemaster-clean-case-study/) See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/golds-gym-case-study/) See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/planet-fitness-case-study/) See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/office-pride-case-study/) See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/molly-maid-case-study/) See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/big-o-tires-case-study/) Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Cleaning Service Hiring Software | Find & Retain Staff | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/cleaning-services-hiring-software/ Find and retain reliable cleaning professionals for your commercial or residential cleaning company. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find cleaning professionals who stick around We get how tough it is to find the right people for your cleaning service. With high turnover rates and labor shortages, it can feel like you’re losing cleaning staff faster than you can hire We analyzed benchmark data from the cleaning services industry to better understand how you should hire and retain your team. Here’s how to hire reliable cleaning professionals: * Include compensation and benefits info early in the job posting to entice quality candidates to apply * Focus on evaluating candidates more thoroughly earlier in the hiring process * Send referral emails to customers to find high-quality applicants [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping cleaning companies build winning teams ### Customer stories "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/wireless-advantage-case-study/%20) A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/awesome-doughnut-llc-case-study/) In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/chick-fil-a-case-study/) Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/kona-grill-case-study/) See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/americas-swimming-pool-company-case-study/) 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/handyman-connection-case-study/) Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/servicemaster-clean-case-study/) See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/golds-gym-case-study/) See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/planet-fitness-case-study/) See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/office-pride-case-study/) See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/molly-maid-case-study/) See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/big-o-tires-case-study/) Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Education Hiring Software for Schools & Childcare | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/education-and-child-care-hiring-software/ It’s tough to find people you can trust to teach and care for children. Attract and keep the most reliable teachers and childcare providers for your business. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find trusted teachers & childcare providers It can be hard for kids to have a revolving door of teachers, so you have to get it right when hiring and keep them around. And when you’re short-staffed, you have a ton of pressure to get the position filled right away. To help you attract and retain a quality team as quickly as possible without hiring the wrong people, we analyzed benchmark data from the education and childcare industry. Here’s how to hire and retain teachers and caregivers: * Publish job posts to custom sources to find top talent, even when they’re not actively looking for work * Focus on improving your employer brand online to make sure you receive the best possible applicants * Put compensation and benefits at the top of the job postings to attract quality educators and childcare providers [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping schools & childcare facilities build winning teams ### Customer stories "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Fitness Hiring Software to Build & Retain Your Team | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/health-and-fitness-hiring-software/ Find the right trainers and gym employees for your health & fitness business with software that helps you build your culture, hire and retain your team, and grow your revenue. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find fitness instructors & personal trainers who stick around We understand that it’s hard to find and retain trustworthy team members for your fitness business. With seasonal hiring patterns and unique specializations, it can feel like you’re always looking for your next employee. We analyzed benchmark data from the health & fitness industry to better understand how you should hire and retain your team. Here’s how to get the right people to stick around: * Focus your efforts on marketing employment opportunities to your existing club members * Create an employee referral program to attract the most talented fitness instructors using your existing network * Contact applicants as soon as possible with automated interview scheduling and text recruiting to speed up the hiring process [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0?__hstc=149923945.72e56aeb288fb82fbaf6be09c462119c.1777064777972.1777064777972.1777064777972.1&__hssc=149923945.1.1777064777972&__hsfp=a9cc2efcfcc506695dc904ec491f705f) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping health & fitness franchises build winning teams ### Customer stories "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/golds-gym-case-study/) See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/planet-fitness-case-study/) ### Free job posting templates ### Group exercise instructor template Download our free job description for a typical Group Exercise Instructor position [Download](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Group-Exercise-Instructor-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) ### Fitness supervisor template Download our free job description for a typical Fitness Supervisor position [Download](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Fitness-Supervisor-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) ### Swim instructor template Download our free job description for a typical Swim Instructor position [Download](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Swim-Instructor-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Home Health Care Hiring Software | Reduce Turnover | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/home-health-care-hiring-software/ Handle the high volume and high turnover of the home health care industry with software that helps you find and grow the right team. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find home health care workers who stick around Caregivers you can trust are tough to find. Plus, turnover can be disruptive to the elderly person receiving care—and their families. If you’re looking to fill openings at your home care business, you’ll need to attract top talent that will stick around. We analyzed benchmark data from the home care industry to better understand how you should hire and retain your team. Here’s how to attract and keep top candidates: * Contact candidates as quickly as possible using automated interview scheduling software * Create a great candidate experience to get more people to accept your job offers * Explore niche applicant sources, like industry-specific job boards, local and university john boards, and in-person events like career fairs [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping home care franchises & associations build winning teams ### Customer stories "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Home Services Hiring Software Built for High Turnover | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/home-services-hiring-software/ Handle the high volume and high turnover of the home and commercial services industry with software that helps you find and grow the right team. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find home services hires who stick around Home and commercial service employers have a hard time attracting skilled professionals from the building trades. We analyzed benchmark data from the home services industry to better understand how you should hire and retain your team. Here’s how to get the right people to grow with your team: * Reach out to high-quality applicants quickly with automated interview scheduling software * Attract the attention of workers wherever they are with text recruiting * Diversify your applicant sources to include company careers pages, employee referrals, and custom sources [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping home services franchises & associations build winning teams ### Customer stories "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/wireless-advantage-case-study/%20) A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/awesome-doughnut-llc-case-study/) In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/chick-fil-a-case-study/) Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/kona-grill-case-study/) See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/americas-swimming-pool-company-case-study/) 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/handyman-connection-case-study/) Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/servicemaster-clean-case-study/) See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/golds-gym-case-study/) See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/planet-fitness-case-study/) See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/office-pride-case-study/) See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/molly-maid-case-study/) See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/big-o-tires-case-study/) Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Lodging Hiring Software to Reduce Customer Turnover | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/industries-lodging-software/ Hire and retain top talent for your hotel, motel, or property management business with software that helps you manage both applicants and current employees. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find hospitality talent that sticks around Hotels and motels experience high employee turnover. It can feel like you’re always hiring and never fully staffed. That makes it hard to focus on your guests and deliver the quality experience they deserve. We analyzed benchmark data from the hospitality industry to better understand how you should hire and retain your team. Here’s how to get the right people to grow with your team: * Focus on the biggest drivers of hires like company careers pages, employee referrals, and custom sources * Try text recruiting to communicate with candidates faster * Use automated interview scheduling to move qualified applicants through your hiring process [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Customer stories A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Insurance Agent Hiring Software | Attract & Retain Top Talent | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/insurance-hiring-software/ Attract and retain top talent for your insurance or financial services business with software that helps you manage both applicants and current employees. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find team members who stick around It’s tough to find licensed insurance and financial services professionals—or people who can get licensed quickly. CareerPlug understands your industry’s unique needs and provides proven methods to hire and retain top talent. [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping insurance & financial services businesses build winning teams ### Customer stories "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Personal Care Hiring Software Built for Salons & Spas | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/personal-care-hiring-software/ Handle the high volume and high turnover of the personal care industry with software that helps you find and grow the right team. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find personal care hires who stick around Salons, spas, and other personal care businesses have a hard time attracting and retaining licensed hairstylists, massage therapists, and estheticians. We analyzed benchmark data from the personal care industry to better understand how you should hire and retain your team. Here’s how to find the right people to grow with your team: * Create thorough job descriptions with clear, accurate info about the role (including benefits and compensation) to receive high-quality applicants * Diversify your applicant sources instead of relying on job boards alone * Ask your customers for referrals to find top talent from your existing network [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping personal care businesses build winning teams ### Customer stories "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Restaurant Hiring Software for QSRs & Full Service | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/restaurant-hiring-software/ Handle the high volume and high turnover of the restaurant industry with software that helps you find and grow the right team. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find team members who stick around Restaurants are always hiring. It’s so hard to find team members for the front and back of the house who will actually stick around. Up to 50% of new hires wind up leaving within their first 90 days, which results in staffing shortages and leaves remaining employees picking up the slack. This can ultimately result in reduced operating hours, which impacts the customer experience and overall sales. We analyzed benchmark data from the industry to better understand how you should hire and retain a team for your QSR, Fast Casual, or Full Service Restaurant. Here’s how to find the right people to grow with your team: * Capture inbound traffic with an accessible, attractive careers page where customers can apply * Use custom sources like Craigslist, Facebook groups, and referral emails to find the right hires [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping restaurants build winning teams ### Customer stories "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/chick-fil-a-case-study/) Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/kona-grill-case-study/) Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Retail Hiring Software to Fast-Track Top Hires | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/retail-hiring-software/ Handle the high volume and high turnover of the retail industry with easy-to-use hiring and retention software. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find retail associates who stick around With seasonal hiring patterns and high turnover, it can be tough to find the right retail associates to grow with your team. We analyzed benchmark data from the retail industry to better understand how you should hire and retain your team. Here’s how to find the right people to grow with your team: * Pre-screen candidates through questions and assessments to find the most qualified talent early in the process * Use automated interview scheduling to engage high-quality candidates right away * Make sure your careers page is engaging by adding employee testimonials and a brand video [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping retail franchises & associations build winning teams ### Customer stories "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/wireless-advantage-case-study/%20) A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/awesome-doughnut-llc-case-study/) In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/chick-fil-a-case-study/) Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/kona-grill-case-study/) See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/americas-swimming-pool-company-case-study/) 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/handyman-connection-case-study/) Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/servicemaster-clean-case-study/) See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/golds-gym-case-study/) See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/planet-fitness-case-study/) See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/office-pride-case-study/) See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/molly-maid-case-study/) See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/big-o-tires-case-study/) Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Construction & Restoration Hiring Software | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/construction-restoration-software/ Find construction workers and restoration professionals you can trust with software that helps you hire and retain the right team. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find reliable construction & restoration professionals We know how challenging it can be to hire and retain construction workers. With labor shortages, seasonal staffing struggles, and regulatory challenges, it can be tough to staff every project and stay within schedule. We can help you hire and retain the right employees and contractors to meet all your requirements and grow your business. [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0?__hstc=149923945.f7fb05a2d8aee9938ba5e9a322d44444.1777064852747.1777064852747.1777064852747.1&__hssc=149923945.1.1777064852747&__hsfp=88f0d26fb51bc69bd8a31a89e8857ac0) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping construction companies build winning teams Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Pet Care Hiring Software | Trusted by Groomers & Daycares | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/pet-care-hiring-software/ It’s hard to find reliable people who love animals as much as you do. Attract and keep the most trustworthy pet caregivers, groomers, and staff for your business. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) We Know Your Business ### Find pet care talent that sticks around. In the pet care industry, your clients aren’t just customers—they’re family members. High employee turnover can disrupt the trust you’ve built with pet parents and leave your team stretched thin. It can feel like you’re always hiring and never fully staffed, making it difficult to provide the high level of care your furry clients deserve. To help you attract and retain a quality team as quickly as possible without hiring the wrong people, we analyzed benchmark data from the pet care and service industry. Here’s how to hire and retain the best caregivers: * **Showcase your culture:** Use your Careers Page to show off your facility and the "perks" of the job (like puppy cuddles!) to attract people who are truly passionate about animal welfare. * **Move fast with text recruiting:** The best candidates in this industry are often on the move. Reach them where they are to schedule interviews before your competitors do. * **Evaluate for reliability:** Use built-in pre-screen questions to filter for must-have traits like consistency, patience, and previous experience with animals. [Download the Full Report](https://share.hsforms.com/1kMp01UrWQfGt7rmNiuaZ0Q45iu0) ### Stand out to candidates with a custom Careers page. Show what makes your business different with a page that attracts quality applicants. **Fun fact:** Candidates applying from company pages are **4x** more likely to become hires than those who come from job boards. ### Helping pet care businesses build winning teams ### Customer stories "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Industries - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clients/ Companies across industries use CareerPlug to hire and retain hundreds of thousands of team members every year. [Start Growing](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Proven solutions for every industry Businesses across industries are growing winning teams with CareerPlug. [ ### Automotive](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Cleaning Services](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Construction & Restoration](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Education & Childcare](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Health & Fitness](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Home Health Care](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Home Services](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Insurance & Financial Services](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Lodging](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Personal Care](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Pet Care](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Restaurants & QSRs](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)[ ### Retail](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/) ### Don’t see your Industry Listed? We work with dozens of other industries—too many to list on one page. Contact us to learn more about our experience working with your industry. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) Why Careerplug? ### Grow your team, Grow your business Finding and keeping the right people is the #1 barrier to long-term, sustainable growth. CareerPlug helps you hire and retain your dream team. #### Easy With software easy enough for anyone can use—not just HR professionals—you can hire and retain employees effortlessly. #### Experts The product comes with built-in templates and workflows so you can get started right away. Everything has been tested and vetted so you’ll always know what to do next. #### Partners You’re not just a customer to us. We’re your partner. You’ll have an entire team supporting you every step of the way. Ready to hire & retain the right candidates?​ Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### Ready to hire & retain the right candidates? Find out how we can help your business grow. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) # Company _7 pages_ --- ## CareerPlug Demo | Let's Get Started **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/contact-us/ ### Speak with a hiring expert. If you have a question/comment about your CareerPlug account please fill out this form! We’ll help you get in touch with the right person. If you would like to learn how CareerPlug can help your business, please[request a demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/)! #### Support Team (for current clients) 512.579.0164 [Contact our Support Team](https://support.careerplug.com/hc/en-us/articles/4412774448155-Contacting-CareerPlug-Support) #### Hours: Mon – Fri, 7:30 am – 5 pm (CST) #### Mailing Address: 14425 Falcon Head Blvd. Building E, Suite 100 Austin, TX 78738-7195 --- ## Brand Kit - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/brand-kit/ Logos, icons, and assets to help you represent CareerPlug. ### Logo Our logo in different formats and color variations. [Download](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CareerPlug-Logo.zip) ### Icons Brand icons for your marketing materials. [Download](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CareerPlug-Icons.zip) --- ## Careers - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careers/ [See All Open Positions](https://www.careerplug.com/careers/#open-positions) ### Who we are CareerPlug’s purpose is to empower people to reach their potential. We do that in part by making it easier for our clients to hire and develop the right people. Our proven process allows us to work with over 60,000+ growing small businesses. Our hiring software is designed with user experience in mind: from candidates to hiring managers to business leaders. ### Core values ### Be Kind We care deeply about one another, our clients, and the world around us. ### Speak Up, Step Up We have a voice and we use it to make an impact. ### Keep Growing We embody the growth mindset. ### Work Together, Win Together We team up to achieve goals and celebrate accomplishments. ### Remote first CareerPlug is 100% remote for any US-based employee!We know the heart of our business is wherever our employees work — from our space in Austin to a home office on Lake Michigan, to an outfitted van exploring the American West (true story!). Of course, we also crave face-to-face connection! We offer employees the opportunity to gather in-person a few times per year, with full travel expenses paid. Check out the highlight video from our CareerPlug Summit in Boulder, Colorado in July 2024. [Read our full remote-first version](https://www.careerplug.com/remote-first-vision/) ### Our beliefs CareerPlug is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering a diverse team. Our leadership takes responsibility for creating a safe and welcoming environment built on inclusion and respect for all. [Read Our Full DEI Statement](https://www.careerplug.com/full-dei-statement/) My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” Desmond Tutu ### Hear from our team [Play](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/vid-3.jpg) [Play](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/vid-1.jpg) [Play](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/vid-4.jpg) [Play](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/vid-3.jpg) [Play](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/vid-1.jpg) [Play](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/vid-4.jpg) [Play](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/vid-3.jpg) [Play](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/vid-1.jpg) [Play](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/vid-4.jpg) ### Benefits & perks ### Donation Matching ### Unlimited PTO ### 401(k) Matching ### Life Insurance ### Vision & Dental Insurance ### Home Office Stipend ### 12 Weeks Paid Parental Leave ### Employer Paid Health Insurance ### Our hiring process ### Open positions ### Sales Account Executive [Learn More](https://cplugjobs.careerplug.com/jobs/2980175/apps/new) ### Sales Account Executive [Learn More](https://cplugjobs.careerplug.com/jobs/2980175/apps/new?__hstc=51647990.6e4c3877a7219b9f1065abbc8bf79f2e.1747149114014.1747149114014.1747149114014.1&__hssc=51647990.94.1750927970340&__hsfp=751305873) --- ## Company - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/company/ ### Our story CareerPlug was founded in 2007 in the heart of Austin, Texas by Clint Smith. He had a simple vision to make hiring easier for busy business leaders. Today we are the preferred partner to over 600 franchise brands and member-based organizations, as well as over 60,000 business owners. Together, we are achieving our purpose of empowering teams to grow by making it easier for managers to hire and retain the right people. Our software is easy-to-use and built for busy owners and managers who are not HR professionals. CareerPlug has a proven playbook that has helped our clients build a winning culture, hire faster, and retain great people. In addition to innovative tools that streamline and automate time-consuming HR tasks, we offer exceptional client support to help you grow your business with the right people. ### Core values ### Be Kind We care deeply about one another, our clients, and the world around us. ### Speak Up, Step Up We have a voice and we use it to make an impact. ### Keep Growing We embody the growth mindset. ### Work Together, Win Together We team up to achieve goals and celebrate accomplishments. ### Meet our team ### Clint Smith Founder & CEO ### Jenny Leman President ### Andrew Robinson III Vice President of Product & Engineering ### Chris Igou Vice President of Business Development ### Natalie Morgan Senior Director of People ### Brad Pilot Senior Director of Sales ### Canaan Davis Director of Software Operations ### Miles Z. Sterrett Director of Engineering ### Ashley Garia Director of Growth Product Management ### Zach Garcia Director of Operations ### Ashley Johnson Senior Manager of Partner Services ### Tulay Zollinger Senior HR Manager ### Sydney Kidd Senior Manager of Client Experience ### Taylor Coleman Strategic Solutions Architect ### Christina Waite Platform Engineering Manager ### Polly Schandorf Engineering Manager ### Kayla McCown Manager of Partner Growth ### Nicolle Gatlin Manager of Partner Success ### Erin Barlow Manager of Client Success ### Kevin Kraft Outside Sales Manager ### Tyler Berndsen Manager of Partnership Account Executives ### Brandy Lee Business Intelligence Manager ### Melany Becerra Manager of Product Support ### Seref Eroglu Hiring Expert Tier 1 Manager ### Giving back One of our core values is Be Kind, and to us that includes making a positive impact on the world and seeking out opportunities to help our communities. To that end, we’ve committed to giving 1% of our annual revenue to nonprofits each year. Our 100% employee donation matching program is one of our favorite team benefits and we’ve also partnered with WeForest, a global reforestation nonprofit, to plant a tree for the first hire every client makes! Our Give Back committee is a group of passionate employees who bring new opportunities forward: from organizing a Give Back Week, promoting time off to volunteer, and partnering with nonprofits like Maven Youth Tech Camp — a summer program for LGBTQ+ teens to learn about working in technology. Most notably, we have a strong partnership with Foster Angels of Central Texas, supporting their Toys for Teens Holiday Drive, SkipFest, and other events throughout the year. In 2015, we worked closely with Foster Angels to begin a$10,000 scholarship awarded to a foster youth to help continue their education. Since then we’ve awarded new scholarships each year and had CareerPlug employees become mentors to help set up the recipients for long-term success. ### Work at CareerPlug We are a values-driven company that puts our people first. To us, being one of the best places to work means putting care and purpose into our hiring process, providing meaningful development and training opportunities for our team members, and living our core values every day. [Learn More](https://www.careerplug.com/careers) --- ## Culture - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/company/culture/ ### Who We Are Collaborative. Hard-working. Fast-paced. Nurturing. Innovative. A little nerdy. The CareerPlug culture is a collection of our individual diversities and passions — above all, we believe in doing good work alongside good people. We are a team that doesn’t exist within our culture, rather, we build our culture every day by honoring our core values. ### Remote First CareerPlug made the decision to be a Remote First company, forever, in the summer of 2020 after working remotely for months due to COVID-19. We know the heart of our business is wherever our employees work — from our space in Austin to a home office on Lake Michigan, to an outfitted van exploring the American West (true story!).**[Read our full Remote First Vision](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CareerPlug-Remote-First-Vision.pdf).** ### We Offer Great Benefits #### Employer Paid Health Insurance #### Unlimited PTO #### 401(k) Matching #### Donation Matching #### Social Events #### Work From Anywhere #### Give Back Opportunities #### Give Back Opportunities ### Internship Programs CareerPlug interns are foundational to our day-to-day operations. We have many full-time employees who began their journey with us as an intern! We offer internships in most departments that make a significant impact to our success. To apply, check out our careers page for current openings. #### Client Experience Internship Client Experience interns offer their own expertise in an effort to aid our Hiring Expert and Client Engagement teams. These interns review technical challenges, assist with client troubleshooting, and promote clear communication regarding software development between our team and our clients. This internship gives our interns the chance to play a critical role in supporting our clients and software. #### Sales Internship Sales interns take on a comprehensive marketing based approach while supporting our Sales team. These interns conduct market outreach, research on key competitors, and assist in building email campaigns. We encourage our sales interns to work directly with their sales team members in order to gain invaluable knowledge about the sales and market development process. #### Marketing Internship Marketing interns are front and center to our growing and highly productive marketing team. This internship helps to maintain our automation software, research and develop valuable marketing content, assist with market research, contribute to our social media channels, and a variety of other projects as needed. The internship is great opportunity to learn about marketing in a growing SaaS business. --- ## Customers - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/customers/ Franchisors, franchisors, and small business owners use CareerPlug to grow their business by hiring and retaining the right people. Hear from them to learn if CareerPlug is right for you, too! [See what they're saying](https://www.careerplug.com/customers/#testimonials) ### What they are saying​ These are real stories from people using CareerPlug every day. Franchisors, franchisors, and small business owners use CareerPlug to grow their business by hiring and retaining the right people. Hear from them to learn if CareerPlug is right for you, too! ### Quent, owner at Budget Blinds “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient.” Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires "CareerPlug has dramatically reduced the amount of time required to review applicants, schedule interviews, and hire new team members.” ### Casey Del Prete General Manager, Swimming Safari Swim School "Utilizing the Autopilot feature has changed the game for our company! It has streamlined our hiring process, enabling us to effectively and efficiently schedule and interview candidates." ### Kesia Chisholm Recruiting Coordinator, Heyday “Prior to using CareerPlug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%. Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. […] Now that I am using CareerPlug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%. I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using CareerPlug for my hiring purposes.” ### April Williams The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake “CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Gio Tan Web Dev "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!” ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager, Orangetheory "​One of the most important things to me as a business owner in home care is recruiting, and I use CareerPlug to get the highest ROI I can on my applicant flow. We all know that applicant flow is everything, and CareerPlug does a great job of it.” ### Howard Stein President, Home Helpers Home Care “CareerPlug has given our centers a powerful hiring tool to help build out their teams. Staffing is always a challenge in our industry and having a resource like CareerPlug on our side has definitely made hiring more efficient and more effective. We have seen a 480% increase in the number of job applicants across our entire network.” ### Andy Hardy Marketing Manager, Discovery Point Franchising “CareerPlug has helped our staffing woes by bringing in new applicants across all mediums. I enjoy using CareerPlug's user interface, and customizing the company's Careers Page to my preference. The Help Center is amazing, and I have never had a problem that cannot be solved. Thank you for helping to make my job easier and more streamlined! You have saved my company tons of money and time.” ### Ryan Bowen Practice Manager, Idaho Hand Institute “​​Texting has dramatically improved my response rate – I get through to more candidates and work them through our process quicker than ever before. We use the built-in templates to make it simple and efficient, and it is a game changer in this competitive hiring environment.” ### Sean Morton State Farm “​​Using texting through the CareerPlug application has really helped our office connect with potential applicants. Quicker connections means getting your foot in the door early and that helps during this hyper-competitive hiring environment.” ### Dave Christy State Farm “​​CareerPlug drastically simplified and sped up my hiring processes by pre-scoring applicants and organizing them into easy to navigate pipelines. The communication track has ensured that all applicants that have applied, have been contacted as well. In the past a lot of applicants would not get follow-up calls or rejection letters, now everything is a uniform and simplified process for me and my teams.” ### Jaxon Owens F45 Training "Many of the dealers I work with were struggling recruiting technicians and installers until BrandSource partnered with CareerPlug. CareerPlug has simplified the recruitment and onboarding process for many of our members. A one-stop solution that hits all prominent job boards for one small annual fee. New candidate resumes have never been better thanks to CareerPlug." ### Paul MacDonald Service Lead, BrandSource "CareerPlug has been my reliable platform to find quality candidates for my job postings. I have been able to fill multiple openings within my organization. And best of all, I am satisfied with the candidates that I have hired through the CareerPlug process." ### Deji Ayoola Franchise Owner, Snapology "Recruiting and building a team that embraces our brand values and lives them daily is my top priority. [...] Our collaboration with CareerPlug has provided us a with a platform that sets us up for success to find the best applicants to represent our brand. What is at the heart of our successful partnership with CareerPlug, is that they listen to our feedback, understand our challenges and are constantly striving to find new ways to simplify our hiring process, support our needs and connect us with the best applicants." ### Cat Santangelo Director of Operations, Nothing Bundt Cakes "Our team is always updating our processes and templates to improve applicant engagement and reduce interview ‘no shows.’ Our best efforts could not provide anywhere near the results that we have experienced using the Autopilot process. Now my calendar effortlessly fills with phone screens and in-person interviews that follow through with their appointments." ### Jamie Sutton ServiceMaster "Since using CareerPlug, our expense for recruiting went down by about $3,000 and I think it’ll keep going down. We’ve really seen our expense decrease and the overall stress of hiring has decreased." ### Gabby Hoing CEO and Co-Founder of Kore Cares “Instead of waiting three or four days just to schedule interviews, the entire hiring process is now done in three days. Autopilot saves me time, makes the hiring process faster and my job easier so I’m hiring more people every week with fewer resources.” ### Lourdes Burnette HR/Recruiter, NCG Hospitality "I had [CareerPlug Hiring Expert] Diane on a scheduled call to help with our ad/questions. She helped determine what questions would help with some issues I had and made a sample job for us to review so we could implement her ideas. She looked at our local area and was quite helpful. I appreciated her time immensely." ### Savannha Sumner Office Administrator "The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!" ### Angie Valleroy Owner "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been vital to our success in 2021 and 2022. In a challenging time with finding quality candidates our organization has done well because of the support and insight from the CareerPlug experts. We were on a pilot program with Midas and after trying three other options we decided to partner long term with CareerPlug, and we are happy with our decision." ### Matt Nevala VP Sales & Operations "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with hiring process! It's simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it's all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It's been a game changer for us!" ### Courtney Wyatt General Manager "In about a week's time, we have over 75 quality applicants apply to work with our company. CareerPlug makes it easy and efficient to reach out to the candidates and set up interviews. My greatest concern launching our business was we wouldn't be able to find quality team members. I hear the horror stores and struggles about finding quality workers, but honestly I have a totally different issue. My issue is that I have so many quality candidates, I have been struggling to keep up with the demand! This is a great problem to have! Thank you, CareerPlug!" ### Edward Rankin Owner "Careerplug's Autopilot features cut my scheduling time in half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best. Also, all candidates come through one pipeline, which saves me a lot from manually tracking what step the candidate is at." ### Annet Asio-Pasquali Administrator “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient. CareerPlug also has some great tools to help find the best candidates. We highly recommend CareerPlug as an effective way to both find great applicants and as a way to screen, interview, and hire the best people.” ### Quent Blodgett Owner "Whomever came up with Autopilot deserves a RAISE! It has become a game changer, we went from around 10-20% of applicants doing phone interviews (and that is after playing phone tag and not responding to my texts) to probably 60-70% of applicants completing a phone interview. This has led to a higher conversation from interview to hired for quality applicants. Autopilot has saved me about 3 hours a day chasing applicants, playing phone tag and texting just get that first interview scheduled." ### Jared Amram Operations Coordinator "The biggest difference I experienced using CareerPlug is the quality of the candidates. Far too often in the past with other hiring platforms I recieved resumes/candidates that didn't even meet the basic reuirements I was posting. With CareerPlug, not only did I start recieving resumes immediately, the candidates were very well qualified for the postion I needed to fill. I was able to hire the perfect new employee only 9 days after contracting with CareerPlug! I'm continuing my contract with with CareerPlug because continuous recruiting is needed in today's hiring environment." ### Lee Belanger Insurance Agent "CareerPlug has helped our owners streamline their hiring process, and increase exposure in the marketplace. Many of our owners struggled to post enough jobs that we would gain exposure on Google and CareerPlug makes this manageable. Many of our owners rave about the success they have had since we implemented CareerPlug. They also rave about the ease of use - which is always important when a Franchisor is considering implementing another tool." ### Kayla Bramlet Director of Training "CareerPlug has streamlined our recruiting process. We upload our jobs in one place and CareerPlug does the hard work by launching that post across multiple platforms. Our time saved is spent interviewing quality applicants. Because we conduct more interviews, we hire great applicants and reduce turnover significantly. Our team has grown by 11% since we started! The support staff is personal and committed to resolving any issues as quickly and professionally! They follow up regularly to make sure you get back to hiring as quickly as possible!" ### Samuel Dietz Director of Operations "CareerPlug's customer service goes above and beyond. They are so helpful! I reached out in regard to an issue with a former user. Candace answered my question AND provided account optimization advice. As a small business, I am grateful for the partnership!" ### Ashley Jordan "We started using CareerPlug at the suggestion of our franchise operations group. While we have been affected by the labor problems that all businesses face, CareerPlug has provided a steady stream of applicants. We now have more employees than we did pre-pandemic. We’re happy!" ### Cy Cole Franchise Owner "CareerPlug has recruiting and onboarding tools that we utilize. For recruiting, it's great being able to create messaging templates in advance so it takes less time reaching out to applicants. We were also able to customize our own assessments in the hiring process which was useful for us in evaluating leadership traits of potential candidates." ### Shayla Ricci Manager "CareerPlug helped me hire all of my staff. I do almost no recruiting efforts outside of CareerPlug. CareerPlug makes it easy for me to see that I have a new application or resume and move quickly to take the prospect through the hiring process that CareerPlug provides. It's simple, convenient, and helps me keep organized." ### Joel Worthington Owner "CareerPlug allows me to watch, add, and create jobs for all four stores from one account. In addition, I have set all the managers up with their own profiles so they can add job listings, receive resumes, and keep track of their applicants, all without me having to forward the email, or call them and tell them." ### Ty Sorenson General Manager "CareerPlug is just absolutely phenomenal. I was spending about $495 a month on a major job board. In the first month of having CareerPlug I’ve had more, and better candidates than I ever had with the job board." ### Steve Schaut Big O Tires Franchisee CareerPlug has allowed our hiring team to streamline our hiring process across multiple platforms into a single platform. This allows us to post to multiple job portals without the additional operational headache of checking each one individually. ### Lindsay LeBlanc Franchisee "CareerPlug is an amazing platform that has simplified our recruiting & onboarding process. I love how we post our open positions in one convenient place and CareerPlug posts across multiple job boards! No more having to remember multiple passwords or where you posted your open positions!" ### Leana White Business Manager "Our partnership with CareerPlug has been one of the most impactful changes we have made within our organization. Our applicant flow has increased tenfold and the prescreen questions, assessments, and onboarding platform have all made it easy and painless to narrow the search down to the most qualified candidates and hire the best fit." ### Nick Sorgan General Manager "CareerPlug’s ability to post to major job boards with one-click has significantly boosted my applicant flow. I received more applicants within my first two weeks than I did all of last year." ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner "I struggled to find new hires posting directly on other recruiting sites. It wasn’t until I partnered with CareerPlug that I began to experience a constant pool of candidates year-round. By far, this has been one of the best investments in my business." ### Tami Allen Franchisee "The prescreen questions and scores has substantially reduced the time it takes my managers to go through resumes, call candidates and make job offers!" ### Anna Ortize HR Manager "CareerPlug had job descriptions for each position I was hiring for. I was able to make a few edits and post them within 5 minutes. Qualified candidates started coming in right away. I received lots of responses but obviously, the screening tool was effective because each one was at least worth looking at." ### Jay Hanigan Managing Member "My business has grown significantly as a result of using CareerPlug. Since using their hiring software, I have been able to grow my team from 7 to 10 employees, which has in turn grown my business." ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. ### Bill Moseley Franchise Owner See how **Kara Gobel**, a franchise owner, started receiving more quality applicants, making better hires, and growing her team. ### Kara Gobel Franchise Owner See how **Mark Eckels**, a franchise owner, standardized their hiring process while efficiently educating all of their owners and managers. ### Mark Eckels Franchise Owner See how **Sandy Vitti** received 5x more qualified applicants in just one month with CareerPlug’s hiring and retention software. ### Sandy Vitti VP of Sales See how **Chad Benedict**, VP of Sales, grew his staff at six locations across Houston, receiving more applicants during the first two weeks with CareerPlug than in the previous two years. ### Chad Benedict VP of Sales See how franchise owner **Gordy Pease** received more applicants in his first two weeks with CareerPlug than he did the previous year. ### Gordy Pease Franchise Owner 85% of the team at Handyman Connection has been sourced through CareerPlug. See how **Joe Cox**, Owner & General Manager, saved time and money with our software. ### Joe Cox Owner and General Manager Learn how franchise owner **Ashley Parsons** reduced job posting costs by over 800%, increased her applicant flow by 400%, and increased retention by 6x. ### Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner Hourly applicants increased by 400% after **Jamie Starner**, Talent Acquisition Manager for Kona Grill, started using CareerPlug. ### Jamie Starner Talent Acquisition Manager In one month, **Rally Deleon** had over 325 applicants. CareerPlug helps him cast a 2-3x larger net when hiring for Chick-fil-A North Hills. ### Rally Deleon VP of Sales A franchisee group that owns 19 **Krispy Kreme Doughnuts** locations reduced time to hire and increased applicant flow. ### Ana Ortiz Director of Sales and Human Resources **Chad Wester** reduced turnover by 25% after implementing CareerPlug at Wireless Advantage, a Verizon Wireless retailer. ### Chad Wester Director of Sales and Human Resources Being new to the CareerPlug platform, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to navigate and set things up on my own. For a few questions I did have, I was able to set up a time to talk with an expert very easily. Jason was great, answered my questions, asked me what was the best way for me to learn, and we navigated through the session with ease. He followed up with an email that included information for me to use as a follow-up in case I forgot something. ### Donnice Brown Regional Manager at Scenthound "CareerPlug has transformed the way we hire. It’s a one-stop shop for us to post to multiple job boards, saving us time and money. The time it saves us, along with the ease of contacting applicants quickly, has increased our hire rate double digits! Do not hesitate to jump on board CareerPlug, I wish we could have sooner!" ### John Dieu Director of Operations & Finance, Midas "CareerPlug gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It’s nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!” ### Austin Casey Founder and CEO, BidClips “I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it’s a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores.” ### Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter, Big O Tires “CareerPlug gives me substantially similar onboarding and personnel management capabilities as larger companies have with greatly simplified tools which I can customize for my business. I appreciate that all my personnel documents are digitized and stored securely. As a small business owner CareerPlug helps with employee recruitment, onboarding and retention in a simple, scalable and seamless manner.” Keith Hansen United Defense Tactical “We have increased our number of applicants considerably with the use of CareerPlug. It is a simple to use platform and we’ve been able to drop other job boards because CareerPlug is performing so well.” Jerry Hickey Express Employment Professionals “Careerplug’s autopilot features cut my scheduling time into half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best.” Annet Asio-Pasquali Vibrant Health Homecare “The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!” Angie Valleroy Mathnasium “I have been using CareerPlug for over 10 years and have hired dozens of employees with their services and technology. They have a great platform and are always working to improve. Their customer service is also very good and always ready to help.” Colm O'Mara Fitness Machine Technicians “Career Plug provides an easy, organized way to both track applicants, and onboard new hires in one place. Since we have multiple locations it also helps communication internally and creates an efficient system that opens time up elsewhere.” Lori DiMatteo KidStrong [Read More Customer Testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/customers/) ### What they are saying These are real stories from people using CareerPlug every day. ### Quent, Owner at Budget Blinds “CareerPlug has been an excellent tool in helping us find quality employees and grow our business. The ability to manage multiple jobs and all applicants on one site makes the process so much more efficient.” “CareerPlug gives me substantially similar onboarding and personnel management capabilities as larger companies have with greatly simplified tools which I can customize for my business. I appreciate that all my personnel documents are digitized and stored securely. As a small business owner CareerPlug helps with employee recruitment, onboarding and retention in a simple, scalable and seamless manner.” Keith Hansen United Defense Tactical “We have increased our number of applicants considerably with the use of CareerPlug. It is a simple to use platform and we’ve been able to drop other job boards because CareerPlug is performing so well.” Jerry Hickey Express Employment Professionals “Careerplug’s autopilot features cut my scheduling time into half. No more back and forth trying to figure out what time works best.” Annet Asio-Pasquali Vibrant Health Homecare “The CareerPlug representative took the time to provide SO MANY helpful tips on setting up a great job description, providing lot of details and suggestions I never would have thought of. I have confidence that my hiring needs are in good hands with CareerPlug!” Angie Valleroy Mathnasium “I have been using CareerPlug for over 10 years and have hired dozens of employees with their services and technology. They have a great platform and are always working to improve. Their customer service is also very good and always ready to help.” Colm O'Mara Fitness Machine Technicians “Career Plug provides an easy, organized way to both track applicants, and onboard new hires in one place. Since we have multiple locations it also helps communication internally and creates an efficient system that opens time up elsewhere.” Lori DiMatteo KidStrong ### Results you can measure From single location owners to national brands, CareerPlug helps businesses hire—and keep—the right people for the job. [See All Case Studies](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/) ### [Case Study: How CareerPlug Helped a New House Doctors Franchisee Build His Team](https://www.careerplug.com/case-study-house-doctors/) Joseph and his wife are brand-new House Doctors franchise owners preparing to launch their business this month. Juggling his regular job while opening a new business [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/case-study-house-doctors/) ### [How the Goddard School Saves Money While Attracting Higher Quality Candidates with CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/goddard-school-case-study/) Before CareerPlug, several locations of The Goddard School struggled with the usual hiring challenges like low applicant counts and hiring processes that drained time and money. [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/goddard-school-case-study/) ### [Case Study: Using CareerPlug to Hire More Confidently](https://www.careerplug.com/culligan-case-study/) William Bocast owns a Culligan franchise in Chico, California, and is what our team lovingly refers to as a “CareerPlug power user.” William combines the tools [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/culligan-case-study/) ### [Case Study: Sidney Lee Welding Supply](https://www.careerplug.com/sidney-lee-welding-supply-case-study-2/) For many business owners over the past year, making the right hires has become a challenging task. Recently, the number of job openings has surpassed the [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/sidney-lee-welding-supply-case-study-2/) ### [BidClips Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/bidclips-case-study/) Company Overview Their Challenge Our Solution Learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow at: www.careerplug.com [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/bidclips-case-study/) ### [Case Study: How Kore Cares Hires Home Care Employees with CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/kore-cares-case-study/) For home care business owners, making the right hires during a pandemic is no easy task. The labor market continues to shift, and attracting great candidates [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/kore-cares-case-study/) ### What changed after using CareerPlug Expect less stress around hiring and retaining employees and more time to focus on growing your business. #### Before * **Posting jobs** and hoping for the best * **High turnover** and wasted time * **No-shows.** Ghosting. Missed opportunities. * **Too busy** to give hiring and retention the attention it needs #### After* * **Confidently hire** with a repeatable proven process and a Hiring Experts team to back you up * **Spend less** time rehiring and more time helping your team thrive * **Automated scheduling** that keeps candidates (and you) on track * **A system that works** even when you’re not watching ### Let’s connect on how CareerPlug can work for you We are committed to helping you build winning teams. [Book a Call](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Remote First Vision - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/remote-first-vision/ ### Remote First Vision Build CareerPlug into one of the best places to work — anywhere. We believe that people are the heart of our business and that the heart of our business is wherever our employees work — from our space in Austin, to a home office on Lake Michigan, to an outfitted van exploring the American West (true story!). Even before our workforce distributed and the majority of our team worked in our Austin office, we valued transparency over ping pong tables, work/life balance over daily catered lunches, and genuine connection over boatloads of swag. Don’t get me wrong — playing games with coworkers, sharing a meal, and proudly showing off our branding are important to us too — but what’s most important are the core values we share and live by every day. Our Remote First culture looks different than it did when we were packed together in our All-Hands room, but we fundamentally live by those same values that prioritize kindness, collaboration, and growth in whatever we do. Here’s what it means to us to be a **Remote First**company: **We trust you.**At CareerPlug, we lead with trust. We hire great people who live our values, bring their best to their work, care about their team, and then we do our best to get out of the way. No office required to look over your shoulder. **We don’t pin you down.**You may love the separation of work and home and enjoy a physical space and commute. You may want to work in your living room, at a coffee shop, at a friend’s place in Colorado for the week. You may want to split your time between an office with coworkers and focus time on your own. You do you! Let us know before you move permanently out of the state though (there may be tax implications we need to work through first). **We track your results, not your time.**Remember: trust, not micromanagement. We set clear expectations and goals and trust you to bring your best at work every day, surfacing roadblocks and asking questions to help you meet your goal. In other words, the problem isn’t that you’re choosing to watch Netflix instead of working, the problem is that while you were watching Netflix your work didn’t get done and the results show it. **We level the playing field.**If one person is remote at a meeting, we all are. Separate screens, videos on. Everything is shared on our team drive or documented on our internal wiki. Key conversations happen on Slack — our proverbial watercooler. Our leadership team won’t be based in an office and there won’t be any advantage to working in a shared office space versus anywhere else. When a team goes out to drinks in Austin, we send the remote team member something special too! We don’t adjust pay based on location and instead pay the same amount for the same job across the country based on the Austin market rate. Plus are able to tap into the best talent from anywhere. Bottom line: whether you’re sitting next to your coworker or sitting next to a lake, we’re all _equals_. **We support our employees.**We offer a remote stipend to all employees to better equip their own offices. We arrange for travel to a central location at least twice a year for big events (like our Pluggie Awards and holiday party), and budget for both in-person and virtual team building and social events to keep people connected. By removing the need for a commute, we’re giving back time (and reducing traffic stress!) as well as contributing to the vision we share with our employees to have a positive impact on our environment. **We communicate openly and frequently.**Over-communication is the name of the game. We don’t assume someone is in the loop, we loop them in. We stay flexible, ask clarifying questions, and ask for help when we need it. We set the boundaries with our work and personal time and respect the boundaries of others. We give feedback and receive feedback with good intention and in face-to-face interactions. We embrace the glamour and grunge alike and turn our videos on. **We live our core values.**From the first apartment office to our renovated space to a distributed workforce, the heart of our values has remained the same and we live by them every day. # Partners & Integrations _5 pages_ --- ## Franchisors - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/ Our partnership model combines expert software and support with proven strategies in The Franchise People Playbook [Let's Talk](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/#demo) [Get The Playbook](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/) ### Helping 400+ franchise brands grow winning teams ### The only people operating system built to help Zors support Zees PartnerHub gives franchise operations teams the data and tools needed to support their franchisees. [Learn more](https://support.careerplug.com/benefits-of-a-careerplug-grow-subscription) ### **Plan** Help franchisees document their mission, vision, and values alongside business and hiring goals with PartnerHub ### **Analyze** Aggregate system-wide data and employee feedback to spot trends and coach locations that need support ### **Standardize** Provide hiring and retention templates and workflows so every location follows your proven process ### **Coach** Track conversations, set goals, and create action plans with franchisees to drive consistent results ### Franchisors love our unique partner model We make it easy for you and your franchisees. We know what you need because we are focused on franchising. [Get Started](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### **Easy** Your franchisees need to reach candidates where they are. Our software lets applicants to apply via text, QR code, or mobile — making it frictionless for today’s job seekers to say “yes”. ### **Experts** Most companies only teach their software. We teach franchisees how to hire and retain with The Franchise People Playbook. Plus, our Hiring Experts provide hands-on support when you need it. ### **Partners** We invest more than typical vendors, co-creating custom resources for your brand, supporting your operations team, and optimizing based on data. Our Vendor of the Year awards prove it. ### Your franchise network needs a People Operating System Stop letting every location figure out hiring on their own. Give them a proven system to find, hire, and keep great people – so your network can grow. ### We build the system around your brand. Custom careers pages, job templates, interview guides, and onboarding workflows that reflect your standards—so every location operates with consistency. ### Franchisees reach candidates everywhere One-click posting to 100+ job boards, social sharing tools, and text-to-apply options. Your franchisees get quality applicants without the manual work. ### Locations hire and retain with confidence Standardized scorecards, automated onboarding, and performance check-ins keep every franchisee on track, from first post to long-term retention. [Book a Demo](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/#demo) ### A comprehensive resource for franchise leaders We wrote the book on franchise hiring — literally. Now we’re giving it away because we believe every franchise system deserves access to proven strategies that work. [Download Now](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/) ### What's inside? 8 proven concepts and strategies from helping 400+ franchise brands: [Get Your Free Copy](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/) #### Practical frameworks franchisees can implement immediately #### Tips on how to make more consistent hiring decisions and retain hires longer #### Special section for franchisors on supporting your network [Get Your Free Copy](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/) See how **Bill Moseley**, a Regional Recruiter for a Big O Tires franchisee, solved his hiring challenges with an applicant tracking system. [Read The Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/big-o-tires-case-study/) ### Franchise success depends on people You can give franchisees a winning model, but they won’t succeed unless they build a winning team. ### Let’s grow your franchise or network together Interested in a partnership? Our team can send you more information, or book a demo today! ### Learn more about a partnership with CareerPlug --- ## Integrations - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/integrations/ Operators can’t afford wasted time on manual data entry and gaps in data hygiene between core systems. CareerPlug integrations help you cut down on manual work, reduce data entry mistakes, and keep candidate and employee information flowing from hiring to onboarding and into core operational tools you use daily/weekly. [Learn More](https://support.careerplug.com/careerplug-integrations) Integrations vary by product and plan. Our team can help confirm what’s available for your account. ### Spend less time hiring and more time growing your business. Integrations can help reduce the mental load of questioning and double-checking. CareerPlug is the only software built for franchise brands by franchise hiring experts, with 10+ years experience serving 400+ brands. We make franchise hiring systematic, not stressful. ### Common outcomes clients see: ### Faster hiring and onboarding workflows ### Fewer “oops” moments from manual entry and manual fixes ### Cleaner reporting because data hygiene is consistent ### A smoother experience for employers who don’t need just another thing to worry about ### Exploring connecting CareerPlug to… * Background checks and e-verify * Hiring assessments * Payroll software * Operational software (scheduling, point-of-sale, CRM, etc) * Others via middleware Some integrations are real-time connections, while others use secure exports or connector tools. Either way, the goal is the same: reduce manual effort and keep data accurate. Ready to see what’s available for your team? Dive into more detail about our integration options to learn what’s supported and how setup works. [Learn More](https://support.careerplug.com/careerplug-integrations) ### FAQs ### Do I need technical resources to set this up? Many integrations are straightforward to enable with guidance from our team. Some may require coordination with your IT team or the partner vendor, depending on the connection type. ### Can I request an integration we don’t have yet? Yes. If there’s a tool your team relies on, we’d love to learn about it. We track requests and evaluate new integrations based on client impact and partner readiness. ### Will integrations change how my team works day-to-day? Ideally, yes in a good way: fewer manual steps, fewer repeated tasks, and a cleaner handoff from hiring to onboarding to operating. ### Are integrations included in my plan? Availability can vary by product and plan. Our support team can confirm what’s included and what options make sense for your workflow. --- ## Partnerships with CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/partner/ CareerPlug partners with franchise brands, networks, and multi-location business owners to provide an easy-to-use, intuitive hiring and retention platform. [learn more](https://www.careerplug.com/partner/#contact) ### [FRANCHISES](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchise-hiring-software/) As the preferred partner to over 400 franchise brands CareerPlug helps franchisors grow their brand. [Learn more](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchise-hiring-software/) ### [INSURANCE AGENCIES](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/insurance-hiring-software/) CareerPlug is the preferred partner for several large insurance agencies to help their agents hire and retain new agents. [Learn more](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/insurance-hiring-software/) ### [NETWORKS & ASSOCIATIONS](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/) To other software companies, you might just be a customer – but at CareerPlug, we’re partners invested in your success. [Learn more](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/) ### Grow Your Business Exclusive discounts, i ntuitive software, h iring & retention expertise ### Protect Your Brand Tools to showcase your culture and help you a ttract the _right_ candidates. The right employees create your workplace culture and drive innovation. ### **Partners that trust CareerPlug** CareerPlug is a trusted hiring partner for these brands: ### Learn more about a partnership with CareerPlug --- ## Franchise Resources - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/franchise-resources/ — a central document that captures who you are, what you stand for, and where you’re headed. **That’s your Culture Map.** [Download the Culture Map](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Culture-Map.png) ### Ready to create your Culture Map? Start here: ### Define your "why" What impact does your business have beyond generating revenue? ### Envision success Where do you want to be in three years? Be specific. ### Identify core values What 3–4 behaviors do you value more than anything else? ### Craft your EVP Why should great people choose you over other employers? ### Test it with your team Get input from your best employees to refine and validate it. ### Document it Make the Culture Map accessible to every member of your team. ### A new playbook with concepts and strategies you can use immediately The Franchise People Playbook introduces four core concepts and provides practical strategies to implement each one right away. Every idea comes with specific steps you can take this week. This is what actually works in franchise operations, distilled into practical actions: ### The Fifth P: People as your differentiator The Franchise People Playbook introduces four core concepts and provides practical strategies to implement each one right away. Every idea comes with specific steps you can take this week. This is what actually works in franchise operations, distilled into practical actions: ### Jobs to careers The difference between filling shifts and building career paths shows up in your job posts, your interviews, your training, and your retention numbers. This section gives you the framework to make that transformation real. ### The Multiplier Mindset When you build a people process that works, you’re creating something that scales as you grow from one location to five to twenty. The playbook walks you through building systems that multiply your success instead of multiplying your headaches. ### People first, profits follow Stop chasing short-term labor savings and start investing in people who drive long-term profitability. Better hires stay longer, perform better, and cost less over time. The playbook shows you how to make this shift without blowing your budget. [Download Now](https://www.careerplug.com/franchise-resources/) ### The Franchise People Playbook When I finished writing How to Hire in 2018, I told myself I was done writing books. It took a long time to get that one [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/just-launched-franchise-people-playbook/) ### The Franchise People Operating System Stop letting every location figure out hiring on their own. Give them a proven system to find, hire, and keep great people – so your network can grow. [Download](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Franchise-People-Operating-System-scaled.png) --- ## CareerPlug: Certified Indeed Platinum ATS Partner [Official] **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/indeed-partner/ ### Learn more about our Platinum Partnership with Indeed We are excited to announce our inclusion in Indeed’s ATS Partner Program. As a Platinum partner, we work closely with Indeed to build reliable integrations that optimize your hiring process. Learn more about [Indeed’s ATS integrations.](https://www.indeed.com/hire/ats-integration?kw=&sid=us_prtnr_ca_ATS-Partner-Program-launch-Apr-2023_au__cr_final-email_pt_ATS&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=&utm_source=) #indeedatspartner ### Attract more applicants with our Indeed Integration CareerPlug’s applicant tracking system integrates seamlessly with Indeed, the world’s #1 job site, with 300 million global unique visitors every month and sites in over 60 countries. By providing access to great talent from all different fields, Indeed helps employers of all sizes find and hire the right talent for them. ### How does it work? When you post a job using CareerPlug, it instantly gets distributed to Indeed. Your jobs will be seen where the most job seekers are searching! Our Indeed integration increases your applicant pipeline and gets your hiring process started the right way. ### Optimize your job postings with help from our experts As a CareerPlug client, you’ll have access to our team of in-house Hiring Experts who are ready to help you optimize your job postings with proven best practices so you can stand apart from the competition and attract higher quality candidates. Ready to start hiring better?​ Click the button below to activate your account or get a free live demo of CareerPlug. [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started) # Resources Hubs _3 pages_ --- ## Blog - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/blog/ Hiring research How to Hire 101 Other Recruiting Strategy Webinars All ### [Clint’s Notes: What spring staffing tells you about the health of your franchise system](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-what-spring-staffing-tells-you-about-the-health-of-your-franchise-system/) Looking at franchise hiring data in April can be very telling. The numbers usually aren’t good, but that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m paying attention [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-what-spring-staffing-tells-you-about-the-health-of-your-franchise-system/) ### [Clint’s Notes: Why your best franchisees are also your best recruiters](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-why-your-best-franchisees-are-also-your-best-recruiters/) “The biggest difference between your top and bottom performing franchisees is the quality of their teams.” I said this probably a dozen times at IFA in [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-why-your-best-franchisees-are-also-your-best-recruiters/) ### [Closing the Care Gap: Streamline Home Care Hiring with the myCNAjobs Integration](https://www.careerplug.com/closing-the-care-gap-streamline-home-care-hiring-with-the-mycnajobs-integration/) A Partnership to Strengthen the Caregiver Workforce At CareerPlug, we know that hiring caregivers has never been more challenging. With 5 million caregivers currently in the [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/closing-the-care-gap-streamline-home-care-hiring-with-the-mycnajobs-integration/) ### [Clint’s Notes: The fifth P](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-the-fifth-p/) The American Franchise Act is probably going to pass this year. If you’re a franchisor, this will mean a lot more clarity on what you can [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-the-fifth-p/) ### [Streamline Your Hiring with the CareerPlug + Toolbelt Integration](https://www.careerplug.com/streamline-your-hiring-with-the-careerplug-toolbelt-integration/) Hiring in the home and commercial services industry is a unique challenge. Whether you run a painting franchise, a plumbing service, or a restoration crew, you’ve [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/streamline-your-hiring-with-the-careerplug-toolbelt-integration/) ### [Clint’s Notes: Does AI belong in hiring software? Yes. (And no.)](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-does-ai-belong-in-hiring-software-yes-and-no/) A bunch of people forwarded me the New York Times article about the lawsuit against Eightfold AI. In case you didn’t read it, the claim is [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-does-ai-belong-in-hiring-software-yes-and-no/) ### [Clint’s Notes: The DIY trap for franchise owners](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-the-diy-trap-for-franchise-owners/) I’ve been thinking about something since my last post about hiring in this market. A few people reached out and said basically the same thing: “Clint, [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-the-diy-trap-for-franchise-owners/) ### [Clint’s Notes: 3 things I learned at IFA 2026](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-3-things-i-learned-at-ifa-2026/) I just got back from Las Vegas, where I spent three days at the IFA Annual Convention surrounded by franchisors and everyone who supports them. I [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-3-things-i-learned-at-ifa-2026/) ### [Clint’s Notes: Why I wrote The Franchise People Playbook](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-why-i-wrote-the-franchise-people-playbook/) I’m at IFA today. If you’re here too, come find me at booth 700. We’re officially launching The Franchise People Playbook and I figured today was [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-why-i-wrote-the-franchise-people-playbook/) ### [The Franchise People Playbook](https://www.careerplug.com/just-launched-franchise-people-playbook/) When I finished writing How to Hire in 2018, I told myself I was done writing books. It took a long time to get that one [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/just-launched-franchise-people-playbook/) ### [Clint’s Notes: Is now a good time to hire?](https://www.careerplug.com/january-jobs-report-franchising/) I’m heading to IFA next week, and I’ve been thinking about a question I keep getting asked: “Is it a good time to hire right now?” [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/january-jobs-report-franchising/) ### [Clint’s Notes: Starting something new](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-starting-something-new/) I’m trying something new. Every Monday, I’m going to share what’s on my mind about franchising and hiring. The format is flexible, but the commitment is [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-starting-something-new/) Page 1[Page 2](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2/)[Page 3](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/3/)…[Page 11](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/11/) --- ## Case Studies - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/case-studies/ ### [Case Study: How CareerPlug Helped a New House Doctors Franchisee Build His Team](https://www.careerplug.com/case-study-house-doctors/) Joseph and his wife are brand-new House Doctors franchise owners preparing to launch their business this month. Juggling his regular job while opening a new business [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/case-study-house-doctors/) ### [How the Goddard School Saves Money While Attracting Higher Quality Candidates with CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/goddard-school-case-study/) Before CareerPlug, several locations of The Goddard School struggled with the usual hiring challenges like low applicant counts and hiring processes that drained time and money. [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/goddard-school-case-study/) ### [Case Study: Using CareerPlug to Hire More Confidently](https://www.careerplug.com/culligan-case-study/) William Bocast owns a Culligan franchise in Chico, California, and is what our team lovingly refers to as a “CareerPlug power user.” William combines the tools [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/culligan-case-study/) ### [Case Study: Sidney Lee Welding Supply](https://www.careerplug.com/sidney-lee-welding-supply-case-study-2/) For many business owners over the past year, making the right hires has become a challenging task. Recently, the number of job openings has surpassed the [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/sidney-lee-welding-supply-case-study-2/) ### [BidClips Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/bidclips-case-study/) Company Overview Their Challenge Our Solution Learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow at: www.careerplug.com [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/bidclips-case-study/) ### [Case Study: How Kore Cares Hires Home Care Employees with CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/kore-cares-case-study/) For home care business owners, making the right hires during a pandemic is no easy task. The labor market continues to shift, and attracting great candidates [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/kore-cares-case-study/) ### [Big O Tires Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/big-o-tires-case-study/) Company Overview Their Challenge Our Solution Learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow at: www.careerplug.com [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/big-o-tires-case-study/) ### [ServiceMaster Clean Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/servicemaster-clean-case-study/) Company Overview Their Challenge Our Solution Learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow at: www.careerplug.com [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/servicemaster-clean-case-study/) ### [Awesome Doughnut LLC Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/awesome-doughnut-llc-case-study/) Company Overview Their Challenge Our Solution Learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow at: www.careerplug.com [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/awesome-doughnut-llc-case-study/) ### [America’s Swimming Pool Company Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/americas-swimming-pool-company-case-study/) Company Overview Their Challenge Our Solution Learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow at: www.careerplug.com [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/americas-swimming-pool-company-case-study/) ### [Kona Grill Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/kona-grill-case-study/) Company Overview Their Challenge Our Solution Learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow at: www.careerplug.com [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/kona-grill-case-study/) ### [Office Pride Case Study](https://www.careerplug.com/office-pride-case-study/) Company Overview Their Challenge Our Solution Learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow at: www.careerplug.com [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/office-pride-case-study/) --- ## Resources - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/resources/ Blogs, guides, research, webinars, and more created to help you make the right hires for your small business. ### Explore existing content Search ### Get the latest hiring advice and trends delivered straight to your inbox! ### Subscribe to the CareerPlug blog FEATURED FEATURED ### [7 Ways to Recruit and Retain Gen Z Employees](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-recruit-gen-z/) The babies of Generation Z are growing up quickly. With most of them now hovering between 20-25 years old, they are beginning to shape the labor… [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-recruit-gen-z/) ### Latest articles [See all](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/) ### [Clint’s Notes: What spring staffing tells you about the health of your franchise system](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-what-spring-staffing-tells-you-about-the-health-of-your-franchise-system/) Looking at franchise hiring data in April can be very telling. The numbers usually aren’t good, but that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m paying attention [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-what-spring-staffing-tells-you-about-the-health-of-your-franchise-system/) ### [Clint’s Notes: Why your best franchisees are also your best recruiters](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-why-your-best-franchisees-are-also-your-best-recruiters/) “The biggest difference between your top and bottom performing franchisees is the quality of their teams.” I said this probably a dozen times at IFA in [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-why-your-best-franchisees-are-also-your-best-recruiters/) ### [Closing the Care Gap: Streamline Home Care Hiring with the myCNAjobs Integration](https://www.careerplug.com/closing-the-care-gap-streamline-home-care-hiring-with-the-mycnajobs-integration/) A Partnership to Strengthen the Caregiver Workforce At CareerPlug, we know that hiring caregivers has never been more challenging. With 5 million caregivers currently in the [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/closing-the-care-gap-streamline-home-care-hiring-with-the-mycnajobs-integration/) ### Ask a hiring expert Brush up on the basics of how to hire, from job posting to job offer. [See all](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-101/) ### [Ask a Hiring Expert: How to Create an Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-profile/) The most valuable step in hiring happens before the job posting goes live – where you consider both the gaps that you’re hiring for and what [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-profile/) ### [What New Hires Want to See in an Onboarding Process](https://www.careerplug.com/what-new-hire-want-onboarding-process/) So you’ve hired a new employee and feel excited, accomplished, and probably a bit relieved that the process is over. You may feel like you just [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/what-new-hire-want-onboarding-process/) ### [How to Create a Positive Candidate Experience According to Job Seekers](https://www.careerplug.com/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) One of the most important aspects of running a business is hiring and retaining the right people. As you may know, this isn’t always easy! While [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) ### Hiring research [See all](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-research/) ### [The Hiring Metrics Every Fitness Franchisor Should Be Tracking](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-metrics-fitness-franchisors/) Hiring the right people across multiple franchise locations can be a challenge for any franchisor. For growing fitness brands, hiring and retention directly impact day-to-day operations, [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-metrics-fitness-franchisors/) ### [The Franchise Onboarding Report: What the Data Reveals About Early Turnover](https://www.careerplug.com/franchise-onboarding-report/) Franchisors today are feeling the pressure from all sides. Rising labor costs, inconsistent unit performance, and the challenge of maintaining brand standards across multiple locations—it’s a [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/franchise-onboarding-report/) ### [2025 Recruiting Metrics Report: Benchmark Data & by Industry](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) In CareerPlug’s sixth annual Recruiting Metrics Report, we continue to analyze our hiring data to shed light on hiring metrics and trends for small businesses across [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) ### Webinars [See all](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/webinars/) ### [Webinar: Essential Hiring Do’s and Don’ts for Small Businesses](https://www.careerplug.com/webinar-go-small-biz-careerplug/) Hiring the right team is crucial for any small business, but navigating the legal landscape can be tricky. Missteps in hiring can lead to costly fines, [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/webinar-go-small-biz-careerplug/) ### [Webinar: Avoid the “I Quit” and Save Your Franchisees Time, Money, and Turnover](https://www.careerplug.com/webinar-avoiding-the-i-quit/) Are your franchisees struggling with turnover and staffing shortages? They’re not alone. Across the United States, the volunteer turnover rate doubled in the ten year span [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/webinar-avoiding-the-i-quit/) ### [Build a Recruiting Machine: A Conversation with Clint Smith and Forrest Higdon](https://www.careerplug.com/build-a-recruiting-machine/) Sometimes hiring managers get stuck in the cycle of hiring for necessity in order to fill a position quickly, rather than hiring the highest quality applicant. [Read More](https://www.careerplug.com/build-a-recruiting-machine/) # Case Studies _1 page_ --- ## Big O Tires - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/case-study/big-o-tires/ ### Company Overview * Bill Moseley has been a Regional Recruiter for Big O Tires franchisee, Chris Monteverde, for 5 years. Before that, he spent 15 years working for Big O Tires corporate. * He oversees recruiting for 24 Big O Tires stores in Northern California and Texas. * Before CareerPlug, Moseley was using various job boards and Craigslist to post his jobs. ### Their Challenge * Moseley’s Big O Tires territory requires recruiting for over 100 positions a year in a wide variety of roles including tire technicians, service advisors, store personnel, office staff, call center staff, and more. * Moseley faced a challenge in finding better-qualified applicants for his various roles. He wanted to ensure he was making the right hires for Big O Tires – not just the available hires. * Moseley needed a way to quickly create and manage multiple high-quality job postings that would attract the right candidates to his open positions. ### Our Solution * CareerPlug allows Moseley to create custom job descriptions and **save them as templates for all future job postings**. He can now quickly and easily post future jobs with just a few clicks and manage multiple job postings at once. * With CareerPlug, Moseley is able to **pre-qualify candidates more effectively**, which allows him to focus his valuable time and efforts on higher-quality candidates. * **CareerPlug provides useful data for each job posting**, which Moseley can use to determine whether he should make adjustments to optimize his job descriptions so they attract the right applicants. * Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, Big O Tires was able to make between **16-18 hires**. # Blog _261 pages_ --- ## Is Your Workplace Fun? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/workplace-fun/ * Posted on September 15, 2014 * by Natalie Morgan Admittedly, this probably isn’t the first question you’re going to ask when evaluating your business. Compared to profitable, efficient, or innovative, ‘fun’ can seem like a trivial measurement. Your employees are there to work, after all, not to be entertained. But it turns out looking at how much fun your employees have at work is crucial to measuring long-term success and definitely plays a huge role in employee retention. Building a healthy company culture is an important piece of building a business and you ignore it at your own peril. After all, most people will only work at a company that is over-serious and overstressed for so long. Not exactly a great plan for attracting and retaining top talent. But having a bit of fun can actually[increase productivity](https://www.bticonsultants.com/US/Careers/Career-Tips-and-Tools/May-2012-Having-Fun-in-the-Workplace/#.VBYn9GSwJW1). Laughter produces strong endorphins that cause the same exhilarating feeling you get when you exercise. It also increases your oxygen intake, which not only boosts your immune system, but decreases stress levels. Having a laugh at work can combat boredom (which never leads to productivity) and increase creativity and communications within your staff. So how can you increase your office merriment? These[13 steps](https://www.idoinspire.com/creating-a-fun-workplace/) from motivational speaker Jody Urquhart are a great place to start. The highlights: accept that professionalism doesn’t always mean being serious, plan social events for your team, and recognize fun as a positive w hen it happens. Tell jokes, bring nerf balls to meetings, post fun pictures on social media, and let your staffs’ own fun personality shine. How would you measure your workplace’s level of fun? And what can you do to bring a little more laughter into your office? For more hiring/business tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## Client Spotlight: Teri-Anne Brennan **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/client-spotlight-teri-anne-brennan/ * Posted on September 19, 2014 * by Natalie Morgan _This Friday we caught up with [Teri-Anne Brennan](https://twitter.com/TABrennan), a Group Talent Acquisition Manager for Enterprise Holdings in South Florida. She was gracious enough to take the time to talk about her experience with CareerPlug and the hiring process._ **How long has your company been using CareerPlug?** 2 years **How has your hiring process changed since you began using CareerPlug?** CareerPlug has saved my Talent Acquisition Managers a ton of time. They can focus on the sales part of their position – picking up the phone and calling candidates. In the past, they spent a ton of time searching career sites, scanning resumes, sending emails, etc. With CareerPlug, they receive weekly emails with a targeted candidate pool (that already received personalized emails) and are able to cut out a lot of the tedious work. We’ve found that almost 100% of the people that say they are interested from CareerPlugs emails have already applied! And the ones that have visited the microsite are a great pool of warm leads. We’ve even begun using CareerPlug to campaign for our Open House events, and hard to fill positions. Huge time saver! **What’s your favorite part about what you do?** I love providing the training, tools, and assets that my team needs in order to supply our field with the top talent they need to build their business. My favorite part of my position is seeing my team succeed. **What is the best moment you’ve had during the hiring process?** The best moment for me is the offer stage. **What do you do outside of work that makes you awesome?** I am a mom of two – three if you count my Labrador, Bodie. We stay super busy with park and beach outings, birthday parties, and kid friendly happy hours. **What do you value most in your workplace?** Our employees. One of our guiding principles states that our brands are the most valuable things that we own. Our employees represent those brands – and they are why we grow and are successful. **What is the best pieces of advice anyone ever gave you?** The best way to gain respect quickly in the workplace is to perform – quickly. **What’s the best piece of advice you can give to someone struggling to hire new people?** Reach out to someone who is successful with hiring – don’t be afraid to ask for help. Have mentors at every step of your career. **What do you consider yourself an expert on?** Hiring top talent! --- ## Client Spotlight: Sare’ Arnold **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/client-spotlight-sare-arnold/ * Posted on October 3, 2014 * by Natalie Morgan _This Friday we’re pleased to introduce you to Sare’ Arnold from Enterprise Holdings. Sare’ graciously took the time to talk about her hiring process, give some good advice, and say hello!_ **** **How long have you been using CareerPlug?** We have been using the services from CareerPlug for about 3 years. **How has your hiring process changed since you began using CareerPlug?** We decided to partner with CareerPlug to allow us recruiters more time to be out of the office at college events and still be prospecting candidates on Monster and Careerbuilder. With our partnership with CareerPlug, we have been able to utilize our college referral sources to a greater extend, resulting in a stronger brand on campuses. **What’s your favorite part about what you do?** My favorite part of recruiting is networking! **What’s the best moment you’ve had during the hiring process?** My favorite moment occurred at a career fair. I had a candidate hug me before she left my booth! **What is the most difficult part of hiring new talent?** The most challenging part of hiring new talent is battling the competition in the market. Once candidates are in our interview process and receive an offer, we have a high acceptance ratio. The challenging part is getting them to submit an application and express the initial interest. **What do you do outside of work that makes you awesome?** Outside of work, I love to take care of my family. We are very active with sports and love to be outside! We have family basketball games, take bike rides, and try to make the most of the time we do have together. **What do you value most in your workplace?** Enterprise is an amazing company to work for. One of our 8 founding values is, “Enterprise is a fun and friendly place to work where teamwork rules.” I don’t think I could work for a company if I couldn’t have fun and laugh. **What is the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you?** The best piece of advice pertained to asking questions to your supervisor. I was encouraged as a young professional to go into a meeting with a supervisor with not only a question, but a potential, well thought out solution. --- ## What Makes A Great Manager? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/makes-great-manager/ * Posted on October 20, 2014 * by Natalie Morgan Well, there are plenty of reasonable and innovative answers to this questions. Listening to your team and utilizing their creativity and individual talents. Creating an open dialogue of communication. Passing the leadership baton so employees have the chance to grow professionally. Leading by example. But the real question we each should be answering is “**what makes _me_ a great manager?**”. All of us have different work styles, and your leadership and managerial styles, though related, aren’t the same thing. Developing your managerial skills begins with evaluating your office culture and your company values and ends with reconciling that with who you are and how you naturally connect with people. There are many things that are valuable to take from the cookie-cutter manager mold and try to adopt into our own practices. If you’re not a good communicator, for example, or don’t regularly check-in to give employees feedback, those are weakness to work on. But, that doesn’t mean you have to be that cookie-cutter manager. As the old adage goes: be yourself. [Check out this great infographic about being a great manager](https://ow.ly/D3dmE). Do these practices align with your style? What do you think makes a good manager? For more recruiting and managing tips, follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug)! --- ## Goodbye-Hello: Staying Connected to Ex-Employees **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/goodbye-hello-staying-connected-ex-employees/ * Posted on October 27, 2014 * by Natalie Morgan You have spent time building and maintaining a great team for your business and everything is running smoothly – or at least as smoothly as a business can run. And then, a curveball: one of your top employees tenders her resignation. It could be because she’s moving, received a better offer, hated the commute, or is changing career paths…but you have her for 2 weeks (maybe a couple more) and she’s out the door. Okay, yes, you’re a little annoyed. Maybe even angry. You might have trained her, given her increased responsibility, and valued her as an employee … and now what? Well, now you need to assess her responsibilities, think about hiring a replacement or reassigning her asks among the rest of the team, and employ strategies to minimize the stress of the transition. But this also means it’s time to put away the matches, and keep the bridge between you and your now ex-employee intact. “Some men just want to watch the world burn.” There are cases of a resignation or termination where there is some serious bad blood, and maybe it would be easier on everyone to let that bridge burn, but most of the time there is no reason to be resentful or angry at an employee’s choice to move on. You might have lost an employee, but you’ve gained a professional connection that, if you foster, could be a great resource down the line. Whether they’ll provide an introduction, some new ideas, or[even come back as an employee someday](https://www.fastcompany.com/3033775/the-future-of-work/why-companies-should-consider-rehiring-their-former-employees), it’s worth spending a little time to stay connected. We all have our personal preferences on how to maintain our personal and professional networks, but here are a few suggestions to get started: **Get their contact information.**And do it before they leave instead of trying to track them down later. Whether it’s the email at the new job or their personal one, make sure you have a way to get in touch if you need to or want to. **Connect on social media, specifically LinkedIn.**This is a great platform to stay updated on your contact’s professional changes and keep up with their interests. **Send valuable information when you run across it.**You know, like that article that follows up on an old conversation you had with them. If you think of someone while reading or discussing something, let them know. People appreciate it and it’s a good way to add value in the moment without expecting anything in return. **Invite them to social events.**Having a happy hour? Invite old employees to come catch up. Or maybe you’re hosting a non-profit event or simply want to recommend a show you think they’d enjoy – go for it! Most people can’t begrudge you for making them feel included. **Let ex-employees know about what’s happening at the company.**I don’t mean keeping them on the in-house email list, but major changes are worth sharing. Another way to do this is encouraging your contacts to follow your company on social media where they might see updates more frequently. Do you keep in touch with ex-employees? What strategies have you found most useful in maintaining your professional network? --- ## Tweet to the Top **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/tweet-top/ * Posted on November 5, 2014 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris _This post was researched and written by Justin Zuniga, Careerplug’s sales & marketing intern._ Social Media is the powerhouse of recruiting and company branding in today’s business world, and if you’re not on board… you’re missing out. One of the main sources of online success for companies big or small is Twitter. Twitter has an [estimated audience](https://www.adexchanger.com/investment/twitters-250m-in-q1-beats-analyst-estimates-but-audience-growth-still-isnt-great/) of 250 million users and growing. If you are a company who is over-looking this growing platform, it is time to get on board. Using twitter not only gives exposure to what you do, but it gives you a chance to engage and listen to your customers, business partners, potential clients, other local businesses and people from your professional network. While on the subject of who to follow, many companies forget to follow an important group….their competitors or peers. Yes, following your competition on a social media site is actually a good thing. You will be able to see their latest updates, and have the chance to learn from their mistakes or accomplishments and apply them to your company. Same goes with customers… it’s important to communicate with your clients and watch how they respond to certain postings. After all, your business is all about how to provide best benefit for your customers. Have a blog? Twitter is a great transition site for pushing online traffic to your website and blog. With Twitter’s posting options, you can feature your blog and current updates to your company’s website in 140 characters or less. Twitter is the fastest way to spread news, thoughts, and client valued information. Stop missing out on a free networking site and follow us today at [CareerPlug’s](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) very own account! --- ## Sort, Prioritize, Hire: The Importance of Pre-screen Questions **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/sort-prioritize-hire-importance-pre-screen-questions/ * Posted on November 12, 2014 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris _Andy Adams is a Sr. Account Executive with CareerPlug, whose background includes extensive recruiting experience. He has spent time in the trenches as an agency contract recruiter, as well as a direct hire recruiter. Once a month, we have asked him to share his insights, tips, and advice on a particular recruiting topic._ It may seem like common sense and fairly straight forward, but one of the most valuable tools in the job application process are pre-screen questions and assessments. However, it is not as simple as it seems, as there has been plenty of research done to show how these things can negatively affect candidate flow. You will lose quality candidates if you have too many questions or the wrong questions; some questions can even be illegal and land you in hot water. From experience, I have learned that pre-screening candidates can help a recruiter or hiring manager prioritize their hiring efforts, be more efficient in getting candidates through the recruiting funnel, and ultimately get their positions filled. It can also help candidates prioritize their time in determining whether or not a role is right for them. Here are some tips, ideas, and even some examples from my experience in how these tools can be leveraged to help you make your hiring process easier. **Candidate Prioritization** By using pre-screen questions or assessments, you can quickly and easily prioritize the order of importance you need to place on each of your job applicants. One thing that I would recommend is having your first question be a “knock out” question. I do not mean you should make the question so difficult that it will “knock out” candidates; I mean it should be a question that if the desired answer is not given, you are going to pass on the candidate. For example, you can ask, “How many years of software development experience do you have?” If you are targeting 5+ years, you can very easily tell whether or not you are going to move forward with a candidate. If candidates pass your knock out question, you can then ask a few more questions specific to the role and rank candidates based on their responses. By ranking candidates in this fashion, you very easily choose your top 3-5 candidates in an un-biased fashion. I found this particularly helpful for positions where I knew I would receive a lot of applicants. In this scenario, you can get specific with a couple of the screening questions to separate your top candidates from the rest. A sales position is a perfect example. Typically, these types of postings receive a ton of applicants, so by asking about specific industry experience or experience with a certain CRM tool, you can identify the best fit for you. **Efficiency** Once your candidates are prioritized, you can focus on initially reviewing 3-5 resumes per role, instead of potentially going through hundreds. Think about the time savings there. Once you have reviewed the candidates, you can begin scheduling interviews. It is really that simple. You increase your efficiency, by decreasing the amount of busy work you have to do. The result here is getting more candidates through the recruiting funnel, recruiters increasing fill ratio, and hiring managers getting teams staffed up and projects on track. **The Java Developer** Early on in my recruiting career, I was tasked with identifying candidates for a Java Developer role. So, I got my post together and got it out on the job boards…sans screening questions. This was the very position that I learned how important those questions are. Candidates came flowing in. This was at a time when the market was flush with candidates, so I had my hands full. No screening questions meant checking through every resume for the right amount of years of experience, the right tools, and even the right programming language (you would not believe how many .Net candidates applied). One candidate in particular really threw a wrench in my process. When I clicked to open the resume for a Java Developer applicant, I was greeted with “Over three years of Java development experience during my time as a barista at Starbucks. I have excellent customer service, etc…..”. My first thought was “Sorry buddy, wrong kind of Java.” But then I found it humorous and shared with some of my colleagues. All told, this probably cost me a couple of hours of productivity. Between e-mails to my co-workers, people stopping by my desk to talk about this outlier of a candidate, etc., I lost a lot of time that could have been used toward effectively finding an actual Java developer. If I had simply used a few pre-screen questions, I would have known to not open the resume, send the candidate a polite note saying we were moving forward with other candidates, and effectively used my time towards filling that and other jobs. **How Many is Too Many?** When it comes to screening questions, you want to make sure that you are filtering candidates, but that you are not ostracizing good candidates because the screening is so cumbersome. Indeed shows that the sweet spot for screening is 5-10 questions. In my opinion, using 5-10 questions helps to keep quality candidates engaged and interested and keep some candidates that aren’t qualified out. It is just enough to get unqualified candidates to realize they do not have the skills, yet not so much that good candidates get fed up with it.[A good tip from Nathan Vance](https://recruitingdaily.com/experiencing-candidate-experience-recruiting-reality-check/#comments)is to go out and apply to your own job postings. If you can make it through to the end, good for you, he says. By taking that, sometimes painful, look in from a candidate’s perspective, you are able to understand what it is like for them and how you can improve it. Wait until you are more engaged with a candidate to put them through a battery of questions…after an initial call you may not be interested in them. Or, in a harsh reality, they may not be interested in you and you saved your time having to review a ton of questions. **Asking Legal Questions** This should go without saying, but if you’re not sure if something is a legal way to ask a question or it toes the line…don’t ask it.[Anything that can be perceived as discriminatory shouldn’t be asked](https://castle.eiu.edu/alsb/Archives/JELLvol12/You%20Can't%20Ask%20That%20final%20edit.pdf). Employers are required treat prospective employees equally, regardless of age, race, religion, and a number of other things that fall under [protected classes](https://www.attorneys.com/discrimination/what-are-protected-classes/). Screening questions should be around skills, technologies, and experiences related to the job. Period. Screening questions can help you hire smarter, more efficiently, and help increase your fill ratio. They can also mire your hiring process by turning candidates off to your opportunity and company and opening yourself up to exposure from a lawsuit if done incorrectly. In the end, be smart about the questions, be legal, and be concise and you should find yourself filling more roles more efficiently. For more hiring/recruiting tips and articles follow us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug)and [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/company/careerplug). --- ## 2014 HR Software Considerations: CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/2014-hr-software-considerations-careerplug/ * Posted on December 8, 2014 * by Natalie Morgan Software Advice, the Austin-based resource for software buyers, recently released their analysis of HR Software Considerations for 2014. You can view a brief slideshow of their findings below: **[Software Advice IndustryView: HR Software Considerations for Small Business Buyers](https://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/industryview/-SMB-report-2014/ "Software Advice IndustryView: HR Software Considerations for Small Business Buyers")** from **[Software Advice](https://www.softwareadvice.com/)** CareerPlug is built around the platform of **“making hiring easier”** – meaning we believe in making the hiring process as easy to understand, intuitive, and effective as possible. As the report says, stand-alone Applicant Tracking Systems are the most sought strategic HR applications as well as the most widely offered. As many businesses make strides to use technology efficiently in all of their processes, they are looking for HR applications that offer solutions in addition to Applicant Tracking. For example, our main draw for our clients – many small to medium sized companies – is our ability to quickly post jobs to top job boards and easily see applicants through the hiring process. But as owners and managers become comfortable with this aspect of our system, they begin using customizable features to brand their hiring process and assessments and prescreen questions to help find the best applicants. Our performance reviews and self-evaluations become integrated into the weekly workplace rhythm, helping retain and develop employees long after their initial hire. Software Advice found that company growth was the main reason companies purchased new software in addition to their current ATS. Their need for expanded functionality grew with them. It makes sense – why have the hiring process separated from onboarding when you’ll need similar information? As we grow with our clients, we’re working to improve and innovate our service to meet and exceed client needs. Check out Software Advice’s report on [HR Software Considerations for Small-Business Buyers](https://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/industryview/-SMB-report-2014/) and [CareerPlug’s Profile](https://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/careerplug-profile/) on Software Advice. Whatever your hiring and HR needs, we hope you find what you’re looking for! _For hiring and business tips follow us [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug%20) on Twitter!_ --- ## Smile, It’s Friday: HR Mashup **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/smile-friday-hr-mashup/ * Posted on January 9, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan Here’s to a fun weekend sendoff… **1.**Weird Job**:** Human Prop. Families, like the Mueller family from Tampa, Florida,[move into luxury homes at half their rent](https://www.today.com/home/model-families-live-human-props-helpsell-luxury-homes-1D79899234). The catch: the homes must always be immaculately clean and the family has to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice is someone wants to view the home. When the house is sold, they have a two week window to pack up and move into the next home. The idea is that the Mueller’s give houses the energy of a home, something that’s lived in and cared for, that helps the houses sell. **2.** From Avionic Technicians to Web Developers to Air Traffic Controllers to Funeral Home Directors … not all high-paying jobs require a four year degree. Check out [this list](https://jobs.aol.com/articles/2014/12/16/high-paying-associates-degree-jobs/) of 26 high salary jobs you can get with an associate’s degree. **3**. These[bizarre and funny interview stories](https://www.washingtonian.com/articles/work-education/great-places-to-work-interview-horror-stories/) are sure to brighten your Friday – including a man wearing his pet snake, cascading bookshelves, and the police interrupting the interview. My favorite: a woman went into the wrong building for an interview and asked for the CEO (forgetting the CEO’s name). The CEO ended up being so impressed with her that he offered her a job. 4. Finally, let this great quote about hiring wash over you: > “Great vision without great people is irrelevant” -Jim Collins Happy Weekend! --- ## Making Your Meetings Matter **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/making-meetings-matter/ * Posted on January 12, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan You open your calendar on Monday morning and look ahead at your day. Meeting in a half hour, meeting over lunch, and an invite just popped up in your email for another one this afternoon. You sigh. Great, another day half filled with round-about discussion that lasts too long and doesn’t get anything done. You have work to do, a lot of it, and it’s not going to be an easier when you are interrupted every hour or so. Unfortunately, this hypothetical isn’t far off point. Recent statistics show that about 50 percent of meetings are time wasted. A surprising amount of people report daydreaming, doing other work, or even sleeping during meeting time … so unless your meetings are designed to be a mental break and nice nap, the majority of meetings aren’t effective. This is a little bit of a ‘yikes’. Sure traditional corporate America has its fair share of bureaucratic, cubicle, 2-hour lunch stereotypes, but more and more companies are committed to making their business a great place to work for everyone: encouraging innovation and creativity among all levels of their company. If meetings are producing annoyed team members who are able to do their job less effectively, a meeting-free workplace seems more and more appealing. And many business are heading in this direction, using email threads, instant messaging, or other online collaborative tools for communications that don’t require the conference room sit-down. Meetings, however, still have their place in most businesses. Reporting, planning, problem-solving … sometimes there is no substitute for the collaboration and focus that should umbrella meetings. So how can we snap the purpose back on to our meetings? **Give Meetings Structure:**Knowing what you are going to meet about is far from knowing what you need to talk about during the meeting. Set the goal or purpose for the meeting, but then take the time to make a detailed agenda. Give the agenda to participants ahead of time and ask if they’d like anything added. This way, everyone can come into the meeting prepared and focused. You should also consider who you invite to the meeting carefully – does everyone need to be there? If Juan is just there to get last week’s sales numbers, couldn’t that be sent in an email and save him some time? **Respect the Time:**We’ve all been caught in meetings where, at the conclusion, it’s clear that the problem could’ve been solved in twenty minutes when you’ve been talking in circles for an hour (really just filling time). Most meeting do not need to last longer than 45 minutes and many don’t need to last longer than 15. Look at the time you have allotted for a meeting – could you cut that time in half? Once you commit to a time block, enforce it. That means no waiting for Heidi who’s just grabbing coffee quick or Peter who’ll just be a minute late. When you respect the meeting start and end time, you are also respecting your colleagues’ time. **Be Actionable:** There’s little that can make your time feel more useless than leaving a long meeting and feeling like nothing was accomplished. In fact, you’ll probably end up in the same meeting next week to hash out the same problem. When meetings don’t end on an actionable note, it’s hard to feel like anything got done. Keep track of action items decided during the meeting, and review and assign them before you adjourn. Even asking “what are the next steps?” before the conclusion of the meeting can keep the energy going on projects. Meetings are meant to move your goals forward – embrace that momentum. Meeting don’t have to mean time wasted. They can be amazing collaborative venues to enforce team culture, inspire innovation, and provide accountability for individual and company goals. However, meeting shouldn’t take up a majority of any employee’s day – there needs to be time for the real work to get done. With this in mind, you can evaluate and organize meetings that are tailored for your company. How effective are your meetings right now? What does your team do to stay on track? For more business and hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## Do You Know Who You Hired? Why Reference Checks Matter **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/know-hired-reference-checks-matter/ * Posted on January 14, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris _**Andy Adams is a Sr. Account Executive with CareerPlug, whose background includes extensive recruiting experience. He has spent time in the trenches as an agency contract recruiter, as well as a direct hire recruiter. Once a month, we have asked him to share his insights, tips, and advice on a particular recruiting topic.**_ Reference checks are more important than just finding out if a person worked where they said they used to and performed their essential job functions. That is important, yes, but it is also crucial to note that reference checks are extremely valuable in learning _how well_ someone performed their essential job functions, how they fit into the team and culture, what their personality is like, and why they really left previous roles. All of these factors are pivotal in selecting your next team member, particularly for small or growing companies. After all, there have been [plenty of studies](https://www.fastcompany.com/3028628/work-smart/infographic-how-much-a-bad-hire-will-actually-cost-you#1) to show the cost of making a bad hire. When I first started in recruiting, one of the most exciting phrases to hear from a hiring manager was “We want to make an offer to your candidate.” That sentence was always followed by “as long as their references check out. Can your forward those to me?” At this point, remember – when I first started, I usually panicked because I had forgotten to ask for and/or check references. I would be too enamored with the awesome candidate I had unearthed and overlooked this crucial step. On one occasion, this lead to a candidate taking another offer because she had that offer in hand and didn’t need to bother with getting me references so late in the process…so, I started all over. And quickly learned my lesson. I have also learned, over time, how important it is from a recruiting and hiring perspective to use references to get a holistic view of a candidate. Sometimes candidates downplay their strengths to look like more of a team player; sometimes they do the opposite and exaggerate their contributions to make themselves look better. There are several ways to dig in to a person’s experience when checking references, so I’ve offered up a few tips below. **How Well Did Suzy Perform?** As I mentioned before, it’s important to know more than if someone did a job they said they did. You want to know how well they did their job. Whether you’re talking to a previous supervisor or co-worker always ask for specific and measurable examples of how someone performed. What were the person’s goals and how did they perform against them? How did this person compare to other members of the team? Tell me about a time this person went above and beyond to achieve a certain deliverable and how they did it? All of the above questions create an open dialogue with the reference and allow you to follow-up and dig in on their answers. Simply asking yes/no questions won’t do you any good. If the answers to the questions above are that the person hit their goals 50% of the time, performed better than only about half of the team members, and an example couldn’t be cited of them going above and beyond for a project…maybe they aren’t the best fit for you. At the very least, it would give you some things you’d want to dig in to. **Will Charlie Fit Into Our Culture?** Just as important as finding out about job performance is making sure someone will be a good fit culturally and personality wise. Someone that doesn’t fit into your culture may not be motivated to perform at the highest level. At the same time, someone who has personality conflicts with those around can [cause the performance of the whole team to tank](https://smallbusiness.chron.com/adverse-effects-bad-attitude-workplace-18249.html). This is a little more difficult to gauge when checking a reference. Ultimately, this person was cited as a reference because they more than likely like the person you are looking to hire. For that reason, it is very important to dig in and ask about interactions with other members of the team, how they handled conflict, how were the team dynamics before and after they were hired, etc. Again, these questions create open dialogue and allow you to clarify certain points. If your team is a well-oiled machine of quiet, introverted, hard workers, someone who is loud, boisterous, and very extroverted may disrupt the harmony of the team. I once recruited a gentleman for a leading retailer that had a very open and collaborative type of environment. He was an introvert. Tell him what to do and he would do it, but he wasn’t going to bring new ideas to the table. He was a true worker bee…which is great in the right environment. This wasn’t the right environment. Shortly after he started, he was seen as disengaged, uninterested, and not a team player despite doing everything that was asked of him. It began to make him uncomfortable and he ultimately left the company. **Why Did You Leave ABC Company?** When you ask a candidate why they left a certain company, very rarely are you going to hear “I was fired for making inappropriate comments to the interns.” Or “I was let go because I got caught napping in the supply closet.” Candidates will always paint themselves in the best light, so it is important when checking references to dig into why they left a previous role. If the reason the candidate gives you and the reason the reference gives you are vastly different, you may have an integrity issue on your hands and need to re-evaluate if you want someone like that on your team. Reference checks are just another tool in your selection process to allow you to make the best hiring decision. Making a bad hire can cost you time, money, and productivity, while taking the time to do your due diligence and make the right hire can help take your team or company to the next level. For more hiring and recruiting tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## Include Company Culture In Your Hiring Process **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/include-company-culture-hiring-process/ * Posted on January 21, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris As an Employer seeking new talent, you want a candidate that is going to knock the rest of the applicants out of the water. Finding (and keeping) these golden applicants can be dependent on you implementing company culture and identity during the early stages of hiring.[An article from Sarita Harbour](https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/6866-hiring-for-company-culture.html), of Business News Daily Contributor, defines the way of hiring for company culture as “choosing employees based on how well they suit and reflect the values of a business and its founders, instead of focusing solely on the skills and task-based knowledge of an applicant.” **_Before the Interview_** Your candidate’s first interaction with your company’s culture should happen before the first interview. Assuming that your company has an active and engaging social media, the applicant should get a sense of who you are from your company’s online presence beforehand. From answering questions via twitter or sharing office pictures to your Facebook page, your company is able to utilize public platforms to showcase your company values to interested applicants. An important tip before hiring: the employer and every employee involved in the hiring process should have a good grasp on their company’s culture before going into the interview and asking questions. **_During the Interview_** The best way to find out if an employee is a right fit, is to check at the very beginning. The process will run much smoother if you find out sooner than later—saving time, money, and valuable resources. Josh Tolan, CEO of video-interviewing platform Spark Hire, uses[these specific questions](https://hr.sparkhire.com/best-hiring-practices/4-ways-staffing-pros-can-assess-cultural-fit/) during an interview to assess a culture fit: 1. What’s your ideal work environment? 2. Tell me about a time you made a mistake. How did you address it and what did you learn? 3. What’s your favorite aspect of your current position? 4. Talk about a time you worked as part of a team. 5. What do you like best about our company? 6. Describe about a work culture or environment in which you would not be happy. 7. How do you define success? 8. Give one example of a time you worked as part of a team. Using questions like these or questions specifically tailored to your organization will guarantee a much more accurate sense of the applicant applying. Although you re hiring someone for a specific position, it is helpful to ask non-related questions during an interview to understand them as a person and how they could potentially fit in. **_After The Interview_** It is important to remember that interviewing for a culture fit and interviewing for ability/skill are two completely different things. Each have different questions and ways to assess. After the interview, a final step might include you collecting the responses from candidates and comparing them to your own company’s core values. Do they align with one another? Whether you find a candidate that fits perfectly with your company, or run into a dead end, taking notes or learning from previous hiring processes can help make your future hiring a success. Not to mention giving you a better handle on your company’s unique culture and fit within your industry. For more hiring/recruiting tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Justin Zuniga is CareerPlug’s sales and marketing intern._ --- ## What Do HR Software Users Want in 2015? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hr-software-users-want-2015/ * Posted on February 4, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan CareerPlug was built around one idea: to make hiring easier. After all, isn’t that why you look for an applicant tracking system … too many spreadsheets, emails, and bumbling interviews? Hiring can be hard, confusing, and frustrating. Applicant tracking systems can usually lift that burden by helping you get organized and make effective hires. But once that initial relief sets in (you’re made your high-priority hire), you’ll finally have a chance to look at how else HR Software can make your life easier. Software Advice,[an Austin-based company that reviews](https://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/applicant-tracking-software-comparison/) HR and applicant tracking software, [gathered data](https://www.softwareadvice.com/hr/userview/report-2014/)from HR Software users to get an inside look at what users really wanted. Yes, Applicant Tracking … and 89 percent of respondents that they were satisfied with their HR Software … but what else were users most interested in investing in this coming year? The overwhelming answer – 44 % respondents agreeing – performance reviews. It makes sense, performance reviews are essentially an extension of interviewing. Conducting regular reviews with employees reaffirms expectations and goals, gives needed recognition, and helps your team develop as professionals. After all, with a strong team (and consequently low turnover) you don’t have to spend as many resources on hiring. **Projected 2015 HR Application Spending:** CareerPlug’s initiatives for this year align with Software Advice’s findings. In fact, we recently launched a new professional development tool, which includes performance reviews, called **GoalSpark**.We designed GoalSpark knowing that people are 76.7% more successful in achieving their goals when the write them down and share them with weekly accountability. Imagine if every employee was actively setting and achieving their own goals with the guidance of their manager … that could be a huge boost in the overall success of a company. Performance reviews can then include high-level goals as well as customized competencies, creating a consistent culture of accountability for individual and company success.Not to mention that performance reviews also keep the line of communication open between manager and employee, which ultimately helps decrease employee turnover by identifying problems early. Do you conduct regular performance reviews? And if so, do you utilize HR Software for performance reviews? Let us know! --- ## Don’t Be Late! Providing Timely Candidate Feedback **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/dont-late-providing-timely-candidate-feedback/ * Posted on February 11, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris _**Andy Adams is a Sr. Account Executive with CareerPlug, whose background includes extensive recruiting experience. He has spent time in the trenches as an agency contract recruiter, as well as a direct hire recruiter. Once a month, we have asked him to share his insights, tips, and advice on a particular recruiting topic.**_ Imagine the following scenario: You need to hire a new salesperson (insert whatever role you commonly hire for). The first thing you do after defining the roles and responsibilities clearly is to post your job to your company’s careers page and any other outlets that you see fit. Soon after, the applications start rolling in and you begin evaluating your candidates. You begin screening candidates and invite the best few for a phone interview. From there, you whittle it down to your top couple of candidates and make the decision on who to hire. Though you liked the other two candidates you had in consideration and would consider them for future openings, you have your person and are on to getting them onboarded. Fast forward six months; your company is again looking to hire a salesperson. You search in your ATS for candidates you have spoken to in the past that you liked and would be a good fit. After all, why not re-engage your existing talent pool? Here is what happens: You: “Hi Sam! This is Andy Adams with ABC Company. We talked about six months ago about a sales rep opening and we really liked your qualifications. At the time, we ended up hiring someone with a little more industry experience, but have another opening and would love to talk with you some more” Sam: “I appreciate the call, but unfortunately, I’m not interested.” You: “I’m sorry to hear that. Can I ask why?” Sam: “I am still waiting for the call from six months ago to tell me that you had hired someone else and that I’m not in consideration any longer.” You: Embarrassed silence. While your candidates may not always be as forthcoming as the scenario described above, this is absolutely something that happens all too often. Candidates simply want to be communicated with. Whether they are moving forward in the process or not, being kept in the loop is better than sitting in purgatory wondering what is going on. US News & World Report put out an article identifying the [Ten Worst Things About Job Hunting](https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2012/04/23/the-10-worst-things-about-job-hunting) – four of them had to do with communication, or lack thereof. Think about that – 40% of the worst things cited about a job search have to do with communication from potential employers. So, why is communicating with candidates (in a timely fashion, might I add) important? As you can see from the scenario above, it can cost you great candidates. If a candidate isn’t a good fit today, it doesn’t mean they won’t be some day in the future or for some other role. By not communicating, you’re sending a message to candidates and potential future employees that you don’t care. By simply telling a candidate that you are moving forward with other candidates or that their skill set isn’t a match, you are providing closure, which goes a long way towards building good will in the future. Additionally, to think that candidates don’t talk to one another is crazy. With all the networking tools and groups out there today…people talk. And as much as people like to talk about good experiences, they LOVE to gossip and complain about bad experiences. Those types of things tend to snowball, which leads to your company having a bad reputation in the marketplace. That can make it very difficult to attract and hire the best people. I remember a former client of mine that didn’t have the best reputation for work-life balance and half the calls I made to potential candidates resulted in “Oh, that’s your client…I would never go work there.” This was not the reality, as the client had an excellent culture that promoted work-life balance, but the perception was different because one team had a few contractors that were not happy during a big project a couple of years earlier. In a close knit technology community in Columbus, Ohio…that mattered. Not providing candidates with feedback can have the same ill effects. With the [candidate market being more competitive](https://www.ere.net/2014/12/22/the-power-has-shifted-to-the-candidate-so-current-recruiting-practices-will-stop-working/) than it has been in years, you simply cannot afford to put yourself and your company in a position to make hiring more challenging. By taking the simple step to communicate with candidates, you can help preserve a future pool of passive candidates and maintain your reputation in the market place. This is something that can very easily be built into your [hiring process](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140908165741-7424110-the-importance-value-of-your-hiring-process?trk=mp-reader-card) to ensure it is done each and every time. For more hiring tips follows us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/careerplug) --- ## The Art of an Informational Interview **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/art-informational-interview/ * Posted on February 16, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris One of your most valuable tools as a job seeker is an informational interview. Not only is it great for networking, but it’s also a great tool for career exploration and job hunting. People love to talk about themselves and their careers. All you have to do is ask! So making the effort to go out into the “field” and learn about careers straight from the source is definitely worth the time. **Who to Reach Out to** There are really no limits or boundaries when it comes to who you can ask for an informational interview. Start by asking your family and friends. Your brother might be a sales executive, but have you ever talked to him about his job from the perspective of a job seeker? Letting your family and friends know you are looking for connections can help to broaden your network. You might find out your neighbor has a brother who works at a global PR firm or your uncle’s colleague knows an executive at a tech startup. Use these connections! Take a look at your alma mater’s careers page as well. Many universities have a database of alumni in different fields who have offered themselves as resources for recent grads. Check to see if your school has one of these and do a LinkedIn search for specific people or alumni groups. **How to Prepare** Once you land an informational interview, start doing your research. One thing you don’t want to do is waste your time asking basic background questions you could find answers to yourself. Research the company and the interviewee’s background. It’s ok to do some LinkedIn research and have a general idea of their career path. Maybe you’ll find out you have some common interests and can naturally work that into the conversation. It’s not a crime to make people like you and want to help you! **At the Interview** Prepare some insightful questions and be ready to take notes. If you feel comfortable, bring a copy of your resume for the interviewee to look over and critique. Ask for job information, advice, or referrals but please don’t ask for a job! There are countless questions you can ask and some great guides you can find. Here are some that I’ve found helpful in the past: [10 Smart Questions That Make an Information Interview Valuable](mailto:https://www.fastcompany.com/3041809/10-smart-questions-that-make-an-informational-interview-valuable) [Informational Interviewing: 200 Informational Interview Sample Questions](mailto:https://www.quintcareers.com/informational_interview_questions.html) [What to Ask in an Informational Interview](mailto:https://fortune.com/2013/04/04/what-to-ask-in-an-informational-interview/) **After the Interview** Make sure to send a follow up within a few days after the interview. Thank them for their help and for taking time out of their day. Try to mention something specific they said that was particularly helpful and don’t be afraid to ask them to keep you in mind if they come across any information that could help you in your career search. Keep in touch and let them know on any new internships or jobs. You are now a part of their network and who knows, you might be giving an informational interview to someone in their network someday soon! For more job seeking tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Taylor Wilson is CareerPlug’s Dedicated Account Specialist._ --- ## Should I Hire Someone with a History of Substance Use? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hire-someone-history-substance-use/ * Posted on February 23, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan _**This post was contributed by [Saint Jude Retreats](https://www.soberforever.net/).**_ Are you on the fence about a hiring decision because the applicant used drugs in the past? Have you considered implementing drug tests, but you’re not sure whether to make them an employment requirement? Substance use is a charged subject for business owners and hiring managers, but there are many nuances you should know before you enforce a permanent policy or a reject a candidate immediately. **What the law requires** You always have the right to require a drug-free workplace, which means you can fire or refuse to hire someone who fails a drug screening. However, according to federal law, that does not mean you can discriminate because of past substance use. The Americans with Disabilities Act protects applicants and employees who were cleared of drug charges, as well as those who stopped using substances and participated in a treatment program[1] If you do choose to hire an employee who no longer uses substances, you may hold them to the same standards as everyone else. That means if they start using substances again and they fail a random screening or their work suffers as a result, you may dismiss them or pursue other disciplinary measures, just as you would if an employee began using them for the first time. **What to ask the applicant** The same disability requirements also apply to the interview stage. You may not bring up medical conditions, which includes substance use that required treatment. However, you may inquire about criminal charges and mention any that were revealed in a background check. You may also ask about casual use of illegal substances [2]. This is where it gets tricky for many interviewers, because you can’t imply that the applicant [needed or sought treatment for substance use](https://www.soberforever.net/drug-treatment.cfm) in the past. However, if you stick to questions about the recent past and you don’t ask the candidate to quantify their drug use, you’ll be safe. For example, you may ask if they’ve used illegal drugs in the past three months or if they currently drink alcohol, but you may not ask how often they used them or if they were treated for it. **Whether to implement screenings** There’s a big difference between ongoing substance use and a problem that was addressed years or months ago. If you’re interested in maintaining a drug-free workplace, you can implement a random drug testing policy among employees and/or require pre-employment screenings. Of course, there are several different testing methods too, so you may want to weigh the cost of the tests against the money you expect to save by administering them [3] Every year, employee drug use costs employers an estimated $81 billion [4]. If you fear a decrease in productivity or an increase in injuries because of ongoing drug use, you can choose your screening method accordingly.The most cost-effective tests can only detect very recent substance use, but others go back several months. You may also collect samples on-site (for example, mouth swabs for saliva) or request that applicants and employees visit an off-site facility. If you care about having a safe, productive workplace and earning the loyalty of clients and customers, you need to be selective about the staff you hire. It’s only natural to want to implement certain hiring standards, especially if your employees handle sensitive information,heavy machinery or large amounts of money. However, some employers miss out on qualified candidates because they can’t see past previous substance use. Keep an open mind.It takes humility and will power to overcome a substance use problem, and past problems are not the same thing as ongoing drug use. **Resources:** [1] [https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/ada/ch4.htm](https://www.usccr.gov/pubs/ada/ch4.htm) [2] [https://eeoc.gov/policy/docs/medfin5.pdf](https://eeoc.gov/policy/docs/medfin5.pdf) [3] [https://www.businessgrouphealth.org](https://www.businessgrouphealth.org/) [4] [https://ncadd.org/learn-about-drugs/workplace](https://ncadd.org/learn-about-drugs/workplace) --- ## Does Your Job Post Need a Make-Over? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/job-post-need-make/ * Posted on February 25, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan You might think all you need is an open position and candidates will be stampeding your doors to get the chance to talk with you, and while this is certainly true for some positions, gone are the recession years where job seekers applied anywhere and everywhere, desperate for an opportunity. Today, most job seekers have a little more luxury, flipping the pressure onto employers. You can’t expect job seekers to clamor to your door if you don’t give them a reason. This begins with your job posting. Just as you judge a candidates’ resume in a few seconds of review, job seekers take a quick look at your posting and decide whether or not to keep reading, much less apply. Let’s go over a few basics to doll up your posting so it’s applicant ready. **Keep it Short** How long is your job posting? Does the text format vary from just blocks of text? Job postings should not go on for pages, in fact, one page is a good rule when you’re writing your post. It’s tempting to put every requirement and responsibility into job postings, but when you step back this creates a laundry list that can be overwhelming to candidates before they even read it. Try to limit your postings to 3-4 qualifications and 6-8 main responsibilities. And use bullets! A posting should not look like a chore to a potential applicant – you’ll miss out on great talent if it does. **Add Benefits** Why should they work for you? You’ll have your chance to find out if they’re the right fit once they apply, but before that you need to position your company as a team they want to join. Stress the best parts of your company culture – whether its office snacks, generous vacation time, or a dog-friendly office. You want candidates who are excited about working for your company – but if you’re small, they may have never heard of you before stumbling across your posting. Your job is to encourage them to learn more and submit their application. **Know Your Audience** Your posting will be different depending on the type of candidate you want to attract. For example, if you’re looking for a creative type you would strike a different tone than hiring a an analytics officer. It’s also worth thinking about how your candidates will find your posting. Indeed is the #1 search site in the country, and recently began displaying wage amounts directly below job titles on their search page. If you have a competitive salary or hourly rate for your open position, including it will motivate candidates to click on your posting to learn more. Remember, a job posting is your company’s resume to potential applicants. If you put the time in to make it worth job seekers’ time, you’re more likely to attract the quantity of applicants you need to make a quality hire. For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## Stop Waiting, Start Recruiting **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/stop-waiting-start-recruiting/ * Posted on March 10, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan Let’s jump to conclusions: **Just because you’re not hiring doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be recruiting.** Yep, read it again. **Scenario:**Your A-player decides to move across the country/go back to school full-time/take a year off and you are unexpectedly left shorthanded. You switch into hiring mode: write a job description, post a job, wait for candidates to show up. And wait. And interview. And reject. And wait some more. All the while your team is feeling the absence, you’re putting in more hours to compensate, and it’s hurting your bottom line. No wonder everyone tells you hiring is a headache! In this instance your hiring strategy is completely reactive. You wait for a triggering event and spring into action, relying on the best candidates to find you when you need them. You’re Commissioner Gordon throwing up the Bat Signal …but what if your Batman isn’t looking? Instead, your need to hire proactively. If you’re constantly searching for A-players, building your talent pipeline, and fostering relationships, you’ll already know where to find the best candidates when Jerry decides to switch careers with two weeks notice. Your job is to successful run and grow your business, and you don’t have to turn into a full time hiring manager. An ongoing, proactive recruiting program will help you take care of your biggest asset: your team. For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug). _Have a CareerPlug account and want to learn more?Give us a call at **512.579.0163!**_ --- ## Don’t Know? Say So! **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/dont-know-say-so/ * Posted on March 16, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan For me, there is little worse than not understanding what’s going on. Being confused at work is frustrating and stressful. Whether it’s a matter of logistics or objectives, when you don’t fully understand your work there is little chance of performing up to standards. At best, there is a delay in your work, and at worst your value at the company is reevaluated. While this confusion in an office can be due to larger issues of ineffective communication, it usually comes down to the individual not speaking up. Other times we don’t even realize miscommunication has taken place until it’s too late. You’ve written the report. And now you have to rewrite it. So what can we do? Let’s take a little wisdom from an old Spanish philosopher: > “Teach thy tongue to say, “I do not know,” and thous shalt progress.” – Maimonides It’s tempting to want to look like we know we’re doing when we don’t, especially at work when we want to bring our best. But if we don’t swallow our pride and admit that we don’t have the answers, we won’t have room to learn and grow. Remember, it’s better to ask stupid questions upfront rather than produce poor work later. Here’s some key phrases to practice: * “I don’t understand.” * “Can you explain that in more detail.” * “I’m not sure what this is supposed to look like. * “Can you give me an example?” * “Could you help me?” * “Just so we’re clear …” How has saying “I don’t know” helped you at work? For more workplace tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## Superman is Busy: Hiring Real People **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/superman-is-busy-hiring-real-people/ * Posted on March 23, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan If you’re not conducting interviews every week, you need to prepare as much as the candidate. That means not only following [best practices](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/yes-interviewing-interview-hire-best-people/), but making sure you are in the right mindset to make a great decision. It’s easy to write out a laundry list of expectations for your perfect candidate and be disappointed again and again as real applicants don’t measure up. You want someone with five years of sales experience, a master’s degree, in-depth industry knowledge, and familiarity with your software. Not to mention they need to be motivated, charismatic, reliable, and any number of abstract traits we try to gleam from the interview process. When we set our expectations at super-human levels, or even try to clone a current top-performer, we are setting ourselves up to fail. What you should decide is what expectations are most important to you. Maybe you don’t have the training resources to teach a new employee how to sell, so that sales experience is non-negotiable. But as long as they have proven experience, their level of education might not matter as much. Or it could be just the opposite for you. Instead of looking for where candidates fall short, look at where they excel and how they might benefit your business. If their failings outweigh their potential, then you should move on. But without that calculation, you could be missing out on some great hires. How do you avoid waiting on Superman and hiring great, real people? For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## The Open Door Policy **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/the-open-door-policy/ * Posted on April 10, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris For the most part,company’s have some system of hierarchy. From the intern to the president, everyone has their own tasks and responsibilities. For the workplace to be a place of harmonious success there needs to be multiple channels of communication. One of the most important of these channels is the relationship between a higher-up and the rest of the workers in the office. CEO, President, or “boss”– whatever the title, this person steers the culture of the company. This person sets the values, tone, and mood for everyone else. > **“Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.”** > > > _-Paul J. Meyer_ Having experience at previous companies as an intern, it was sometimes hard to track down or talk to the organization’s leader. It wasn’t always their fault — leaders are busy people, after all — but an “Open Door” policy can be instrumental in successful communication. Having an “Open Door” system means that everyone in the office feels like they can talk with their company leader. This flow of communication can break down walls between everyone in the workplace. Employees can also work to create this “Open Door” communication between themselves and their supervisor as a great benefit to both parties.Talking face-to-face with your boss, instead of email only, allows you to more openly voice your thoughts, create a happier mindset, and re-establish your sense of value at the company. As a leader of your company, you might not always be aware of all the different lines of communication that are going on in the office. Establishing a better system of communication can lead to an increase in productiveness, make your employees feel more valued, and create a stronger sense of trust. For more workplace tips, follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Justin Zuniga is CareerPlug’s sales and marketing intern._ --- ## Conducting Effective Performance Reviews **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/conducting-effective-performance-reviews/ * Posted on April 13, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan Are you ready to address the elephant in the room? Performance reviews are where managers and employees can lay it all on the table – professionally speaking, that is.As we say goodbye to Q1 and head into Q2, it’s important to take the time to complete employee performance reviews. As busy as you are, the time you take to develop your team is a direct investment in increased productivity, better results, and happier employees. And the increased communication will probably make you happier too! Here are a few things to consider as you get ready for performance reviews: 1. **Schedule Consistent Reviews:** Once a year may be enough for your team, but consider doing semi-annual or quarterly reviews so you can work on team development all year. Set the expectation with your employees when these reviews will take place and get them on the calendar at the beginning of the year. 2. **Plan Ahead:**If you’re filling out a performance review, be sure to do so before you meet with the employee. If you are prepared, thoughtful, and constructive you will both leave the meeting with actionable solutions. 3. **Include Employee Goals:** Goals are more likely to be accomplished when an accountability system is in place. Including past goals and looking at progress towards long-term goals is an easy measure of employee performance. You can then have the conversation about what needs to be done to achieve these goals. 4. **Encourage Employee Feedback:**This is your opportunity to create an open dialog with your employees, so don’t strong arm them by making it a one-sided conversation. There’s always room to develop into a better manager, and that means asking where they need your help, how you could improve communication, and where you could do better. Remember, the more thought and energy you put into performance reviews, the more they will move away from just a mechanic HR function and towards productive check-ins that build stronger teams. For more business and management tips, follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug). --- ## CareerPlug Scholars Award **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-scholars-award/ * Posted on April 15, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan One of our core values at CareerPlug is Give Back and this year we’ve started something special to honor that value. Clint Smith, president and founder of CareerPlug, worked closely with [Foster Angels of Central Texas](https://fosterangelsctx.org/) to develop the CareerPlug Scholars Award – a $10,000 scholarship awarded to a former foster youth to help them continue their education. This year’s recipient was chosen by CareerPlug’s staff after a review of personal essays and was honored at the [Fifth Annual Appreciation Luncheon](https://fosterangelsctx.org/2015/02/5th-annual-caseworker-appreciation-luncheon/) hosted by Foster Angels in Austin, TX. In the United States, only 11% of foster children attend college and just 2.5% will graduate. The support, resources, and stability that help so many succeed in their education is a privilege many foster youth lack. While Texas has a Foster Care Exemption – waiving any state college tuition of former foster children who are accepted on their own merit – very few foster youth take advantage of this program. “I realized that it takes a lot more than a tuition waiver to help someone prepare for college and actually graduate,” Smith said. “These students need money for housing and other living expenses, and they need the support. They’re pretty much on their own, and it can be a difficult transition.” CareerPlug has big plans for this new program, hoping not only to provide more scholarships but to add resources and mentoring opportunities to set former foster youth up for long-term success. “Our goals are to 1) help more former foster youth attend college and 2) help more of them graduate from college,” Smith said. Foster Angels of Central Texas is a non-profit organization founded to improve the lives of children in foster care – ensuring that each child has his/her basic needs met and to provide life-enriching experiences whenever possible. Their luncheon, held today (April 15, 2015) was a beautiful tribute to caseworkers and local foster children and we were honored to be among so many giving, resilient leaders, advocates, and youth. _Follow [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/careerplug) on Twitter for more company updates._ Click here for the full [Press Release](https://www.pr.com/press-release/614934) --- ## Managing a Pessimistic Team Member **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/managing-a-pessimistic-team-member/ * Posted on April 17, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris By definition, a pessimist is a person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst or is disposed to be gloomy. They’re more likely to see the glass “half empty” rather than “half full.” The saying goes, “You are only as strong as your weakest link.” A company can be at it’s best– thriving in the competitive world of business, but are all players on board? A negative employee is like a virus in the workplace that will only slow down productivity and spread negative energy to the rest of the workers. So what is the solution when dealing with someone who is just not in a growth-orientated mindset? **Cut them some slack.**Before rushing to HR, take in a little perspective. It might just be they take the Garfield approach to Mondays. Or maybe it’s just that occasional stressful day and they could use a cup of coffee. Whatever the reason, the first step to dealing with someone pessimistic is to understand where they are coming from. Usually, insight leads to a better understanding. Figuring out the root of your team member’s doom and gloom can begin the process of changing their outlook. **Address the problem.**Pull that team member aside and let them know how their communication is coming across to the rest of the office. It is important to stay positive and constructive when talking to a team member. Come from a place of feedback, rather than ‘attacking’ or ‘confronting’ the pessimistic co-worker. Addressing the problem in a group environment could also help not only the co-worker, but in inspiring change from all employees. Do not single someone out in front of other co-workers, but rather talk in a group about problems around the office and how employees can work collaboratively towards solutions. If you’re unsure about the situation, group wisdom is a great place to turn. **Re-evaluate your team.**Exhausted your resources? It’s probably time to consider removing that person from your team, especially if their attitude affects their work and/or other employees. This is a reality, and as a leader, you should know when there is nothing else to do but change the dynamics of your team. This should be a final option and carefully thought out. Not everyone is a fit for your team, or someone’s values might change over time. The workplace should be a space to spark creativity, innovation. As a final thought, here are some helpful tips to remember from the [Harvard Business Review](https://hbr.org/2009/09/how-to-handle-the-pessimist-on.html): **Do:** * Find the source of pessimism * Differentiate between the person and the behavior * Involve the whole team in setting norms for team behavior **Don’t:** * Single someone out in front of a group * Allow negative comments to go unaddressed * Assume all pessimism is unproductive For more management tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Justin Zuniga is CareerPlug’s sales and marketing intern._ --- ## Make the Call: The Benefits of Phone Screens **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/make-the-call-the-benefits-of-phone-screens/ * Posted on May 8, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan While phone screens are becoming a more common hiring practice, they are still an underutilized part of the hiring process for many small businesses. Thinking back to the positions I’ve interviewed for, none but my current job got me on the phone before inviting me in for an in-person interview. While it’s certainly exciting for a candidate to be invited into an office after sending in a resume, it’s ultimately a waste of everyone’s time when it quickly becomes clear the candidate is not right for the job. A phone screen is a short call with an applicant to determine if they are a good fit to move forward with your hiring process. This 15-30 minute call is for going over the basics of the position, the applicant’s qualifications, and to trying to discover any obvious red flags. Phone screens can be hugely beneficial in narrowing down a large applicant pool and setting up quality in-person interviews. Here are a few tips to conducting efficient phone screens: **Ask Knockout Questions** If you didn’t utilize these type of questions as part of the application, now is the time. Can they work weekends? Do they need to speak fluent Spanish? Are they familiar with Salesforce? If you have a deal breaker qualification that doesn’t come up on their resume, a phone screen is the right time to ask it before you spend any more time on a candidate who won’t be the right fit. **Keep It Short** This isn’t a full interview, but rather a way to for you and the candidate to determine if there is a mutual interest to move forward. Hit on the most important qualities you’re looking for in a candidate. Are they well-spoken? Do they understand the position? What questions do they ask you to demonstrate genuine interest? **Follow-Up** Whether you’re rejecting them or asking them to move forward, candidate communication is just as important after phone screens as it is after an interview. Whether they’re a great candidate or not, your level of communication is a reflection of your company and can ultimately affect your business’s reputation. An applicant tracking system, like CareerPlug, includes email templates to make candidate communication as easy as clicking send. Do you use phone screens as part of your hiring process? For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## The Diamonds in the Rough **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/the-diamonds-in-the-rough/ * Posted on May 11, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan Yes, this is an Aladdin reference. Aladdin was a street rat with a penchant for stealing and adventure … living “in the rough” if you will. But as it turned out, he had all the makings of a hero, a prince, and a leader. He was a diamond the Agrabah was lucky to have. You’re looking for diamonds too – top talent for your open position – and sometimes you need to search through a lot of rough. Some candidates will be obvious choices: years of experience and industry familiarity laid out in a professional resume. But what about the candidates without experience? Those new to sales or new to the industry? Their resume certainly isn’t as captivating and your instinct is to pass them by. I’m going to ask you to pause. Yes, most people who appear unqualified will be unqualified, but you need to search out potential. Maybe once you get that pizza delivery driver on the phone you can read a charisma and passion perfect for your job that wasn’t visible on her resume. In fact, [phone screening](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/make-the-call-the-benefits-of-phone-screens/) as part of your hiring process is an excellent way to learn more about candidates while still quickly narrowing the talent pool. No matter a person’s prior experience, you will be training a new hire on how things work at your company. So instead of matching up someone’s work history exactly with your job description, look at possible transferrable skills that mark someone’s potential. You might just find your next top performer. How do you identify diamonds in the rough? For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## The Peaceful Office Equation **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/the-peaceful-office-equation/ * Posted on May 13, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris When you solve a math problem you know there are multiple ways to work through the equation for an answer. Just like our school-day math homework, there are many different ways of achieving the same end goal in the office. With a variety of people and perspectives everyone has their own equation to solve problems. Lots of ideas. Limited space. There’s bound to be some conflict. It’s important to remember that achieving the end goal….is the end goal. As a leader, you are charged with making sure your team is successful. A team with different personalities and viewpoints, while ultimately valuable in its diversity, can hinder success if there is no one to facilitate conflict and bridge differences. It is the task of the team leader to take the input of the different members’ viewpoints and act as a conductor to harmonize ideas for resolution. > “We don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note. Only notes that are different can harmonize. The same is true with people.” > > > ― Steve Goodier The goal in resolving a divided office is not to coerce one group into an idea, but to establish a perspective that benefits everyone. Conflict isn’t inherently bad – it often leads to innovation – but it does need positive resolution. Viewpoints may differ, but a diverse group of people is vital for growth. Without conflict, diversity, and difference you will be hard pressed to spark true collaboration and success. When you welcome new equations and take an active role in mediating conflict and innovation, you will find that true success begins to take root. For more management tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Justin Zuniga is CareerPlug’s sales and marketing intern._ --- ## Asking Candidates to Relocate **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/asking-candidates-to-relocate/ * Posted on May 18, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Location, Proximity, Distance … all words that no longer stand in your way when trying to hire a candidate. Today’s technology has made it easier than ever to find the best qualified candidate for any position through relocation recruiting. The problem? Sometimes it can be a lengthy and tricky process. **Scenario:** You’re a hiring manager and you need to fill a position, but the local candidates are turning up average and you need someone extraordinary. Instead of sacrificing talent for location, you do what’s best for your company and expand your reach. Finally, you find a stellar applicant who lives one state over. You are now tasked with trying to bring on this great potential hire who lives far away. Asking candidates to relocate for a job isn’t a light request, and there are a few do’s & don’ts to keep in mind: **Do:** * Find someone who’s best for your company * Keep in mind travel expenses * Assure the candidate your opportunity is a good reason to move * Provide a balanced compensation **Don’t:** * Rush a candidate to make a thoughtless decision * Make financial promises in interview without surety * Leave too long of a response window with the candidate * Ignore the candidate’s family/ spouse ****Going the extra mile (literally) to find top talent doesn’t have to make hiring more difficult. In fact, the wider reach increases your chances of finding the perfect fit for your open position. And great hires, no matter where they come from, will help your company succeed. For more recruiting tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Justin Zuniga is CareerPlug’s sales and marketing intern._ --- ## The Benefits of Giving Back **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/the-benefits-of-giving-back/ * Posted on May 26, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris If you are trying to strengthen the bond between your company and your community, there’s no better way than giving back. Giving back to the community not only shows local residents that you’re reliable, it also builds trust and credibility. When creating change outside the company, the workplace also changes for the better. You’re building lasting ties within your community and giving employees a common bond and cause. Giving back allows you to introduce who you are to your community and can breakdown the sometimes cold barriers of a business. Spending a little time or money investing back into the local area can help establish a long term relationship of trust. Strong ties will be forged and can lead to future opportunities. As your company begins to give back and move forward as a maverick of change, [other companies](https://www.buzzfeed.com/jessicaprobus/23-charitable-companies-that-actually-give-back#.dl8zW5b5y) will follow suit. Your company could be seen as a leader, an example for creating positive impact. In a company that is trying to connect with the community, giving back is one of the most important (and most decent) strategies to employ. As a company who establishes change in the community, your company will also be more appealing to top talent. Millennials make up a large fraction of current job seekers, and company culture and [giving back](https://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/how-millennials-are-shaping-the-way-companies-give-back) are ranked as some of the most important considerations when looking for a job. Whether you are cleaning a park, volunteering at a shelter, or [funding a scholarship](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careerplug-scholars-award/), getting involved and giving back to the community as a workplace is beneficial to you as a company, but more importantly it feels really good to do. For more workplace tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## 4 Differences Between Management & Leadership **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/4-differences-between-management-leadership/ * Posted on June 10, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Though manager and leader seem like interchangeable titles, your employees with experience in both can tell you the difference. Both drive employees to success and reach company goals. Both have their own focus and methods. Which role works better for your company is up to you. **Process Oriented vs. Results Oriented** A manager would prefer that everyone followed the tried and true guidelines or processes. If it worked before, it will work again and again. Changing the process could distract everyone and yield less desireable results. Leaders think it is it better that the team achieve the desired results, however they may come. They sponsor innovation in their process and accept ideas from all around. **Organize and Staff vs. Guide and Counsel** Maintaining a certain staff number and filling all the job titles would be a manager’s job. Managers make sure all slots are filled properly so that all the clogs in the company’s inner workings can fit perfectly and continue to function at full capacity. Leaders tend to advocate for their current staff and train them for those job titles. They are more likely to hire from within and promote career growth within their company. **Write memos vs. coach and teach** When managers see something that needs to be corrected, they will often shoot out a memo to their target audience. This type of correction will ideally achieve the desired results with minimal interruption in the day’s activities and productivity. A leader believes that taking the time to retrain can yield positive changes. They believe in the power of coaching individually so that their followers will learn and correct their behaviors on their own. **Structured thinker vs. Strategic thinker** Related to being process and results oriented, there is a difference between thinking structurally versus thinking strategically. Managers love structure. They love guidelines that are easy to follow, and multi step systems that achieve expected results. Leaders, in the spirit of innovation, much rather take strategic risks that can move the company forward to reach desired results. Leaders welcome change in the name of efficiency and will not hesitate to modify their process. **Are you a Manager or a Leader?** For more leadership tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Kimberly Gaspar is a Recruiting Campaigns intern._ --- ## Is Your All-Star Promotion Ready? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/is-your-all-star-promotion-ready/ * Posted on July 2, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Have you ever had an employee that showed so much promise, you couldn’t help but be excited about their career progression? From potential candidate to new up-and-comer, you have witnessed this person become a vital part of your team. This is especially exciting to see if your company is a startup with a low staff count. However, there is certainly a danger in promoting someone too soon. Many times, an employee that shows a lot of promise moves up quickly within an organization, only to fail in their scaling process. These employees often feel the need to leave the company if they can not adjust to their new responsibilities and perform up to expectations. Losing these employees can be a massive blow to any business. So how do we know when someone is ready? When can we start preparing the offer letter and ordering new business cards? It is important to first identify which characteristics make your employee a great individual contributor and which will transfer over to leading a team or handling more responsibility. There is a reason why some of us fail at team sports but excel in individual sports. Can this person manage others and/or handle a bigger workload? After identifying where your promotion candidate is lacking, determine how coachable those missing skills are, and how receptive to instruction your candidate is. Can your star performer easily acquire those leadership skills needed to run a team? With a little time and training, you may have concocted the best employee candidate for that promotion! What steps do you take to make sure your candidate is promotion ready? For more management tips, follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## Testimonial: Chick-fil-A at North Hills, Raleigh, NC **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-testimonial-chick-fil-a/ * Posted on July 9, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan At CareerPlug we love hearing about success from happy clients! This one comes from Rally deLeon, Operator at Chick-fil-A at North Hills in Raleigh, NC. After signing up, Rally experienced immense success with our software, and he was so pleased that he shared a testimonial of his experience with us. Without any further ado, Rally, take it away! _“I have been impressed and pleased with CareerPlug. It has allowed me to cast a net that is 2-3x larger into the job posting arena while being able to sift and filter out the best candidates for my business. In the past month I have had over 325 applicants and have had very good success._ _I really like the assessment tool which helps me focus on the best candidates faster, all with a click of a button._ _Having Katie as a dedicated account representative has been great. It’s comforting to know I have a life-line as I continue to learn more about the varied strengths of this onboarding and team member development tool._ _CareerPlug is helping me take my business to another level of excellence!”_ –Rally deLeon Operator, Chick-fil-A at North Hills (#01851) --- ## Building a Successful Resume **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/building-a-successful-resume/ * Posted on July 16, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Separating yourself from other candidates when applying for a job can be difficult. Recruiters generally have a vast talent pool to choose from and little time to decide which candidates to interview. Standing out can seem like a daunting task when all you have is a quick page or two to give as reference. However, a few _small_ tweaks here and there on your resume can go a long way. But, there is a fine line between doing too little and doing too much and you could stand out for all the wrong reasons. Having said that, here are some tips to think about when constructing your resume. **DO:** **Be Specific.**When discussing your achievements, be specific and provide quantities if you can. Not only will this information put your accomplishments into a greater perspective for the reader, but it will also make them more memorable. For example, many have managed a retail store, but few have managed a retail store and increased sales by 10%. **Use Bullet Points.**Your resume needs to be as easy to read as possible. Recruiters often have to look through many resumes and don’t have the time to dig for information. If it takes to long for them to find important information, they may not see it all. Adding bullet points to separate crucial details increases the likelihood that a recruiter will see them at first glance. **DON’T:** **Write Long Sentences.**As previously discussed, recruiters have hundreds of resumes to look through and only have time to briefly examine your resume the first go around. Make your words count and convey information using as little words as possible. You don’t have to write an eloquent essay to get noticed. Your goal should be to minimize the time needed for the recruiter to obtain your relevant information. **Be Flashy.**There’s no need to make a colorful resume with a cursive font to stand out. That’s not going to make you seem more qualified for the position and if anything, will only make your resume harder for the recruiter to read. Keep it standard and maintain focus on your accomplishments. Remember these tips as you construct your resume and stand out for all the right reasons! For more hiring and job seeker tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Matt Gass is CareerPlug’s Recruitment Services intern._ --- ## Interviewing for Retail **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/interviewing-for-retail/ * Posted on July 21, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris The world of retail can be unpredictable and fast-paced, and skilled retail employees are valuable company resources. Identifying candidates that have what it takes to cut it in the retail world requires asking questions focused on customer service and analyzing an applicant’s ability to succeed in high-pressure work. Here are a few pillars to keep in mind when you’re interviewing candidates for retail positions: **Experience** Your candidate does not have to have much experience in retail to be a good fit, although a good sales background NEVER hurts. You are searching for someone who can multitask with a smile on their face, and can sort out priorities quickly and to everyone’s best interest. Ask questions about their previous experience. When is the last time they did something that required responsibility for completing many tasks quickly and efficiently? When is the last time they had to help others? Have they ever had to meet a quota? **Product Knowledge** Ask what they know about your products, and what they plan to do to get better acquainted. Ideally, you would want someone who is already familiar with your merchandise to reduce the learning curve, but someone who is eager to learn can be just as successful. This is a good time to fill them in on your training process and gauge their reaction and needs. **Schedule** Retail often demands flexible schedules of its employees. Cover their scheduling needs and determine how likely they would be to pick up extra shifts if need be. This can also shed light on their dedication to the position and perhaps even how long they plan to stay with your business. **What would you do if a customer. . .** These questions are included in almost all pre-hiring employment assessments because they are incredibly important, especially in the retail world. It is essential to learn how your candidate believes they will handle difficult customers or situations. Inexperience will certainly become obvious in their answers, and you can identify which candidates should move forward in your hiring process. Great retail workers are in high demand all over. Asking the right questions can help scope out those candidates you need to bring your team forward. For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Kimberly Gaspar is CareerPlug’s Recruitment Services Intern._ --- ## Testimonial: Soccer Shots Knoxville **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/testimonial-soccer-shots-knoxville/ * Posted on August 13, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan It’s always gratifying to hear from happy clients! Recently we heard from Sarah Kerr at [Soccer Shots Knoxville](https://www.soccershots.org/knoxville/) about the ways CareerPlug has made a huge difference in their hiring efforts. From finding and hiring qualified coaches to saving time on recruiting,Soccer Shots Knoxville’s hiring has never been easier. Sarah, take it away! > _“At first, I was a little overwhelmed by the program, BUT I QUICKLY got the hang of it and am SO thankful we started using it! The “process” of finding, screening, and interviewing people for our coaching position has been incomparable to any process we have been able to design ourselves. It is so simple, and each step has a PURPOSE and is useful. There is no wasted time or energy; if you follow the steps, you will only get CLOSER to your goal of getting great coaches!_ > > > _**The organization, customization, and ease of the program has been a HUGE time and energy saver.But something CareerPlug has provided us that we had not gotten ANY other way, is volume of applicants! …CareerPlug has recently given us a pool of applicants LARGE enough to where I felt the freedom to be picky and to STICK to our standards, pursuing ONLY the best potential coaches.**_ > > > _Our Coaches ARE Soccer Shots, and CareerPlug has made it possible to stick to our standards, sift through the pool, and discover some AMAZING talent! THANK you to Katie and the CareerPlug team! We are looking forward to adding even more great talent to our team as we need it!”_ > > > -Sarah Kerr, Knoxville Director at Soccer Shots --- ## The Big Deal About Easy Applications **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/the-big-deal-about-easy-applications/ * Posted on October 2, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan Have you ever applied to a job and an hour into the thirty question application wondered if it was worth it? Or maybe you clicked apply and were directed to a login screen to find that you’re still three steps away from beginning the actual application. Did you muddle through? Walk away? Save it for later? To employers, detailed applications may seem like the right choice: get as much information as possible up front to help narrow the hiring process as quickly as possible. To job seekers, spending hours on complex applications to send them into the void (maybe never to hear back) is an investment many won’t make. This doesn’t mean these job seekers are lazy, but rather that they can recognize opportunities that are worth their time. [According to Indeed](https://offers.indeed.com/rs/indeed/images/ebook-5-tips-for-attracting-great-candidates.pdf), the more complex the application the higher the drop off in applicant flow. When your application has just 10 questions there is a 17% reduction in applicants. 30 questions saw a 50% drop, and 45+ questions caused an 88% reduction in applicants. As an employer, a “detailed” application might not be worth the risk. Here are a few ways you can simplify your application process: ### **Essentials Only** You might have 80 questions you’d like to ask applicants, but chances are their resume and a few key screening questions are enough for the first phase of your screening process. Asking applicants to do more might weed out talent that would be a great fit for your organization. Get the essentials up front, and build in more detailed applications as a second step. ### **Fewer Clicks** Especially as more and more[job seekers use their mobile devices](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/using-text-recruiting-hire-faster/) to search for jobs, having a streamlined job application process is necessary. Limit your application to one page and work with your team to see how applications can be completed in as few clicks as possible. ### **No Logins** Asking job seekers to create a login before they can complete an application is a sure way to scare off candidates. This is an extra set of steps before they even reach the application, usually making job seekers navigate away from the page to get the email confirmation. You’ve worked hard to attract talent to your opportunities, don’t get in your own way with a complex application. Make it easy to apply, and they will. --- ## CareerPlug Halloween 2015! **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-halloween-2015/ * Posted on October 30, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan --- ## Giving Back: Toys for Teens 2015 **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/giving-back-toys-for-teens-2016/ * Posted on December 22, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan On behalf of the entire CareerPlug Team, we would like to thank YOU for being part of our amazing 2015! We’ve had a memorable year growing our team, expanding our expertise, and working with you! Whether you’re a client, a partner, a reader, or a fan, we are truly grateful to have you in our CareerPlug family. To express our gratitude, we made a donation in the name of our clients and partners to [**Foster Angels of Central Texas**](https://fosterangelsctx.org/). We used 100% of our donation towards their **Toys for Teens** program, where we purchased gifts for foster teens whose holiday wish-lists would otherwise go unfulfilled. From iPads to cowboy boots, we had a lot of fun granting their wishes! We hope your holiday season is full of gratitude and joy – we can’t wait for a great 2016! Best Wishes, The CareerPlug Team --- ## The Power in Going Paperless **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/the-power-in-going-paperless/ * Posted on January 21, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Today’s workforce operates at the speed of light, every minute of the workday is strategically planned. The wireless industry strives for a continuous mindset of progressiveness. In a field that constantly looks to the future, why should hiring be any different? Switching operations centered around stacks of paper to an online administrative system is the fastest, easiest, and safest way to make hiring most effective. The power is truly in going paperless. Hours of paperwork sorting and filing can now be at the click of a finger. In a society that believes time is money, going paperless can save you exponentially. Many fears for going paperless are synonymous with the technology fears from Y2K. While it is a new operation for your company, the concept to remember is simply, less is more. If you are still on the fence, here are a couple of reasons for joining the paperless onboarding revolution. **Simplification** Having a paperless onboarding system is easy to manage. No filing cabinets or messy stacks of confidential documents. Having access to documents means that you can pull up something in a matter of seconds. Many hiring managers that the new technology would be difficult to maneuver. In reality, there are onboarding systems made to cater to non-tech savvy people. With an intuitive set-up process, it’s easier than ever to hire applicants. **More Engagement** With an online onboarding system, the relationship of applying and hiring aren’t limited to paper documents. Having an online platform allows hiring managers to create more engaging content directly delivered to applicants. Paperless onboarding systems like Careerplug offer multiple opportunities to further assess applicants and rank the people applying all while being secured in one safe place. **Ahead of the Competition** Having an onboarding system is product of today’s technology. Being able to access and review multiple candidates with one click is an advantage for your industry. The wireless industry has lots of carriers and stores that are also competing to hire the best. Paperless onboarding systems not only let you have access to multiple candidates, but help you select the best qualified from within that large group. This is something a paper onboarding system doesn’t offer. Staying ahead of the competition helps when you build a team that can bring home big results. If you’re interested about learning more about paperless onboarding systems or CareerPlug’s software, you can request a demo [here](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/). For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Justin Zungia is CareerPlug’s Sales & Marketing Intern_ --- ## Hiring: A Team Effort **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-a-team-effort/ * Posted on January 25, 2016 * by Natalie Morgan Excellent candidate communication is a key indicator of a successful hiring process. However, all that can be for naught if there is a communication breakdown internally. As a hiring manager, what can you do to keep everyone in the loop and bring on a great team member? **Utilize Your Team:** Who will be working with your new hire? Other department heads? Their team of peers? Consider who can and should be included in the hiring process to help the hiring manager make the best decision. **Prepare Interviewers:** Once you know who will be involved, don’t leave them hanging. Share applicant information – from resumes to assessment scores to past interview answers – so interviewers have the full picture before they speak with a candidate. **Evaluate Consistently:** Use a standard method to review applicants across key competencies for the role. For example, ask the the same couple questions of each interviewer after the interview. This helps everyone involved stay focused on what’s most important, as well as making an overall evaluation of the candidate easier when decision time arrives. **Share Updates:** Whether you move forward or not with any candidate, keep everyone in the loop. This is especially important when a candidate is an employee referral. By keeping the employee updated as their referral moves through the steps, you ensure you’re fostering good will with your current team (whether or not their candidate is hired). How does your team keep everyone in the loop when it comes to making great hires? For more hiring tips, follow [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) on Twitter --- ## Obsolete Recruiting Processes Contributes to High Employee Turnover at Auto Dealerships **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/high-employee-turnover-at-auto-dealerships/ * Posted on February 8, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### **How High is Auto Dealership Employee Turnover?** All too often, we hear dealership managers lament the costs of turnover from bad hires that should have never made it through the hiring process. Hiring without an effective selection process in place can feel like buying a car without test-driving it first, and, unfortunately, there is no lemon law to protect against a bad hire. Auto dealership employee turnover has long been an issue. According to the National Automobile Dealers Association’s (NADA) most recent Dealership Workforce Study, the annual turnover rate for all dealership positions is 39.4 percent. The automotive retailer position with the highest turnover rate is the sales consultant, with an annual turnover rate of 71.9 percent, and a three-year retention rate of only 32.8 percent. NADA Chief Economist Steven Szakaly says the high turnover rate of sales consultants can be attributed to two factors: “First, this represents many entry-level workers who decided to try sales but then realized they did not like it. Second, automotive retailing is going through major industry changes, which is putting pressure on sales staff earnings.” Consumer expectations are evolving and new technologies are dramatically changing vehicles, creating different requirements from sales consultants. As many dealership managers already know, the costs of employee turnover are high and broad-reaching. Workload piles up on steadfast employees, stress builds, quality of work falters, customer service suffers –diminishing the public image of the dealership, productivity decreases, and more employees start looking for other jobs. Not to mention the most visible costs of employee turnover, the recruitment costs: advertising for new positions, time spent interviewing candidates, money spent on background checks, drug screens, and any other due diligence. ### **Why is Dealership Hiring so Inefficient?** Based on our research of the top automotive groups in the United States, nearly 35 percent of them do not use an applicant tracking system. An even larger percentage of these dealerships are using an ATS that is not optimized for mobile, does not have the option for prescreen questions, and does not offer sales assessments for applicants. Either due to clunkiness of the software or the lack of alignment with dealership hiring goals, these dealerships are not able to fully realize the benefits of an ATS, which may be one of the reasons that dealerships across the industry continue to struggle to retain long-term sales, service, and F&I talent. Without the ability to identify the right candidates across departments, dealerships are more likely to hire an unqualified dealership workforce, and continue to waste time and money doing it. ### **What Can Dealerships Do to Address Auto Dealership Turnover?** An industry-leading, mobile optimized applicant tracking system, like CareerPlug, empowers auto dealerships to develop an efficient and effective hiring process to attract, identify, interview, and onboard quality candidates. We go the extra mile in helping our clients identify top sales talent with unlimited access to candidate assessments, and we distill our years of hiring expertise into hiring tools that virtually any owner, manager, or team member can use to hire effectively. At CareerPlug, we understand that effective hiring can drastically improve the most widespread, deep-seated dealership operations challenges. ### **What’s Next?** **Start making better hires at your dealership. Check out more of our hiring advice and how-to guides on our [Resources](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/) page.** Monica Escobedo is a Marketing Intern with CareerPlug. Sources: [1] National Automobile Dealers Association. _New Report: Employee Salaries at New-Car Dealerships Rise._ Oct. 27, 2015. [2] Driving Sales News. _NADA Study Reveals 71 Percent Turnover for Dealership Sales Positions_. Oct. 27, 2015 [3] Nolinske, Terrie. National Business Research Institute. _Survey Research Yields Data on Employee Turnover._ --- ## CareerPlug Scholars 2016 **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-scholars-2016/ * Posted on April 27, 2016 * by Natalie Morgan Last week the CareerPlug team attended the 6th Annual Foster Angels Appreciation Luncheon – an event honoring exemplary caseworkers and foster children in Central Texas. CareerPlug’s President, Clint Smith, spoke at the event to present the CareerPlug Scholars Award. This scholarship —developed last year in close partnership with Foster Angels —awards $10,000 to a former foster youth to help them continue their education. This year CareerPlug’s staff reviewed personal essays and recommedations and we were honored to present two full scholarships to two extraordinary young adults. Besides the monetary contribution, CareerPlug is committed to providing additional resources – such as mentorship programs – to help awardees succeed. Our goal for the program is not only to help more former foster youth attend college, but also to help more graduate from college. We’re excited to continue growing the CareerPlug Scholars program and live up to our core value to Give Back! --- ## Fitness: The Fast Track to Hiring Success **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/fitness-the-fast-track-to-hiring-success/ * Posted on May 2, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Today, one out of every five Americans pays for a [gym membership](https://www.franchisehelp.com/industry-reports/fitness-industry-report/) and across the country, new fitness centers and boutique fitness studios are cropping up to keep up with the demand for staying fit. As many of these gyms are part of larger franchisees, new franchisee owners and entrepreneurs must learn how to operate their business in a highly competitive industry. Being able to compete in the fitness world and offer premier service means employing the right people. This makes the hiring process one of the most important areas for club owners and their managers. CareerPlug works with over 4,000 fitness and health clubs and from experience we’ve learned that the hiring process is not solely about the strongest resume. It’s about the _questions_ you ask a candidate during the process. ### **Asking the Right Questions** Questions relating to communication, listening skills, and an applicant’s general attitude are more appropriate for an in-person interview, but there are certainly insights you can gain during the application process by asking specific screening questions. For example, if you are hiring for a Personal Trainer position, you would want to know more details regarding the candidate’s experience level and education. Are they a certified in CPR/AED? Do they have a personal training certification? How many years of experience do they have? These questions can all be asked by clients at the beginning of the process by using the prescreen functionality within CareerPlug. While [receiving information upfront](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/sort-prioritize-hire-importance-pre-screen-questions/) is great, it’s only half of the race. In an industry booming with new clubs and facilities, a truly qualified applicant has plenty of opportunity for employment. Applying to several gyms is the norm and applicants have the power to choose a position based on fit, rather than necessity. As a hiring manager, following up with quality applicants right away is critical and ensures you are not letting those star candidates slip through your fingers. ### **Fast Track** CareerPlug helps you follow up with your quality applicants promptly and make better hiring decisions with our Fast Track program. Using Fast Track gives you the ability to quickly identify quality applicants who fit your specified ideal criteria. For example, one of our Planet Fitness groups in Michigan was looking for a Fitness Trainer who was certified, had their CPR/AED certification, and had at least 1 year of experience. Using the Fast Track feature, they were able to select the ideal answers as Fast Track and were notified in real time as Fast Track applicants applied. Contacting your quality applicants faster and starting the hiring process sooner could prevent you losing them to a competitor and ensure your fitness franchise continues to win. ### Ready to Start Identifying Qualified Applicants? Contact us today to [schedule a free demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/)! --- ## How The Job Search Process Has Changed **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/job-search-process-changes/ * Posted on January 6, 2017 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### The Job Search Process Has Changed Remember when it was common for companies to hang a “Help Wanted” sign in their storefront when they were looking to hire? Yeah, a lot has changed in the last ten years. In today’s fast technological times, where one can order a car or food instantly from their smartphone, it’s hard to fathom the job search process of the past. Thankfully, modern technology has changed the job search process for the better. However, how job seekers apply isn’t the only thing that has changed. ### What Else Has Changed? ### Jobs Are Now Online The internet has revolutionized how job seekers and companies interact in the last decade. Job seekers can now access dozens of opportunities in just a few clicks of their mouse. Gone (but not forgotten) are the days of the “Help Wanted” sign. ### Job Seekers Are Now Applying From Their Phones The smartphone has enabled job seekers to easily apply for a job within seconds with minimal effort. While it’s a wonderful thing for candidates, this has created yet another issue for HR managers to overcome to continuously attract top talent. In short, companies have had to [Go Mobile or Go Home](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/using-text-recruiting-hire-faster/). Making career pages mobile-optimized has become essential to attract quality candidates and rank higher in search results thanks to a clever algorithm put in place by Google. ### Job Search Engines Offer More Opportunities A decade ago, job boards like Monster and CareerBuilder were the go-to platform for job seekers. However, with the rise of platforms like Indeed job seekers now can search instantly across multiple company career pages with just one click. ### How Employers Can Deal With The Ch-ch-ch-changes So what can companies do to consistently attract superstar talent in today’s technology-driven job search process? Companies must make sure their virtual “Help Wanted” signs are seen on high-traffic job boards and then they must make it easy for applicants to apply from their phones by mobile-optimizing their job postings. --- ## Do Candidates Know (and Care) About Your Jobs? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/candidates-know-care-jobs/ * Posted on May 9, 2017 * by Clint Smith Thousands of companies are hiring at this very moment. Some of them are your direct competitors. But this isn’t your only competition. Does Domino’s Pizza compete with Uber? Maybe not directly in business, but they definitely compete when it comes to recruiting employees. What are the most important hires that you need to make? Who are you competing against for this talent? How are you going to win? If you cannot win the competition for talent, then you cannot win in your business. ### How Strong is Your Talent Magnet? If you want to win the competition for talent, you need to start by attracting more qualified applicants. We call this building a Talent Magnet. The strongest Talent Magnets belong to the companies that have such a great reputation that they naturally attract tons of candidates to their website to apply to their jobs. Think about companies that are known as a great place to work, just as Google is for technology professionals. Look at companies like Apple that have a loyal following of fans who would love to work for them. Their Talent Magnets are so strong that they have a significant advantage over their competitors. Not there yet? Not to worry – we’re not either! The good news is that us mere mortals can build a Talent Magnet too. If you don’t have candidates lining up to apply, then you need to build your Talent Magnet by creating a compelling job posting, getting it out to the right people and places, and standing out from the crowd to get more clicks and applications. ### TALENT MAGNET ACTION PLAN ### Step 1: Get Organized The first step is to create a compelling job posting. The goal of a job posting is to explain the mission and responsibilities for the role to get the right candidates to apply. #### Key Elements of an Effective Job Posting: 1. Job Title – This is the first and most important test; if you don’t get this right, then your target candidates will not even read the job description. 2. Overview – Show them the mission you want to accomplish as a company and how your open position is important to making it happen. 3. Responsibilities – Help them understand what the job entails and what success looks like in the role, and avoid listing out every possible responsibility. You’re still selling jobseekers right now, and you can always present a formal job description later in the process. 4. Qualifications – Be clear about what is required, but be careful not to scare away good candidates with ideal qualifications. Only include 100% requirements – is 5 years of sales experience really required to pass your initial review? 5. What You’ll Get – Focus on more than just compensation and benefits; remember to also reference growth potential and development opportunities. 6. Next Steps – Be sure to include a call to action or overview of the hiring process. Show applicants that there is an immediate need and interviews are being conducted. Think of these key elements as a sequence of hurdles or gates. As candidates review each one, they are asking themselves: Is this a good match for me? It starts with the Job Title and works its way down to Next Steps, which should encourage them to apply. ### Step 2: Get Posted Now that you have a compelling job posting, it’s time to promote it in the right places and to the right people. First and foremost, be sure to get the job added to the Careers Page on your company website. You don’t want to miss out on the candidates who come to your website and are interested in working for you. Though this is the right place to start, most of your potential candidates do not yet know about your company. You need to also get the word out to other people and places. #### Key Channels for Promoting Your Jobs: 1. Your Employees & Network – The [benefits](https://www.eremedia.com/ere/10-compelling-numbers-that-reveal-the-power-of-employee-referrals/) of building a strong pipeline of employee referrals are numerous. A strong Talent Magnet should have employee referrals as the number of source of new hires. Achieving this goal is a sign that you have built a great place to work! 2. Your Customers – Your best customers could become your best employees. Let them know that you are hiring and make it easy to learn more. **Tip: Scrap the paper applications** and train your hiring managers to send applicants to your online Careers Page. This gives you more control over the applicant’s experience with your brand and increases consistency for your managers. 3. External Job Boards – You will get the most applicants from this channel. Applicant quality will be mixed, but you can still make great hires here. These key channels are listed in order of importance. Don’t skip Your Employees and Customers and go straight to External Job Boards. If you do, you will be missing out on some of your highest quality candidates. ### Step 3: Get Clicked Getting your jobs posted on external job boards is great, but now you have entered the competition with hundreds of other employers looking for the same people. How will you get noticed, and more importantly, how will you get people to click on your job postings? #### Key Strategies to Get More Clicks: 1. Show Up in the Right Search Results – Use a job title and job description keywords that the right candidates will use to find jobs like yours. [SEO](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/make-job-descriptions-seo-friendly/) isn’t just for your marketing team. 2. Keep Jobs Fresh – Jobs that are newer typically get more exposure. Consider updating or reposting jobs that are more than 30 days old. 3. Add Compensation – Some search engines will show a compensation amount on their search results when it’s provided. This can help you stand out. 4. Make It Easy for Mobile – [More than half](https://blog.indeed.com/2014/07/28/mobile-now-accounts-for-half-of-all-job-searches/) of jobseekers apply to jobs from their mobile device. Mobile job search has become so common that certain job search engines will prioritize mobile-friendly jobs. Make sure your job postings aren’t filtered out just because they aren’t mobile optimized. ### A Few More Tips * It’s important to showcase your company in your job postings. Too many companies have a nice looking Careers Page, but then their job posting pages look dull and generic. Remember that most of your visitors are coming from external job boards, not your Careers Page, so be sure that their first experience in seeing your job showcases your company and brand. * You may be wondering, _how do I get my jobs promoted in all of these places?_ Applicant Tracking Systems like CareerPlug can make your life easier when it comes to job posting distribution. Once you post a job, the system automatically adds the job to your website and posts it with our network of job board partners. You can also promote the jobs on social media within a few clicks. * The best way to optimize your results is to test, measure and test again. If you have a position for which you recruit on a regular basis, it is worth your time to develop a couple of different job postings and job titles to test and see what works best. Measure your results: Which jobs got the most clicks? Which ones converted clicks to applicants at the highest rate? What are your best sources for applicants and hires? This will allow you to refine your process and optimize your results. ### Start Building Your Talent Magnet If you want to win the competition for talent, you need to start by attracting more qualified applicants. The keys to building a strong Talent Magnet are straightforward: 1. Create an attractive opportunity for the right candidates. 2. Promote this opportunity in the right places and to the right people. 3. Make it easy to apply from any device. Once you develop these parts and build a process to make it repeatable, you will start to see predictable results. And that’s when you’ll start winning the competition for talent. --- ## CareerPlug is a Top Recruiting Platform, According to Which Wich Franchisee **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-top-recruiting-platform-which-wich-franchisee/ * Posted on August 1, 2018 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris We’re proud of our standing in the restaurant franchise community as a top recruiting platform, and we partner with more Fast & Serious list brands than any other ATS. Still, it’s nice to get a shout-out! During the 2018 National Restaurant Association show, our client T.J. Schier, a Which Wich franchisee and president of Dallas-based SMART Restaurant Group, touted CareerPlug as one of his suggested recruiting platforms for restaurant operators to find top-quality talent. Schier discussed the importance of focusing on ‘A Players’ versus ‘C Players,’ which is one of our core tenets. Social media was also endorsed as a recruitment tool by Schier, a tool that CareerPlug advocates as well, along with using text messaging to reach younger employees. Text messaging is a new feature that we are rolling out to our recruiting platform in mid-July. An excerpt: > _Maintaining a restaurant’s culture of high performance requires hiring so-called “A Players” and getting rid of “C Players,” Schier said. That begins with hiring top workers, he said, which requires measuring their ability to perform. Hiring teams need to gauge potential employees’ behaviors._ > > > _“We ask them soft-ball questions just to reinforce our gut feel, but we don’t actually measure anything,” Schier said._ > > > _Restaurants need to define the skills and traits by position and then hire workers that match those definitions, he said._ > > > _Restaurant operators need to recruit in the right places, or “fish where the right fish are.” Employing the analogy of the best place to catch a shark — in an ocean, not in a lake — Schier suggested posting job recruitment ads where potential workers are most likely to see them._ > > > _Schier also suggested new places to fish, such as employment platforms like…CareerPlug…._ Read the full article [here](https://www.nrn.com/workforce/which-wich-franchisee-offers-tips-recruit-train-retain-top-talent). --- ## Hiring Ex-Offenders Can Help Your Talent Pool and Bottom Line **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-ex-offenders-talent-pool-bottom-line/ * Posted on May 6, 2019 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris You’re in a pinch, you need to make a hire, but you can’t find any quality candidates. The hire you did make didn’t work out and you need someone now. While no one wants to be in this position, that’s the reality many hiring managers face in today’s labor market. Traditional methods of searching in the labor pool like posting your job online and using your network sometimes don’t work. When that’s the case, you need to get creative about hiring people. That might mean considering hiring people with a criminal record. ### Why should you consider hiring an ex-offenders? Hiring someone with a criminal history can immediately increase your candidate pool. They can also improve your bottom line thanks to the work opportunity tax credit program. Many ex-offenders are also very motivated to come back to work once they are released from prison. [According to research by the Institute for Justice Research & Development](https://ijrd.csw.fsu.edu/publications/research-reports), an overwhelming majority of ex-offenders say that employment is their biggest or only priority after being released from prison. There is even a growing theme of hiring ex-offenders among businesses hiring for entry-level positions (Check out MOD Pizza!). Managers even think people with criminal records make great hires, not just HR professionals. In fact, [82% of managers think employees with criminal records perform as well or better than workers with a clean sheet](https://www.ozy.com/acumen/why-you-should-hire-someone-who-went-to-prison/88574). ### Hiring ex-offenders means access to a larger labor pool As unemployment rates continue to hover around 4%, creating a labor shortage, hiring managers need to become more creative on where they find talent, now. This talent gap will only continue to grow. [According to a study](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180502005330/en/Korn-Ferry-Study-Reveals-Global-Talent-Shortage%C2%A0Could), the labor shortage will be at its worst in 2030 when 85.2 million jobs worldwide will go unfilled. Currently, more than 2 million Americans are in a state or federal prison. Over 95% of these people in prison will be released at some point. By considering people with criminal records, you open yourself up to an additional 700,000 people each year. Even though so many people with a criminal history are ready to work, many go unclaimed. About 75% of these individuals will remain unemployed a year after they are released from prison. This is a huge untapped labor pool, especially considering the one-third of working age Americans that have a criminal record. Now we aren’t saying to go out and hire everyone with a criminal history. You should still focus on your company’s well-being and make sure you are hiring people who won’t be a threat to your current employees. Just make sure you aren’t adding to the list of barriers to employment and society that many ex-offenders already face. ### Hiring ex-offenders could actually improve your bottom line You might still have some hesitation on hiring ex-offenders. Maybe you already get enough candidates filling out your job applications. Maybe you are unsure about how someone with a criminal history will fit into your workplace. Did you know though, that turnover rates for employees with criminal records are lower than those without criminal records? That means less time spent on hiring and less money spent on training programs. [You can save about $4,000 a year per employee](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/321180) just from training costs based on the lower turnover rate! Not only can you save your own time and money by hiring ex-offenders you can actually receive a tax credit for hiring someone with a criminal history. The government can give you a tax credit for hiring ex-offenders with low incomes through the work opportunity tax credit program (WOTC). You can even double up with state tax credits if your state offers them. As we said earlier, this doesn’t mean you should just hire everyone with a criminal history. Use your judgement during the interview process and still conduct a background check. You should know though, that most employers aren’t using background checks to ensure a safe work environment or assess trustworthiness. Most business owners and HR professionals use them to reduce liability. ### I’m ready to consider hiring an ex-offender, what’s next? Start by banning the box on your job application. That means no longer asking your applicants if they have a criminal record when filling out a job application. By banning the box, you can better compare applicants based on their qualifications instead of a criminal record an applicant may have. Many businesses ban the box including bigger companies such as Wal-Mart and Target. Even the federal government has removed conviction history questions from their job application. If you’re having trouble finding quality candidates and want to reach out to ex-offenders to hire them, there are resources for that too! Look into local service providers and reentry programs that specialize in helping people with a criminal history find work. There are hundreds of local service providers and reentry programs across the country! Ask them how you can get your job in their network. When done right, hiring ex-offenders can bring far more benefits than costs. So be on the lookout, your next best hire could be someone with a criminal record. --- ## 5 Hiring and Recruiting Trends for 2020 **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/five-hiring-and-recruiting-trends-for-2020/ * Posted on January 13, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris It’s 2020. We officially live in the future. Unfortunately, we don’t have flying cars or robotic HR professionals to do all of our hiring for us (yet), but that doesn’t mean you can’t modernize your approach to hiring. This will be especially important as we’re heading into 2020 with a job market that favors candidates. Unemployment is low right now ([3.5%](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf) as of December 2019), which means the qualified candidates who _are_ searching for new opportunities have a lot of options and the freedom to be picky. When employers have a hiring need, it can be easy to get lost in the process of hiring without taking a step back to consider _how they hire_ and how they can make it easier and more effective —both for themselves and candidates. Preparation — time to reflect, plan, and set your intention for how you’re going to improve your hiring — is essential to smoothly executing your business goals in 2020. Here are five recruiting and hiring trends that can help you prepare for the future (until we invent robot hiring managers, of course). ### 1. Hire to create leverage. The most efficient organizations don’t just hire when turnover occurs. They are also intentional about hiring to create leverage. Have you ever been a part of a team that seemed to always lack the people-power to meet its goals? It’s a recipe for stress, burnout, and loss of profit. In 2020, ditch the “skeleton crew” approach and take the time to assess your organization’s needs so you can make new strategic hires to create the right kind of leverage now. This leverage might be for yourself — what difference would it make to your business if you had your least important tasks off your plate? Or the leverage might be for your team — is there a recurring issue or blocker that could be solved with the right hire? It can be hard to know the right time to hire a new person or which role will make the most impact, but it’s worth keeping top of mind in 2020. Remember: With every hire, you have an opportunity to raise the standard for your team — and yourself. ### 2. Organize your hiring process. Modern hiring requires modern hiring processes — and that means being efficient, consistent, and organized. Having a hiring and interviewing process provides the momentum you need to funnel applicants and make the right hiring decisions. Your hiring process should have: * A standardized set of criteria to assess all applicants * The ability to track all candidates through each stage in the process * Interview scorecards to help gather objective data * The ability to manage all communication in a centralized place That last bullet is particularly important, as the absence of an organized hiring process makes it easy for hiring managers to fall into the bad habit of “ghosting” candidates in their pipeline when they’ve made a hiring decision. In other words, they fail to follow up with the candidates they didn’t hire. This lack of courtesy to candidates can damage your company’s reputation on job boards and review sites like Glassdoor. Make 2020 the year you start treating your applicants like customers. You manage your customer relationships with a CRM, so consider managing your applicant relationships with the hiring version of a CRM —an applicant tracking system (ATS) like [CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/). ### 3. Start looking beyond the resume. When you hire based only on who someone is today, you miss out on [hiring for growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/). This year, take a wider perspective beyond years of applicant experience in the same role for which you’re hiring. Instead, think about the soft skills needed for the role and evaluate someone’s career trajectory and motivation. Keep in mind that the current low unemployment rate means there’s a chance you may not find a candidate who has the perfect experience and checks off all your boxes. Look for emerging talent in 2020 and decide which skills gaps you can handle. Keep an eye out for candidates who have those talents, behaviors, and _potential_ to succeed in the role. Being able to identify this kind of emerging talent can have a tremendous upside. A highly-motivated hire who is hungry to learn new skills can quickly grow with your company and make a long-term impact on your business, even if they didn’t have the perfect resume! ### 4. Attract a diverse applicant pool. Think about where most of your applicants came from last year. Maybe they came from job sites like Indeed or ZipRecruiter, referrals from your employees, your personal network, or perhaps current customers. Take a look at your applicant sources and consider ways to cast a wider net in 2020, such as posting to custom sources (local universities, groups, or job boards). You may increase your quantity and quality of applicants as well as the diversity of applicants applying to your jobs. While you want to hire applicants with similar values who [fit with your culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/), remember that culture is not “who looks and thinks like me.” If you only source applicants from one place (like only hiring your friends), you risk building a homogeneous team, which can ultimately stifle innovation and growth. ### 5. Strengthen your employment brand. Your employment brand is your company’s reputation to job seekers. We know that 38% of candidates spend [1-2 hours researching a new opportunity](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-candidate-experience-thats-exceptional/) online. This means it’s more important than ever for employers to build an attractive Careers Page. Think of your Careers Page as your marketing hub for your employment branding, the same way the rest of your website is a marketing tool for customers. Your Careers Page should include: * Real company photos * Your company’s core values * A description of what it’s like working for you * Employee testimonials For our own [Careers Page](https://cplugjobs.careerplug.com/account), we added a video explaining our hiring process (the steps in our process and what applicants can expect). We’ve been told by many candidates that it helped set us apart and encouraged them to apply! You can also ask employees to leave honest reviews for your company on Glassdoor — just remember to respond to all employee feedback. Good or bad, this is an opportunity to reflect your engagement to the community. We hope that implementing these five 2020 recruiting trends will get your hiring started on the right foot in 2020! For more hiring insights and how-to guides, be sure to check out our [resources](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/) page. --- ## Form I-9 Requirements Change Temporarily Due to COVID-19 **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/form-i-9-changes-covid-19-coronavirus/ * Posted on March 23, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris On March 20, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security [announced new flexibility in requirements](https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/dhs-announces-flexibility-requirements-related-form-i-9-compliance#wcm-survey-target-id) to the document inspection procedures outlined in Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. These temporary changes are being implemented as a result of orders by federal agencies to maintain physical proximity distance during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve put together some answers to frequently asked questions about the changes. ### What has changed? Beginning March 19, employers will **NOT** be required to verify a new employee’s physical identification documents in person. However, **employers must inspect documents remotely** (e.g., over video link, fax or email, etc.) and obtain copies of the documents within 3 business days. ### How long are these changes in effect? Until **May 19, 2020,** or until **3 business days after the termination of the National Emergency**, whichever comes first. ### Who does this apply to? * **This only applies to workplaces that are operating remotely**. Employers who use this option must provide written documentation of their remote onboarding and telework policies for each employee. * If there are employees physically present at a work location, you must continue to examine the documents in-person as you normally would. **One exception:** If newly hired employees or existing employees are subject to COVID-19 quarantine or lockdown protocols, DHS will evaluate this on a case-by-case basis. ### What happens after normal operations resume? After normal operations resume, a physical inspection of the identification documents should take place. At that time, the employer should fill out Form I-9 as follows: * Add **“documents physically examined”**with the date of the inspection to the _Section 2 Additional Information_ field or to _Section 3_ as appropriate. * Enter **“COVID-19”** as the reason for the physical inspection delay in the _Section 2 Additional Information_ field. Any audit of subsequent Forms I-9 would use the “in-person completed date” as a starting point for these employees only. --- ## Businesses React to Coronavirus Setbacks with Creative Solutions **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/coronavirus-small-business-solutions/ * Posted on March 30, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris The threat of the coronavirus outbreak spread rapidly across the U.S. In one week, we went from the directive “wash your hands” to “self-isolate until May.” This has left an unprecedented number of business owners facing a potentially devastating challenge they were not expecting. Still, in the midst of all the uncertainty, some businesses have come up with creative solutions to help weather the storm. These businesses were never set up to function at a distance from their customers, so they’re looking for opportunities to adapt. We’ll spotlight a few industries making adjustments to their operations, in the hopes that it may spark some ideas for your own business. ### Restaurants: Take-out and delivery It’s no secret that restaurants are taking the coronavirus shutdowns hard. But they’ve adapted as quickly as they’ve had to close their dining rooms. In Austin, Texas, [restaurants have quickly pivoted](https://365thingsaustin.com/2020/03/17/get-free-delivery-curbside-pickup-great-local-spots/) to a “ghost kitchen” model, making their menus available exclusively via to-go orders and/or delivery. Some tips we’ve gleaned from the restaurant industry: * If you don’t have a website set up to take online orders, now might be the time to start. A software company called [Toast](https://pos.toasttab.com/products/toast-now) is offering **three months free for restaurants to set up digital POS systems** to help restaurants quickly pivot to online ordering. * If you can’t set up a website, start taking orders **over the phone**and running their credit card information on your point-of-sale device if possible. * For to-go orders,**allow customers to remain in their cars.**Ask customers to text you when they arrive with a description of their vehicle, and deliver their order directly to their window. * If possible,**allow your front-of-house restaurant staff to deliver food to customers.** You’ll want to consider the liability involved with a decision like this — for example, making sure you and your employees have auto insurance that does not exclude delivery vehicle usage. For more insight, check out [this article](https://www.houstonpress.com/restaurants/houstons-restaurants-try-to-counter-the-effects-of-coronavirus-11457881) and seek the advice of your own insurance company and/or legal counsel. * Consider **partnering with a food delivery service** like [GrubHub](https://get.grubhub.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=grubhub&utm_content=gfr1&utm_campaign=sem_sitelink_diner&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoqD1oLun6AIVDxgMCh2KQw7FEAAYASACEgICw_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds), [UberEats](https://www.ubereats.com/restaurant/en-US/signup), or [Favor](https://favordelivery.com/for-merchants) to facilitate food deliveries to your customers. ### Gyms: Video workouts Not all businesses can deliver their service with a driver. Gyms and classrooms, for example, are built to accommodate in-person participation. But luckily, it’s 2020 and you can leverage online video as a method of delivery. We’re going to see the true value of online video now more than ever before. Take [Orangetheory fitness](https://www.orangetheory.com/en-au/member-communication-regarding-coronavirus/) for example. On March 18, they announced they would begin producing a new 30-minute workout instructional video _every day_ throughout this period of mandatory social distancing. Each new daily video is an opportunity for them to showcase some of their favorite Orangetheory coaches from around the world — something they hadn’t done before this economic uncertainty. They’ve been able to turn this into an opportunity to demonstrate who they are as a company and what they value, while building community amongst members and non-members alike. ### Webinars Of course, gyms aren’t the only businesses that can benefit from online video right now. If you have other products or services to sell, **consider hosting webinars****on topics relevant to your customers.** As was the case during the recession of 2009, webinars are a great low-risk marketing tool for periods like this. Partner with other businesses to ensure you’re delivering value through education. This also helps maintain your brand and can position you as an expert in your industry. Webinars can also be low-effort. It can be as simple as recording a meeting on Zoom or going live on your company’s Instagram account. ### Take-home kits Some retail businesses have noticed that customers can become easily bored during self-isolation. We’ve seen pottery stores offering take-home kits with all the needed supplies to keep kids busy, or bakeries doing the same with all the ingredients necessary to make cupcakes. Pair this with curbside pickup and you’ve got a way to continue to provide a service to your community in a safe way. Even restaurants have seen an opportunity in assembling kits to-go for customers. Antonelli’s cheese shop of Austin, Texas, typically hosts in-store cheese tasting classes. Now, with the city’s restrictions in place, they have begun assembling cheese sample platters for delivery and hosting a [_virtual_ cheesemonger experience](https://www.kvue.com/article/money/business/antonellis-cheese-shop-goes-digital-amid-coronavirus-pandemic/269-bfeaff22-dda4-47a6-9b18-ceb1b6e7395a) for those who book appointments online. Some restaurants have even begun including [a roll of toilet paper](https://www.restaurantbusinessonline.com/marketing/restaurants-offering-side-toilet-paper-delivery-pickup-orders) with their to-go orders as a humorous gimmick during the coronavirus shutdowns. **One Pro-tip:**Advertising on social media plays a big role in increasing awareness of these special offerings. ### Gift cards One way to supplement cash flow at a time when your revenue has decreased is to sell gift cards. You don’t have to be a major chain to take advantage of gift cards — [this article](https://www.giftcards.com/gcgf/small-business-giftcards) compares the options out there for small businesses to create their own. You might also consider offering a discount or special offers on gift cards. For example: * Buy a $50 gift card for $40 * Buy a $X gift card and receive one free hour of personal training redeemable in the future * Buy a $X gift card and receive a free t-shirt People want to be able to support their favorite businesses during this time. Allowing them the opportunity to invest in future spending at those businesses can help. ### Partnerships with other businesses Small businesses can also take this time to partner with other businesses in their community to create win-win situations for both. For example, a rock climbing gym may partner with a yoga studio in a scenario in which the yoga studio offers a paid online class like “yoga for rock climbers” to the rock climbing gym’s member list. In exchange, the yoga studio sends its members an email for a 50% discount on a pre-paid membership to the rock climbing gym. Start thinking about where else your clients do business and partner with those businesses to create something like a co-op. ### Get creative This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the ways businesses are innovating during this uncertain time, but we hope it can inspire you to think outside the box for your own business. Partner with others in the community or online forums for your industry, and share ideas about what has been working and what hasn’t. One thing the current health crisis has made clear is that our communities are more connected than ever. One of our core values at CareerPlug is: “Work Together, Win Together.” And as a society, to get through these ongoing setbacks, we’ll _all_ need to work together so that we can win together. If your business has had success with a creative solution during this time, feel free to share your story with us at [marketing@careerplug.com](mailto:marketing@careerplug.com). We’d love to hear what’s working for you! --- ## How to Create a Candidate Experience Survey (with Free Template) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-experience-survey/ * Posted on November 19, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris It can be easy for small business owners to overlook the importance of creating a great [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-candidate-experience-thats-exceptional/). It’s completely understandable given how many hats the average small business owner has to wear! But don’t make the mistake of assuming it’s not worth investing the time into improving your candidate experience. A recent [CareerPlug survey of job seekers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) found that **67% of job seekers have had a negative experience** during a hiring process within the past year and **58% had declined a job offer due to poor experience.** Luckily, it’s not all doom and gloom. Of the job seekers who had a positive candidate experience during the hiring process, **80% said it influenced their decision to accept the job offer.** Long story short: The candidate experience is an essential element in any good recruitment strategy. Check out the video below from CareerPlug’s Director of HR, Natalie Morgan, to learn more about creating an exceptional candidate experience. ### What’s the relationship between candidate experience and applicant quality? Hiring managers tell us that one of their most challenging pain points in recruiting is a lack of high-quality applicants. This can result from a variety of factors, which can vary based on industry, region, economic climate, unemployment rates, and more. While some causes are outside of your control, the candidate experience is one element that is _entirely_ within your control as an employer. Consider that **more than half of job seekers will**[**abandon their pursuit of a job**](https://www.inc.com/adam-robinson/more-than-half-of-job-seekers-say-they-wouldnt-apply-to-a-company-with-bad-online-reviews.html)**after reading negative online reviews** about the employer. Employer review sites like Glassdoor allow reviews from candidates who have been through your interview process, whether you hired them or not. By taking the time to create a great candidate experience, you can make sure that you’re not missing out on the high-quality applicants who are motivated enough to research your company. ### Measuring candidate experience Candidate experience has a massive impact on your [**employer brand**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/), or your business’ reputation as a place to work. To evaluate your candidate experience, try integrating a **candidate experience survey**into your existing hiring process. We’ve created a free candidate experience survey template to get you started. Click the button below to download. [Download the template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Candidate-Experience-Survey-Questions.docx) ### Candidate experience survey best practices Here are a few tips to help you make the most out of your candidate experience survey: * **Email your candidate experience survey to all candidates you’ve interviewed.**It’s a good idea to ask for feedback from candidates you’ve interacted with, whether at the initial phone screen stage or after multiple rounds of interviews. * **Be open to both positive and negative feedback.**The purpose of this exercise is to surface any weak points in your hiring process. Don’t take negative feedback personally! You’re working to improve your chances of attracting high-quality applicants in the future. * **Survey your existing employees.**Who knows your hiring process better than the hires you made? Ask them for their honest feedback, and you may be able to make quick changes to your hiring process even before bringing new candidates through the door. ### Take action CareerPlug’s applicant tracking system is built around a hiring process that values the candidate experience. [Speak with one of our hiring experts today](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) to see how we can help you create an exceptional candidate experience so you can make the right hires. --- ## CareerPlug Announces New President and New CEO Role **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-announces-new-president-and-new-ceo-role/ * Posted on January 19, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris PRESS RELEASE — CareerPlug today announced that Jenny Leman, CareerPlug’s Senior Director of Client Operations, will be stepping into her new role as the company’s second President. CareerPlug’s first President and its Founder, Clint Smith, will be taking on a new role as the company’s first CEO. Smith’s new title will be Founder and CEO. The change in roles comes as CareerPlug implements a new approach to leadership within the organization based on the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) method. This new framework has allowed CareerPlug to identify opportunities to evolve its top leadership roles, solidify the core responsibilities and focus of each role, and better leverage the talents of Smith and Leman as the company gears up for a year of growth in 2021. Smith founded CareerPlug in 2007 with the simple idea that there was a better way to help employers connect with quality applicants. Since then, the company has partnered with more than 12,000 clients to help them make the right hires for their business. In his new role as CEO, Smith looks forward to returning to the entrepreneurial skillset that allowed him to grow CareerPlug into the trusted hiring partner it is today. Smith says, “I’ve learned that oftentimes, as a company grows, founders and entrepreneurs get pulled away from the things they excel at –big picture strategy and building relationships outside the business –and instead find themselves tending to the operational aspects of running a business. But I knew there was someone else on my team who excelled at those things:my Senior Director of Client Operations, Jenny Leman. By elevating her to the role of President, I can focus on setting the vision and direction for CareerPlug’s future. We have big plans for new product features that will deliver more value to our clients in 2021, and I’m very excited about that.” Before joining CareerPlug in 2017, Leman led operations for a multi-unit franchisee and later for a software company. Her unique blend of franchise and software expertise brought a valuable perspective to CareerPlug in helping to build a people operating software for franchises. Leman says, “I find myself deeply connected to the problem CareerPlug solves because I’ve worked for small businesses and franchisees. I know how important it is for small business owners to make the right hires because they have so much on their plates. I understand the concerns of our clients, and I feel proud to contribute to CareerPlug’s mission of helping connect the right people with the right jobs.” **About CareerPlug:**[CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-announces-new-president-and-new-ceo-role/) is a software company on a mission to solve the #1 challenge of running a business: attracting and hiring the right people. More than 12,000 clients love working with us because we give them a proven playbook to make the right hires. Our software is easy enough for anyone to use, so you don’t need to be an HR professional to succeed. We’re so committed to making hiring easier that we require every one of our employees to become a certified Hiring Expert so that they can contribute to our mission. --- ## Creating the Right Core Values for Your Business **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-write-core-values/ * Posted on January 25, 2021 * by Clint Smith Your **core values**signify what you, as a company, prize more than anything. They should guide everything that you do. If you are not sure about what direction to head in a tough situation, you should be able to look at your values to determine the right course of action. You should be hiring, developing, promoting and firing people based on your values. If you’re not, then you’re not truly living them. A company’s values are a reflection of its leader. You cannot lead others if you do not know who you are. And you cannot expect others to follow you unless this is crystal clear. This bears repeating: **your values should represent what you****_actually_****value.** They define your culture. We have all been somewhere where they have a generic set of values printed and framed on the wall. You know that they are totally bogus and that no one follows them—or even knows what they are! It’s better to be real, even if you don’t think it sounds socially acceptable. If earning money is the #1 thing for you and your company, then you should be honest about that. There are people out there who value the same things, and those are the people you want to hire. Part of being real is having values with character. They need to be genuine and come from the heart. We value teamwork at CareerPlug, but that term didn’t capture the essence of it. So, we came up with our own: _Work Together, Win Together_. I hear people say this throughout the company when we talk about the importance of collaboration. I don’t think that “teamwork” would have stuck the same way as a core value. Your values should reflect who you are _right now_.**When you write your values, you should be drawing from your history; save the aspirational stuff for your vision.**When we decided to include _Speak Up, Step Up_ as one of our values because we have always valued people who are willing to take initiative. We have a history of allowing people to take on special projects at the company simply because they’ve shown a strong desire to make an impact in a certain area. It wasn’t just a goal — we were already living it. Don’t make a laundry list of values. When you “value” everything, you really value nothing. We had to learn that lesson the hard way. > Your **core values** should guide everything that you do. If you are not sure about what direction to head in a tough situation, you should be able to look at your values to determine the right course of action. ### Reevaluating our core values CareerPlug has always defined the guiding principles for our business in three key ways: * Mission * Vision * Core values But I still felt like there was something missing: **a way to determine the traits that I wanted every single person in CareerPlug to embody.** About five years ago, I felt like our culture had taken a turn for the worse. We made some hires that were not a good [culture fit](https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2020/03/09/lack-of-diversity-in-start-ups-is-culture-fit-to-blame/) for us, and there were consequences. We became more divided as a company, and each department started to operate in its own silo. Something had to change. I knew we had to address the situation with certain employees at the company. That was tough but fairly straightforward. I was more concerned about how we were going prevent ourselves from hiring people who were not a culture fit in the future. Our core values should have been helping us, but they weren’t. I identified three issues: ### 1. We had too many values. There were seven of them. There was no way that our team could focus on seven different things when evaluating candidates in the hiring process—on top of evaluating them for their fit for the role itself. Plus, it’s hard to make any core value non-negotiable when you have seven of them. If someone is living six out of the seven values, doesn’t that sound good enough? It does, and that was the problem. ### 2. Some of our values did not have clearly defined boundaries. For example, most of the emphasis on our _Give Back_ core value was focused on a candidate’s time spent giving to external charities. But that value was also meant to cover how a person approaches giving their time to others within the company. It was too much. ### 3. The values didn’t nail what truly makes our employees a culture fit. I actually added a list of four additional items, which I called _culture drivers,_ to address this gap. It helped in some ways, but it was a band-aid. **We should have rewritten the values to reflect what really matters.** It took longer than it should have, but that’s what we eventually did. > Don’t make a laundry list of values. When you “value” everything, you really value nothing. ### Redefining our core values We identified our new core values based on a process that Patrick Lencioni recommends in his book, _The Advantage._ First, we had each person on the leadership team identify the top performers at the company who truly embody our culture. Then we asked each leader to list out the behaviors or attributes that made these individuals so respected. These became our potential core values. We wrote this list on a whiteboard without discussing any individual employees by name. There were around 15-20 potential core values to start. Then, we went through the list and discussed each value as a team. After eliminating a few and consolidating some that were similar, we were left with around eight values. Next, we asked each leader to think about the employees, both current and former, who were not a good fit at our company — regardless of how well they performed in their roles. Then, we had our leaders assess these individuals on the list of remaining core values. We identified a couple of core values that, while important, didn’t do a good enough job of excluding people who were not a good culture fit. We eliminated them from the list, leaving us with six values. Finally, we reviewed the remaining values and thought deeply about what was really true to us at our core. We eliminated one value that was too aspirational and another that wasn’t as important as the rest. That left us with the four core values we have today: I knew that these were genuine because I had a backstory that I could tell for each one. ### Be Kind My employees would tell you that I’m a nice guy. I don’t like to work with people who aren’t. Neither does the rest of our team. When we dug deeper into it, we discovered that we value something more than “nice”—we value kindness. We look for people who care deeply about each other, our clients, and the world around us. We realized that we are givers. And we didn’t know how important hiring givers was for us until we hired a couple of takers! ### Speak Up, Step Up We have always valued people who take initiative, and we give them the room to do it. One of our long-time employees, Anna, read our vision and was energized by our commitment to give back to the environment. She took the initiative to create a sustainability committee, which has been a big hit with our team. Within a couple of months, they implemented several programs to reduce our waste. This is one example of many situations where someone has stepped up. And when we reflected on employees who were not a fit, we realized that most of them had thoughts about things we could improve (and some were quite vocal about them)—but they didn’t take action. ### Keep Growing I didn’t know much about hiring or software when I started CareerPlug, but I knew that I could make up for that by focusing on continuous learning and growth. We have always been attracted to hiring learners with high potential over people with more experience but a lower trajectory. This was solidified when I read Carol Dweck’s _Mindset_ and her research on people with fixed versus growth mindsets. We didn’t see the real impact of this until we hired some people with fixed mindsets and saw how difficult this made things for us. ### Work Together, Win Together We are a collaborative company. It’s in our DNA: we ask for help, we help, we solve problems together. We put the good of the team and the company above our individual benefit. If you are a lone wolf or someone who puts your own interests first, then this isn’t the place for you. The lesson I learned is that simply having core values is not good enough. You must be able to use your core values to hire, develop, promote, and fire employees effectively. If you cannot, then I recommend you follow a similar process to the one we used to reevaluate your values. ### Take action Your core values should provide a vital blueprint for the kind of people you want to hire –but your hiring process doesn’t stop there. Check out these **free resources**created by the hiring experts at CareerPlug that will help you recruit with those core values in mind: * [How to Build a Great Hiring Process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) * [How to Build a Compelling Careers Page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) * [How to Create an Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) --- ## 2022 Hourly Workers Compensation Expectations Report **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/ * Posted on February 21, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris CareerPlug is on a mission to help employers hire and develop the right people. As a part of this mission, we conduct original research throughout the year that analyzes both hiring and retention trends. Businesses of all sizes have been dealt many blows in the last few years and the labor market has undergone some major changes. By now, you may have heard of the “[Great Resignation](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/great-resignation-60-minutes-2022-01-10/)” or even experienced record levels of turnover within your business. Employers are more motivated than ever to keep hard-working employees around, but sometimes this can be a challenge! If you’re like us, you are probably curious as to what employees are looking for and what role compensation plays in [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/). That’s why we asked hourly employees to tell us what they think about their current compensation and what they expect in future pay. We’re pleased to present our **2022 Hourly Workers Compensation Expectations Report**. We hope that it can help employers better understand employee expectations, so that they can improve retention efforts and become a better place to work. ### Who took this survey? It was important for us to get an even distribution of industry data for this report. **We surveyed 502 hourly workers spread evenly across 11 different industries**. We also got a fairly equal distribution of experience level ranging from entry-level to senior. ### How satisfied are hourly workers with their current compensation? We asked employees to rate their satisfaction with their current compensation on a scale from 1 to 10. The answers we received were fairly evenly dispersed. **Roughly one-third of employees reported being unsatisfied with their current compensation.**The same amount reported being moderately satisfied, and by a slight majority,**38% of employees said they were very satisfied with their current pay.** By another relatively slim margin, the **majority of respondents (26%) have received a raise in the last 12 months**. However, **21% of employees said that they have never received a raise**— of that percentage, most were entry-level employees. The rest of the answers were as follows: * 19% of employees have received a raise in the last 1-2 years. * 17% of employees have received a raise in the last 2-5 years. * 16% of employees said that it has been more than 5 years since their last raise. Additionally, **26% of employees surveyed said that their income is not enough to cover all of their living expenses** and 27% of employees said their income is enough to cover living expenses — but not much else. ### Most hourly workers are looking for higher pay whether they’re satisfied with their current pay or not. Here’s where the data gets interesting. While over one-third of the employees who took this survey said they are satisfied with their current compensation, most hourly workers reported that they are looking for higher pay regardless.**55% of all employees are currently seeking or will be seeking new employment in order to get a pay increase in 2022.** **64% of those workers seeking an opportunity for a pay raise said they would stay at their current job if their employer gave them the compensation they were looking for.** This number suggests that offering raises is a strong employee retention method. That said, when you consider that **36% of those employees seeking higher compensation wouldn’t stick with their current employer even with increased pay,**it becomes clear that there are likely other factors influencing their decision, such as dissatisfaction with something else: the employer, the role, the industry, etc. ### How much of a raise are hourly workers seeking? It’s clear that offering increased compensation may help you keep your hourly employees around, but how much are they looking for? The table below shows how much of a raise hourly employees seeking new employment would like to receive. As an employer, you may want to use compensation resources on [Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/) and [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm) to see how the compensation for your roles compares to other similar jobs. It’s worth pointing out that those who have **gotten a raise in the last 12 months are the least likely to seek new employment**in order to get a pay increase in 2022: **52%** said they are **not** seeking new employment in order to get a pay increase. In contrast, **60% of employees that last received a raise 2-5 years ago are currently seeking or planning to seek new employment.** ### Many hourly workers are considering new industries or fields. Of the employees who said they are considering leaving their current job for higher compensation,**67% said they planned to explore new industries or fields.** One staggering statistic we found is that**91% of healthcare workers seeking a raise said they would explore new industries or fields!**This is yet another surprising stat that might indicate factors other than compensation could be an issue. We all know the healthcare industry has seen record levels of worker burnout and [nearly 1 in 5 healthcare workers have quit their jobs as a result of the pandemic](https://morningconsult.com/2021/10/04/health-care-workers-series-part-2-workforce/), so it’s not entirely surprising that our survey found evidence that the healthcare industry could face more retention challenges in 2022. You can see in the graph below that many other industries also reported they would explore new fields to get the pay increase they’re after. ### Benefits are just as valuable as compensation when it comes to employee retention. When it comes to employee retention, compensation isn’t the only way to show employees that you value them. Offering [competitive benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-benefits-post-pandemic/) can be just as effective, and our data backs this up. The majority of employees said that they would accept benefits over a pay increase, but it should be noted that **those who are more satisfied with their pay are more likely to accept additional benefits.****76%** of employees that are **very satisfied** with their pay said they would accept additional benefits instead of a pay increase. Still, **53%** of employees that are **unsatisfied with their pay** said they would accept additional benefits instead of a pay increase from their current employer. This suggests that an increased investment into benefits could help in retaining about half of employees who otherwise feel their compensation is lower than they’d like. **Health insurance and more PTO were the top benefits that employees said they would accept instead of a pay increase.**The chart below shows how the other benefits stack up. We recommend incorporating these types of competitive benefits for your employees if possible. ### Compensation satisfaction and pay transparency One thing that can have an effect on employee compensation satisfaction is whether or not they feel that they are paid fairly compared to coworkers and others in the industry. Based on our research, we can conclude that **someone who makes less than $10/hour can have a similar perception of fairness as someone who makes $25/hour****or more**. Feeling like you are paid fairly compared to your coworkers is relative, which strengthens the argument for [**pay transparency**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/benefits-of-pay-transparency/) within organizations. It’s worth noting that those who are satisfied with their compensation are more likely to feel that they are paid fairly to their coworkers and others in their industry. However, over half of workers **(55%)** either said they weren’t paid fairly or didn’t know how much they made compared to their coworkers Breaking this info down across industries gives us an idea of which industries have better pay transparency practices. Pay transparency can involve things like [including compensation on job postings](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/), sharing with employees how you calculate compensation throughout the organization, and being open about how much all your employees are making. Pay transparency within every industry is a major stepping stone to achieving more **pay equity.**[Pay equity](https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/spring2020/pages/importance-of-pay-equity.aspx) means compensating employees the same for similar work, regardless of race, gender, disability, LGTBQ or other protected statuses. This is especially important in hourly roles that have been historically undervalued and underpaid because of the race and gender of the people working them. ### Key takeaways When it comes to hourly workers, compensation satisfaction varies. However, whether those workers are satisfied or not, most are still seeking an opportunity to increase their pay. Many of those seeking to increase their pay are willing to leave their current field to do so. This research points to a few different actions that you, as a business owner, can take to improve employee satisfaction and retention. This includes finding out how your compensation compares to others in the same industry, offering competitive employee benefits to supplement compensation, and implementing more pay transparency in your workplace. Hourly workers often take on some of the most important (and stressful) jobs in the labor market. They’re a vital part of a business and the economy. As a business owner, learning more about their expectations will ultimately help you hire and retain employees and become a better place to work. --- ## Fitness Clubs: How to Maximize the Number of Applicants **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/fitness-clubs-how-to-maximize-the-number-of-applicants/ * Posted on March 1, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### **How to Get More Fitness Job Applicants** While fitness professionals know the importance of preparing well for a workout and developing a thorough conditioning plan, a health club’s HR professionals understand the same principles when trying to locate the right employees. Without the right exercises in place, the hiring process can be unnecessarily exhausting. Even more fatigue is associated with the recruiting process when there aren’t enough applicants for hiring managers to consider. So, what can fitness clubs do to address their issues with applicant flow? ### **Make Applications Mobile Friendly** A lot of positions at fitness clubs are filled with employees between the ages of 18 and 30 and it’s no secret that this generation knows how to take advantage of their mobile phones. According to Indeed, 45% of job search traffic comes from mobile devices and tablets ([Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/hire/indeed-apply)). It’s easy to see then that making applications mobile-friendly is a must for fitness clubs. Indeed conducted a survey on Mobile Job Search in 2014 and discovered that “62% of job seekers around the world find jobs on a mobile device, yet only a fraction of companies have a mobile-friendly apply process ([Indeed Survey](https://www.nasrecruitment.com/uploads/files/2014-us-mobile-job-search-report-109.pdf)).” Indeed’s survey also found that companies that do accept mobile applications are twice as likely to receive quality applicants as those that only offer desktop options ([Indeed Survey](https://www.nasrecruitment.com/uploads/files/2014-us-mobile-job-search-report-109.pdf)). If your fitness club wants to hire the finest talent, you need to be able to let quality candidates apply when they are most receptive to the open positions. ### **Make Your Job Opportunities Easy to Find** To make your fitness club’s positions easy to find, start with creating job titles that will be easy for candidates to discover online. Creating simple job titles such as “Personal Trainer” and job titles that broaden keyword searches such as “Certified Fitness Trainer,” will make your job opportunities easier to locate. A good rule of thumb is to create job titles that you think a candidate for a fitness club would be explicitly searching for. Once you have created an acceptable job title and job description, a great place to start posting your job openings would be on job boards. It’s crucial that your job opportunities saturate the job boards, especially Indeed, which has 180 million unique visitors every month ([Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/intl/en/ourcompany.html)). CareerPlug’s ATS can streamline your recruiting processes by automatically posting your job posts to nine job boards, including Indeed.Job postings should also be accessible through your fitness club’s company websit e. If your fitness club has a social media presence, share any job opportunities on those social media accounts to help spread the word about open positions. ### **Make the Application Process Simple** Many applicants will not be willing to spend an exorbitant amount of time filling out a job application. If applicants need to create a login to begin your fitness club’s application process, it could break their momentum and discourage them from moving forward. The application process needs to be seamless. Indeed, the #1 job site worldwide, offers the option to make the application process smoother for candidates by offering “Indeed Apply.” When you add Indeed Apply to jobs you’ve posted on their job site, candidates can apply directly from their iPhone, iPad, Android or Windows mobile device ([Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/hire/indeed-apply)). The actual application should be a reasonable length and include pre-screen questions to help you identify who meets at least the minimum requirements for the open position. The most reasonable number of pre-screen questions to include in a an application is about 5-10 questions, while 20 or more pre-screen questions translates to a significant reduction in applicants – about 44% fewer applicants([Pre-Screen Questions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/sort-prioritize-hire-importance-pre-screen-questions/)). CareerPlug’s ATS offers customizable pre-screen question options for employers to include in their job postings. It’s important that no barriers are created for a qualified applicant to be able to able to apply to your health club’s job opportunities, and simplifying the application process is definitely a step in the right direction. ### **How CareerPlug Can Help Drive More Qualified Candidates** Empowering approximately 4,000 fitness & health clubs to hire better, CareerPlug is the industry leader in fitness club recruiting softare. CareerPlug is here to help your fitness club put the right exercises in place to increase applicant flow. Our ATS can streamline your recruiting and hiring processes by automatically posting your job posts to nine job boards, including Indeed. Also, all job posts made through our ATS are mobile-friendly and once you begin to receive applicants, they will be easy to sort through with the pre-screen and filter options we offer. Sources: [1] Forman, Chris. Ere Media. _The Impact of Mobile Recruiting on Click-To Apply Rates._ May 7, 2015. [2] Forman, Chris. Recruiter. _Transform Your Recruiting Strategy By Taking a Look at the Numbers._ November 19, 2015. **[3] Indeed. _Add Indeed Apply to your jobs._** --- ## 6 Shift Scheduling Tips for Small Business Owners **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/employee-shift-scheduling-tips-for-small-businesses/ * Posted on September 22, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Scheduling shifts can be tricky, especially if you’re working with a small team. Creating the perfect schedule that will keep everyone happy without negatively impacting the business is not an easy task. Employees appreciate consistent schedules that leave room for flexibility. This allows employees to plan their lives around their work. Scheduling shifts can be a fine balancing act of giving employees what they need while making sure you always have adequate staffing. When done correctly, scheduling can help you retain employees and grow your business. Let’s take a look at six things every business owner needs to keep in mind when creating their employee schedules. ### 1. Know your team’s needs. People have different obligations and responsibilities. Your employees will also be most productive at different times in the day. If you want to get the best results from your staff, it pays to get to know their unique needs and be flexible in accommodating them. For example, parents may need to be able to drop off and pick up kids at school, and students might prefer evening shifts. Before setting up your employee schedule, talk to the members of your staff. Learn when they have responsibilities and when they’d ideally like to work. As you interview people, you’ll find there will be points where staff schedules clash. It’s unavoidable. You’ll need to balance those competing priorities as best you can. Though it’s not always easy, your willingness to acknowledge your staff’s needs and accommodate accordingly can have long-term benefits for your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). It’s easier to [retain employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) that feel valued. Your staff will also be more likely to go the extra mile for you if you’ve made working around their needs a priority. ### 2. Create a communication system that works. You probably don’t need us to tell you that effective communication is vital for a smoothly running business. It impacts every element of the business, including shift management. Setting up a communication system for employee scheduling can be fairly straightforward. You’ll need to: * Appoint a person who will be in charge of managing shifts. Your staff needs to know who this is and how to contact them. * Agree on the best communication channel for getting in touch with that person. * Decide how you will share staff schedules. * Set out some rules regarding how staff can give feedback on those schedules/ask for an adjustment. It doesn’t have to be complicated, but everyone on your team should understand the system.**Try using a communication platform that your workers are already familiar with to reduce the amount of time spent adjusting to the regular updates from your business.** For example, some restaurant owners use popular messaging apps like [WhatsApp](https://www.whatsapp.com/) to send out employee schedules at the start of each week. It’s also a good idea to set up regular check-in meetings weekly or monthly so people can raise ideas or bring up any scheduling issues. Open lines of communication help employees feel heard throughout the scheduling process and can help prevent scheduling oversights. ### 3. Avoid playing favorites when scheduling. Favoritism is a common workplace problem that can happen all too easily. You might find it easier to accommodate the requests of an employee you get along with as opposed to someone you don’t. Favoritism can create a toxic work environment and have a negative impact on teamwork. People who aren’t getting the favored treatment will complain about the situation (if not to your face, they’ll almost certainly do so behind your back, which can negatively impact your employer brand). You must try to avoid favoritism in all areas of work, including scheduling. Some simple strategies that you can implement to reduce the risk of favoritism include: * Get more than one person to devise and sign off on the work schedule. * Have a designated person available who can manage employee complaints. * Double check that you’ve acted fairly when reviewing the work schedules. If you’re transparent in assigning work and treat people equally, you’ll create a [healthy workplace](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/10-ways-promote-mentally-healthy-workplace/). Your staff might still complain about their work schedules, but at least they know that schedules were made fairly. ### 4. Make use of the best tools. Use employee management software to improve the way you manage your employee schedules. Online scheduling software helps you centralize information and allows management to access, view, and edit employee schedules. Many employee management platforms also let you track communication with employees regarding scheduling. Having all of the information you need accessible in one place can save you time and keep you organized The best online scheduling platforms will work with your other tools as well. ​​[Zoomshift,](https://www.zoomshift.com/) for example, syncs with iCal and Google Calendar so your employees can see who’s on leave and who’s reporting to work on any given day. It sends text notifications and shift reminders to employees, which reduces the possibility of confusion over shifts. It also integrates seamlessly with Intuit QuickBooks for more accurate attendance and payroll reporting. ### 5. Allow your employees to request changes to their schedules and swap shifts. When scheduling shifts, anticipate last-minute changes and try to be flexible. According to a study conducted by [FlexJobs](https://www.flexjobs.com//blog/post/survey-flexible-work-job-choices/), **73% of employees consider work-life balance as a reason for accepting a job offer.** This is particularly true for service industries and shift workers. Sometimes, your workers can’t work a typical schedule. They might have important responsibilities at home like additional child-raising duties or caring for a sick family member. By allowing your employees to request time off and swap their shifts as needed, you can increase work-life balance and keep your business running despite unforeseen circumstances. While you may use a paper-based system for keeping track of your schedule, it can be hard to monitor shift changes and ensure compliance with local labor laws Implementing an online, cloud-based system or scheduler will allow your employees to swap shifts easily. It will also allow you to put certain rules in place to reduce discrepancies in overtime and the total number of working hours, as well as comply with applicable regulations. You can keep your employees happy by allowing them to request off time and [swap shifts](https://www.zoomshift.com/shift-swap) without you by using a shift scheduling tool. When someone requests a swap or time off, make it easy to approve or deny through the system. This increases flexibility and trust with your employees and makes last-minute schedule changes much easier. ### 6. Manage holidays and sick days. A critical part of effective shift scheduling involves managing holidays and absenteeism. People taking time off due to illness can complicate day-to-day operations, especially for small businesses. It’s one of those things that you can’t predict, but you can put systems in place to mitigate the problem. **The best way to deal with sick days and absenteeism is to keep an updated shortlist of people willing to work extra hours at short notice.**You can ask people at your regular meet-ups if anyone is interested or send a weekly, biweekly, or monthly email so people can express interest in extra work. You might even offer an incentive for people who can do additional work at the last minute when a colleague is ill, like bonus pay, a free meal, or a gift card Managing holiday leave is, thankfully, a lot easier. Make sure people provide you with plenty of advance notice of their intention to take a holiday. Most businesses typically ask for two weeks or a month’s notice. With planning, you can use that short list of people willing to work extra hours at short notice to fill in those expected holiday gaps. Consider rewarding those employees that pick up the extra slack around the holidays. ### Bottom Line Shift scheduling is an ongoing and sometimes challenging reality of operating a business. It’s important to create employee schedules that are consistent and give employees predictable yet flexible work schedules. Get to know your team and be willing to accommodate their ever-changing needs. Create open lines of communication and ask employees for regular feedback about their work schedules. Be sure to avoid favoritism and try to honor employees’ requests objectively. Take advantage of online scheduling tools to keep all of your scheduling information in one place and make it easier for employees to take part in the scheduling process. Anticipate unexpected schedule changes and prepare for holidays as best you can. Keeping these tips in mind can make scheduling shift workers a little less stressful. Mastering shift scheduling will allow you to recruit better candidates, and more importantly, keep them. * * * ### About the Author _Owen Jones is the Senior Content Marketer at [ZoomShift](https://www.zoomshift.com/), an online schedule maker app. He is an experienced SaaS marketer specializing in content marketing, CRO, and FB advertising. He likes to share his knowledge with others to help them increase results._ --- ## 5 Easy Ways to Get Started with Recruitment Marketing **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/recruitment-marketing-strategies/ * Posted on May 5, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris A person’s resume only tells you so much – it doesn’t paint the full picture of who the person _really_ is, of their achievements, their strengths, and their weaknesses. In the same way, there’s no _one_ aspect of your business that gives prospective employees a good idea of who you are, what you stand for, and what you have to offer. That’s where recruitment marketing comes in. **Recruitment marketing can be defined as the****use of marketing strategies to communicate the value of working for an employer in order to attract and retain high-quality employees.**After all, businesses devote a lot of resources to marketing their products and services –why not apply similar methods to marketing their employer brands? Recruitment marketing can help you weave all the pieces that make your company unique into a comprehensive strategy that gets your business seen by the right talent, in the right places, at the right time. In this article, we’ll explore five simple ways to start using recruitment marketing tactics to ensure you’re proactively reaching and attracting the right talent. ### 1. Audit your employer brand. When a candidate begins their job search, they typically start out on search engines and job boards to find opportunities that align with their interests and career goals. But, as they get closer to applying, many will turn to search engines to look for more information about your organization in general to answer questions like: * What does your company culture look like? * What are current and previous employees saying about you? * What causes does your organization supports? This is where your [employer branding](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) plays a giant role in your recruitment marketing. You want to put your best foot forward online and make a great impression on the best candidates so they’ll want to work with you and for you. Do a search for your organization and audit what prospective candidates might see. What sites show up? What do your reviews say? Pay close attention to any review sites you weren’t aware of or any areas you need to improve to make a great impression with candidates. You may even consider keeping a tracking spreadsheet of relevant links about your business that you can monitor regularly to ensure your employer branding is up to par all the time. ### 2. Tell your brand story on social media. Social media is another big place that prospective candidates might look for you – or find you organically – and can be the perfect place to build a connection with new candidates through your brand story. Social media gives you an easy way to share what’s at the heart of your organization with a wide audience that includes your customers, your existing employees, and potential employees. Make sure you’re sharing causes you care about, highlighting your company culture, and spotlighting your current employees to give an outside audience a peek behind the curtain so they get the best sense of what makes your organization unique. ### 3. Spotlight your company’s core values. When nearly [90% of millennials](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/27/nearly-9-out-of-10-millennials-would-consider-a-pay-cut-to-get-this.html) say they’d take a pay cut to work with a company whose mission and values align with their own, it’s crucial that your organization not only has clear [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) but also shares them regularly. And it’s important for your recruitment marketing that you spotlight the way your organization lives up to those core values – whether it’s by highlighting employer-sponsored days off, organizations your company supports, or ways your business gives back. You can (and should) include this information on the career page of your website, on your social media pages, and in your job listings. Job seekers want to see this information readily available so they can determine whether or not their values align with yours. ### 4. Don’t dismiss career page SEO. You know that you need a [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) on your company website – but are you paying attention to the way you’re optimizing that page for search engines? Most job seekers start their job search on Google (in fact, [83% of millennials](https://www.icims.com/resources/insights/) begin their employment search in this way) so if your careers page isn’t optimized to show up for local job searches in your field, you’re missing out on top candidates. Search engine optimization, or SEO, is your best bet for ranking on search engines when top talent is looking for you – or for organizations like yours. Make sure to optimize your careers page not only for your industry and the types of open positions you have but also for [local SEO](https://localiq.com/local-marketing-lab/seo/). You can do this by including information about your area, where your employees work (even if it’s remote!), and what’s close by. This can help you rank on Google for searches related to your industry and organization. ### 5. Focus on employee referrals. Your current employees are your best advocates for your business. You already know them and love them – so encouraging them to send you new candidates they feel would be a fit is a win-win and a simple [recruitment marketing strategy](https://localiq.com//blog/recruitment-marketing-strategies/). Consider creating an [employee referral program](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/) to streamline (and incentivize!) the process. Current employees will become your own recruitment marketers – spreading the word about your organization, what’s great about it, and what open positions are available for their connections. Employee referrals tend to be an underutilized source for high-quality candidates. A 2021 CareerPlug study found that, on average, an applicant who applied from a referral was [13 times more likely to be hired](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) than an applicant who applied from a job board. This [word-of-mouth marketing](https://www.wordstream.com//blog/ws/2014/06/26/word-of-mouth-marketing) builds strong social proof for your company and helps you get top candidates while rewarding your current employees. ### Refresh your recruitment marketing Recruitment marketing helps your organization get in front of prospective candidates without active outreach and can help you create a funnel of top talent from multiple sources – both online and off. Use these tips to refresh your recruitment marketing this year and breathe new life into the areas that matter most to potential employees. * * * ### About the author _Stephanie Heitman is the senior managing editor of the [LOCALiQ blog](https://localiq.com//blog/) where you can find her writing about all things digital marketing. When she’s not researching the latest and greatest marketing news and updates, she’s probably watching reality TV with her husband or playing with her two pups. Say hi to her on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieheitman) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/stephheitman)._ --- ## Home Care Hiring: How to Reduce Caregiver Turnover **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-reduce-caregiver-turnover/ * Posted on January 8, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris There’s no single answer to solving the [caregiver turnover](https://www.homecarepulse.com/articles/what-causes-caregiver-turnover/) crisis; however, there are things you can do to tip the scales a little more in your favor. We’ve worked with thousands of agencies across the country whose turnover rates have ranged from single digits to 200% or more. What we’ve noticed is that there are common threads for both. Here’s what you should be focusing on to reduce caregiver turnover and keep your agency staffed. ### Benefits Benefits are sometimes overlooked, but they’re one of the most important external motivating factors behind why a caregiver might choose to stay, leave, or [join your agency](https://www.homecarepulse.com/articles/4-types-of-questions-to-ask-in-a-caregiver-interview/). While we conducted surveys for the [2020 Homecare Benchmarking Study](https://benchmarking.homecarepulse.com/), caregivers shared some of their [top complaints](https://www.homecarepulse.com/articles/the-top-ten-complaints-from-caregivers/) with us. As expected, **benefits ranked among the top ten concerns**, with many caregivers sharing that their current agencies weren’t living up to their expectations in terms of how they’re handling benefits. There are a few things you can do if you’re looking to improve this area of your [retention strategy](https://www.homecarepulse.com/articles/how-to-successfully-recruit-and-retain-caregivers/). First, you’ll want to start by evaluating your agency as a whole and narrowing down on what’s most important to your caregivers and what you can afford to provide. Although this list is not exhaustive or necessarily the best option for every agency, we’ve compiled some of the types of benefits that some home care agencies have been offering their caregivers. While most of these benefits are substantial and expensive, there are other options for additional benefits and incentives that are affordable and engaging. These might include: * Caregiver mentor program * Team building activities * Awards and recognition * Paid birthday off * Local discounts at restaurants, gyms, or other businesses You can read more about which benefits you should be offering caregivers [here](https://www.homecarepulse.com/articles/what-benefits-should-you-be-offering-your-home-care-agencys-employees/). ### Communication Clear and frequent communication arguably plays the most important role in caregiver turnover – mostly because of the abundance of other issues that can be tied to it. Not only that, but **communication was the top complaint from the thousands of caregivers we surveyed this year.** Working in home care means you’re constantly dealing with frequent change. When a caregiver isn’t the first point of contact for the clients, it’s critical for your agency and [office staff](https://www.homecarepulse.com/articles/how-to-decide-how-many-home-care-office-staff-to-hire/) to relay any information or changes as quickly as possible. **Specifically, updates on when a schedule or shift changes or any adaptations to client needs are top concerns for caregivers.** Another major grievance caregivers voiced is that they sometimes can’t reach office staff when they have an issue – especially after hours. This creates problems when the matters are time-sensitive. While most agencies already have processes in place to make sure caregivers can reach someone after hours, the volume of caregiver complaints about communication suggest that agencies should audit their communication processes to make sure they’re truly responsive to caregivers and clients. > Communication was the top complaint from the thousands of caregivers surveyed by Home Care Pulse. ### Training and preparation Proper [training](https://www.homecarepulse.com/articles/5-minute-guide-better-caregiver-training/) and preparation is one of the first steps any home care agency should be taking when a new caregiver joins the team. [Training sets the foundation](https://www.homecarepulse.com/articles/what-do-caregivers-need-to-know-ideas-for-training-to-provide-to-your-caregivers/) for what to expect and usually shapes how confident a caregiver is in their role. After evaluating all the complaints, we’ve found a common thread as to why caregivers complain about their training and it boils down to three reasons: 1. They were asked to perform tasks that went above and beyond their skill level based on previous training. 2. The agency offered no room for advancement, further training, or upward mobility. 3. There was no training offered whatsoever. In order to reduce caregiver turnover,**training caregivers needs to remain front and center**. Focus on building a career ladder. This could be through a caregiver mentor program, specialty learning paths, online caregiver training, or even workshops or other agency sponsored events. One thing we’d suggest for agencies that already offer extensive, quality training is to make it a centerpiece of your [recruitment marketing efforts](https://www.homecarepulse.com/articles/15-home-care-marketing-ideas/). **Not only will promoting your agency’s training help you retain caregivers, but it could also help you gain new ones that are seeking further professional growth.** Our research shows the number of ongoing training hours based on percentile ranking: To exceed industry expectations, you’ll need to incorporate more training hours into the routines of your caregivers. Consider any other areas where caregivers feel they may be lacking knowledge. We’ve found that not only are caregivers sometimes lacking training, but they also feel as though they’re being asked to assist clients with without being fully aware of all the information they need to do their job well. In other words: sometimes they don’t know what they don’t know. It’s important to note that **lack of preparation on behalf of the caregivers was also a top concern for clients as well.** The best thing you can do here is make sure you have detailed, up-to-date care plans, and also have supervisors introduce caregivers to their new clients. By committing to comprehensive ongoing training, your agency can retain more caregivers and increase the quality of care they provide. ### Compensation Caregivers across the U.S. agreed that one of the many pain points they face is low [compensation](https://www.homecarepulse.com/articles/how-much-should-you-be-paying-your-caregivers/). The caregivers we surveyed generally wanted more pay, both as a means of recognition and to better provide for themselves and their families. With companies like Amazon and Target boosting their minimum wage to $15 an hour, home care agencies have found that they’re losing caregivers more frequently to other industries. **If you want to reduce caregiver turnover, adjusting your pay to be more competitive in compensation should be a top priority.** While low salary is common throughout the home care industry, compensation concerns come in other forms as well. For example, **caregivers generally want to be compensated for travel time**; while agencies in many states are required to do so by law and many others have started doing it of their own accord, we still hear frequents complaints from caregivers who aren’t being reimbursed for travel. Most caregivers are okay with taking on new clients that require travel time if they’re appropriately reimbursed for the miles; however, we’ve found that some caregivers are making little to no money because they’re spending their wages on non-reimbursed travel to and from their destination. Having a commute is normal, but when you’re constantly driving from place to place – sometimes on the opposite side of the city or even in another one – it adds up quickly. > If you want to reduce caregiver turnover, adjusting your pay to be more competitive in compensation should be a top priority. ### Next steps Remember, there’s no silver bullet to caregiver retention, but there are actionable steps you can take to turn the tide: * Take some time to deeply understand the needs of your caregivers. * Sit down with a few of them, conduct exit interviews where possible, and survey your entire team if possible to get their thoughts. * Plan one retention initiative per quarter, prioritizing based on the priorities of your care team. ### More resources for Home Care hiring [CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) is a trusted partner for home care agencies across the U.S. Check out these resources we’ve created to help you hire the right caregivers for your business: * [Home Care: A Guide to Recruiting Caregivers During COVID-19](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/home-care-boomerang-hiring-webinar/) * [Boomerang Hiring: How to Manage Staffing During Economic Upheaval (Webinar with Home Care Pulse)](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/home-care-boomerang-hiring-webinar/) * [Need Higher Quality Candidates? Try These 6 Recruitment Strategies](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/attract-high-quality-candidates/) * * * ### About the author _Megan Kujawa is a Content Marketing Specialist at Home Care Pulse with experience in digital and traditional marketing methods. Before working at Home Care Pulse, she assisted nonprofits and startups to secure funding and develop operations. Megan is passionate about helping small businesses grow from the ground up, while utilizing all digital and social channels._ --- ## 3 Ways Knowledge Management Can Improve Your Employee Onboarding Process **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/knowledge-management-and-onboarding/ * Posted on December 16, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Effective [employee onboarding](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED536856.pdf) is critical to the success of your new hire and your organization as a whole. A[2015 study from Glassdoor](https://b2b-assets.glassdoor.com/the-true-cost-of-a-bad-hire.pdf?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=2.helpjuice.comadmin/questions/new-employee-onboarding/version/1) confirms this idea — the company’s research found that “**organizations with a strong onboarding process improve**[**new hire retention**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/)**by 82% and productivity by over 70%**.” The process of[onboarding new employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/master-new-hire-onboarding-30-60-90-day-plan/) is all about exposing the new hire to the information and organizational knowledge they’ll need to do their job well. This knowledge is a lot to take in for anyone — let alone those just getting their feet wet. Of course, your new hires _must_ take in this new knowledge with efficiency in order to quickly get up and running within your organization. To ensure this happens, your team needs to have complete control over your collective organizational knowledge — and must be able to deliver it to your new employees with ease. This is where knowledge management comes in. ### What is knowledge management? According to Helpjuice,[knowledge management](https://helpjuice.com//blog/what-is-knowledge-management) (KM) is: * _\_The systematic management of an organization’s knowledge assets for the purpose of creating value and meeting tactical & strategic requirements; it consists of the initiatives, processes, strategies, and systems that sustain and enhance the storage, assessment, sharing, refinement, and creation of knowledge.\__ In other words,**knowledge management enables your team members to use what they know (as a collective) to improve their processes and overall performance.** What does this mean for your onboarding process? Read on to learn the top three ways in which**knowledge management can supercharge your ability to onboard new employees.** ### 1. Knowledge management creates employee alignment. One of the key goals of the employee onboarding process is to[create alignment between your new hire and your organization](https://slack.com/state-of-work). For one thing, your new employee needs to understand with clarity what their role is, and what they’re responsible for, within your company. It’s also crucial for your new hires to understand [your organization’s overall mission and vision](https://soapboxhq.com//blog/communication/communicate-organization-vision) and their part in making both a reality. A proper approach to knowledge management will ensure that this information is: 1) **well-documented** and 2) **easily****accessible whenever needed by your new employees.** Make sure you provide new employees access to documentation such as: * Mission and vision statements * Core values[](https://helpjuice.com//blog/standard-operating-procedure) * Your [standard operating procedures](https://helpjuice.com//blog/standard-operating-procedure) * [Employee handbooks](https://helpjuice.com//blog/employee-handbook) * Org chart and/or employee directory * Policy agreements (e.g., company equipment and internet usage policies) * [Learning and training resources](https://snacknation.com//blog/corporate-training-program/) Good knowledge management should also include efficient and effective delivery of knowledge. This means creating knowledge content that’s **engaging, comprehensive, and easily digestible.** When it comes to [onboarding new hires](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-forms/), consider creating**interactive walkthroughs, [how-to videos](https://biteable.com//blog/onboarding-process/)**, and **in-depth instructional content** that will allow you to share experiential knowledge. By making your knowledge content ever-more accessible and engaging, you allow your new hires to become aligned with your organization from the get-go. For more tips on new hire onboarding, check out the video below featuring CareerPlug’s Director of HR, Natalie Morgan. ### 2. Knowledge management enables team communication. Of course, your new hires shouldn’t be going through the onboarding process completely on their own. They should always be able to reach out to their new colleagues when learning the ropes. **Whether through structured initiatives (e.g., mentorships) or “on the fly” engagements, communication is essential to the success of your new hires.** A strategic approach to knowledge management should also equip your mentors to effectively find and deliver information to new hires. By having a central source of shared company knowledge,**anyone on your team should immediately be able to pull up the answers to any questions a new hire will throw at them**. Knowledge management creates two major benefits for your team: 1. **New hires are onboarded faster and more consistently.** 2. **Your existing employees always know where they can find answers to questions they may have forgotten the answers to (as we all do from time to time!).** > Whether through structured initiatives (e.g., mentorships) or “on the fly” engagements, communication is essential to the success of your new hires. ### 3. Knowledge management empowers new hires. More than just getting your new employees “up to speed,” your onboarding process should enable and empower new hires to take control of their own efforts and professional development. When they have a comprehensive collection of organizational knowledge at their disposal, your new hires can dig into any topic they like. **Whether they’re ironing out their understanding of processes or supercharging their expertise in a given domain, they can do so as they need, on their terms.** Knowledge management gives your new hires a sense of autonomy that’s empowering in two key ways: 1. **They’ll be empowered to learn as much as they can in order to operate to their highest potential.** 2. **In taking control of their professional development, they’ll open up avenues for career advancement within your organization.** As your new hires complete the onboarding process, they’ll become more familiar with your organization. In time, _they’ll_ become more equipped to add to and improve your knowledge content themselves. In short: Knowledge management empowers new employees to take a more active role in the organization from their very first day on the job. ### Take action You can’t have the right knowledge without the right people. CareerPlug’s hiring software helps you attract, develop, and retain the right people for your team. [Get a free personalized demo today](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/)! * * * **About the Author** _[Emil Hajric](https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilhajric) is the Founder and CEO of [Helpjuice](https://helpjuice.com/) – a powerful knowledge base software company. Emil is an organizational learning expert & author of “Knowledge Management: A Theoretical and Practical Guide for Knowledge Management in Your Organization._“ --- ## Webinar: Why Interview Ghosting is So Common and How to Prevent It **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/interview-ghosting/ * Posted on November 9, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris You need your open role filled fast, so it’s hard _not_ to get excited when a qualified candidate sends in an application. You get your interview scheduled, prepare your questions, and the day of the big meeting… crickets. Your candidate is a no-show and ceases communication with you. This problem is so common that many employers have given it a name, using the term**interview ghosting** (or candidate ghosting) to describe the mysterious disappearance of a candidate during [the hiring process.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) Why are so many candidates seemingly vanishing into thin air pre-interview? CareerPlug is on a mission to make hiring easier, so we hosted a webinar to get to the bottom of this scary phenomenon. In this discussion, we provide insight into why interview ghosting is happening and what employers can do to prevent it. #### Table of Contents 1. [Interview Ghosting: Full Webinar Video](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-ghosting/#webinar-video) 2. [The current state of the labor market in 2022](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-ghosting/#labor-market) 3. [Why do candidates ghost after interviews?](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-ghosting/#interview-ghost) 4. [Tips for reducing interview ghosting](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-ghosting/#tips) 5. [Secret weapons for preventing interview ghosting: automation and text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-ghosting/#text-recruiting) ### Interview Ghosting: Full Webinar Video Hosted by Natalie Morgan, CareerPlug Senior Director of People Panelist include: * Jenny Leman, CareerPlug President * Jenna Ficken, HR Manager Berk Enterprises * Andrew Robinson III, CareerPlug VP of Product & Engineering ### The current state of the labor market in 2022 To better understand interview ghosting, it can be helpful to take a closer look at the current state of the labor market (as of 2022). This can provide context for hiring challenges that employers are facing. As the graph above shows, the**total number of employed people is higher than it was pre-COVID by at least a few hundred thousand jobs.**The unemployment rate has returned to an all time low, back at 3.5% which is where it was before the COVID spike. The last time it was that low was over 50 years ago! **Job openings have decreased but are still well above normal.**There are still 33% more openings than there were in 2019, even though we are back to the same levels of employment. ### Small businesses are facing new competition for talent There’s no doubt that employers have been feeling the pressure of the changes in the labor market. Webinar panelists Jenny Leman and Jenna Ficken agreed that **some of the biggest challenges employers are facing are higher competition for quality talent and changing expectations from job seekers.** One huge change has been the demand across the board for higher wages. Leman points out, “High inflation rates have impacted candidate and employee expectations. Wage expectations have affected all of us.” Ficken explains the impact this had on her business, “For our entry-level positions, or anything that’s labor intensive, there’s a huge competitive demand for wage rates. So, everyone has to keep up with all industries in the market, where before all companies were competitive with the same industry. **Now there’s been a shift where we’re not just competing with other companies in the same industry, we’re competing with all industries.**” Leman shares a similar sentiment that she recently heard from a partner, “Within employment and labor market competition, we’re now not only competing with the entities within our industry but**we’re competing with Uber and Lyft for drivers, Amazon for drivers, Walmart, Target, Home Depot.**All of the online retailers are taking a sizable chunk of our once reliable labor force.” Along with higher wages, employees are also looking for remote work. [One survey reported](https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/nearly-half-of-workers-are-definitely-looking-to-work-remotely.aspx) that **48% of workers in the U.S. said they will “definitely” seek a remote position for their next job.** “I’m still getting candidates saying ‘is this a Zoom interview?’ but we are back in the office. So that has caused a little bit of a strain. We’ve had to evaluate whether we can offer any sort of hybrid options for office and key positions,” Ficken shares. ### Why do candidates ghost after interviews? As mentioned, the competition for top talent is tougher than it has been in the past. Leman explains how this ties into interview ghosting: “Candidates have higher expectations from an employer than ever before. Their bar for things like compensation, culture, and benefits is higher than it ever has been. And candidates typically have a ton of choices and they have multiple factors at play. People have the option to switch employers if a better offer comes around.” Ficken also pointed toward **communication gaps** as a potential cause for interview ghosting. She says, “If there is too much time in between, a candidate may have had other interviews. They might get another opportunity that they’re ready to jump at.” Webinar host and CareerPlug Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan, reminds us that candidates aren’t the only ones that are ghosting, and that it could be because of a precedent set by employers that so many people are skipping out on communication. Morgan says, “There’s precedent for employers to ghost candidates in a hiring process, which has really been the standard for years, if you think about people applying and never hearing back or going to interviews and not hearing back. I think it’s a two-way street. Be the employer that follows up with every candidate, whether you’re hiring them or not.” ### Tips for reducing interview ghosting One of the biggest takeaways during the webinar came from Leman: “You have to remember that **candidates are engaging with multiple prospective employers** – several to many. If a candidate is truly seeking to secure new employment, the concept of the **early bird with the right offering gets the worm.”** **With competition so high, employers need to focus on not only speed, but having the right offer for job seekers**. With this in mind, let’s dig into some actionable steps you can take to prevent interview ghosting. ### Stand out from the competition First impressions matter – especially when candidates are fielding several open positions at once. It’s important to focus on building a great [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) and sharing what makes your company stand out with applicants early on. From Morgan: “Stand out; make sure you’re leading with your best foot forward. Help people learn what it’s like to work with you. Look at how you can lead with that as early as possible to help people stay engaged with you throughout.” In your initial phone screen, Leman recommends setting expectations and letting candidates know why you are the best place to work: “I call it the **EVP, the Employee Value Prop.**Get that down to four to five sentences and be really clear about why you are the best employer for them in that moment. Sell the opportunity, sell your company culture.” ### Focus on communication throughout In our [Candidate Experience Report,](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) we asked job seekers what improvements they’d like to see employers make in the hiring process. Check out their answers in the graph below. The top three answers focus on transparency and communication, so prioritizing these things in your hiring process can help you provide a [great candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/). This means that less people will ghost you _and_ more candidates will say yes to your job offers. Leman says that good communication and trust building starts well before the first interview, “**Be clear and accurate in the job description.**It shows respect out of the gate for candidates. If you’re willing to put [compensation on the job description](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/), it shows that you respect their time since it can help them determine if they’re a match from the get-go.” The trust building should continue throughout the rest of the hiring process. Ficken describes her typical steps for maintaining communication. “I reach out to an applicant and try to set up a time for that week. I call the candidate. I follow up with an email, and in a lot of cases I follow up with a text. As soon as I speak to that person in some form, I follow up with a calendar invite and make sure the candidate has all the details they need. I ask them to confirm that they receive it, and I send a friendly reminder to them 24 hours beforehand. I basically give them two reminders.” This process can help you prevent and anticipate interview ghosting. “I noticed that **if I send someone a 24 hour notice and they respond to me, I’m pretty confident they are going to come the next day.** If they don’t respond, it’s a pretty good indicator that they won’t show up the next day for the interview,” Ficken says. Morgan and Leman both emphasized the importance of setting expectations early on about what the hiring process looks like. Morgan says, “**Set timeline expectations and let people know as much about the interview process as possible**, like the format and who they’ll be meeting with.” Leman gives an example of how to set clear expectations with job seekers: “Hey, this is the phone screen. I’m going to try and get you in for an in-person interview this week. Once we pass that point it will be no more than 24 or 48 hours before we are able to make an offer.” She explains that if you don’t set timeline expectations, candidates might assume you’ll take two weeks or longer to get back to them, making them more likely to move forward with other offers. ### Use an ATS to accelerate your hiring process An [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/ats-benefits/) organizes your hiring process by putting all of your applications in one place and making it easy to track candidates from one stage of the process to the next. The most successful employers and hiring managers are those that use an ATS like CareerPlug to keep candidates moving forward and prevent them from slipping through the cracks. Ficken says that using an ATS makes it easier to reach out to candidates as soon as they come in, “I’m always utilizing CareerPlug and I check it daily.” CareerPlug’s VP of Product and Engineering, Andrew Robinson III,describes how an ATS can help you prevent interview ghosting by sharing **CareerPlug’s Applicant to Interview Model:** 1. **Speed** 2. **Message** 3. **Medium** 4. **Convenience** 5. **Frequency** Robinson acknowledges that speed has been brought up several times as a way to reduce interview ghosting and recommends responding, “in minutes, not days.” He shares that the right message is also important, since this is “a conversation _and_ a race.” Medium also matters. How are you reaching out to candidates? Robinson says, “I look at email like an SUV. It’s reliable and it will get there. But SMS (texting) is like that sports car. You want to be able to do both, because if you just do one exclusively, you’re going to miss out on great applicants.” When it comes to convenience, finding a way to avoid the cumbersome back and forth of [interview scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) makes the process easier for everyone. Lastly, frequency relates to follow up. Robinson says, “It’s incumbent upon us to figure out a way to send them notifications without being overbearing.” ### Secret weapons for preventing interview ghosting: automation and text recruiting Making the right hires when you have other things going on in your business can be challenging. CareerPlug makes it easier through hiring automations, automatic interview scheduling, and [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/). ​​The less engaged a candidate is in your hiring process, the more likely they are to ghost or become an interview no-show. Use **text recruiting**to engage candidates on their preferred method of communication. Consider this:**text messages receive a response rate 8 times higher than email.** CareerPlug’s in-app text messaging lets you reach candidates quickly and easily. You can also make interview scheduling easier for everyone with CareerPlug’s new Autopilot feature. With Autopilot, you can **allow candidates to easily self-schedule their interviews** based on your availability and follow up with automated text and email interview reminders. There’s nothing scarier to employers than wasted time and resources, so it’s no wonder that interview ghosting has become such a hot topic. You can’t always control whether or not a candidate shows up to an interview, but there are some steps you can take to stand out from the competition and keep more applicants engaged throughout your hiring process. ### Prevent Interview Ghosting with CareerPlug Our applicant tracking system makes it easy for busy employers to keep their candidates engaged so they don’t vanish into thin air. We ain’t afraid of no ghosts! [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Restaurants: Every Single Hire Can Make or Break Your Online Reputation **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/restaurants-hiring-online-reputation/ * Posted on March 28, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### **Employee Satisfaction and Customer Satisfaction** Experienced restaurant owners know that great team members are the lifeblood of their business. Consistently hiring A-players, however, can be a monthly or even weekly struggle. Many restaurateurs and franchisees did not get their start in recruiting, and without a little guidance and a few resources, it’s all too easy to get stuck in a turnover loop, making bad hire after bad hire. What’s worse: the costs of a bad hire in the food-service industry are multiplied by the negative impact these team members can have on your brand and customer perception. Dissatisfied employees can cost you time, money, and [customer loyalty](https://www.candybar.co//blog/customer-loyalty-program/). At CareerPlug, we see great team members as multipliers, who build up your restaurant’s brand and reputation daily. Each hire is an investment in the future of your business, so don’t settle for just anyone with a pulse – start making predictable great hires. ### **One Bad Hire Can Leave a Permanent Mark on Your Brand** With the growth of local consumer review outlets, like Yelp, Google, and TripAdvisor, restaurateurs and franchisees have come to know the benefits and risks of online reviews all too well. Word-of-mouth has long been the most important marketing channel for the restaurant industry, and, for better and worse, online reviews have been multiplying the reach of word-of-mouth for years. Online reviews usually shape a customer’s impression and expectation of your restaurant before they even walk in the door. Team members are responsible for customer experience in every aspect of the restaurant operations, from their smiles table-side or at the register to their attitudes when cleaning and closing the store. At many restaurants, quick-serve and full service, one toxic attitude can drag down the entire team. When the team isn’t playing at their best, customer complaints arise at all levels of the dining experience, not just employee-customer interaction. Put simply, one bad hire can take a heavy toll on a restaurant’s reputation, and in our digital age, that impact can be permanent. Many food-service team members, especially those who have built their career in the service industry, are hardworking, dedicated, and satisfied with their jobs. There is a method for hiring this level of talent repeatedly and predictably, and at CareerPlug, we call this method employee benchmarking. ### **Cloning Success with Predictable Hiring** Wouldn’t it be great if you could clone your top performers? At CareerPlug, we encourage all our restaurant owners and managers to benchmark their top team members on personality traits,such as integrity and service orientation, and technical ability, such as math and verbal aptitude. Leveraging this information to screen and qualify applicants can reveal red flags with applicants and highlight areas of candidate fit. For instance, when hiring a cashier for quick-serve, benchmarking friendly, honest, and detail-oriented team members for integrity and mathematical aptitude can help you identify candidates in your applicant pool that would be a clear fit for the role. Take the guesswork out of hiring and protect your restaurant’s reputation by developing an actionable understanding of what makes your team thrive. Then repeat the process! ### **Predictable Hiring is Just an Email Away** At CareerPlug, we believe that employee benchmarking is such a critical part of an efficient, effective, and informed hiring process that we _include unlimited use_ of employee benchmarking and candidate assessments for all clients. It’s our job to help you take the guesswork out of staffing your restaurant with A-players, and our team is available to answer any questions you may have about our Applicant Tracking System or employee benchmarking.[Send us an email!](https://www.careerplug.com/contact-us/) --- ## Franchises: Brand Standards & Employment Brand **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/franchises-brand-standards-employment-brand/ * Posted on May 25, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris When it comes to how much brand freedom a franchisee should have, franchisors have mixed emotions. While some franchisors feel that it is necessary to set stringent standards on how a franchisee displays their brand, others are okay with giving their franchisees flexibility to slightly deviate from the franchise model provided. So what is the best way to balance regulations that protect your brand, while still supporting the goals of your franchisees? ### **IFA’s stance on franchisor/franchisee relationship** Collaboration between franchisors and franchisees is necessary to ensure “franchisees are given a regular role in the strategic direction of the system,” according to the International Franchise Association. This open flow of communication, however, doesn’t mean a franchisee’s opinions override the brand manager – franchisees taking this role wouldn’t be effective within the franchise model. It does mean that franchisees should be able to provide feedback from the micro view of the franchise relationship that can be considered in the “macro managing of the system” by the franchisor ([IFA](https://www.franchise.org/managing-system-change-and-enforcing-brand-standards-0)). According to the IFA, franchisors should ultimately be responsible for the direction of the brand and any changes made to it. ### **Franchisors providing clear brand standards** Franchisors should provide clear brand standards for their franchisees in the franchise disclosure document to maintain franchisees uniformity in this respect. One important brand standard is the use of the franchise’s logo. Consistency is paramount and helps leverage brand power and awareness. The type of marketing collateral, such as taglines, that franchisees use should also be made clear by the franchisor. Marketing collateral ensures the brand is presented and received in the way the franchisor intends. A franchisee should be consistent and recognizable with the corporate brand since too much variance of these brand standards may be confusing to customers and possibly job applicants. Because a misrepresentation of the brand can be harmful to the whole franchise system, franchisees should only use corporate approved trademarks to maintain the integrity of the franchise. Best practices by the franchisor – such as conveying how beneficial any changes will be to the franchisee’s business and slowly phasing changes in – can help secure franchisees from being blindsided by any new brand standards as well as give them time to adjust. ### **Franchisees shape their own employment brand** While franchisors should set forth clear franchise brand standards, franchisees should take charge of their own employment brand. A good employment brand is what makes people want to start working for you and continue working for you. A franchisee can foster a good employment brand by engaging in good business practices, such as offering fair wages, a healthy company culture, and creating a recruiting/hiring process that improves the candidate experience. Employment brand standards can lead to an environment with higher employee productivity, morale, and retention, and ultimately a great recruiting point for new employees. Franchisees that promote a strong employment brand can be very successful, especially if they are empowered with the right tools by their franchisor. ### **How CareerPlug can help** Careerplug can help franchisees build a strong employment brand by helping them develop a structured recruiting and hiring process to consistently bring on employees who will add to the success of their franchise. To learn more about how CareerPlug can help empower your franchise, [contact us today](https://www.careerplug.com/contact-us/)! --- ## Franchises: Structuring the Recruiting Process | CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/franchises-structuring-the-recruiting-process/ * Posted on April 15, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### **Franchise Recruiting Issues** Franchises know it best, employing the right people can mean the difference between success or failure in any line of business. Even though franchisees’ intentions are to hire great employees, an unstructured recruiting process often leads to bad hires and, consequently, employee turnover. Restaurants and retail stores comprise some of the largest franchise systems and have reported employee turnover rates at approximately [66 percent](https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-target-and-tj-maxx-are-facing-a-worker-crisis-2015-10), up from about [56 percent](https://www.restaurant.org/News-Research/News/Hospitality-employee-turnover-rose-in-2014) in 2010. Constantly back-filling employees can be one of the most stressful and expensive tasks in the operation of a franchise. A bad hire can lead to a loss of valuable time and definitely unnecessary costs incurred by the franchisee. This doesn’t have to be the case. While franchise systems [should not mandate any recruiting processes](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/franchise-joint-employer-avoid-coemployment/), franchisees should strive to educate themselves on the structure of a successful recruiting process that can lead to endless benefits for their business. When a franchise recruiting process is structured, franchisees can achieve higher quality and consistency of hires. Our experience with franchises has helped us identify the most vital procedures for a franchisee’s recruiting process. ### **Create an Accurate and Compelling Job Description – Attract the Best Talent** A clear definition of requirements and day-to-day responsibilities is essential for attracting the most qualified candidates and discouraging those who are unqualified from applying. Creating a job description that exaggerates any facet of the job can be troublesome since applicants are typically searching for positions that are similar to their previous experience. Also, be sure to include any benefits or perks the franchise offers to strengthen the opportunity’s value to top talent. ### **Include Prescreen Questions – Identify Great Candidates & Save Time** The use of [prescreen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/attracting-and-identifying-top-talent/) is helpful for both candidates and franchisees. Applicants get a better understanding about the requirements of a position, while franchisees are easily able to filter out the unqualified applicants and focus their attention only on people who meet the necessary requirements. Including this step can save franchisees hours of time while moving in the right direction of a more efficient and effective recruiting process. ### **Send Assessments –See Beyond the Resume** Sending [assessments](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/attracting-and-identifying-top-talent/)to candidates who have met the initial requirements of the position gives franchisees the ability to evaluate certain soft skills – such as sales potential or integrity – as well as cognitive ability. With an ATS like CareerPlug, franchisees can even compare applicants’ assessment scores to those of the current best talent at the franchise. ### **Customize Interview Guides – Develop Consistent Processes** Creating an interview guide ensures a uniform interview experience for all candidates, and makes it easier to compare each candidate to each other. CareerPlug’s ATS provides customizable interview guides to give franchisees the ability to objectively evaluate applicants and make the best hiring decisions. ### **CareerPlug Can Help** Structured and consistent recruiting and hiring processes help franchises take the right step forward in making the best hires for their business and reducing employee turnover. CareerPlug’s easy to use Applicant Tracking platform encompasses all the necessary recruiting and hiring processes in one centralized platform to help franchises attract top talent, make informed hiring decisions, and save time and money doing it. To learn how to get started on the right path today, [send us an email](https://www.careerplug.com/contact-us/)! --- ## Developing Leaders from Within: CareerPlug’s New President and CEO **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/developing-leaders-from-within/ * Posted on February 9, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris In 2007, Clint Smith started CareerPlug with the simple idea that it should be easier for small business owners to make the right hires. Smith knew from experience –he was running his own small business out of his apartment. Over the years, he’s seen it all when it comes to hiring. “Hiring is hard. But when you get it right, it can create opportunities that you never imagined,” Smith says. “I’ve felt the highs of hiring an intern and developing him into an exceptional leader and the lows of hiring the wrong leader and watching it almost destroy our culture.” 14 years later, CareerPlug has grown to dozens of employees and more than 12,000 clients. And Smith credits the company’s success on all the times he made the _right_ hires. One of those hires was the Director of Operations he brought on board in 2017, Jenny Leman. ### Leman’s unconventional journey Leman grew up with aspirations of being a professional drummer, even attending the University of Texas on a music scholarship. A percussionist in the Longhorn marching band, she had initially intended to major in music, but she quickly developed a curiosity for science and ended up earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. Leman spent the first decade of her career as a Registered Dietitian, motivated by her desire to positively impact people’s lives through their health. But while she found the mission of her work worthwhile, she became burnt out after ten years in the industry. “Working with clients who weren’t motivated to committing to the changes I knew they needed to make in order to improve their health definitely took its toll on me,” Leman says. “I’m someone who needs to feel like I’m doing some good for the world through my work. So I knew it was time for a change.” In 2012, Leman adopted twins and found her transition into motherhood a natural crossroads for her to examine her career going forward. “I decided to just completely change course. I had read a couple of books about business management and it definitely caught my interest,” she says. Leman’s first opportunity presented itself when she met a business owner who offered her a part-time position to run her entire franchise operation of four units. “I was basically assigned the role of taking four separately operating businesses and making them function as one, like one heartbeat,” she recalls. Leman realized that in streamlining operations for a franchisee, she was able to make life better for everyone involved:for the business owner and for all of the employees at each of those locations. In this operations role, Leman had found a new way to positively impact people’s lives. She knew she was on the right path. She would then go on to lead operations for a software company, and by 2017, her unique blend of franchise and software expertise made her a perfect fit for the Director of Operations role at CareerPlug to help build a people operating software for franchises. ### The entrepreneur and the drummer Clint Smith has always had an entrepreneurial mindset. It’s what allowed him to grow CareerPlug from a dream on his laptop into an award-winning [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) that’s helped thousands of small business owners make the right hires. But as is often the case when businesses grow, he found his own role at the company beginning to change… and not for the better. Smith says, “I’ve learned that oftentimes, as a company grows, founders and entrepreneurs get pulled away from the things they excel at – big picture strategy and building relationships outside the business – and instead find themselves tending to the operational aspects of running a business.” Smith found himself spending too much time working _in_ the business and not _on_ the business. He recalls, “I had to do what the company needed, which was for me to step aside in some regards, and let someone else come in and do it better.” So he and the leadership team at CareerPlug decided it was time to try a new approach to leadership that would allow Smith to take a step back from operations. They began to implement the [Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS)](https://www.eosworldwide.com/what-is-eos), which prescribes a [two-person approach to leadership](https://www.eosworldwide.com//blog/leadership-partners-visionary-integrator): * **The Visionary:**EOS describes this role as “the person who had the original great idea, conceived the company, continues to look to expand the business, and pushes ideas forward.” * **The Integrator:**“The person who thrives on putting systems and processes in place to bring order to the chaos.” Clearly, Clint Smith was CareerPlug’s visionary, but who would be the integrator? Smith recalls, “The Integrator role already described Jenny perfectly. But when our EOS implementer made a comparison to the integrator being like a drummer – making operations run smoothly like a drumbeat – I thought, ‘Wow, if that’s not a sign that Jenny is perfect for this, I don’t know what is!’” In January 2021, Clint Smith transitioned out of the role of President and into his new role as CEO and Founder, where he could focus on the more “visionary” aspects of running the business. At the same time, Jenny Leman began taking on the “integrator” duties as CareerPlug’s new President. ### The value of developing your leaders from within When asked how he would have approached hiring a new President for his company if there were no Jenny Leman and he had been forced to make an outside hire, Smith responded: “I’m glad I’m not in that position.” He recalls, “I’ve made some outside hires for leadership roles in the past. When that happened, I was hiring based on whether or not they had subject matter expertise and the right experience on paper. But ultimately, I didn’t place enough emphasis on hiring for core values. And those hires didn’t work out.” Smith knows Leman already embodies CareerPlug’s core values and has proven it over the past four years. She’s a hands-on leader who has earned the respect and trust of her team. She’s not afraid to get into the trenches and solve client issues, giving her a level of institutional knowledge no outside hire could ever match. She’s deeply connected to the problem CareerPlug is trying to solve and her passion inspires her co-workers. And she _already_ leads the company’s operations as steady as a drumbeat. Does Leman have existing experience being the President of a software company? No. But she didn’t need it. Smith believes in the value of developing leaders from within. “One of our core values is ‘keep growing.’ I didn’t know much about hiring or software when I started CareerPlug, but I knew that I could make up for that by focusing on continuous learning and growth. We have always been attracted to hiring learners with high potential over people with more experience but a lower trajectory,” Smith says. Leman adds, “It’s never too late to reinvent your career. Usually you can translate a lot from a previous career into your future journey.” ### Growth opportunities matter for recruiting and retention In his upcoming book, _How to Hire_, Smith describes how his business attracts and retains top talent with professional development and growth opportunities. He writes: “The best candidates are going to want to see how this position will help them grow professionally. They will often turn down a job that pays more if they see a path to growth at your company. Show them what they will learn by working with you and what a potential growth path could look like for them. This is what gets the top performers really excited.” He believes so strongly in the importance of advertising professional development opportunities that he makes sure to communicate it in offer letters to new hires, right alongside compensation, benefits, and bonuses. Professional development also pays dividends in the form of [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/). When your team sees you consistently developing and promoting leaders from within, they’re reminded of your genuine commitment to their growth and are more likely to remain at your company longer. Leman is also taking this advice to heart as she steps into her new role as President. She says, “When you hire the right people, you can trust them to do their job well. This is why it’s so important to get your hiring right. Ideally, you want to be able to hire your future leaders. And I’m excited to continue to help solve this problem for small businesses everywhere.” ### Take action If you’re managing everyone in your [small business](https://www.careerplug.com/small-business-hiring-software/) yourself, think about what you could do if someone took some of that responsibility off of your plate. What could you do if you had more time to work on the business? Start looking for leaders on your team and make a plan to develop them. ### Learn how to identify the right candidates You can’t make the right hires until you know what you’re looking for. Learn how to identify your ideal candidates using our candidate profile template. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) --- ## Optimizing Your Job Description **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/optimizing-your-job-description/ * Posted on October 2, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### **Optimizing Your Job Description** In the past few years, many employers have followed the ‘more is better’ concept when it comes to job descriptions. This is partly because today’s postings are not limited by character counts in a newspaper ad; there is no real limit to what you post online. However, a job seeker typically spends[fewer than 30 seconds](https://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2013/10/14/10-dos-donts-creating-effective-job-postings/)reviewing a job posting. Consider this as you craft your next job description. ### **Focus on Quality** To make your job posting stand out and capture the attention of quality applicants, keep it concise but compelling enough to apply. Depending on the position, 400 to 800 words should be adequate. Include the [fundamental pieces of a job posting](mailto:crafting-a-job-posting-101/) but take a more minimalist approach. Create a short and punchy overview paragraph and move right to the responsibilities and requirements. Stick to minimum qualifications and highlight the most important skills. Try to balance what you are _looking_ for and what applicants are _searching_ for. Consider keywords for SEO, industry specific terms, and avoid too many clichés (strong communication skills, team player, etc). ### **Aesthetic Components** * Use bullets and headers to break up longer blocks of text. * Don’t forget about imagery and graphics: * Logos, company photos, and graphics can make a job posting stand out. * Organization and a neat format will not be overlooked! Recruitment videos can be a great resource. The average job seeker will pay more attention[– about a minute –](mailto:https://thehiringsite.careerbuilder.com/2013/10/14/10-dos-donts-creating-effective-job-postings/)to a branded job posting, and more time looking at a job posting that includes a recruitment video. Close your job posting with clearly communicated application instructions and you will be on your way to making your next hire! Want the full story? Download our free ebook here: [How to Build a Talent Magnet](https://www.careerplug.com/talent-magnet/) _Taylor Wilson is a Dedicated Account Manager at CareerPlug._ --- ## Retail: Avoid the High Price of a Bad Hire **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/retail-avoid-the-high-price-of-a-bad-hire/ * Posted on July 29, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### **Unceasing Importance of the In-Store Experience** It’s clear that the trend from in-store to online shopping has accelerated. However, this doesn’t mean that the importance of retail stores has diminished. While many customers see convenience in being able to shop online, there is still a significant portion of customers who prefer to visit brick and mortar retail locations to do their shopping. Based on a [survey by PwC](https://www.pwc.com/us/en/press-releases/2015/2015-us-total-retail-press-release.html), the physical store remains the retail touch point with the highest frequency. Retailers are often skeptical about any cost and disruption involved in changing anything to do with physical stores, but they must not ignore that the in-store experience is a key link in the [omnichannel experience](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbespr/2016/03/02/retailers-should-focus-on-in-store-technologies-to-make-experience-more-seamless-says-new-study/#733705e1575e) for customers. Retailers need to be able to provide a seamless customer experience, especially in physical retail stores. ### **Customers Still Appreciate Brick and Mortar Retail** There are several reasons why people still prefer to do their shopping at an actual retail store. For one, retail stores are accessible. People can visit a brick and mortar store and see and feel the merchandise they want to purchase, and if they decide they want to buy something, they can take it with them then and there. Customers in-store are able to avoid shipping costs and any uncertainty about receiving the product they purchased. Also, customers value the personal experience they are able to receive in a physical retail store; they appreciate face-to-face interaction and customer support they receive from sales associates in-store. A preference for an in-store shopping experience is also partly because people feel overall more comfortable speaking with another person as opposed to having to trust technology when shopping online. ### **Significance of Retail Store Employees** Retail employees uphold and represent a retail brand. If customers don’t have a good experience with the people representing the retail store, it can be damaging to the brand – not just in-store but online as well. A poor in-store customer experience can be much more influential than a bad online shopping experience because customers have expectations for their in-store experience. In addition, people are typically more likely to write a negative review than a positive one, and a negative review is usually positioned towards the brand while positive reviews are usually about specific people (sales reps/ associates). Employing people who deliver on customers’ expectations is crucial for a retailer’s overall success. With online shopping becoming more popular, as well as delivering an omnichannel experience, retailers need to be able to bring online and offline together and stay relevant. Providing a strong customer experience in-store is a great first step. ### **CareerPlug Can Help** CareerPlug can help you find the retail employees that are going to uphold the integrity of your retail store. With the use of personality and cognitive assessments, you can identify specific competencies that you believe would be most beneficial for candidates to have. Testing candidates for competencies such as service orientation and sales potential will help you gauge if they would be a good fit for the available retail position. Benchmarking star team members can also be very helpful in being able to identify candidates who have the necessary qualities to be successful in the retail setting. [Contact one of our hiring experts](https://www.careerplug.com/contact-us/)today and see how CareerPlug can help your retail store. To learn more about the approach we take to hiring, [download our free ebook](https://www.careerplug.com/talent-magnet/) How To Build a Talent Magnet, today! --- ## Start Building Your Talent Magnet **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/start-building-your-talent-magnet/ * Posted on October 22, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Earlier this month we launched our first (free) ebook on [Building a Talent Magnet](https://www.careerplug.com/talent-magnet/)!It’s all about what we’ve learned helping our clients attract talent and build successful hiring processes, and how growing businesses can start to build their own Talent Magnet. Here’s a quick preview of the material in the ebook: **Understanding Your Applicants** _Old vs New_ To construct an effective hiring process you first need to understand your applicants. The way people search and apply to jobs have changed. People no longer search job boards such as Monster or Careerbuilder. Job search engines such as Indeed dominate the web as the most used job search site. In fact, [72%](https://ow.ly/TpwDm) of job seekers use Indeed to search for jobs. _Go Mobile or Go Home_ From 2013 to 2014, the number of people who searched and applied mobily jumped to from 30% to [50%](https://ow.ly/TpwDm). Smartphones are rapidly replacing computers in functionality among people, and searching for jobs is no different. If you want to attract the best, you need to make sure your job ads are smartphone adjustable and mobile friendly. **Building Your Talent Magnet** _Attractive Branding_ If you want to bring in the best, you have to present yourself as the best– and your career’s page is no exception. When making a career’s page, you should stick to three important rules. 1. First, you need to **_Set the Tone_** by clearly conveying your company’s values, culture, and mission. By summarizing who you are on your company’s site, applicants can understand your company culture, and decide if they’re a fit. 2. When showing off your company, it’s important to **_Keep It Real._**You expect candidates to be authentic and honest, so you should do the same. 3. **Next (and maybe more importantly, **_Make it Easy_**. Your careers page should be visually balanced and operate with ease. Candidates should be able to find and apply to the right jobs in as few clicks as possible.** _Create compelling Job Posts_ The job post is your closing argument to turn a job seeker into an applicant. Your job post should be compelling and flashy enough to both inform and excite the right type of job seekers. _Broadcast your job postings!_ Your Careers Page will attract applicants who already know about your company, but you need to use the power of Job Search Engines, Social Media and Employee Referrals to supercharge your talent magnet. Search engines, social media, referrals, and sponsored listings are all platforms for broadcasting your job postings. Want the full story?[Download CareerPlug’s free ebook](https://www.careerplug.com/talent-magnet/) for advice and tips to building a successful Talent Magnet. _Justin Zuniga is CareerPlug’s Sales & Marketing intern._ --- ## The Social Advantage **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/the-social-advantage/ * Posted on October 2, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan I like you, you retweet me, we tell our network about what we’re doing this weekend. Whether your personal life is scattered over Facebook dashboards or you diligently share relevant articles with your LinkedIn network, social media is an important pillar in today’s communications. It’s no surprise that it plays an important role in recruiting as well. Looking for the talent you need will rarely be as simple as waiting for the right applicant to walk through the door, and hiring managers need to proactively broadcast open opportunities to job search engines, communicate with current employees to encourage referrals, and take advantage of the company’s social platforms. [Nearly 80% of job seekers](https://www.inc.com/peter-economy/19-interesting-hiring-statistics-you-should-know.html) use social media in their job search, a number that increases for younger job seekers who are in the first decade of their careers. Despite this, 2 in 3 employees say their employers does not use social media to promote job openings. If employers don’t catch up, they risk missing more and more qualified and interested job seekers. **What Can You Do?** **Stay Active Online** – Your social networks are part of your employment and company brand; what do your social pages say about you? Posting consistently, sharing relevant information, and engaging with your client base will help you build a positive online presence. **Share Open Positions**– People following you on social media are already interested in your company and are prime targets for potential employees. Create a process to regularly communicate job openings to your social network. Many Applicant Tracking Systems, like CareerPlug, allow you to share new jobs directly from their system. **Track Results** – Use a unique posting url for each job so you can track clicks, applicants, & hires. As you learn where your applicants are coming from, you’ll be able to create more targeted strategies and posts to attract qualified applicants through social media. **Social media may be for selfies and vacation photos, but it can also be a keeper of your employment brand. It’s time to take advantage of all the tools available to your to attract top talent and build great teams.** Want the full story? Download our free ebook here: [How to Build a Talent Magnet](https://www.careerplug.com/talent-magnet/) --- ## Toxicity in the Workplace **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/toxicity-in-the-workplace/ * Posted on December 17, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Because the hiring process doesn’t always work out perfectly, you’re bound to have worked with a not so great employee during your career. The problem is that you might not have known how bad they were when they first started. But once you figured it out, well, you know how toxic a bad employee can be. How did they even find their way onto your team in the first place? Or … how did they find their way into _managing_ your team? So, what’s really the lesser of two evils: a toxic team member or toxic manager? Is one even more toxic than the other? How does the impact of a low performing coworker differ from that of a pessimistic leader? And is there a way these sinking ships sail the office into success? **Employee** We’ve all worked with these coworkers before. They show up late, have bad attitudes, and are the first to bolt out the door. They can usually be spotted with a dark cloud looming over their head. These are the workers that complain about their workload or given tasks every chance they get. These employees don’t usually last very long on your team because their attitude is usually noticeable by supervisors. The difference between the employee and the manager is the exposure to toxicity. With a team member, you’ll probably have more day-to-day face time with them. A bad employee is damaging to your company and atmosphere, but does is it hold a flame to a horrible boss? **Manager** There’s no getting around it, having a toxic person in a leadership role is damaging. This person typically has influence – not only over your team, but sometimes the entire company. Besides affecting the atmosphere and culture of a team, a pessimistic leader can stand in the way of others growth, creativity, and even fracture communication. While an encouraging leader fosters growth, a horrible manager has a penchant for control; they would rather dictate rather than teach. Ultimately, if a person on a leadership team is toxic, it doesn’t take long for the company to suffer. Two negative people, two very different roles. Both are equally wrong for the company but is one more damaging than the other? The answer? Both are equally harmful! A company trying to grow in success should have employees who believe in the same mission, regardless if they’re a low level employee or a top leader. When hiring a potential candidate, you have to keep in mind that they are going to be as much of an influence on the company as any other current member. _Careerplug_ launched our first free [ebook](https://www.careerplug.com/talent-magnet/) on Building a Talent Magnet this year. It’s all about what helping our clients attract talent and build successful hiring processes, and how growing businesses can start to build their own Talent Magnet. Our ebook can help you filter through toxic members so that you won’t face current dilemmas. For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Justin Zungia is CareerPlug’s Sales & Marketing Intern_ --- ## 2021 Hiring Trends Report **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/2021-hiring-trends/ * Posted on December 7, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris 2020 has been a year unlike any other. Unless you’ve been living under a rock – in which case, we envy you! – you’re familiar with the effect COVID-19 has had on the American job market. Businesses have spent the past 9 months adapting their hiring and recruiting methods in response to the pandemic, so we surveyed employers across various industries to find the answers to a few key questions: * How did COVID-19 affect companies’**2020 hiring plans**? * Did companies create any **brand new roles** specifically for COVID-19? * To what degree have businesses pivoted to **remote hiring practices** since the beginning of the pandemic? * Which COVID-inspired **changes to the hiring process** do businesses plan to keep implementing in 2021? * What changes have been made to **recruiting strategies** as a result of COVID-19? * What is the overall **outlook for hiring** in 2021? ### Take an in-depth look at the responses from our survey by downloading the 2021 Hiring Trends Report. ### 2021 Hiring Trends Report CareerPlug surveyed industry experts about hiring trends that have emerged as a result of COVID-19. Learn which trends are here to stay in 2021. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT ### Key Takeaways These are the most significant findings from our analysis: ### 1. Most businesses have adopted remote hiring methods. The percentage of businesses that say all of their hiring is conducted in-person has **decreased** since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March (from 44% to 28.3%). Conversely, the percentage of businesses that have switched to fully [remote hiring methods](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/remote-hiring/) has **increased by 6 times** since March. Lastly, **71% of businesses** have integrated some degree of remote hiring methods. ### 2. COVID-19 inspired changes to the hiring process that many businesses plan on keeping. **61% of businesses** made changes to their hiring process during COVID-19 that they plan to keep implementing in 2021. Some examples include video interviews, electronic onboarding and training, recruiting in new regions for fully remote positions, and using [hiring software to better evaluate candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) at the top of the hiring funnel. ### 3. Most businesses have not slowed down their hiring, despite revenue losses. **38.9% of businesses** said their hiring plans did not change as a result of COVID-19, while**20.8%** said they hired for more positions than planned. When we consider that nearly **45% of companies** in our survey reported revenue losses in 2020, it’s an optimistic sign that most still haven’t slowed down hiring. This could indicate that businesses are confident they can reach their 2021 revenue goals by rounding out their teams with the necessary hires. ### Remote Hiring Methods Are Here to Stay When asked what COVID-19 hiring methods or tools they plan to keep using in 2021, hiring managers responded: * More extensive phone screenings * Pre-qualification questions and assessments * Video interviews on platforms like Zoom * PPE (such as masks) and social distancing for in-person interviews * Electronic/paperless onboarding * Virtual orientation practices (Powerpoint presentations, training videos, etc.) ### Remote Hiring: Home & Commercial Services Even businesses that are traditionally not conducive to remote work have made efforts to adapt to the new normal. Take, for example, the Home & Commercial Services industry. Sara Cooper, Chief People Officer at[Jobber](https://getjobber.com/features/), offered this insight into how the industry is adapting to remote hiring practices: “When it comes to remote hiring, home service businesses have unique challenges. They’re moving from job to job, entering people’s homes, and doing physically demanding labor. And there’s been a long-held tradition of one-on-one training to get them onboarded into these processes. What may work for an all-digital firm may not work for a hands-on trade business.” “Despite these challenges, **more home service businesses are implementing digital processes for remote work**, **which reveals their openness to making that same shift in hiring.**“ “We’ve seen home service entrepreneurs send their administrative home with laptops and headsets so they can continue communicating with customers. Others are using scheduling and client communication apps to book jobs remotely, create virtual estimates, and send customers notifications about their arrival times. And many have switched entirely to contactless payments, minimizing their accounts receivable and risk of exposure.” ### Remote Hiring: SaaS Companies Tools that help people communicate and manage teams remotely have seen a surge as lockdowns caused by Covid-19 forced many companies to implement remote working practices. “At the end of the first quarter of 2020, we experience significant growth in user demand for our services,” shared Owen Jones, a Senior Content Marketer at [Zoomshift](https://zoomshift.com/). Other technology companies experienced similar patterns of growth in demand. The most notable example is Zoom, which saw steady and significant growth in its userbase and share price in 2020 and 2021. Other online business communication platforms like [RingCentral](https://www.ringcentral.co.uk/gb/en//blog/the-best-video-conferencing-hardware-for-your-business/) experienced similar growth during this period. The growth many SaaS businesses have experienced over this period means many companies will be unable to host all of their staff in offices when things eventually return to normal. In all likelihood, this will result in a continued shift towards a work environment in which coming into the office a few days a week and increasingly working from home is the norm in the software technology sector. ### New Roles Created During COVID-19 The majority of companies have not created new positions as a result of COVID-19. But for the 14% of businesses that have, many of those new roles come with duties focused on mitigating the risk of COVID-19’s spread, such as **COVID Guidelines Associate**in the Home & Commercial Services industry and **Virtual Administrative Assistant** in the Insurance & Financial Services industry. ### New Roles: Home & Commercial Services Moly Milosovic, Community Marketing Manager at[Jobber](https://getjobber.com/why-jobber/), had this to say about one popular new role created in the home services industry: “One new role we’ve seen emerge is**Social Media Salesperson**. During the pandemic, home service businesses have had to find ways to sell their services 24/7, online. And at the same time, consumer expectations are changing. Customers don’t want to call 3-4 different companies throughout the day to discuss quotes. They want to message someone on Facebook or Instagram and book a job right there. The businesses that have adapted best to this are hiring sales employees who know how to communicate online and can meet customers where they are—even if that’s on Facebook at 8 p.m.” ### New Roles: Restaurants Restaurant owners have created a variety of new positions, such as: * **Sign Spinner:** This role can help on-the-ground marketing efforts to make people aware that a restaurant is open, particularly when take-out only restaurants might appear closed. * **Guest Service Attendant:** Duties include informing guests upon arriving how to dine safely according to health and local COVID-19 guidelines. * **Delivery-related roles:**Restaurant scheduling software company [7shifts](https://www.7shifts.com/restaurant-data) has tracked trends in new restaurant roles created since March 2020 as a result of COVID-19 and has found a 243% increase in delivery-related roles, such as “driver” and “delivery driver.” * * * ### Related Resources * **[Hiring After Coronavirus: 4 Things You Can Do Now](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-after-coronavirus-4-things-you-can-do-now/)** – CareerPlug’s Director of HR shares her advice on what employers can do now to prepare for hiring (and rehiring) in 2021. * **[2021 Planning: Virtual Workshop with Cultivate Advisors](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/business-planning-for-2021-webinar/)** – In this webinar, small business advising expert Casey Clark, CEO of Cultivate Advisors, shares his advice for planning for your business in 2021. * **[Need Higher Quality Candidates? Try These 6 Recruitment Strategies](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/attract-high-quality-candidates/)** –Finding high-quality candidates is a constant struggle for small business owners. Learn proven strategies for attracting qualified applicants in this guide. --- ## Growing Your Staff? Try Remarketing to Old Applicants First **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/growing-your-staff-try-remarketing-to-old-applicants-first/ * Posted on July 25, 2019 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Your business has grown and its time to grow your staff. You need to staff more people for some of the same positions in your business, so you post your job to attract candidates. Usually, there’s a waiting period between when you post your job and when you start receiving quality candidates. Sometimes that period is short, if you’re hiring for a less specialized position, but sometimes that period can be very, very long. How do you stay productive during that waiting period to still hire fast? Start remarketing to applicants. Remember that you should [treat applicants like sales leads](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/effective-strategies-grow-your-talent-pipeline/). And just like you run a remarketing campaign for sales leads or previous customers, you can also remarket to applicants. ### How Do I Start Remarketing to Applicants? You can start remarketing to applicants by making a list of applicants that have applied to the position you’re hiring for previously. Do this either through an excel spreadsheet or even better yet, your applicant tracking software (ATS). CareerPlug clients who might have made an applicant inactive due to lack of fit can reactive those applicants and put them back in their talent pipeline. Once you pool together your previous applicants, it’s time to start figuring out who’s worthy of that candidate status. Identify any applicants that meet the skill sets you need. Keep the ones who meet the skill set and mark the other ones as inactive. If you brought in any of these applicants for a phone interview, an in-person interview, or just had them complete any sort of assessment, make sure you look through those notes as well before making a decision to keep them. Finally, its time to start reaching out to your new candidates. This can sometimes be daunting because you might have established some sort of relationship between the candidate previously. If they interviewed for you, they might still bear some feelings of disappointment for being rejected. So, what do you communicate to your new candidates to make them reconsider joining your growing company? ### How to Convert Rejected Applicants Back to Candidates When converting rejected applicants back to candidates, it’s important to focus on the good rather than the bad. Some of these rejected applicants may have spoken or met with you previously. The conversation you need to have with these new candidates has to be around why you think they would be a good fit for the position now. This time, you need to sell them on why they should work with you rather than the candidate doing the selling. Here are some ideas to include in your messaging to your new candidates. **Strengths:**Take some time to talk to your new candidates about their strengths in relation to why you are considering them for this position. You can use their resume and notes from interviews to find these. **Areas for Opportunity:**Think of 3-5 areas in which the candidate can positively impact the business. They can be either business-related items (ex. able to share industry knowledge) or non-business related items (ex. culture fit). **Career Path Desires:**The best candidates want to continuously develop professionally. Make sure you are on the same page with these candidates on how your job fits in with their career path. If they don’t see a way to grow or you can’t offer growth, it’s important to be aware of this. Considering career path alignment could save you from employee turnover. **Desired Salary:**This is probably the most important conversation you will have with a candidate. If their desired salary is not in line with what you’re offering, it will be hard to get a signed offer letter from a candidate. Have this conversation early so you can see which candidates align with the salary you will offer. ### What Should I Use to Communicate with New Candidates? There are a number of different channels you can use to remarket to applicants. The channel you use should be based on how quickly you need to hire and how much rapport you have built with these candidates. Similar to and remarketing and retargeting campaigns you might run with your sales leads, you can use email, phone, and social media. Here is a list of channels you should use based on how you communicated with the applicant previously. ### Email – for the applicant you haven’t communicated with Email can be great for reaching out to candidates in bulk. Use this for reaching out to applicants that you haven’t interacted with. We recommend creating an email template that you can use for rejected applicants that you are now considering. An ATS can save you time here by saving templates for quick access. ### Phone – for applicants you have communicated with Giving new candidates a call is a great way to build on the rapport you have might have established with them during a phone or in-person interview. We recommend reaching out via email beforehand to set up a call. ### Retargeted Ads – for both when you need to hire quick For most companies, the first two options should work perfectly well. If you are really in a pinch for hiring and are willing to put money behind remarketing, consider also displaying ads via Facebook and LinkedIn to candidates. You can remarket to applicants by adding them to a custom audience to send them ads. To do this, you need to create an ad campaign and upload a list of emails of applicants. ### LinkedIn Messages – for applicants you have communicated with If you can’t set aside time to make a phone call, try reaching out via LinkedIn. It can be a little more personal than email and can give you a better chance of having your message seen. --- ## Making the Right Hiring Decision **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/making-the-right-hiring-decision/ * Posted on November 9, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Retaining the best employees can be a challenge for today’s business owners. According to the [Harvard Business Review](https://insights.dice.com/report/the-cost-of-bad-hiring-decisions/), 80% of employee turnover is due to bad hiring decisions. This means that the retention problem starts at the very beginning of the hiring process. Who you hire makes a difference … sometimes the difference of needing to fill the same position a year later. Luckily,there are steps that your business can take to start making the right hiring decisions and boost employee retention: ### **_Identify your Non-Negotiables_** Before scouring the job boards for potential hires, you need to decide what you actually want in an employee. You can do this by looking at your company’s pillars, mission, and work culture. Identify soft skills like _communication_, _integrity_, and _cultural fit_ that are non-negotiable traits that will directly impact success in the position. With these non-negotiables in mind, you can utilize pre-screen questions, assessments, and targeted interview guides to help you identify these traits in candidates. ### **_Read Between the Lines_** Having a large quantity of applicants means there are a lot of resumes to review. Taking a quick glance can help you weed out less qualified applicants or those who don’t meet your non-negotiables; however, a 10-second review might mean overlooking some potential. While resumes can reveal telling things about a candidate based on employment gaps, job hopping, or other red flags, they can also give you some clues into soft skills they’ve developed that would be well-suited to your opportunity. Some of the best candidates come from unconventional backgrounds, especially when they’re looking to launch their career in your field. ### **_Use Your Hiring Process_** It’s very exciting when you feel like you’ve found a golden candidate and want to hire them on the spot. Don’t jump the gun! The most important thing when trying to select the best hire is sticking to your hiring process and following through with each step. I repeat, stick to the full hiring process! Following a step-by-step process will ensure that you are making the right hiring decision and help you make consistent hiring decisions in the future. Whether you find it tedious or not, a consistent hiring process can make the difference between a good and great hire. Utilize hiring steps like phones screens, any non-negotiable testing in assessments or scorecards, and reference checks. If you stick to your non-negotiables, read between the lines to identify potential, and stick to your hiring process you’ll be well on the way to making a great hire! For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Justin Zungia is CareerPlug’s Sales & Marketing Intern_ --- ## Hiring Trends 2019: Action Items for the New Year **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-trends-2019-action-items/ * Posted on December 13, 2018 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Many companies will start hiring the majority of their new employees in January and February as soon as their Q1 budgets are approved. Whether your company hires most new employees in Q1 or another time of year, it’s important to evaluate your hiring process before any surge in hiring. You should also make sure you’re following current hiring trends. ### How to improve your hiring process for 2019 ### Update your internal processes Set yourself up for hiring success in 2019 by making sure your hiring process is efficient and consistent. Your internal process is a great place to start. Follow the tips below to make help optimize your hiring process for hiring trends in 2019. #### Use an Applicant Tracking System Companies are quickly understanding the value of using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). More and more companies are using an ATS to find the best talent in the shortest amount of time. An ATS can also help organize candidate evaluation and communication. This will continue to be one of the hiring trends in 2019. Ninety-eight percent of Fortune 500 companies use an ATS 1.75% of large companies use an ATS 2.Even small businesses are reaping the rewards of streamlining their hiring with an ATS. At CareerPlug, we work with all kinds of clients. From mom-and-pop businesses to the nation’s biggest franchises we help them meet their hiring needs and live up to our mission of making hiring easier. #### Create and optimize new job descriptions Take an inventory of your job descriptions.Find out what’s changed about established roles, and what new roles have been identified? Update the language of your job postings to sell your opportunities to job seekers — make sure to include the perks and benefits that come along with a job. [Check out more of our tips on creating great job descriptions,](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/3-tips-better-job-descriptions/)which are optimized for current hiring trends. If you have your new job postings approved internally now, you post as soon as your hiring budget is approved. CareerPlug allows hiring managers to create job templates in advance. That way, our clients can post new openings when they’re ready with just a few clicks. #### Come up with sample interview questions The best restaurants are consistent. Chefs have set recipes and managers have quality control practices in place so that diners get the best experience every time, no matter which employees are working on a particular day. What if you thought about your hiring process the same way? When you have a consistent interview process, you can be sure that each hiring manager at your company is ranking candidates based on set criteria rather than gut feelings. When you specify the interview questions that should be asked, you have a way to consistently evaluate whether a candidate has the right skills and experience to succeed in a new role. With CareerPlug, hiring managers can create interview scorecards, which are guides with questions and scored responses that they use to conduct interviews. Our clients value this consistency that helps ensure they’re making great hires every time. #### Design experiential interviews If you’re not already using experiential interviews, it’s time to add them to your hiring process. Experiential interviews require an interviewee to complete a task that they would encounter on the job. For example, you might ask a candidate for a customer support position to respond to a hypothetical angry client. Experiential tasks might not be appropriate for a phone screen or first interview, but they can really help you make decisions about which candidates have the skills needed to succeed in the role. #### Determine who will be conducting interviews Decide in advance who will manage each step in the hiring process, such as conducting phone screens, first interviews, second interviews and completing reference checks. This is especially important if you don’t have an in-house recruiter. Let everyone at your company know that you’re getting ready to start hiring and ask if anyone is interested in sitting in on interviews to provide another perspective. If you use an ATS, make sure that anyone who will be involved in the hiring process has access to your system and understands how to use it — well before your hiring rush begins. CareerPlug clients can add users to established hiring locations at no additional cost, and we have onboarding resources available to help new users get up to speed on our software. ### Optimize your candidate experience Candidates will continue to drive the job market in 2019. Great candidates expect a lot from a company’s hiring process. They want to feel understood, appreciated, and catered to. The best applicants are applying to multiple different opportunities. Make sure your hiring process is efficient, thoughtful, and attractive to job seekers so that you can stand out from your competitors. #### Change how you market your company to job seekers Whether you already use an ATS or not, think about how you’re marketing your company to job seekers (if at all). For example, your applicant-facing company description should be different than your client-facing company description. Your applicant-facing company description should describe the benefits of working at your company. In the past year, has your company description or mission changed at all? Can you upload new team photos to show what a typical day might be like at your company? CareerPlug offers a configurable Careers Page complete with areas to include a company description, team photos, employee testimonials, perks, and benefits. #### Reduce your applicant drop off rate A CareerPlug application requires only the most essential information about an applicant, and for good reason. We’ve written before about the value in shortening an application process in order to prevent applicant drop off rates. Here, let’s take it a step further: Where are candidates who have already applied dropping off in your hiring process? How can you change your hiring process to retain good candidates? For example, candidates might be dropping off when you ask them to fill out a formal application. Maybe the back-and-forth of the interview scheduling process is slowing you down. CareerPlug offers tools to help — like the ability to create a custom hiring workflow and integrate your Google or Outlook calendar so applicants can seamlessly schedule interviews. Another option is considering whether text recruiting might be the best way to communicate with applicants — more about that below. #### Communicate with applicants in multiple channels Think about whether you’re communicating with applicants appropriately. Do you send applicants required forms or contact them for interviews via email and hear… crickets? The issue might be that you’re not meeting applicants where they are. Text recruiting was one of the hottest hiring trends in 2018. It will continue to be one of the major hiring trends in 2019. We’ve written before about how [text recruiting is far more effective than email at reaching and eliciting responses from applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/using-text-recruiting-hire-faster/). Texts have a **4.9X** higher open, a **7.5X** higher response rate, and a **60X** faster response time than email. You should think about the roles for which you’re hiring and the potential candidates you’re looking for. Will they spend most of the time in the field or on their feet? Sending a text message to follow up on an email may be the best way to reach these candidates. Text recruiting is helping thousands of CareerPlug clients contact and hire applicants faster. Sources [1] [https://www.jobscan.co//blog/fortune-500-use-applicant-tracking-systems/](https://www.jobscan.co//blog/fortune-500-use-applicant-tracking-systems/) [2] [https://getfive.com//blog/eye-opening-facts-must-know-applicant-tracking-systems-ats/](https://getfive.com//blog/eye-opening-facts-must-know-applicant-tracking-systems-ats/) --- ## 7 Hiring Trends to Expect in 2023 **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-trends/ * Posted on February 20, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris As an employer, keeping up with ever-changing hiring trends can feel nearly impossible. But staying up to date is crucial if you want to make the right hires for your team. The tight labor market of 2022 meant that employers had to compete for top talent and continue to evolve their jobs and workplaces based on the changing demands of job seekers. It seems that this is one trend that will continue through 2023. What else can employers expect to see this year? We’re breaking down the hiring trends that will be most prominent in 2023 and sharing recruiting advice that will help you this year and beyond. #### Table of Contents 1. [Employers are hiring faster.](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-trends/#employers-hiring-faster) 2. [Pay transparency is becoming more popular.](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-trends/#pay-transparency) 3. [Creating a positive candidate experience is vital.](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-trends/#candidate-experience) 4. [Flexible work is more important to job seekers.](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-trends/#flexible-work) 5. [Increased DEI efforts.](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-trends/#DEI-efforts) 6. [Gen Z continues to enter workforce.](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-trends/#gen-z) 7. [Employers embrace technology that makes hiring easier.](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-trends/#employer-technology) ### 1. Employers are hiring faster. According to CareerPlug’s hiring data gathered from over 16,000 employers in 2022, **71% of employers contacted applicants within 24 hours of applying** and **46% of employers scheduled interviews within 48 hours.** We’ve also noticed a trend over the past three years of employers hiring faster as competition in the labor market has increased. In 2020, employers took an average of **24.7 days** to hire, compared to **18.4 days** in 2021 and **14.5 days** in 2022. Clearly, businesses are feeling the pressure to speed up their hiring and this is a trend that shows no signs of stopping in 2023. Our recommendation is to **aim to make your hires within 10 days of posting a job.** With competition for employees high from big box retailers like Amazon and Walmart, if you wait more than a few days to reach out to a candidate, then more than likely, they have moved on to another opportunity. We suggest speeding up your hiring process by automating as much of it as possible. Use [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) to communicate with candidates faster. **Text messages receive an 8 times higher response rate than email**, along with a much faster response time. You might also consider [automating interview scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) with an applicant tracking system like CareerPlug, which instantly sends your qualified candidates a link to schedule an interview on your calendar. ### Hire Faster with CareerPlug Automate the tedious parts of your hiring process and communicate with candidates quicker with text recruiting and automated interview scheduling. Get a free tour of CareerPlug today! [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### 2. Pay transparency is becoming more popular. In 2022, New York City joined several other states like Colorado and California in passing [pay transparency laws](https://pequity.com/blog/pay-transparency-in-2022-which-states-require-employers-to-provide-salary-ranges%EF%BF%BC/), some of which require employers to put [compensation in the job description](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/) or disclose it during the initial interviews. Pay transparency also involves creating more visibility to your existing staff around compensation structure and how raises are calculated. We’ve long promoted this as a best hiring and retention practice, and expect it to continue gaining steam in the years to come. [Pay transparency is a good thing](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/benefits-of-pay-transparency/) because not being transparent with salary disproportionately affects [women and people of color](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/20/smarter-living/pay-wage-gap-salary-secrecy-transparency.html) who historically have been paid less and are less likely to negotiate salaries. It also provides a better candidate experience and can save you time in the hiring process. Why wait until the final [hiring process stages](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) or even making an offer to find out that what you are willing to pay doesn’t meet a candidate’s expectations? Let them self-select in or out of the opportunity early on and avoid awkward negotiation conversations. It’s a win, win for everyone. ### 3. Creating a positive candidate experience is vital. We are proud to be leaders in candidate experience research, annually publishing our [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) to help employers understand what job seekers truly want from a hiring process. Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increased focus on [the candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-is-candidate-experience/), or the experience a job seeker has with an employer throughout the entire hiring process, from job posting to job offer. Today, many employers understand the impact candidate experience can have on their ability to make the right hires. Our research shows that **49% of job seekers have declined an offer due to a poor candidate experience.** In such a competitive labor market, it’s important to keep in mind that job seekers are forming opinions early. They have too many options to settle for the company that treated them poorly during an interview or took too long to respond after they applied. An increased focus on [creating a positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) is certainly a good thing, and is a trend you can count on seeing in 2023. For advice on creating a candidate experience that improves your chances of hiring your top choice candidates, check out this video from our Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan: ### 4. Flexible work is more important to job seekers than ever before. Remote work increased rapidly during the global pandemic, and though many things on the COVID front have returned to some level of normal, employees’ desire for flexible working options may be here to stay. In one [FlexJobs study](https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/work-life-balance-or-better-pay-two-thirds-choose-balance), **65% of people reported wanting to work remotely full-time**. In 2023, we can expect a continued preference for fully remote work, but we’ll likely also see a rise in hybrid work options as well. A [recent AT&T study](https://www.business.att.com/learn/research-reports/is-corporate-america-ready-for-the-future-of-work.html) found the **hybrid work model is expected to grow from 42% in 2021 to 81% in 2024.** Employees appreciate the flexibility that remote and hybrid work allow, meaning that if it’s all possible for your business, these perks can help you attract more top talent. Plus, the fully remote model opens up your talent pool and can save your company on the expense of office space. If you operate a business that can’t go remote – such as brick and mortar stores –you can still find ways to advertise flexible work practices to job seekers. Consider asking your current staff how they feel about your business’ [shift scheduling practices](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-shift-scheduling-tips-for-small-businesses/). What do they like about it? What could be improved? Do you make it easy for them to swap shifts? Do you accommodate schedules to match people’s needs outside of work, like school and child care? If so, these are great perks to highlight when you’re recruiting. ### 5. Increased DEI efforts. In recent years, many companies have committed to increase [diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-hiring/), and this positive trend is one we can expect to continue in the years to come. Diversity is a broad term that refers to more than just race and gender.**A diverse workforce is one where people of different origins, education, lifestyles, skills, and physical abilities are represented.** Employers have made the important realization that diversity is important not only from an ethical perspective, but studies show that [diverse teams perform demonstrably better](https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2018/01/25/more-evidence-that-company-diversity-leads-to-better-profits/?sh=4863b441bc7d) than teams that lack diversity. It’s important to acknowledge that all humans have [unconscious biases](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/), and these can have a damaging impact on the hiring process. Hiring for diversity and inclusion involves overcoming these biases and building a more diverse workforce. Educating yourself on the most common biases that show up during hiring can be a great place to start. ### 6. Gen Z continues to enter workforce. Gen Z will make up an estimated [25% of the workforce by 2025.](https://www.computerworld.com/article/3661170/what-gen-z-and-millennials-want-from-employers.html#:~:text=The%20Deloitte%20and%20Robin%20surveys,make%20a%20positive%20societal%20impact.) And with much of this generation now hovering around 23- 25 years old, we can expect them to take on junior level roles in the next few years. If you haven’t already, it’s time to embrace this younger generation’s infiltration of the workplace. Some of our best tips for [recruiting Gen Z](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-recruit-gen-z/)? * Make your job postings and applications mobile-friendly. * Embrace tech in your hiring process and make use of virtual interviews. * Make your [company culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) a prominent part of recruiting efforts. * Meet younger job seekers where they are by [recruiting on social media](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-on-social-media/). Watch our video below to learn more about using social media to recruit. ### 7. Employers embrace technology that makes hiring easier. With every passing year, business owners have more tools at their disposal to make the difficult task of running a business just a little easier. One indispensable tool that you can expect to be on trend for 2023 and beyond is the [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/what-is-ats/). An [ATS like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) can help you streamline your hiring process so that you can make better hires quicker and more confidently. Employers that embrace this technology have a competitive advantage over others looking to hire from the same talent pool. Some of the biggest benefits of using an ATS include: * Post jobs to all the major job boards with just one click * Instantly communicate with applicants * Automate interview scheduling * Reduce interview no-shows * Evaluate candidates using built-in screening tools and assessments To learn more about what an ATS is and how to know if you need one for your business, check out our **[Ultimate Guide to Applicant Tracking Systems](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Ultimate-Guide-to-Applicant-Tracking-Systems.pdf)**. --- ## What Can Your Sales Leader Teach You About Hiring? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/can-sales-leader-teach-hiring/ * Posted on June 29, 2017 * by Clint Smith Hiring a superstar to join your team could be your company’s most important sale. Revenue is critical, but your people will make or break your company. Superstar hires can multiply your sales—even if they are not in a sales position. Poor hires will do the exact opposite while driving your superstars away. Think about the best employee you have ever had. Consider the impact this person made. You are probably smiling right now just thinking about it. What would you be willing to do to get another person like that? I’m sure that you would do just about anything to attract that kind of talent. Now think about the worst one. Ouch. I just did the same thing. Smile: gone. What would you be willing to do to avoid repeating that pain? So why do most companies fail to recruit the way they sell? The best practices that have made them successful in sales are nowhere to be seen in their recruiting process. * No clear value proposition? * Making it hard for prospects to get started? * Not following up? A great sales leader would never let this fly. Processes would be built. New standards and goals would be introduced. People would be held accountable to results. And the results would be there. Follow these steps to act more like a sales leader, and you will be on your way to recruiting superstars. I’ll walk you through the key lessons I have learned by studying and working with some of the top sales leaders in their fields. And somehow I will manage to make two different references to french fries in the process! ### #1 START WITH A COMPELLING OFFER & PRESENTATION Your sales leader would not expect to close many deals unless every member of their team knew the value proposition and had a compelling way to present it to their prospects. Recruiting is no different. Candidates are your buyers. If they are not interested in what you are selling (or they don’t even know what you are selling), then they will not buy. ### What You Should Do: Make sure that your careers page has information about your company and why people love working there. Authentic photos, videos, and testimonials will make the site more compelling. Make sure that some of this information appears directly on your job posting pages since many prospects will be coming directly to those pages from outside job boards. Write job descriptions to attract the right type of people. Don’t focus only on what you need for the role—think about why the right type of candidate would love this position. Not sure? Speak with your current superstars to get their input. Get the jobs in the right places. Think about where your prospects are and find ways to reach them. This should happen through multiple channels including your employees and network, your customers, and external job boards. Make it easy to apply from any device. Do you think a sales leader would ever make a prospect complete a long registration form as a first step? Never. They want to capture the lead! If your application is long or not mobile optimized, then you are losing prospects. Start with a short application to capture as many qualified applicants as possible, and follow up with additional forms as a second step if needed. ### #2 PREQUALIFY YOUR PROSPECTS Your sales leader would never want the team to waste time on unqualified prospects. That is why their sales lead capture form has a couple of questions to prequalify prospects. If they don’t get leads from their website, they ask questions upfront to determine if they’re a good match. Think about how much time you and your team could save if you took the same approach. It’s easy to become paralyzed and not know where to start if you receive hundreds of applicants for a position. Your sales leader would tell you to create a system to score your prospects and focus on the best prospects first. ### What You Should Do: Think about the most important criteria for the position and develop prescreen questions for them. Think about the first few things you would want to know about this person. These could be items found on their resume (such as experience), but also things that you normally may not learn until the interview (such as availability). Add these questions to your application. It’s important to not have too many items on the initial application or you’ll see a drop-off in application submissions. We recommend 3-5 questions. Develop a scoring system for applicants based on their responses. This will allow you to identify top prospects and disqualify certain applicants. In order to automate this scoring, you must use questions with a fixed set of answer options so that you can assign a score value to each one. It’s okay to have open response questions in addition to picklist-type questions but try to limit those to 1-2 questions. ### #3 FOLLOW UP QUICKLY AND REGULARLY Sales leads are like french fries: they are at their best when they are fresh and hot. I know that your sales leader would go nuts if great leads were just sitting there getting cold and stale. The same thing goes for candidates after they apply. They are excited about your opportunity and ready to talk. But if you wait too long, they are going to pursue other options. And just like sales prospects, great candidates always have other options. How quick is quickly? I know sales leaders who have escalation alerts sent out if leads are not contacted within five minutes. That may be extreme for recruiting, but I know HR leaders who tell me that prospects for certain positions will be gone and off the market if they cannot reach them in 48 hours. Last thing – every prospect deserves follow up and so does every applicant. Remember that your applicants could also be your customers. This may give you new perspective on how to treat them. ### What You Should Do: Have a system to identify top prospects and follow up with them quickly. Set clear standards with your team on what this means. **Be persistent.** Don’t stop at just one email if you don’t hear back from a qualified applicant. Your sales leader would never go for this! Find a way to stand out and don’t rely solely on email. “Pick up the phone!” (that last part is your sales leader talking to you). Build a process to follow up with unqualified applicants with a polite and encouraging rejection email. Hiring teams take a risk by often overlooking this step as it can influence how candidates think of your company as customers. ### #4 DEFINE THE PROCESS & USE A SINGLE SYSTEM TO EXECUTE IT Effective sales leaders are process-driven and provide their teams with a playbook to win. Sales teams that execute on the right playbook are rewarded with increased efficiency, improved predictability, and more sales! How do sales leaders ensure that everyone is following their playbook? They use a Customer Relationship Management (or CRM) system such as Salesforce. Sales leaders can build their process within the CRM and have their teams run all of their deals through the system. The impact of CRMs has been game-changing for sales teams. The great news is that the same opportunities exist for hiring teams. Once you develop a playbook to win, you can execute it through an Applicant Tracking System (or ATS). An ATS is a CRM for hiring teams; a single system to manage all applicants. Using an ATS can improve the quality and speed of hires, all while saving time for you and your team. ### What You Should Do: Think about your hiring process and the steps you want included. These steps may differ for certain positions, but they should be as consistent as possible. If you are looking for best practices, speak with leaders within your industry as well as some from other industries (some of our best recruiting process ideas came from companies with completely different businesses). Build a playbook to win and get buy-in from everyone on your team to follow it. An effective sales leader would not allow team members to run their own home-brewed sales processes, and you shouldn’t accept that from your hiring team either. When teams work together with a single playbook, they are more likely to win together. Incorporate the playbook and process steps into an Applicant Tracking System. Sales leaders know that a paper-based playbook in a binder will not get used. You need to build the process into a system that requires team members to follow the steps otherwise they won’t do it consistently. ### #5 TRACK RESULTS & HOLD YOUR TEAM ACCOUNTABLE Sales leaders always know the score and how they are performing vs the goal. Do you know your score (or even your measurable goal) when it comes to hiring? Your sales leader would tell you to start measuring performance and then create goals and standards to achieve them. Their foundation for performance measurement is the sales funnel. At the top of the funnel sales leaders analyze their lead flow (quantity, quality, source). Then they look at the key stages of the sales process to see what percentage of leads make it to each stage of the funnel (and how quickly they make it there) – all the way down to closed-won deals. The same funnel concept applies to recruiting except leads are applicants and closed-won deals are hires. Break down the process and results into smaller stages (such as from application to interview, interview to offer, or offer to hire) and focus on improving the results one section at a time. ### What You Should Do: Establish your hiring funnel and the key measurement stages. This may be as simple as Applicants > Interview > Offer > Hire. Find a system to track these consistently across your company. Analyze your hiring funnel to establish a baseline for performance. Calculate conversion rates (such as percentage of applicants interviewed) and velocity rates (such as time to hire/fill). Look for opportunities to improve and set performance standards for your team. This could include increasing the percentage of applicants who make it to the interview stage by following up faster and using a less strict standard for the initial qualification. Once you get your hiring funnel optimized, then you can increase your results by increasing your lead/applicant quality and quantity. You should analyze your applicant sources and identify which ones have produced the most (and the best) hires for you. You may decide to spend more time with certain sources to improve your results, or to focus on increasing the number of employee referrals you receive. Use the data to guide your actions. Make sure that your team knows the score. If you have multiple recruiters/managers hiring for the same types of positions, show them how each one is performing vs the average (and the best). If someone is struggling dig into their hiring funnel to investigate. This is how high-performing sales leaders coach their teams. ### WHERE TO START Approach your hiring process with a beginner’s mind and seek to learn as much as possible from others. Taking yourself out of the process and looking at it from an outsider’s perspective will put you in the best position to see opportunities to improve your results. Act like a Sales Leader and ask yourself these questions: * Would I want to buy what we are selling for a career opportunity? What is our value proposition to our prospects? * How could we increase the number of leads (applicants) we receive? * How could we convert more leads into opportunities (interviews) and closed-won deals (hires)? * How can we get the right prospects to become even more excited as they move through the process? * How could we tighten up our process to produce more predictable results? * How can I put myself in the best position to keep score and hold my team accountable to results? --- ## How to Create a Great Employee Referral Program + Examples **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/create-a-great-employee-referral-program/ * Posted on June 3, 2019 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Referred candidates serve as the top source of all hires so it’s no coincidence that creating a great employee referral program can be key to finding quality candidates. A strong employee referral program can reduce time to hire, increase retention, improve the quality of hires, and can help you reach passive candidates. Referred candidates tend to be good culture fits for the company since many referrals have similar interests with their referrer. We put together some employee referral program ideas to help you try to increase your number of referrals. While not all of these strategies may work for you, the key to any great employee referral program is to tailor it to the needs of your employees. ### Share Jobs with Your Employees This might be obvious but many employers don’t have a consistent way to share open positions with employees. Anytime you have open positions you should be sure to communicate them to employees. Share job descriptions and any other relevant information so your employees can refer qualified candidates. This can also help employees share open positions within their network and on social media. For small businesses, this could be sending out an email or telling employees in person. For bigger businesses, consider reviewing your referral process with new hires so they know where and how to refer employees. ### Incentivize Referrals After the Hire is Made Some employee referral programs tend to fail because there is an incentive offered when someone is referred but before they are hired. It’s not a bad thing to offer a referral bonus. If you offer it before a hire is made, however, you risk employees referring people just to receive an incentive. Incentives can be monetary rewards or experiential rewards (like gift cards or trips). Maybe one of your employees really likes to golf and would enjoy a playing a round at a nearby club. Maybe one of your employees really likes Italian food and would love to check out that new Italian place that opened up down the street. Tailoring an incentive to an employee can make the reward all the sweeter. Consider using an applicant tracking system to update referrers. ### Send Hiring Process Updates to Referrer After an employee offers a referral, the recruiting team should offer status updates of the referral during the hiring process. Most likely, the referrer is someone who is close to the referral. They will be personally invested in how their referral is doing and will want to know where their referral is in the hiring process. Hiring managers should also prioritize referrals, especially those from successful referrers. Doing this makes the referrer feel like their opinion matters and creates a great candidate experience for the referral. If you don’t hire a referral, be sure to thank referrers so they feel their effort was appreciated. It can get them to continue referring employees. ### Create Referral Tiers Hotels have different tiers for customers based on stays, airlines have different tiers based on flights. So why can’t your employee referral program have tiers based on the number of referrals? Referral tiers are a great way to increase employee engagement among successful referrers. Just like you might see for hotels and airlines, you can offer successful referrers rewards based on the number of referrals. This is a great way to increase employee engagement and improve referral rates, especially among successful referrers. An example of this might be having rewards for 1 referral, 3 referrals, 5 referrals, and 8 referrals. The more referrals hired, the bigger the prize! This works especially well for entry-level, hourly positions where applicants may not need as many skills to become qualified candidates. ### Make Your Referral Bonus a Charitable Donation Worried that monetary rewards might muddy up your referral pool? Try offering a donation to a charity or fundraiser of the employee’s choice for successful referrals. Making your referral bonus a charitable donation can refocus your referral program to referring for a good fit rather than money. ### Reward the Referral and the Referrer Everybody loves free! Once a referral is hired, try to offer a shared experience for the referral and the referrer. This is as easy as paying for lunch for the referrer and the referral. When you do this, the referrer feels the good of a reward and the referral feels more comfortable starting their new job. We have talked about [the importance of having a strong onboarding program](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/master-new-hire-onboarding-30-60-90-day-plan/) for new hires. This is just another way you can set up an employee for success. ### Have a Referral Spot in Your Application (and use software to track it!) Out of all of the tips we have to offer, this is the best, and easiest, way to improve your referral rate. Without a spot in your application for referrals to submit a referrer, it is difficult to track the success of your referral process. Using an applicant tracking system (ATS) that can track referrals is equally as important as having a dedicated spot to submit a referrer. An ATS can keep track of all referrals, show referrers where their referral is in the hiring process, and create job links to share on social media. This can make it easy to send updates and find your most successful referrers. ### Final Thoughts Strong employee referral programs are becoming increasingly important, especially as unemployment stays low. Here are some facts as to why you need to consider improving your referral rate: * Referred candidates produce [25% more profit](https://www.thealexandergroup.com/blog-press-room/2015/employee-referral-programs-bigger-picture/) than other candidates * Referral programs can [attract more passive candidates](https://web.jobvite.com/rs/jobvite/images/Optimizing%20Your%20Employee%20Referral%20Program%20ebook.pdf), which increases your available talent pool * Referrals hired can [save you $3,000 or more per year](https://www.recruiter.com/i/10-employee-referral-program-fast-facts/) in onboarding costs * It takes [4x as many applicants and 2x as many interviews to hire a non-referral](https://hr1.silkroad.com/tyb_sources-of-hire-2017), which can greatly increase your time-to-hire * Referred employees have a [46% retention rate](https://www.thealexandergroup.com/blog-press-room/2015/employee-referral-programs-bigger-picture/) after one year --- ## 5 Ways To Tell If You Hired Spider-Man **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/5-ways-to-tell-if-you-hired-spider-man/ * Posted on April 1, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan You hire the polite student with good work ethic. But slowly their behavior begins to change… and not for the better! Time to say goodbye, right? Before you do, make sure you check that you aren’t firing the famed masked avenger! Here’s a quick check to see if you hired Spider-Man: **1. They are always late** Maybe they are just forgetful or unreliable. Or maybe they got pulled into a high-speed car chase on their way to work and saved seven people. **2. They hate the news** When the TVs on in the store they beg you change the channel. Probably because James Jameson has it out for them! **3. They are paranoid** Every time they hear a siren they get a shifty look in their eye. Like some kind of criminal! Or … a friendly neighborhood hero ready to help catch the bad guy. **4. They disappear during their shift** Long cigarette breaks or saving the good people of your fine city? You decide. **5. They are exhausted all the time** Sure this job requires some interesting hours, but is it normal to have those dark circles around their eyes and drift off behind the counter? Well, if they’ve been up all night fighting Doc Ock it is! For more tips on how to hire super-people and superheros, follow us[@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/careerplug) _And Happy April 1st!_ --- ## The Franchisee Journey **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/the-franchisee-journey/ * Posted on April 3, 2018 * by Clint Smith ### **The Importance of People at Each Step** In February, I attended the International Franchise Association (IFA) conference in Phoenix. One of the most memorable sessions that I attended was the Franchise Relations Summit. [Greg Nathan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregnathan/)hosted the session along with a group of executives and franchisees. The framework for the session intrigued me: it followed the lifecycle of a franchisee. Greg explained that there are six stages that a franchisee can experience. This got me thinking about the importance of employees at each of these stages: ### **Investigation** This is the research phase of the journey. You are studying your options to determine whether this is the right path. At the same time, franchisors are evaluating prospective franchisees and setting expectations. **Employee impact**: There are no employees at this stage. It is important for the franchisor to communicate about the team needed to succeed. How many people will I need to have on staff? What are their different roles? What resources are available to me? ### **Initiation** This is the training phase of the journey. You have signed the franchise agreement and paid the franchise fee. Now it’s time to learn the business and connect with the brand. **Employee impact****:** At this stage, you are starting to make plans to hire people. You need to have people working for you before you open, and they need their own training. The level of training provided on hiring varies by franchise system. At the very least, you will learn about the roles of the team members that you need to hire. ### **Perspiration** This is the ‘Get to Work’ phase of the journey! You are not in training anymore. This is when the reality of being a business owner hits home. It’s time to grind it out and follow the playbook that you learned. **Employee impact****:** You have hired your initial team by now, and you are all in this together. This is a likely bare bones team that has gaps you are filling with yourself. Once you have more cash coming into the business, then you can hire more people. You won’t get all the initial hires right. These will be costly mistakes, but valuable ones if you can learn from them. Working _in_ the business is critical right now so that you know how to perform every function at the company. You won’t know who to hire or how to train them without this knowledge. ### **Consolidation** This is the phase of the journey where the hard work pays off. You are starting to see some success and everything is starting to make sense. You have gotten into your groove and now have more time to work _on_ the business. **Employee impact**_**:**_ Your team helped you make it through the ups and downs of the business launch. Things finally feel somewhat stable. You have been able to hire people to do a lot of the things you did when you started the business. But this can still be a fragile time. It only takes losing one key player or making one bad hire to bring you back to working _in_ to the business. ### **Maturation** This is the phase where you have figured out the business. You have experienced the ups and downs and survived to talk about it. You may feel like it is a good time to take your foot off the gas a bit and enjoy the perks of being a business owner. This can be a fun time, but it can also be dangerous. Your business may be peaking, which often leads to some kind of decline. **Employee impact**: You have the team to run your business, but you still may be missing the people to lead and grow it. Often franchisees at this stage take their foot off the gas and leave the business to run itself. This can be discouraging for your high performers. They don’t want to be part of a sinking ship, and they may jump ship if things don’t change. If you are not careful, this loss of talent is what could lead your company is the wrong direction, fast. ### **Reformation** This is the phase of the journey where there is a fork in the road. It’s time to either make a striking change to point the business back in the right direction, or it’s time to watch it sink. You must reinvest in your business and set new goals if you want to continue to grow it. **Employee impact _:_**Sometimes you are only one hire away from a Reformation. It could be a manager to help you grow your sales team or something bigger like adding another location. Either way, making the right hires give you the opportunity to take your business to the next level. This might be exactly what you need to stay engaged and excited about your business. ### **Takeaways for Franchises and Business Leaders** Owning a business is a journey – one that I have had the pleasure to be on for the last 10+ years. One lesson stands out from the rest: You cannot succeed alone. You need to have the right people, processes and tools to grow your business. As a franchisee, you have an advantage over independent businesses. Many of the processes and tools are already provided for you. The biggest question mark is around people. Can you hire and retain the talent that you need to succeed? **First, you need to know where you are and what you need. Here are some questions to consider:** * Which phase of the journey are you in right now? * What is keeping you from reaching the next phase? * How would you rate your current team? Who are you missing? Then you can focus on building and refining the processes you need to build your team of the future. Don’t try to figure this out on your own. There are people inside and outside your organization that can help. **Here are some questions to help you get organized:** * What processes do you have in place to recruit and retain top talent? * What is working and what is not? What do I need to improve? * What resources are available from your franchisor? * Are you learning from franchisees who have been in your shoes? ### **Takeaways for Franchisors** Recruiting and retention are the two biggest growth challenges cited by franchisees. There are three reasons for this: 1. Hiring and developing a team is hard for any business. It’s extra challenging for franchisees who have no experience doing it. 2. Franchisees rely on playbooks from the franchisor to operate their business. Hiring is the exception, and most franchisees must figure it out on their own. 3. Unemployment is currently at 4.1%. It has not been this low since the 1960s. Much of what used to work in recruiting no longer does. Many franchisors are taking steps to meet these needs despite joint employer fears. They are careful to provide resources and recommendations without direct involvement in hiring. This may seem risky on the surface, but what is the risk of doing nothing? Many franchisors recognize that the bigger risk is doing nothing to support franchisees. **Here are my recommendations:** * Make a commitment to do more to help your franchisees with hiring. Spend time speaking with them (or conduct a survey) to learn about their current processes, needs and roadblocks. * Speak with other franchise executives to learn how they support their franchisees. You can also look on their websites to see what kinds of careers pages they provide for franchisees. * Download our Franchise Careers Page Best Practices ebook. We researched 68 of the smartest growing franchisors to see how they do it. Many franchisors who have partnered with us have seen excellent results. Our hiring system has impacted franchisees at every step of the journey. It is a competitive advantage they talk about during the Investigation. It is an integral part of training during Initiation. It has helped new franchisees ramp up staffing during Perspiration. It has added revenue-producing team members and managers during Consolidation. It has helped push long-time franchisees through Maturation into a focus on Reformation. --- ## Hiring For Your Regional Grocery Store **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-for-your-regional-grocery-store/ * Posted on December 13, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Regional grocery stores face a unique set of hiring challenges. From stockers to cashiers to deli workers, employees are the face and voice of your company brand. But with [turnover at 39%,](https://smallbusiness.chron.com/employee-turnover-grocery-15810.html) those faces might be changing too often to make a positive impact. Putting care into who you hire – from considering your ideal candidate, tailoring your hiring process, and understanding the affect great employees have on your business – you can build a talented team and a loyal patron base. ### **The Ideal Candidate** Filling positions for each store and each department involves more reflection than hiring the first person who walks through the door. What are the specific requirements of each position? Will a hire be routinely lifting heavy boxes? Do they need to be able to upsell customers? How flexible does this employee need to be when it comes to working late/early hours or on weekends? After you have the requirements outlined, you can consider soft skills necessary for each position. A cashier needs to rank high in service-orientation and emotional stability, where other roles you might focus more on detail-orientation or sales potential. Taking a look at current top performers is a good place to start. ### **The Hiring Process** The hiring process should be tailored to the position you’re hiring. Pre-screen questions and personality assessments are two steps that will likely be helpful when recruiting for any position. Pre-screen questions allow managers to only focus their efforts on evaluating candidates who meet the basic qualifications to perform the job effectively. Personality assessments can help managers get a better sense of who the candidate is and if they have similar characteristics of other employees who have been valuable to your regional grocery store. A successful hiring process is neither based on gut feeling or uniform across all departments. While your stores should have common pillars in the process, take the opportunity to use your knowledge about the ideal candidate and the position to tailor the process. For example, would the evaluation benefit from a job shadow or a role play? What step can you add to your process that ensures you are hiring the right candidates for that department? Once you’ve decided what a successful hiring process looks like, stick to it. Consistency in hiring – from the questions asked to the competencies measured – helps you predictably make better hires. When you take the care to make better hiring decisions upfront, you reduce your turnover and ultimately impact your bottom line. ### **CareerPlug Can Help** CareerPlug works with numerous multi-location businesses to streamline their hiring process to make better hires and reduce employee turnover. Learn more about the impact CareerPlug can make on your business here: [ebook](https://careerplug.com/talent-magnet/). --- ## April 2020 Jobs Data: New Jobs Are Up, Applications Are Down **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/april-2020-jobs-data/ * Posted on April 30, 2020 * by Natalie Morgan After weeks of new jobs disappearing from the job boards, job postings are starting to trend back upwards. However, applicant volume is not following suit. Industries we partner closely with at CareerPlug — including Fitness, Hospitality, and Restaurants — were heavily impacted by the pandemic. Most have had to temporarily close their doors and many had to make tough decisions to furlough or layoff staff. As unemployment climbs and some companies shut their doors forever, the impact of COVID-19 on hiring is undeniable. We’ve kept an eye on hiring traffic, and we’re beginning to see a story emerge that tells us not only how employers and job seekers reacted when the crisis began, but how they’re approaching hiring in the near future. ### What the data says about new jobs We took a look at _new jobs posted from our clients_, as well as the _number of applicants they received each week_ and compared those data points with the job and applicant volume for the six weeks prior to the drop-off initiated by COVID-19. The decline in both new jobs posted and applicant volume began six weeks ago when the social distancing and stay-at-home orders began in most places across the country. Employers acted quickly to freeze their hiring while applicant volume went down more slowly as the situation developed. In the following weeks, jobs and applicants continued to trend downward as more businesses shut their doors and people have stayed home. For the first time since mid-March, **we’re seeing an increase in new jobs posted over the last two weeks.** After a low point nearing 30% of the average jobs posted, **new jobs rose to 65% of the average during the week of April 20th.**Some employers are reengaging and preparing to open their businesses again and hire or rehire employees. ### New job postings by week vs. pre-COVID-19 average This varies by industry. Fitness centers, for example, appear optimistic and have quickly posted job opportunities in anticipation of reopening their doors, climbing from a low of 13% of their average new job postings up to 71% in the last two weeks. ### Fitness industry: new job postings by week vs. pre-COVID-19 average On the other hand, restaurants and hospitality businesses may not be ready to ramp up their hiring as rapidly yet. Restaurants have moved just eight percentage points (from 17% to 25%) and Hospitality only one percentage point (from 10% to 11%) in the last two weeks. ### Restaurant industry: new job postings by week vs. pre-COVID-19 average ### What the data says about job seekers Interestingly, job seekers haven’t followed employers’ lead. Applicant volume took longer to decrease at the start of the crisis and now is lagging on the upswing. **Despite employers’ growing excitement to hire up, job seekers aren’t yet ready to return to the market.** ### Applicant volume by week vs. pre-COVID-19 average Typically, employers might predict a higher applicant volume in correlation with a high unemployment rate (the current unemployment rate has reached over 20%), but **employers should be prepared for a more difficult market than expected as job seekers continue to exercise caution before returning to the workforce despite the availability of jobs.** ### What employers can do now The situation is developing quickly as federal, state, and local governments navigate the uncertainty of reopening businesses amidst a public health crisis to provide guidance to employers and job seekers alike. For now, here are a few things employers can do to prepare and aid in their hiring efforts: * **Share what you’re doing to protect employee and new hire health and safety** in your job postings and in your promotion (careers page, social media, etc). This can help address some logistical concerns job seekers may have in the near term. * **Prepare for**[**remote hiring practices**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/remote-hiring/) to allow you to make hires ahead of the time you need them on-site. * **Optimize your job postings** sooner rather than later. Do your research to see which job titles resonate best with job seekers in your industry. Write [high-quality job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) so that when your ideal candidate reads it, they’ll be compelled to apply. * Having fewer applicants on the job boards means **you need to do more to stand out to great candidates.** Check out a few ways to [improve the candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-candidate-experience-thats-exceptional/). * If you plan to rehire laid off or furloughed staff, **stay in touch and communicate openly**with them as your timeline develops. --- ## Retail: Hiring for the Holidays **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/retail-hiring-for-the-holidays/ * Posted on October 31, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### Seasonal Hiring Demand As a retailer, you know that there are certain spikes in seasonal demand within your business. The increased volume of the holiday season is your #1 time to make a winning impression on your customers. If they have a great experience in your store and with your staff, they are more likely to tell their friends where they shopped and why they’d go back. If for no other reason, this is why it is so important to make sure you are hiring the right employees for your temporary, seasonal positions. Just getting a “warm body” doesn’t work anymore. It may seem daunting at first, but getting the right seasonal employees hired can be addressed with a few simple strategies: Start early, recruit your customers, and have a process. ### **Start****Early** In order to allow yourself proper time to vet candidates and attract the best, you need to start recruiting and hiring well in advance of the holidays. One reason for this is that it will allow you to get a jump on your competition. Every retail organization is going to see a bump in sales around the holidays and thus have a need for increased staff. Don’t wait until it’s too late and all of the good candidates are selling your competitors products. Additionally, by starting your process early, you will be able to properly train new staff members. This is critically important to customer experience, as things can become hectic and stressful during a holiday rush. A team member that has not received proper training may add to the customer’s stress level by not providing a great experience. ### **Recruit Your Customers** Often times, the best seasonal employees may be your regular customers. It makes sense if you think about it – a regular customer is already someone that trusts and is familiar enough with your brand to spend their money at your store, so why not recruit them to create a positive experience for other customers. There are many ways which you can do this, whether it is with signage in the store, flyers you drop into bags, or simply by asking your regulars if they’d like to earn a little bit of extra money during the holidays. ### **Have a Process** In retail, you have a process for just about everything: opening the store, closing the store, getting cash deposited at the bank, etc. It only makes sense for you to systematize hiring, as well. Having a process in place for your hiring will allow you to make more consistent, predictable hires. This can also help you to save time and money associated with recruiting and hiring. In order to achieve this, you can consistently prescreen your applicants for certain skills and knowledge required for the job. This way, you don’t have to spend your time with unqualified applicants and can focus your time on those with the skill set suited to your store. You can improve store manager decision making by using benchmark assessments to compare applicants with your best employees. Lastly, having a consistent system through which you are communicating with candidates and tracking your hiring progress allows you to be more efficient and create the predictable results you desire. With the seasonal hiring push in full swing, CareerPlug can help you to create a process to make hiring easier. While there are many preconceived notions that a software implementation is a long, arduous process, you can have a new careers page and your jobs published on major job boards within 24-48 hours! CareerPlug can also provide tools to help you attract more qualified applicants, evaluate your talent pool more confidently, and ultimately get the right people hired in time for the holiday rush. Contact us today to learn how we can structure a program to help you maximize the hires you are making this holiday season. To learn more about how CareerPlug can help with your hiring needs,[request a demo today](https://www.careerplug.com/request-a-demo/)or[download our free ebook](https://www.careerplug.com/talent-magnet/)! --- ## Franchises: Set Franchisees Up for Hiring Success **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/franchises-set-franchisees-up-for-hiring-success/ * Posted on April 26, 2016 * by Natalie Morgan Franchisors have valuable data, insights, and best practices to support franchisees with almost any area of the franchised business model, but one area tends to be more ambiguous than others – employment. Many franchisees make their own employment decisions: designing their own recruiting process, controlling their hiring decisions, and compiling an employee benefits package. This level of franchisee independence is critical to avoiding joint-employment on behalf of the franchisor. However, the franchisor often has insight into industry recruiting trends, pitfalls, and effective hiring practices. As we mentioned in a [previous](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/franchise-joint-employer-avoid-coemployment/)post, franchisors can avoid joint-employer implications, while still delivering value, by offering _optional_ resources to franchisees. This post will go into detail on a few resources that can provide tremendous value to franchisees: ### **Careers Page Portal** The franchise brand is the most valuable asset to a franchisee – attracting customer and job seekers alike. Franchisors who provide a branded, central careers portal for their franchisees are capitalizing on this brand power and setting their franchisees up to attract quality candidates. The franchisee maintains the direct relationship with the partner(a job posting platform or applicant tracking system) while the franchisor website acts as conduit, hosting the careers page and aggregating all franchisee postings. Since all active job positions from all franchisees are in one place, job seekers can apply through the brand directly to any franchisee. ### **Encourage Hiring Education** Many franchisees have little to no experience with HR or hiring practices. From writing compelling job descriptions and screening applicants to asking the right interview questions, it’s easy to for new business owners to feel overwhelmed when navigating the world of hiring. Referring to the experts is the the best guidance a franchisor can provide. Encourage franchisees to educate themselves on hiring guidelines and employment law, and advise them to seek out reputable HR resources. With a deeper understanding of making great hires, franchisees can institute best practices to grow their business and help build a trusted franchise brand. ### **Preferred Partner Relationships** Franchisors can provide value and even a competitive edge by recommending partners that have proven success for other franchisees. For example, a franchisor might partner with an Applicant Tracking System provider like CareerPlug to offer an option to franchisees for distributing jobs and managing the hiring process. This can allow franchisor to incorporate brand standards while the franchisee-partner relationship is managed independently (an important distinction in relation to co-employment). With this setup, both franchisor and franchisee benefit: franchisees from having expert hiring resources and franchisors from the success that follows when franchisees make better hiring decisions and grow their business. ### **Next Steps** Evaluate where your franchisees struggle with their employment processes and consider how you can provide resources and expertise as a franchisor. When your franchisees hire great people, grow their businesses, and increase the ir revenues, everyone wins. To learn more about the ways your franchise system could benefit from this optional, resource-based approach to franchisee support, [contact our team](https://www.careerplug.com/contact-us/)! **Please note: The information in this blog post is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but none of the information herein should not be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion.** --- ## Designing Your Onboarding Process **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/designing-your-onboarding-process/ * Posted on June 22, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan Think back to your first day at your company (if you’re the founder, pull an employee aside) … what was it like? Did you know where to go? What information did you receive? At what points were you confused or felt awkward because you didn’t know what to do? These are the starting points for designing your onboarding process. The goal of onboarding is not only to officially (read: legally) hire a new employee, but also to welcome a new team member and set them up for success. Here are a few things to think about as you design your onboarding process: 1. **Be Official:** Federal and State Paperwork, Direct Deposit, Employee Agreement Forms, the Employee Handbook … all are the official parts of the onboarding process. What forms do you need from a new employee? Should they bring completed forms on their first day? Should you schedule an hour in the morning of their first day to go through paperwork? Be organized and be communicative about what officially needs to happen to hire a new employee. 2. **Be Prepared:** Make an agenda for the employee’s first day and share it with everyone who will be involved, including the employee. What equipment will they need? Is their email setup? What can you communicate about the day-to-day operations at your company? Even pointing out the communal fridge or making a list of frequently used acronyms can make a difference as a new employee learns about the company. 3. **Be Welcoming:**It’s time to show your new employee why they made the right decision by joining your company. What would make you feel welcome at a new position? Going out to lunch with your team on the first day or week? Getting an office tour with your manager? Take the time to think about your company culture and how that fits into onboarding a new hire. You’ve probably heard that a new employee’s first day can be the most important at a new job. They walk in with hopes, nerves, and an eagerness to make a good impression. But as an employer, the real pressure falls on you. Poor planning and a confusing onboarding is not only frustrating for an employee, it can affect how quickly new hires become productive employees and even affect how long they choose to stay with the company. What do you think about when designing your onboarding process? For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## 7 Ways to Avoid Hiring Bias **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/7-ways-to-avoid-hiring-bias/ * Posted on February 7, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris In the [first installment of this blog series](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/) on hiring bias, we discussed how to become aware of nine of the most common types of unconscious bias in hiring. In this second installment, we’ll examine some techniques you can use to mitigate hiring bias across your organization. Remember that **we all have unconscious bias, and it’s going to crop up from time to time**. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about maintaining your awareness and keeping yourself in check. ### 1. Educate yourself. The first step toward removing bias in hiring is to have a solid understanding of the types of unconscious biases that can thwart our efforts to make good hiring decisions. Again, our [previous blog](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/) on the subject is a great place to start! Look to reputable sources when developing your own unconscious bias in hiring training. For example, the University of California San Francisco has [comprehensive resources](https://diversity.ucsf.edu/resources/unconscious-bias) about unconscious bias based on academic and scientific research. For less academic, more informal resources, you can also look to reputable podcasts to increase your understanding, like [NPR’s TED Radio Hour.](https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/694278104/bias-and-perception) ### 2. Educate your staff. It’s a good idea to have unconscious bias training for hiring managers and anyone who will be conducting interviews for your company. Make sure to be empathetic in your training. Remind your staff that everyone has unconscious bias. We all need training to be able to recognize it, and you’re not accusing or blaming anyone. Of course, at times, this may be easier said than done because people can get defensive in the face of what they might consider to be accusations. [Harvard Business Review](https://hbr.org/2017/04/dont-give-up-on-unconscious-bias-training-make-it-better) suggests: “Strike a careful balance between limiting defensiveness about unconscious bias while communicating the importance of managing bias.” As a leader, you’ll need to meet people where they are in terms of their understanding of unconscious bias. Embrace any and all questions they have. The idea is to use unconscious bias in hiring training to give your team an informed approach going forward. Once your team has bought into your company’s philosophy on how to avoid bias in hiring, **you can work from a shared understanding of what unconscious bias is.** When everyone is aware of how to recognize unconscious bias in themselves, they’ll also be able to hold each other accountable and reduce bias in recruitment and selection. ### 3. Create an Ideal Candidate Profile. Before you even post a job, take the time to create an [Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) and use it to benchmark all your candidates equally. Think about what your ideal candidate would be like. Brainstorm the strengths you’d like the candidate to have outside what will be listed in the job description. Determine the**skills, talents, and behaviors**you’d like to see in a new hire. Creating an Ideal Candidate Profile for each role will make it easier for you to commit to a set of objective criteria. This profile should serve as your goalpost guiding your hiring decisions. Remember: You shouldn’t move the goalpost for each candidate. CareerPlug has created a free Ideal Candidate Profile [template](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/#download) that you can download. It’s based on the one we use in our own hiring process. ### 4. Measure using objective criteria and assessments. So you have your Ideal Candidate Profile — but how are you measuring and scoring your candidates’ abilities? Implementing an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) like CareerPlug can help you measure objective criteria using tools like prescreen questions and assessments. This allows you to **evaluate all candidates consistently throughout the hiring process.** If the job requires a wide variety of math/verbal skills, you might consider giving candidates a skills assessment (CareerPlug has standard math/verbal assessments that can be used for many positions). You could also give an assessment designed specifically for the role. For example, when we hire software engineers, we assign candidates a coding challenge. ### 5. Ask all candidates the same interview questions. In a structured hiring process, every step in the process should have a goal. The goal of an interview should be to determine whether or not a candidate is actually qualified for a job. Before your first interview, come up with **a list of specific questions that are role-related and general questions that are not role-related** to help you reveal whether or not a candidate is capable of performing the job. When you don’t come up with a list of questions beforehand, you risk not knowing whether a candidate is actually qualified for a job. This could lead to decisions made based on gut feelings rather than reasoning. Use an [interview scorecard](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/use-interview-scorecards-for-better-hiring/) to track candidates’ responses to interview questions and compare them to your benchmarked answers. ### 6. Make the first interview a phone screen. Have you ever watched _The Voice_? It’s a singing competition show in which the contestants’ first audition is a “blind audition,”meaning that the judges can’t see the person singing. They’re forced to make their selections based only on the contestants’ vocal abilities and not how they look. We think you should implement a type of “blind audition” in your hiring process:a phone screen. A phone screen is a great way to ensure that **your first impression of a candidate is free from superficial biases** that have to do with appearance and nonverbal cues. Another method of “[blind hiring](https://www.embroker.com//blog/blind-hiring/)” involves hiding resume details like a candidate’s name, college, address, hobbies, or graduation year –in other words, the things that might offer clues about a candidates ethnicity, gender identity, age, or socioeconomic background. ### 7. Take detailed notes for every candidate. Relying on memory is a huge mistake when evaluating candidates because **our memories can be especially susceptible to the influences of biased thinking.** Take detailed notes immediately following every interaction you have with a candidate. Whether you take notes in a spreadsheet, a Word document, or an applicant tracking system, you should have documentation somewhere you can easily revisit. ### A word on “gut feelings” Lastly, you might be reading this and wondering if there’s any place in a structured interview process for gut feelings. And there is (sort of!). While gut feelings are important, it’s not a good idea to hire strictly with your gut. This is because **a gut feeling can be created by unconscious bias!** This is not to say that we should ignore our instincts.In fact, our instincts are usually a sign that we need to learn more about a candidate. A good [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) gives us a structured way to validate our instincts and ensure they’re not biases in disguise. ### Take Action * Invest in unconscious bias training for your hiring managers. * Before you post your next job, create an Ideal Candidate Profile and a list of pre-determined questions to help you evaluate whether a candidate fits the profile. * Make the first interview in your hiring process a phone screen. --- ## Case Study: Sidney Lee Welding Supply **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/sidney-lee-welding-supply-case-study-2/ * Posted on April 6, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris For many business owners over the past year, making the right hires has become a challenging task. Recently, the [number of job openings has surpassed the number of job seekers](https://www.statista.com/chart/28407/unemployed-persons-and-job-openings-in-the-united-states/)—this shift in the labor market makes it more difficult to find qualified applicants. Using the right tools could mean the difference between prolonging the hiring struggle or finding valuable candidates to grow your business. Zane Lee, President of [Sidney Lee Welding Supply](https://www.sidneylee.com/) sat down with [Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative (IWDC)](https://www.iwdc.coop/) to discuss his hiring challenges and how using CareerPlug’s applicant tracking system ([ATS](https://www.careerplug.com/small-business-hiring-software/)) helped him attract the right candidates. Sidney Lee Welding Supply has been providing customers with quality welding supplies for over fifty years. Located in five locations across Georgia, they operate with the mission of providing the best products and the highest level of customer service. Not only do they assist a wide variety of customers, but they are also the factory distributor for many major manufacturers like Miller Electric. Watch the video below to learn about what’s working in Lee’s hiring process. ### Sidney Lee Welding Supply’s Hiring Challenges With Sidney Lee Welding Supply operating throughout five locations in one state, the majority of the positions they hire are for drivers. Lee states that their main hiring challenge is a lack of high-quality candidates for these driver roles. Lee says: “We were having a problem even finding people to talk to. We were having issues with drivers in particular. Sometimes we’d hire people and they wouldn’t even last a week. We’d go through periods where we didn’t even have any resumes to look at—we’d have nothing.” Before CareerPlug, Lee was using job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter. After continuously struggling to make the right hires, he needed a platform that could attract quality candidates and evaluate them easily. Luckily, Lee discovered CareerPlug through an IWDC email, which he then passed on to his operations manager. He explains what happened when they switched to CareerPlug: “I told them to give [CareerPlug] a try because what we were doing was not working at all. We had used Indeed and I believe ZipRecruiter, but **with CareerPlug we got lots of resumes, and they were actually people we wanted to talk to. We had more matches for the jobs available.** Before, if someone had a clean NVR and a driving record we’d give them a try. Now we can look at their past experiences because we’re looking for the kind of guys that drive milk trucks, potato chip trucks, where they actually have to get out and deal with people—those make good drivers.” With CareerPlug, Lee can instantly post jobs to all the major job boards (like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Talent.com, and more) with just one click. No matter the source, all applicants show up in one place: his CareerPlug dashboard. Plus, CareerPlug’s built-in evaluation tools make it easier to contact the top candidates quickly without wasting any time on unqualified applicants. ### Improving Candidate Quality with Attractive Job Postings With CareerPlug’s help, the team at Sidney Lee learned how to create appealing job postings to attract their ideal candidates. Lee explains how taking advantage of CareerPlug’s tutorials benefitted his overall business: “One of the things that our guys did was**take advantage of the training to learn how to write the job descriptions to get the person we wanted.** That helped a lot. When we first started using it we had around fifty people to look at that were good applicants. Out of that first week or two we hired five people. We were having a lot of trouble staffing two of our stores and we have them up to full capacity now.” [Download full case study here](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Sidney-Lee-Welding-Supply-Case-Study-Download.pdf) ### A Future With CareerPlug Lee says he’s looking forward to using CareerPlug to hire new roles that will expand his business in the coming months. He trusts CareerPlug to help make high-quality hires consistently so that he can spend less time hiring and more time running his business. “We’ve been using it for truck drivers so far but in the coming months we’ll probably use it for other positions. I’d like to have an inside support person, maybe some counter-sales people, possibly a person agent, and I’m kind of excited to see how it does with that. We’re almost big enough where we feel like we need a human resources person, and I think that’ll be a big plus for us. I’m also one of the board members at IWDC and I want to make a comment that, you know as business owners, we get so busy sometimes. But there are other things that [CareerPlug] offers that are very valuable, and we need to actually look at these services because some of them may be the answer to our problems. And **I think CareerPlug is something every member could use right now.**” ### Attract More High-Quality Applicants with CareerPlug CareerPlug gives you all the tools you need to attract, evaluate, and hire the right candidates. Our applicant tracking system helps reduce your time to hire without sacrificing quality –so you can spend less time hiring and more time running your business. [GET A FREE DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## 5 Things Employers Forget When Hiring **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/things-employers-forget-when-hiring/ * Posted on April 12, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris If you’re like most business owners, hiring is just one of the many important items on your ever growing to-do list. And even though you might realize the importance of a [great hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/), it can be really easy to let some things slip through the cracks when you have so many other daily responsibilities fighting for your attention. Unfortunately some of the easiest things to skip or forget in a hiring process can have a huge impact on your ability to make the right hires. At CareerPlug, we’re on a mission to make hiring easier, so we want to share some of the common steps employers are forgetting during hiring. **5 Things Employer Forget When Hiring:** #### Table of Contents 1. [Communicate with all applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/things-employers-forget-when-hiring/#to-communicate-with-all-applicants) 2. [Background and reference checks](https://www.careerplug.com/things-employers-forget-when-hiring/#background-and-reference-checks) 3. [Put the compensation in the job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/things-employers-forget-when-hiring/#to-put-the-compensation-in-the-job-posting) 4. [Candidates are evaluating you too](https://www.careerplug.com/things-employers-forget-when-hiring/#that-candidates-are-evaluating-you-too) 5. [Move quickly](https://www.careerplug.com/things-employers-forget-when-hiring/#to-move-quickly) ### 1. Communicate with _all_ applicants [Communication is key](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) during a hiring process. Hopefully, you’re maintaining timely and efficient communication with the candidates you’re most interested in. But did you know that it’s just as important to communicate with the candidates you don’t want to move forward as well? [Polite rejection letters](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/rejection-letter-template/) keep applicants from playing the waiting and wondering game. They are the extra step that helps you provide a great experience to everyone – not just the candidates you want to hire. This has a positive impact on your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) which is your business’s reputation as perceived by job seekers. And since more than half of job seekers [abandon their pursuit of a company](https://www.inc.com/adam-robinson/more-than-half-of-job-seekers-say-they-wouldnt-apply-to-a-company-with-bad-online-reviews.html) after reading negative reviews, it’s clear that having a stellar reputation is crucial to continue attracting and hiring great applicants. Using an [applicant tracking system (ATS) like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) can make it easier to communicate with candidates using text recruiting and automated interview scheduling. We also have automations that will send a polite rejection to applicants that don’t check all your boxes so that you can spend more time focusing on your best candidates. ### 2. Background and reference checks When you need to [make a hire fast](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/), it can be tempting to skip reference and background checks. After all, you’ve already [reviewed their resume](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/) and gone through an extensive [interview process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/) – are these final steps truly necessary? Reference and background checks are a crucial part of making good hiring decisions. [Reference checks](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reference-check-questions/) (when you speak to a candidate’s past employers) can help you learn a lot about your candidate – including how to set them up for success in their new role. And [background checks](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-background-checks/) (which involve using a third party to screen a candidate’s history) can help you verify that someone is who they say they are and ensure workplace safety. Stay compliant by informing all candidates about your reference check and background screening policy and ask for the candidate’s consent during the first meeting. Put all necessary information and provisions on your website. Perform the same checks on every potential employee – don’t make any exceptions. **Pro tip:****Make sure to avoid using any language like “background check” and “fingerprint check” in any job postings you put online.**Many major job boards, like Indeed, will flag these terms to stay compliant with cities and states that have laws around criminal history based job discrimination. ### 3. Put the compensation in the job posting You’ve taken the time to [craft the perfect job description](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf). But before you hit publish and share your posting with the world, there’s one thing to make sure you do: **Put the compensation in your job posting.** In some states, it’s now [required by law](https://cdle.colorado.gov/equalpaytransparency) to include [compensation in job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/). And major job boards are also hoping to encourage this trend, like Indeed which recently started including an [estimated range in the job listing](https://info.recruitics.com/blog/indeed-salary-transparency#:~:text=Beginning%20in%202021%2C%20Colorado%20enacted,hired%20applicant%E2%80%9D%20in%20all%20job) if an employer doesn’t specify. If this estimate isn’t in line with what you’re willing to pay, it can lead to frustrated applicants and wasted time for your hiring process. And not including compensation at all could prevent quality candidates from applying to your jobs. And if you need even more convincing, in our annual [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we found that **27% of job seekers expected to be informed about compensation in the initial job post.**Plus, including the compensation (or compensation range) in your job posting can save you time as it allows job seekers to self-select in or out. If you’re not sure where to start with competitive compensation, research what it looks like in your market by searching for similar job titles online. You can also check out free compensation resources on sites like [Indeed](http://indeed.com/salaries) or [Glassdoor](http://glassdoor.com/salaries) – and keep in mind these sites are also where job seekers go to evaluate their market worth. ### 4. Candidates are evaluating you too Evaluating candidates and deciding if they are the right fit for the role is sort of the main goal of a hiring process, right? But one thing many employers forget to keep in mind is that candidates are evaluating them, too. It can be helpful to think about your best applicants like you would a sales lead. Hopefully, you are reaching out to them quickly and nurturing a positive relationship with them. When the time comes to make your offer, you want them to say yes without hesitation! Hiring top candidates is the same way – and you should hire like you sell. **49% of job seekers we surveyed said that they have turned down a job due to a negative candidate experience.** This means that you could lose out on more than half of your potential hires if you forget that they are evaluating you throughout the process as well. We asked job seekers to get specific about what they’d like to see during a hiring process. Here are their answers and some insight into how to create a great candidate experience: For more on how to create a positive candidate experience so that you can hire like you sell, check out this video from our Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan: ### 5. Move quickly Candidates these days have a lot of options. [According to our data](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/), **it takes employers just over seven days on average to contact applicants after they apply.** Could you imagine if you waited that long to follow up with a sales lead? Especially considering that, **84% of job seekers said that the employer’s responsiveness after initially applying influenced their decision to accept an offer.** Automating the tedious parts of your hiring process like [interview scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) and [applicant screening](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) can help you speed up the process and get candidates down your pipeline sooner. [Text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) can also be the added edge that helps you reach candidates quicker than your competition. **Clients who use our texting feature have a 32% faster time-to-hire rate.** In today’s competitive labor market, every second counts. It’s important to reach out to candidates sooner and stay on top of communication if you want to make the right hires. ### Build a Great Hiring Process with CareerPlug Don’t let important hiring steps slip through the cracks. Automate your hiring process with our easy-to-use applicant tracking system so you can make the right hires fast. [GET A FREE DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Inside the Minds of Hiring Managers: A Discussion on Hiring in 2023 (Webinar) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/inside-the-minds-of-hiring-managers-webinar/ * Posted on May 22, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris We’ve seen a lot of change in the hiring space over the last few years. The pandemic caused mass layoffs and companies have struggled with over-hiring. According to the [Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/), total payroll employment increased by 253,000 in April 2023, and the unemployment rate edged down to 3.4 percent. In simple terms, it is a job seeker’s market right now. Employers are certainly feeling this shift in the hiring landscape, and maybe even resenting it. CareerPlug wants to make hiring easier, so we organized a webinar to help employers learn about common hiring myths and provide some insight into why hiring is so difficult right now. Plus, we’re sharing some advice for how to make it a little easier! ### Full webinar video: Hosted by: Kirsten Penaloza, CareerPlug’s Senior Manager of Client Experience Panelists include: * Jim Noone, Director of Employee and Labor Relations at the University of Denver * RaeAnn Lovall, Chief People Officer at Home Base * Paulina Vo, Co-founder and COO at High Note ### Busting common hiring myths ### Myth #1: Today’s job seekers only apply to keep their unemployment money Many hiring managers have experienced people dropping out of their hiring process. This often leads them to believe that job seekers are only applying to open roles to keep receiving unemployment… but is this true? What’s really causing candidates to drop out or [turn down offers for a job](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-candidates-turn-down-job-offers/)? Jim Noone, Director of Employee Relations at the University of Denver, shares his thoughts, “I think this myth comes from people who are typically not responsive to their market and instead see themselves as doing job seekers a big favor by offering them a job. That’s just not realistic. **If you’re not being competitive, it should not be a surprise that people are not chomping at the bit to get your job**.” Hiring managers are confronted with the additional hurdle of [rising salary expectations](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/). [Millions of people quit their jobs](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/why-is-hiring-so-hard-right-now/#employee-expectations) in the last couple years, sparked by COVID-19 and a chance to reconsider their career expectations. Since 2021, there has been a sweeping demand for higher wages. It is important for hiring managers to offer a competitive salary and the right benefits. It is also key to [include compensation in their job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/) to attract candidates in the first place. #### Candidate Ghosting In our [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we asked job seekers why they decline job offers. CareerPlug’s data shows that 22% of candidates reject a job because they had a negative interview experience. Even further, **50% of candidates who ghost a company do so after the interview process.**What is the root cause of this phenomenon? **This issue proves the increasing importance of the candidate experience**. Paulina Vo, Cofounder and COO of High Note, shares that [candidate ghosting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/interview-ghosting/) is a problem she has experienced herself. She explains, “We obviously need to fill those roles as hiring managers, but the choice is ultimately in the hands of the job seeker.” ### Myth #2: Job seekers should have academic credentials and perfect relevant experience What really matters when it comes to hiring the right people? All our panelists agreed that [](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/)[hiring for growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/) is one of the most important things hiring managers can do. RaeAnn Lovall, Chief People Officer of Home Base, shares her expertise: **“We are looking for the person who will come in and say, ‘I can learn, I can problem solve, I can work with other people. Not only can I do that, I _want_ to do that.’** That is the number one thing that we look for…it’s not a college degree.” #### How to interview for growth potential The interview process can be used as a tool to avoid [common hiring mistakes](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/common-mistakes-interviewers-make/) and [hiring biases](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/). Lovall shares some core questions she uses in her interviewing process to flesh out a candidate’s willingness to learn and grow: “In my interviewing it’s, ‘When have you attacked a challenge? What obstacles were in your way? How did you get support or not in that endeavor? How have you dealt with a disagreement with another employee?’ With these questions, you can learn how they’ve handled exhibiting that growth mindset.” [To help build diverse candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-hiring/), Vo asks the question “What are you passionate about?” in her interview process. She notes that this question gives her insight into a person who, on paper, might not look like they’re qualified for a specific role — but in fact are capable based on their life experiences. This question also gives hiring managers a sneak peek into a candidate’s growth potential by allowing candidates to share how they function outside of a work environment. It gives candidates who may not have extensive experience an opportunity to prove their capabilities. **When it comes to hiring credentials, a candidate’s attitude and potential to grow are ultimately most important.** Noone shares his mindset when hiring people with diverse experiences: “It need not be work experience. It can be volunteer experience. It can be an experience that they have in school with their family. I’m less interested in the experience being very specifically drawn to the job that I’m looking for, so much as assessing that there is that teachability.” ### Myth #3: Employees want to work from home so they don’t have to work hard The pandemic led to a dramatic spike in remote and hybrid work. And though this is no longer necessary for safety reasons, it’s still a preference for many employees. A common misconception is that employees who work from home are less productive than those in traditional work environments. CareerPlug’s panelists came ready to debunk this myth. In reality, remote jobs provide a balance between work and personal life — employees can be flexible and productive in the comfort of their own homes. Our panelists agreed that this hiring myth stems from a lack of trust that leads to micromanaging employees. Webinar host and CareerPlug’s Senior Manager of Client Experience, Kirsten Penaloza, reminds us that trust issues about working from home may point to a root problem of making the right hires. She shares, “When a manager is micromanaging an employee, they either don’t trust that they’re doing the work, or that they’re not qualified to do the work. If the issue is the employee’s qualifications, then maybe you didn’t hire or train them right. Ultimately it comes back to the hiring manager and the training.” #### Attracting candidates for in-person jobs Proactive approaches to hiring can be difficult, particularly in attracting candidates for jobs that lack remote or hybrid work arrangements, such as retail. Noone and Vo agreed that a [company’s culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) comes into play in these instances. Noone explains, “What is your total employment value proposition? What are you bringing to the table as an employer? It’s not just a paycheck.” Lovall makes the key point that for in-person roles, [hiring good managers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-managers/) is very important. In any job, the relationship with a direct manager can create an environment of trust, security, and fun that motivates applicants to accept and retain roles. ### Final advice for hiring managers Our panelists were asked to share any final tips or advice they have for current hiring managers. Lovall advises that companies should avoid hiring solely for culture fit. It is tempting to hire someone just because of a referral, since they probably have similar work ethic. But Lovall explains, “And yet, that is what creates that sameness and the lack of diversity… just because someone has been friends with [a candidate] forever doesn’t mean that they’re going to be the best fit.” Vo shares the simple yet effective advice to stop ignoring hiring problems. She shares, “When you are in the seat of hiring people, you have some sliver of power to make a difference, so that people can actually get hired and have an enjoyable process. **Boiled down, self-accountability is crucial to have successful teams.”** While the job market seems like a complicated place right now, employers should understand the importance of using open-minded hiring practices. It’s key to hire for growth potential and prioritize trust in order to build a promising workplace. Ultimately, it is a job seeker’s market right now. Hiring managers should know that in the end, they are not just offering candidates a job, but an opportunity to be a part of their company and a future to grow. ### Stay competitive in a job seeker’s market Grow your team faster and better with CareerPlug. Automation tools streamline your most tedious hiring tasks, and candidate evaluation features can help you hire with confidence. Try it out for free today! [Get A Demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Make the Call: How to Conduct Great Phone Screen Interviews **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-phone-screen-interview/ * Posted on July 26, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris As a busy employer or manager, hiring is just one of the many important things on your ever growing to-do list. To make the right hires quickly and consistently, it can be helpful to outline a clear hiring process. Hiring process steps can include things like application review, interviews, candidate assessments – and really any other part of your unique hiring workflow that helps you hire the right people more confidently. If you’re not already conducting phone screen interviews somewhat early in your hiring process, we suggest adding this crucial step to optimize your hiring and save time down the road. A **phone screen is a short call with an applicant** to determine (or “screen”) whether or not they are a good fit to move forward with your hiring process. This 15-30 minute call is for going over the basics of the position, confirming the applicant’s qualifications, and trying to discover any obvious red flags. Busy hiring managers might be tempted to skip the phone screen step in order to save time in the hiring process, but trust us, setting aside time for a brief phone call early can actually save you much more time in the long run. ### Why you should conduct phone screen interviews There are many advantages to adding phone screen interviews to a [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/). Here are just some of the ways in which phone screens can help you make the right hire sooner. ### Phone screen interviews help you get to know candidates [Reviewing someone’s resume](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/) or application can give you a lot of information about a person’s work experience and skills, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. A candidate’s application should spark an interest and make you want to learn more by asking additional questions. You could jump right into a [formal interview](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/) to get to know a candidate – or you could save time by conducting a preliminary phone screen to answer some of your additional questions before moving them forward. As an added bonus: this also saves time for your candidates, who are likely just as busy as you are. They’ll appreciate the courtesy! ### Phone screen interviews help you engage candidates faster Phone screen interviews are less of a time commitment and allow you to create a touchpoint with candidates faster than other businesses. This is a huge benefit considering the tight competition for talent that many organizations are facing. Booking a phone screen interview is an easy way to show a candidate that you’re serious about considering them for the role. Put yourself in the candidate’s shoes. If they’re unsure about where they stand in your hiring process, they may become more invested in other opportunities they’re pursuing. By engaging them early, you can potentially keep them from saying “yes” to another company’s job offer first. ### Phone screen interviews narrow down your applicant pool for more streamlined hiring A few [pre-screen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) on your application can help you narrow down your applicant pool and ensure only high quality candidates are hitting your inbox. From there, you can narrow down your applicant pool even further by **using phone screens to ask some deal-breaker questions.** Use phone screens to confirm things like desired compensation, availability, and relevant work experience, so that you can pinpoint your frontrunners fast and [send a polite rejection](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/rejection-letter-template/) to those that don’t fit the bill. ### **When to conduct phone screen interviews** We recommend conducting your phone screen as the second step in your hiring process after reviewing an applicant’s resume, but **before you send them assessments to complete.**All too often, employers want to assign assessments to a candidate immediately after they apply, as a way to “test” engagement of applicants –in other words, they use assessments as a way to screen out unengaged applicants. But this can backfire on an employer by creating a less favorable candidate experience for the applicants they _do_ want in their pipeline. **A high-quality candidate will be better engaged by speaking on the phone with a real person expressing their interest in them**, and less engaged by the prospect of having to spend their valuable time completing an assessment for an employer they haven’t even spoken to. **Our advice:**Use a phone screen to, well, _screen_ the candidates and gauge their interest! Send the assessment after you’ve spoken to them and gotten them excited about your opportunity. You’ll get stronger engagement this way. ### How to conduct phone screen interviews Remember, the purpose of a phone screen isn’t necessarily to make a hire at that moment, it’s to decide whether or not you want to move someone to the next stage in your hiring process. Your phone screen interview questions will likely not be as in depth as traditional interview questions and will simply help you decide if someone is qualified for the position and if you’d like to get to know them further. ### Phone screen interview questions * This role pays $X annually. Does that fit your salary expectations? * Do you have experience with X software? * Do you have any years of experience in a similar role? * Can you work weekends? * Are you willing to relocate? * What stood out to you about this position? * Tell me a little bit about your resume. * Why did you leave (or why are you leaving) your last position? * What date can you start? * Do you have any questions about the role or our company? ### Phone screen do’s * Keep the phone screen short – aim for 15 minutes and no more than 30. * Lead with your best foot forward, make sure you use this time to **showcase your**[**company culture**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/)**and**[**employer brand**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) by telling the candidate about who you are and what you have to offer. Our motto: hire like you sell! * Pay attention to the way the candidate presents themselves. Are they excited about the position? Do they seem truly interested in your company? * **Review the job description with the candidate in detail**so they understand what the role entails. You don’t want to find out later in the process that your expectations don’t align. We found that [21% of candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-candidates-turn-down-job-offers/) reject job offers because the role and responsibilities ended up being different than they expected. * **Explain the next steps to the candidate**. We found that [41% of candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) want to hear about the next stages of the hiring process during the initial interview. Transparency in a hiring process creates a great [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-is-candidate-experience/) and can help more [candidates stay engaged](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-engagement/) with you throughout. * Allow the candidate to **self-schedule the phone screen interview with**[**automated interview scheduling**](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/)**.** With CareerPlug’s Autopilot, you can easily add phone screens to your hiring process, sync your calendar, and let your candidates book their call when it’s most convenient for them. Plus, with the Fastrack feature, you can **automatically send an invitation to schedule a phone screen to applicants** that check all of your boxes. ### Phone screen don’ts * **Don’t forget to prepare for the interview.** Even though phone screens are short and typically more casual than regular interviews, you should be prepared with your questions and thoroughly review a candidate’s application before the interview begins. * **Don’t be the only one asking questions** – make sure you leave time for the candidate to ask a little about your company and about the role. * **Don’t forget to follow up!** You should let a candidate know if you’re not moving them on to the next round. You can [**automate candidate rejections**](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/)**using an applicant tracking system like CareerPlug.** ### To sum it all up The phone screen is a logical addition to any hiring process that can help you quickly determine whether you want to move forward with a candidate. Phone screens are also a great opportunity for you, as an employer, to make a good impression on candidates and get them excited about your company and the position. This starts with an easy and automated scheduling process and a strong introduction to your employer brand. So get out there and start dialing! Your next great hire might just be one phone call away. ### Schedule your next phone screen automatically with Autopilot Phone screen interviews are a great way to optimize your hiring process. Want to know what’s even better? Having them automatically appear on your calendar! Click the button below to try CareerPlug’s automated interview scheduling tool today. [TRY AUTOPILOT](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## CareerPlug Founder & CEO Clint Smith Releases New Book, “How to Hire” **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-book-press-release/ * Posted on August 8, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris PRESS RELEASE – August 8, 2023. CareerPlug is excited to announce the release of _How to Hire: The Essential Guide to Recruit & Retain the Right People_, a book by CareerPlug’s Founder and CEO, Clint Smith, and published by Amplify Publishing. In _How to Hire_, Smith draws on his two decades of experience to create the ultimate hiring playbook for small business owners. Most books on hiring are written for HR professionals, but _How to Hire_ was written to give owners & operators a playbook to achieve hiring success. Smith says, “I’ve wanted to write this book for a long time. Hiring and retaining the right people is often the #1 challenge faced by small business owners. I know because I’ve been there myself. Many of the lessons I share in this book were learned the hard way through bad hires and other mistakes, such as not having written core values. Several people have helped me make it through the challenges of growing a winning team, and this is my way of paying it forward.” _How to Hire_ covers everything you need to hire the right people, including: * Clarifying mission/vision/values * Understanding who you need * Attracting high-quality candidates * Running an effective hiring process * Building a winning culture _How to Hire_ has received early praise from reviewers including Kirkus Reviews, who says: “Smith’s approach, intended for hiring managers without specific HR expertise, is a refreshing departure from most conventional advice on hiring (and getting hired), which focuses on beating systems or verifying skill sets. Many companies claim, perhaps disingenuously, that their greatest asset is people, but Smith provides the resources to make that claim a reality. A sensible, cleareyed playbook for attracting, developing, and retaining top performers.” _How to Hire_ will be available for sale on [Amplify Publishing](https://amplifypublishinggroup.com/product/nonfiction/business-and-finance/entrepreneurship/how-to-hire/), [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/How-Hire-Essential-Recruit-Retain/dp/1645433242), and [Barnes & Noble](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-hire-clint-smith/1143188836?ean=9781645433248) on August 8, 2023. You can also find the free resources mentioned in the book (including ideal candidate profiles, job description templates, interview guides, and more) at the book’s official website: [**howtohire.com**](https://howtohire.com/). For press inquiries, please contact Lauren Torregrossa: [ltorregrossa@careerplug.com](mailto:ltorregrossa@careerplug.com). --- ## How to Create a Campus Recruiting Strategy **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/campus-recruiting-strategy/ * Posted on August 17, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Did you know that by 2025, Gen Z will make up [25% of the workforce](https://www.computerworld.com/article/3661170/what-gen-z-and-millennials-want-from-employers.html#:~:text=The%20Deloitte%20and%20Robin%20surveys,make%20a%20positive%20societal%20impact.)? As the talent pool gets increasingly younger and more technologically advanced, employers are adapting their recruiting strategies to attract the right candidates. One of the most effective strategies for hiring young talent is to recruit directly from the source: college campuses. A **campus recruiting strategy** is an approach to attract, engage, and hire talented students directly from universities. It entails both in-person and online outreach to identify students early in their academic careers who might be a good fit for a business. Campus recruiting can be as simple as spreading the word about your business, or as serious as offering internships or entry-level positions to top students. According to the [National Association of Colleges and Employers](https://www.naceweb.org/job-market/trends-and-predictions/employers-project-14-point-7-percent-increase-in-hiring-for-class-of-2023-college-graduates/), employers plan to hire 14.7% more new college graduates from the class of 2023 compared to the class of 2022. CareerPlug wants to make hiring easier, so we’ve laid out some guidelines on creating an effective campus recruiting strategy to stay ahead of the competition. #### Table of Contents 1. [Build relationships with campus resources](https://www.careerplug.com/campus-recruiting-strategy/#h-build-relationships-with-campus-resources-nbsp) 2. [Have a social media presence](https://www.careerplug.com/campus-recruiting-strategy/#h-have-a-social-media-presence-nbsp) 3. [How to post on social media to attract Gen Z](https://www.careerplug.com/campus-recruiting-strategy/#h-to-post-on-social) 4. [In-person job fairs](https://www.careerplug.com/campus-recruiting-strategy/#in-person-job-fairs) 5. [Virtual job fairs](https://www.careerplug.com/campus-recruiting-strategy/#virtual-job-fairs) 6. [Know what your talent pool wants](https://www.careerplug.com/campus-recruiting-strategy/#know-what-your-talent-pool-wants) 7. [Communicate often – and via text](https://www.careerplug.com/campus-recruiting-strategy/#communicate-often) ### Build relationships with campus resources One simple but effective way to recruit young talent is to build relationships with professors or department heads from specific schools you have in mind. No one interacts with a school’s top students more than the professors themselves! Connecting with professors or department heads – whether that be via personal connections, alumni, or LinkedIn – is a great way to get direct referrals. These leaders can give detailed information on exceptional students who might be a good fit for your business. Next, be sure to get involved with a college or university’s Career Services office. This department exists on campuses to help students explore career opportunities and make connections with potential employers. Who better to connect with than those guiding students into their future? Career Services is an intermediary between a recruiter and students. Career fairs, workshops, and networking events organized by Career Services offer valuable opportunities for employers to engage with students and showcase their company. **Quick tip:** ask Career Services to post your job openings and company information on their social media feeds. Most career centers will have some form of social media to keep students updated about opportunities. Utilizing that resource not only spreads awareness, but builds you a positive company reputation among the student community. ### Have a social media presence We know we’re not shocking you by saying that Gen Z spends a lot of their time on social media. So as an employer, if you want to attract Gen Z students, you should be active on social media platforms. Many traditional businesses might see this as an unnecessary step, but we assure you: **if a student is interested in your company, they will be looking up your social media.** Social media is a great tool for representing your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). By providing an authentic glimpse into your company’s culture, students can gain genuine interest in your business. If they like what they see, students will be more motivated to connect with you. Even at CareerPlug, a software company, we have found ways to stay active on our [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/careerplug/), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/careerplug_/?next=%2F), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/CareerPlug), and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug). We post for national holidays, announce upcoming events, share employee spotlights to showcase the real faces behind our talented team, and more! By building our company’s brand through social media, viewers can grasp our values and feel more connected to us. ### How to post on social media to attract Gen Z So…how exactly can you use social media to attract young talent? First, the content you post on your business’s social media accounts should be attractive, clean, and short posts. A Gen Z student scrolls through hundreds of posts a day. If your photos or videos are visually appealing and to-the-point, viewers are more likely to read, share, and explore your other posts. Next, remember to utilize what you already have! For example, you could: * Post about past interns who have turned into full-time employees to showcase opportunities for growth. * Share positive [testimonials from employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/) to inspire potential candidates. * Post the real faces behind your company to be personable. * You might have an upcoming work event – snap a photo to capture a positive moment. Show off what it’s like to work for your company! Remember, a good college recruitment strategy is not solely about pitching job opportunities to a student, but spreading awareness. **Show students that you are a great place to work so they _want_ to apply.** ### In-person job fairs When you think of campus recruiting, you probably picture a traditional in-person job fair – booths, pamphlets, and in-person networking. This used to be the most popular form of campus recruitment. But after the Covid-19 pandemic, job fairs shifted to online events instead. Connecting face-to-face with students is obviously ideal, but in-person recruitment can get expensive and limiting. A dynamic recruiting team will implement both in-person and virtual job fairs. However, depending on your company’s needs and resources, virtual job fairs have the capacity to replace in-person ones –especially with Gen Z. ### Virtual job fairs Virtual job fairs can be more effective simply because they reach a much broader audience – even on a global scale! By connecting online, your company can reach students who do not live on campus or are too busy to attend in-person events. Technology also makes it much easier for Gen Z students to register and attend. Let’s be real – you’ll likely get a higher attendance rate if students can join from the comfort of their computer screens. **Even if your job opportunities aren’t remote, your recruiting process can be!** And the cherry on top of the virtual process…it saves you money by coordinating everything online! ### Know what your talent pool wants Now that you know where to find your college talent, you’ll need to market your opportunities in a way that entices them to apply to your open roles. So how can you attract more Gen Z applicants? ### Be authentic Gen Z can often struggle in managing the expectations of an increasingly digital world while also appreciating the value of face-to-face experiences. Because of this, they tend to value authenticity and personal relationships. Whether you’re talking to students directly or showcasing your business on social media, it’s important to be honest about what it’s like to work for you. **The candidates who value the same things you do are the candidates you want!** Imagine a scenario where a new hire discovers that a company misrepresented itself during the hiring process – this misunderstanding can lead to disappointment and employee turnover. Recent grads, full of ambition, want workplaces that align with their values and offer growth opportunities. Try listing your [company core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) on your careers page and incorporate those values in your student networking. Remember that you want to show you are a great place to work! ### Commit to diversity [Social awareness is a major defining characteristic of Gen Z](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/attracting-gen-z-talent-younger-workers-expect-equity-charlotte/), which is important to keep in mind when showcasing your business and recruiting candidates. If possible, utilize a diverse recruiting team so students can see and talk to a range of people – and to show that you are a [diverse workplace](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-hiring/). In a [recent TalentLMS survey](https://www.talentlms.com/research/gen-z-workplace-statistics#:~:text=An%20equal%2C%20inclusive%20and%20socially%20responsible%20workplace&text=And%20our%20research%20confirms%20this,about%20diversity%2C%20equity%20and%20inclusion.), 77% of surveyed Gen-Zers found it important to work for a company that cares about diversity, equity and inclusion. Representation matters to Gen Z! Also be sure to exclude any racial, cultural, or [gender-biased](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/) language from job descriptions. Next, think about what you actually consider to be criteria for “top candidates.” In the past five years, the [percentage of employers screening candidates by GPA](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brandonbusteed/2022/11/16/when-gpa-no-longer-matters/?sh=35237e943a71) has been cut in half. The pandemic also caused many students to take gap years. The moral of the story: be flexible and open to who you recruit. Be sure to [hire for growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/), instead of who simply looks best on paper. ### Hire for careers, not just jobs College students are eager to start their careers, so it’s important to get them excited about the long-term opportunities you have to offer. That’s why we like to say:[**hire for careers, not just jobs**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-careers/)**.** This approach can work for any kind of role – even part-time positions. Imagine that you’re a retail store manager trying to recruit part-time sales associates. If you’re simply looking for someone with a pulse to stand at the cash register and ring up customers, college students and recent grads will quickly realize there’s no future there and be less likely to commit for the long-term. But if you’re looking for someone to start out as part-time with the hopes of developing them into a more substantial role, you’ll begin to attract the right candidates who will want to stay. Show them the path to growth at your company and how they can contribute. Are there other employee success stories you can point to in your business, like a restaurant server who worked her way up to a manager role? Your best young candidates will want to see that! College students and recent grads want careers, not just jobs. It’s up to you to prove that you’re just as invested in their growth as they are. ### Communicate often – and via text College students are just beginning their careers and sometimes it’s best as an employer to err on the side of over-communicating with them. They’re figuring a lot of things out for the first time! Reach out to them immediately after applying and stay in touch with them throughout the hiring process to keep them aware of what they can expect next. One easy way to do this is with text recruiting. [Text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/text-recruiting-makes-hiring-easier/) is a great way to keep students engaged throughout your hiring process. Obviously, it’s not ideal for busy hiring managers to spend all day texting college recruits, so luckily there’s technology to automate it! For example, CareerPlug’s applicant tracking system comes with [Autopilot, an automated interview scheduling assistant](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) that automatically texts interview invites and reminders to candidates for you. ### To Sum it Up A good campus recruiting strategy requires you to stay engaged with campus life, understand what this talent pool wants, and emphasize the growth opportunities you can offer. Remember to be authentic and create meaningful connections with all students. As a generation that is technology-driven, Gen Z is open to new digital networking methods like virtual job fairs and text recruiting. Taking those extra steps to prioritize communication and showcasing your employer brand on social media will go a long way in gaining students’ trust and motivating them to apply. ### Game Changing Hiring Automations for Your Business Automate the tedious parts of your hiring process, including applicant screening, candidate communication, interview scheduling, and more with CareerPlug. Try it out today! [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Employee Testimonial Examples to Attract & Win Candidates **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/ * Posted on November 15, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Your company careers page. **It’s one of the most important aspects for job seekers when deciding to apply to your company**. What about job boards like Indeed though? Aren’t job seekers going there? While job seekers are applying for jobs through job boards, our research shows that when it comes to applicants, job boards typically produce _quantity_ over _quality_. In our [2023 Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/), we shared that applicants that come from a [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) are **3.5 times more likely to be hired**than an applicant from a job board. This is because a candidate who takes the time to research a company and check out their careers page is likely more invested in the role. They don’t just want to see a job opening, they want to know what it’s like working at your company. [Linkedin reported](https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam/business/talent-solutions/global/en_us/c/pdfs/ultimate-list-of-employer-brand-stats.pdf) that **candidates trust the company’s employees 3x more than the company to provide credible information on what it’s like to work there.**Successfully showing off strong company culture and a great [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) starts with social proof and what better place than your careers page to highlight employee testimonials? **Employee testimonials** can be a big draw for potential candidates, as they show real employees talking about their real experiences at work. They can also serve as a great way to reach [passive candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/attracting-passive-candidates-2/). Sure you like your job, but why not work at our company where you’ll LOVE your job! An employee testimonial, when done well, might just be that call to action a great passive candidate needs to work at your company instead. So, to help you try and grab those great active and passive candidates, we put together some of our own client’s best employee testimonials. Each has a reason they are great and can offer insights on how to buff up your [recruitment marketing](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruitment-marketing-strategies/). By the way, if you’re starting your careers page from scratch, be sure to check out this video from our very own Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan, on building a compelling careers page: ### 7-Eleven’s testimonial video shows a fun work environment CareerPlug client, 7-Eleven knows how to make the most of their [company’s careers page](https://careers.7-eleven.com/?utm_source=7.eleven.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=careers_2021). It includes a section on employee benefits and FAQs. But most importantly, it has a video titled “Why Work at 7-Eleven” that includes various employees sharing about their experience working for the company – all highlighting how much fun they have in their roles. One employee, Sandra, shares, “The employees have fun. They like working with each other,” and another employee, Ryan, says, “Some of my best friends work here.” It’s also worth pointing out that 7-eleven goes above and beyond when it comes to sharing their employees’ endorsements. They have a [video library](https://app.altrulabs.com/7-eleven/careers?cachebust=1628694962179) with employee testimonials that are organized by various topics like company culture, career growth, and impact. ### Snap Fitness testimonials highlight growth and development opportunities Providing your employees with professional development opportunities is one of the best ways to retain them. It also helps you attract job seekers that are looking for upward mobility and career advancement. [One job seeker we spoke to](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/applicant-expectations-report/) had this to say regarding what makes them excited to apply to a job: “As I am eager to pursue higher goals in my career, I get excited if a job offers a sustainable career path and opportunities for advancement.” Snap Fitness understands what job seekers value and uses employee testimonials to show them how a career at Snap Fitness can lead to growth. The following testimonials featured on [their careers page](https://snapfitnesscareers.careerplug.com/jobs) mention both networking opportunities and working with managers that help train you for future career opportunities. ### Mosquito Hunters’ employee testimonials highlights real people Employee testimonials are so powerful, because other people’s opinions mean something to us when making big decisions. Candidates want to hear from real people that they can trust. [Mosquito Hunters](https://mosquito-hunters-of-broomfield.careerplug.com/account) make sure that job seekers know real employees are giving their testimonials by including their name and using video to echo the testimonials and highlight real people. They go the extra mile in making their testimonials seem real and genuine. This builds trust and strengthens the call to action for potential candidates. ### Romp n’ Roll Employee testimonials show variety of experiences When it comes to employee testimonials, more is better. The more testimonials you have, the better the potential candidates will understand what it’s like working at your company. Our client [Romp n’ Roll](https://rompnroll.com/about/employment) does a great job here including 5 employee testimonials. Including photos was also a great call as it helps bridge the gap between a job seeker and employee by showing someone in this role. These testimonials are in-depth and give job seekers a great overall view of how Romp n’ Roll has affected them both personally and professionally. [One of the testimonials is even a video](https://youtu.be/DaH4famvqc0), helping to provide another source of validation. ### The Cleaning Authority shows candidates what it’s really like to work there Part of a good careers page is helping people visualize themselves working for your company. [The Cleaning Authority](https://www.thecleaningauthority.com/jobs/) boasts genuine testimonials and even includes names, locations, and pictures to make them more personable. They also get some bonus points for adding a video that shows some of the day-to-day of an employee. It’s not a testimonial but it gives candidates a real sense of what their job is going to be like. ### Hand and Stone Employee testimonial speaks to both candidates and clients An employee testimonial is great because it provides validation to job seekers. What’s even better? A video testimonial that can work for candidates and clients. Our client [Hand and Stone](https://handandstonecareers.com/)hit the nail on the head with their employee testimonial. This professionally done video shows candidates what it’s like working for the company. It also shows what clients will experience when going to Hand and Stone. Videos are a powerful and multifunctional tool for building your employer brand. Not only can they live on your career site, but they can also be shared through social media. Social proof is a huge factor for job seekers when deciding whether or not to apply to your company. If you are a great place to work, your current employees will happily share their experience with others. Sharing those employee testimonials is a great way to boost your careers page, build your employer brand, and ultimately, get more applicants. ### Ready to upgrade your careers page with employee testimonials? Get a personalized demo of CareerPlug’s hiring software to learn how. And the best part? No HR or computer expertise required. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## How to Cut Costs in Your Recruitment Process **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-reduce-recruitment-costs/ * Posted on April 8, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris We all know that hiring and recruiting can be an expensive cost for any business —both in terms of time and money. The average cost of recruiting a new employee in the U.S is [$4,000](https://www.glassdoor.com/employers//blog/calculate-cost-per-hire/), and the cost of bad hire is estimated to be [30% of the first-year salary](https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/about/news/february-2019/the-cost-of-a-bad-hire.html). Knowing how high the stakes are, it’s important for employers —especially [small businesses](https://www.careerplug.com/small-business-hiring-software/) —to make the right hire the first time. Here are some more of our suggestions to help you and your business cut the cost of recruiting new employees. ### 1. Establish an employee referral program. Recently, CareerPlug conducted a [recruitment metrics study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) of more than 12,000 companies. We found that one of the best sources of high-quality applicants for employers in all industries surveyed is referrals. In fact, **16.7% of applicants from personal referrals became hires**, whereas only 1.3% of applicants from job boards became hires. In our experience, an applicant who is referred to a job is much more likely to be excited about the position and to be a good match, while applicants who apply from job boards are more likely to be sending out dozens of applications in short order, with less consideration for their qualifications or their interest in the specific company. Studies also show that referrals tend to result in a lower turnover rate and increased employee morale. The cost associated with [employee referral programs](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/) tends to come in the form of cash bonuses or other rewards intended to incentivize employees to help recruit on your behalf. However, offering a bonus of a few hundred dollars can often be a welcome price tag to business owners who would otherwise spend thousands more on other recruitment marketing expenses that may not even result in the high-quality applicants they want. ### 2. Streamline your hiring process. Big companies often come with big HR departments dedicated to hiring and recruiting. But what if you’re a small-to-medium business owner without the HR resources of a big company? These small-to-medium businesses can benefit most from streamlining their hiring process because they have less time, money, and attention to devote to recruiting, hiring, and onboarding. After all, they have a business to run! Consider investing in an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) to help you eliminate paperwork, save time on administrative tasks, automate communication with applicants, pre-qualify candidates with assessments, and accelerate hiring decisions. You could also take advantage of technology to make your interviewing process more efficient. We’ve seen more businesses adopting remote hiring methods during the COVID-19 pandemic as a health and safety measure, but these methods have the added benefit of increased efficiency: * More extensive phone screenings * Pre-qualification questions and assessments * [Online video calls](https://www.ringcentral.co.uk/video-call.html) in place of in-person interviews A streamlined hiring process can get the right people in your roles fast, saving you time and money. ### 3. Write compelling job postings. Job seekers are busy people too, and the best candidates will only invest their time in applying to roles that sound enticing. Your [job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) should be clear and bold in presenting the value you are offering. Taking a little time up front to update the copy on your job postings is a great low-effort, no-cost strategy that will save you time and produce better results in the long run. Start by choosing a relevant job title. Avoid using quirky terms like “rock star assistant,” “sales ninja,” or “marketing guru.” Ask yourself: What keywords would an applicant for this role search on Google or job boards? It’s important to optimize your job title for search because the title is what people will click! For the content of your job post, put your business’s best foot forward and show off your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). What can you offer candidates in terms of growth opportunities, professional development, benefits, perks, and company culture that your competitors can’t? Potential employees are looking for something more than a rudimentary job description composed of a few bullet points. They’re looking for a story and [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) as well. Your job ad should communicate these and entice job seekers to want to hear more about the role. Interested in learning more about how to write compelling job postings? Check out the video below featuring CareerPlug’s Senior Director of HR, Natalie Morgan. ### 4. Keep a talent pool on file. Once they’ve filled a particular position, too many employers tend to forget about all the other applicants. This can be a mistake, as some of these applicants might potentially make a good fit in the future. If you’ve attracted strong candidates who were your second or third choice for a certain role, don’t lose their resume! Let them know that you’ll keep them in mind for future roles. Many hiring managers already say this to candidates they don’t end up hiring, but make sure it’s not just lip service —you should _actually keep them in mind for future roles._ Our advice: **Always be hiring.** The wrong time to start hiring is when you needed a person in the door yesterday. You might not need to hire someone today or tomorrow, but you never know when a great employee might leave. By always keeping a lookout for top talent, you can maintain a hiring pipeline. When you’re in a bind, you have someone to call without starting the recruitment process over from scratch and waiting for new job board applicants. Applicant tracking systems can help you [archive and organize all of the applications](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) you receive for your roles. You can search for your favorite candidates at a later date and send them an email or text message in seconds. ### 5. Increase employee retention. The best recruiting strategy is retention. It can cost a business up to[33% of an employee’s annual salary](https://www.hrdive.com/news/study-turnover-costs-employers-15000-per-worker/449142/) when an employee leaves. But other unseen costs include: * **Opportunity costs** — How much could your business have grown if you kept your team together? * **Culture costs** — How will the departure of good employees impact the rest of the team? When you lose employees who make positive contributions to your culture, what happens to your culture when they take those contributions elsewhere? One low-cost way to increase retention is to increase [employee engagement](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/) — a measure of how invested your employees are in their work and the organization. Show employees recognition and appreciation, provide opportunities for team building and [virtual learning](https://www.ringcentral.co.uk/gb/en//blog/hub/virtual-learning-resource-hub/) to expand their skill set, solicit feedback from everyone on your team, and make sure you’re communicating growth opportunities to your top performers. But perhaps most importantly, give your employees a sense of purpose in their work. A [2017 Gallup study](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238085/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspx) found that when employees have a sense of purpose in their work, their engagement increases exponentially. Employees who said they can link their individual goals to the organization’s goals were 3.5 times more likely to be engaged in their performance. The downside is that only 44% of those workers polled said that they can actually see these connections. **You can put your business at a significant advantage in terms of retention if you can connect people’s work with a greater purpose.** ### Conclusion Recruiting will always have some cost —in time, money, and effort. But by being strategic about _how_ you spend your valuable time, money, and effort, you can end up making better hiring decisions. And by making better hiring decisions, you can retain your employees longer, making your business stronger overall. * * * ### About the Author _Sunny Dhami is the Senior Director, EMEA Product Marketing & GTM for [RingCentral](https://www.ringcentral.co.uk/office/features/video-conference/overview.html). He has extensive Marketing experience across SaaS, Telecommunications and Technology sectors within companies such as Vodafone, Reed Elsevier, Calor Gas and SapientNitro. Sunny has also written for websites such as [Hubspot](https://blog.hubspot.com/service/ivr-system?\_\_hstc=149923945.df8ad4ae66e95b20ea60f69089772b58.1777063751390.1777063751390.1777063751390.1&\_\_hssc=149923945.1.1777063751390&\_\_hsfp=a9cc2efcfcc506695dc904ec491f705f)._ --- ## How We Hire at CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-we-hire-at-careerplug/ * Posted on June 3, 2022 * by Natalie Morgan It’s our mission to help businesses attract, hire, and develop the right people. Part of living this mission is by following our own hiring advice and building a great hiring process. Our process has evolved over the years and will continue to change as we keep the conversation going, keep the feedback coming, and focus on [creating exceptional experiences](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) for both candidates and hiring managers. Let’s pull back the curtain on how we hire at CareerPlug, to provide insight into how a good hiring process works and the impact it can have on recruitment success. ### Who we hire As you design [your hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/), you’ll configure it based on your company’s needs and the type of positions for which you’re hiring. At CareerPlug, we typically hire for positions that require specialized training or industry expertise: Software Engineers, Partner Success Managers, and Client Consultants. Besides professional history, we always hire candidates who align with our core values. These are the four core values that we want every person on the team to exemplify: * Be Kind * Speak Up, Step Up * Keep Growing * Work Together, Win Together ### Before posting the job At the start of our hiring process, before the job is posted on the job boards, there are a few internal pre-hiring steps we follow: 1. Write an up-to-date [job description](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) 2. Create an [Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) (This is an exercise that helps us get really clear on who we are looking for to fill an open role.) 3. Submit a personnel requisition with departmental, HR, and leadership sign-off ### Our hiring process We lay out our hiring process in this basic workflow: Review, Phone Screen, Assess, Interviews, Verify, and Offer. Since becoming fully remote in 2020, the entirety of our hiring process takes place virtually. Let’s touch on all of these stages in detail. ### Review Our hiring managers use this step to evaluate incoming applicants within our [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) (ATS) and decide whether or not to move them forward. We include four to five [prescreen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) on the application asking about the most important information, usually about experience level in their field. ### Phone Screen Hiring managers typically conduct a 15-20 minute phone screen with candidates, though candidates may also be speaking with a member of our HR team. Our phone screens have three parts: 1. Vetting basic qualifications for the role (Tell me what a typical day looks like in your current role?) 2. Discovering job preferences (What’s your ideal work environment or company culture?) 3. Time for the candidate to ask questions (We like candidates who do their research and ask thoughtful questions.) ### Assess We use the [personality and math/verbal assessments](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) within our hiring software for many of our roles. Candidates spend 10-15 minutes on each assessment, and then we review the results with them during their first in-person interview. For some positions, like Software Engineers, we’ll do a job assessment more specific to the role, like a coding challenge. ### First interview The first interview is led by the hiring manager with one or two co-interviewers — sometimes the department head and sometimes a peer from the team. This interview takes 60-90 minutes and will typically review the assessment results and dive deeper in a candidate’s experience through behavioral style questions (“Tell me about a time…”). ### Leadership interview Candidates that make it to the next stage of the hiring process meet with two or more members of our Leadership Team. Our team asks questions driven by our core values. [Culture fit](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/) is non-negotiable for us, and the members of our Leadership Team are the final gatekeepers. This interview is also an opportunity for candidates to ask questions and learn about the company’s vision and strategy. ### Lifeline interview The [lifeline interview](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/lifeline-interviews/) is my favorite interview, and is conducted in two parts. Part one looks back at a candidate’s resume, dividing their professional life into “chapters”. We ask questions like these: * What happened during that chapter? * Who was your manager and what was it like working for them? * What were the highs/lows of that job? * Why did you leave? * What were your key takeaways or lessons learned? Part two is a drawn-out variation of the question “Where do you see yourself in five years?” We like to understand a candidate’s career goals as well as some of their personal goals and values. This allows us to mutually decide with a candidate if the job at CareerPlug will help them fulfill their aspirations. For both career and life (anything outside of work-life that people are comfortable sharing), we ask: What does “awesome” look like in this category in the next five years? How do you envision this happening? How would you feel if you achieved this? We typically share our screen and write notes from this interview, with the interviewer (usually myself or another member of the HR team) documenting as the candidate answers. We close the interview by asking, “Given what you know about this job and CareerPlug, can you see yourself accomplishing these goals with us?” ### Verify We wrap up our hiring process with a few more internal steps. First, we always conduct a reference check for final stage candidates, aiming for three with a strong preference for past supervisors. We also do an internal step we call the Candidate Defense. This is where it all comes together. From the Ideal Candidate Profile and job description to the assessments and interview notes, the hiring manager gathers everything and presents the candidate to our leadership team. The hiring manager makes the case for why this person is the right fit for the role. We share our feedback, ask probing questions, and sometimes play devil’s advocate. This is designed for the hiring manager to feel confident in their hire and ensure they’ve evaluated everything most important to the role. ### Offer Finally, we [give the candidate an offer](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/closing-the-deal-how-to-hire-the-right-person/). We try to do this in a virtual meeting so we can present the full offer and be there for their reactions and questions. We believe in leading with our best offer and don’t negotiate with candidates. This helps us stay equitable as well as have early, transparent conversations about compensation (we[include compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/) on all job postings!) so we don’t get blindsided at this stage. After the offer is accepted, we do a [criminal background check](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-background-checks/) through [Universal Background](https://universalbackground.com/)(a platform integrated with our ATS). ### What candidates think of our hiring process We take our hiring seriously, and it can feel intense on paper (and sometimes in practice). However, overwhelmingly we hear from candidates that they love our process. Hiring for a company that provides hiring software is a unique position, but it makes all of us put that much more commitment and care into our hiring and treat it as a priority. The result has been a team of dedicated, hard-working people who live our core values and have helped us build one of the best places to work. Keeping [the candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) at the forefront has helped protect our process from becoming burdensome. One way to do this is to share your hiring process with applicants upfront. We share this video of me explaining our hiring steps on our careers page and link to it in the automatic thank you email applicants receive after applying: ### Take action * Document your current hiring process, including what candidates can expect at each step. Consider making this a public-facing document that you share with applicants before they apply. * Ask yourself: What’s one thing that could be [improved in your hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) to create a better experience for hiring managers or candidates? * Identify steps in your hiring process that various hiring managers handle differently. Brainstorm ways to add consistency to your hiring process so all candidates get a similar experience. For example, you might create interview question templates or create guidelines about how many of your team members should be present during interviews. * Consider using an [Applicant Tracking System](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) that automates various steps of your hiring process and helps you communicate with clients more easily through [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) and email templates. --- ## What Is Your Talent GPA? How to Evaluate Your Team **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/whats-talent-gpa/ * Posted on December 11, 2023 * by Clint Smith _Note: The following is an excerpt from[How to Hire](https://howtohire.com/)_,_the new book by CareerPlug CEO, Clint Smith._ * * * To build a truly successful business, you’ve got to have the right people in the right seats. At CareerPlug, you may hear us phrase this as, “Who’s on your bus?”. The first step to getting the right people on the bus is to evaluate who you currently have aboard. I do this by calculating a Talent GPA for my team. All that you need to do is ask a single question for each member of your team, and then grade your response: **How would you feel if you found out that [EMPLOYEE NAME] was leaving the company?** Here’s the grading scale: (Note: This is a simple way to calculate the GPA. It may be more accurate for you to overweight the grades for leaders and other key roles.) **A (4 points)**– Sudden feeling of being punched in the gut. You rush to the door to block it and try to do whatever you can to keep this person. You know that it’s going to be a big hit to the team, and it will be hard to replace this person with someone as good. **B (3 points)**– Disappointment and some concern about the short term. After getting past that, a feeling that you could, at the very least, hire someone as good—possibly better. **C (2 points)**– Sudden feeling of relief and lightness. You rush to the door to open it and bid them farewell, knowing that you just received a golden opportunity to upgrade. **F (0 points)** – Don’t let the door hit you on the way out! (Note: If you have anyone on your team that is an F player, put this book aside right now—you need to remove this person from your team immediately. Every day that you keep them on, you are putting your company at risk of becoming toxic and losing your top performers.) ### Calculate your current Talent GPA Download our free Talent GPA worksheet to help you understand who’s on your bus and how to work with individual employees to improve your overall GPA. [DOWNLOAD THE WORKSHEET](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Talent-GPA-Worksheet.pdf) Be sure to factor in an employee’s culture fit when assigning grades. Someone won’t get an A from me unless they exemplify our values, no matter how good they are at their job. I have let some talented people go who were toxic to our culture. While their contributions were missed in some ways, I still felt relieved when they left (which meant their grade was no higher than a C). If you are stuck between two grades for someone, ask yourself who does most of the pushing in the relationship? A Players make you think, Wow. I really need to step up my game to lead this person. That’s them pushing you. C Players make you think, Wow. This person doesn’t get much done without me pushing them to do it. B Players are somewhere in between. They take care of their work on their own, but you don’t feel the pressure to improve like you do with an A Player. The easiest way to calculate your Talent GPA is to start with an employee list with columns for grade and grade points. Then simply work your way down the list and enter a grade and the corresponding number of grade points for each employee. Finally, average all of the grade points. Pay close attention to the grades of your leaders. Leaders and managers rarely build (and keep) a team with a Talent GPA higher than their own, so don’t expect your B Player leader to build a team full of A Players. The quality of your leadership team will determine your company’s trajectory and ultimate success. One of my mentors once showed me a simple org chart with a top leader and five direct reports. He told me, “This could be a six-person or 6,000-person organization. It all depends on the quality of your leadership team.” Ineffective leaders and managers do not just underperform—they can also drive away high performers. I believe the old saying, “People don’t leave companies, they leave their managers.” Be aware of this risk and take the appropriate actions. In addition to tracking the grades on a spreadsheet, I print our org chart and write the grades next to each person’s box. Then I try to take a step back mentally and look for insights. The visual aspect of the org chart has been so valuable to me. I have been able to spot issues and opportunities by looking at my team this way. You can also conduct this exercise with your leaders and managers. Give them a copy of their team’s org chart and ask them to write a grade next to each person based on how they would feel if their employee left. Check for alignment with your own thoughts. If this is an underperforming team and the manager does not identify any C’s in the group, then they may be the C. Once you have the grades for your employees, it’s not as easy as keeping some on the bus and kicking others off. You should determine a course of action for each person. Consider working with each employee to develop growth plans that factor in their goals and a path they can take at the company. Here’s some guidance on how to approach each group. ### B Players I want to start with B Players because this should be the largest group of people on your team. If you rated almost every employee at your company as an A Player, take another look. Even if you do have above-average talent across the board at your company, you should have a top 10%–20% of your employees that stand out as the highest performers. They are your A Players. Likewise, your bottom 10%–20% should stand out as C Players. The rest are B Players (relatively speaking). The most important thing that I have learned about B Players is this: Their performance will move up when they are working with A Players and down when they are working with C Players. The best things that you can do for B Players is to: 1. Maximize the number of A Players on the team. 2. Minimize the number of C Players. 3. Encourage their development and help them find their strength zones. Something else to consider: I have seen B Players make the jump to the A level after a role change in the company (or after they got a new leader). ### A Players The best things that you can do for A Players are to: 1. Take care of them with recognition and compensation. 2. Remove obstacles so they can grow/thrive. A Players outperform the rest of your team and should be rewarded accordingly. Remember that not all of them are motivated primarily by money. Make sure that you know what’s most important to them (development, achievement, recognition, compensation) and focus on helping them get what they want. Understand what they want to accomplish in their careers, and clear the path for them to achieve it. If you don’t do this, they will look for it somewhere else. The easiest way to lose an A Player is to surround them with C Players. A friend of mine once told me that “Eagles don’t like to fly with crows.” I don’t think that I can put it any better than that. ### C Players With this group, you need to get them moving up or moving out. Ask yourself why these people are underperforming and develop performance improvement plans for them. Are they in the wrong role or with the wrong manager? Is there something happening in their lives affecting their performance? Is this a character issue? Do I see a path to get these people to become B Players (or higher)? You owe it to these people to communicate any performance issues and develop action plans to improve their performance. If you don’t do this, then you are not only letting these people down as their leader — you are letting down the rest of your team. Grades and people can change. It’s your job to put them in the best positions to succeed. If you need to part ways with them, you will have done it the right way. Carrying the burden of an underperformer may hurt more than you think. In some cases, a team can produce more without that person, even if they are not replaced. How is that possible? Think about a sales team: The underperformer may be squandering solid leads that another rep would close. The leader of the team may need to spend a disproportionate amount of time on the underperformer, time that’s taken away from more productive reps and their deals. Worst of all, morale decreases and the standard for performance falls. One additional thought on this group: Kim Scott (author of Radical Candor) gave me a new perspective on underperformers. She says that most people have the potential to be A Players if they are put in the right roles. Is there another type of role that may suit your underperformer better? If this role exists at the company, then you should explore it. If not, you may not be doing this person a favor by keeping them. You may be keeping them from becoming an A Player somewhere else. I have never made the mistake of letting someone go too soon. When I think about the times I’ve had to fire people, my regrets are that 1) I should have given them more feedback, and 2) I should have acted sooner. ### Download your free copy of How to Hire! Want to read more of Clint Smith’s advice? Get your FREE copy of How to Hire – the essential playbook for hiring the right people for your team. Claim yours by clicking the button below. DOWNLOAD THE E-BOOK --- ## How to Create An Effective Employee Referral Program **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/employee-referral-program/ * Posted on June 23, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris #### Table of Contents 1. [Define your vision for your team’s growth.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-referral-program/#define) 2. [Set SMART goals.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-referral-program/#smart) 3. [Determine what you need.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-referral-program/#determine) 4. [Design your program.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-referral-program/#design) 5. [Get your employees excited to submit referrals.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-referral-program/#excited) 6. [Maintain your referral program long-term.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-referral-program/#long-term) 7. [Evaluate the program.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-referral-program/#evaluate) In our annual [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/), we found that one the best sources of high-quality applicants wasn’t job boards – it’s referrals. This may sound surprising to business owners whose recruiting strategy relies solely on job boards. While job boards are the most common source for applicants across all industries – producing 72% of applications, they do not produce hires at nearly the same rate as other sources. Applicants who applied directly to a company careers page were four times more likely to be hired than applicants from job boards. But the real winner was referrals: **Applicants who applied from referrals were eighteen times more likely to be hired than applicants from job boards.** While referrals are one of the most successful sources of high-quality applicants, they are also often the most underutilized source by busy hiring managers. But as the data shows, it can be worth the time and effort to develop a recruiting strategy that targets referrals. One way to do this is by establishing an effective employee referral program. ### What is an employee referral program? **An employee referral program is a structured program in which a company encourages its employees to refer people from their networks to open positions in the company**. The referring employee usually receives a reward, such as a bonus payment, if someone they refer is hired. [Employee referrals](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referrals/) are considered an internal recruitment method. Hiring through an employee referral program has its advantages: * **Faster hiring process:**First, consider the source –is the referring employee someone who demonstrates your company’s core values? If so, their referral is likely to share similar core values and be eager to join your team. You can eliminate a lot of guesswork and deliberation and deliver your offer quicker than you might with a job board applicant who requires more extensive vetting. * **Lower turnover rate:** Referred candidates are more likely to be a [good fit for the company culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/). This means they are likely to be happier at work, get along better with colleagues, and stay at the company longer. * **Better onboarding:** Referred employees can be onboarded more easily, since the person referring them may have already provided them with some background on how the company works. Studies show that **employees who were referred by existing employees stay longer at the company than those who were hired from other sources.** **Source:**[Scoophealth](https://www.scoophealth.com/benefits-of-employee-referral-programs/) But it’s not just the referred candidates who stay longer. Those who made the referrals also have a longer average tenure at their company. ### Creating an effective employee referral program Now that you understand the benefits, here’s a step-by-step guide for creating an effective employee referral program. ### Step 1: Define your vision for your team’s growth. If your employee referral program is to be effective, you need a plan. And creating a plan begins with a robust understanding of your company, culture, and employees. Try asking yourself these questions: * What are your company’s hiring needs right now? * How do you see your company growing in the long term? Or as Jim Collins would say: [Who’s on your bus?](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/whos-on-your-bus/) * What are your company’s [core values](https://hbr.org/2002/07/make-your-values-mean-something)? These should set the tone for your company culture, not the other way around. If you haven’t defined your core values yet, you can start by asking your existing employees how they would describe them. * What motivates your existing employees? Ask them directly to get more accurate answers. Be as specific as possible. It’s also likely you’ll have to revisit these questions from time to time as the company grows, culture evolves, and hiring needs change. ### Step 2: Set SMART goals. If you’re going to set up a successful employee referral program, you need to understand why you’re doing so. What are your goals? Write them down and ensure each goal fits the **SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based)** framework: **Source:**[Kazoo HR](https://www.kazoohr.com/resources/library/how-to-set-smart-goals) For example, “get more employee referrals” is a bad goal because it is too vague and cannot be easily quantified. An example of a SMART goal might be, “We will solicit five employee referrals for the Director of Finance position by the end of October.” This goal is specific, can be measured, is realistically attainable, aligns with a hiring need, and has a time limit. Run all your goals through this framework. If they do not meet all the criteria, adjust or refine them until they do. ### Step 3: Determine what you need. What resources do you need in order to attain those SMART goals you’ve just identified? There are three core areas of resourcing you’ll need to look at: **time, staff, and budget.** In other words, you need to make sure you’ve got enough people (and the right people), enough time, and enough money to realistically achieve your goals. Here are some ways you can do that and some tools to help you: * **Budget the entire project** before you start, using a simple spreadsheet. * **How long will the project take?**Ensure you allow enough time and ideally build in a contingency in case something goes wrong. One problem shouldn’t set the whole project back. * **Define who will be responsible for what.** Use an[employee schedule template](https://www.zoomshift.com//blog/excel-weekly-employee-schedule-template) to assign specific roles to each team member and ensure things are on track. Once you know what staff, time, and money you’ll need, ensure the company is willing to give you access to those resources before you launch your employee referral program. ### Step 4: Design your program. Next, you’ll need to determine the program rules. Ideally, keep it as simple as possible. If the program is too complex or difficult to understand, employees simply won’t bother. Here are the things to consider as you build your program’s framework: * Who can make a referral: Any employee, only those of a certain seniority level, or only those who have been at the company for a certain length of time? * Is there a limit to how many referrals an employee can make in a year? You’ll also need to consider the rewards you offer. According to LinkedIn,**96% of employees prefer a cash bonus for a successful referral:** **Source:**[LinkedIn](https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions//blog/2015/01/building-an-employee-referral-program-3-things-you-should-know) You can conduct a survey of what your employees would like to have as a reward for a successful referral to the company. This may vary across industries. In [one recent webinar](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/state-of-hiring-home-services-webinar/), Ryan Englin of Core Matters, shared that he’s had great success offering more paid time off as a referral bonus in the [home and commercial services industry.](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/home-services-hiring-software/) Assuming you go down the cash bonus route, you’ll need to work out how much to offer. A flat rate or a percentage of the role’s salary? [According to The Balance Careers](https://www.thebalancecareers.com/what-are-employee-referral-bonuses-2062988), referral bonuses can range from $250 up to $25,000 for executive positions, with the most common figures being in the $1000 – $2500 range. ### Step 5: Get your employees excited to submit referrals. Once you’ve designed your employee referral program, it’s time to promote it. If you want it to be successful, you need to make sure that your employees both know about it and are excited about it. Announce your new referral program before it is actually launched. Post about it on the company’s (virtual or physical) bulletin board, send around a series of email reminders, or even organize an official launch event. **Source:**[1Point1 Solutions](https://twitter.com/1point1solution/status/988699646586335232) You can also create a special promo campaign for your program. Ask the marketing department to create some branded promotional materials such as the poster pictured above. You could even introduce a little friendly competition between departments. If several departments have open positions, why not launch your referral program with an inter-team competition to see which team can garner the most referrals in the first week? (But make sure to emphasize that these should be qualified referrals, not just any warm body!) Finally, ensure your referral program is included in your onboarding materials. If new employees are aware of it as soon as they start, they’re more likely to get involved next time a role opens up. ### Step 6: Maintain your referral program long-term. It’s important to keep your program updated and fresh. A referral program is not necessarily a “set and forget” strategy. If referrals start dropping off, you can introduce limited time novelties or bonuses to help the program pick back up again. For example, you could promise a company-wide celebratory event when a specified number of successful referral hires are made. You could also run a prize draw for employees, where everyone who makes a qualified referral by a certain date is entered, whether or not their candidate ends up getting hired. Here’s a great example from Evercare, who introduced a promotion where employees could choose their own reward – a cash bonus, a night away, a fun family day out, or a donation to their favorite charity: **Source:**[Evercare](https://www.evercare.org/employee-referral-program/) Your goal is to keep employees aware of and invested in the program. **Don’t forget to****publicly recognize employees who make a successful referral, too.**For example, when you introduce the new hire at your first staff meeting after they arrive, you should also name and thank the person who referred them. This will keep awareness of the program front and center in your employees’ minds. It also helps morale, as everyone likes to be recognized and thanked for their achievements. ### Step 7: Evaluate the program. Evaluation is a crucial part of any effective workplace initiative, including your employee referral program. Check in periodically to make sure you’re reaching the goals you specified. Consider these metrics as you evaluate your program: * Did you meet the SMART goals you laid out in Step 2? * What is the participation rate in the program across the company? * What percentage of referrals leads to a successful hire? * What is the average tenure of a referred employee with your company? * Has your overall[time-to-hire reduced](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/)? * How is [employee engagement](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/)? You’ll need to do a mixture of qualitative and quantitative analyses to effectively measure your program’s success. How do your referral hires compare to other hires when you calculate their [Talent GPA](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/whats-talent-gpa/)? ### Summary: Effective employee referral programs Employee referral programs consistently result in the right hires for your business, plus they can improve employee engagement within your existing team. Make sure your employee referral program is aligned with your company goals and its rewards are enough to incentivize employees to help recruit on your behalf. Once you have your program in place, you’ll need to keep promoting it and raising awareness of it within your team. You should also continuously evaluate and monitor it to ensure its continued success. ### Make Better Hires with CareerPlug Interested in learning more about how to create a successful recruiting strategy that targets the best applicant sources including employee referrals, careers pages, and custom sources? Receive a personalized demo of our hiring software today. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) * * * **About the Author** _Owen Jones is the Senior Content Marketer at [Zoomshift](https://www.zoomshift.com/), an online schedule maker app. He is an experienced SaaS marketer, specializing in content marketing, CRO, and FB advertising._ --- ## How to Hire Outside Sales Representatives (Webinar) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-outside-sales-representatives-webinar/ * Posted on June 9, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris An outside sales representative can bring new growth and opportunities for your business, but knowing the right hiring strategies is key to finding your next great candidate. In this webinar from April 2021, Chris Igou, CareerPlug’s Vice President of Sales, shares tips to consider when hiring outside sales representatives for your business. The topics discussed in this webinar cover: * How to create an ideal candidate profile for outside sales reps * How to write a compelling [job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) for outside sales reps * Steps businesses can take to develop their sales hiring process Below are some key highlights from the webinar: ### Do you know who you’re looking for? Igou notes: “**Before you post the job, do you really know what you’re looking for?** […] I think this is the most valuable step and it happens before you post a job or before you go live, and this is when you really consider both the gaps in what you’re hiring for and what type of person is going to be most successful to fill those gaps. You can’t make the right hire until you really know what you’re looking for, so what’s it going to take to be successful in this role?” ### How to build the Ideal Candidate Profile One of your first priorities during the hiring process should be to create an [ideal candidate profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/). Determining the best type of applicant for your business could mean the difference between a bad, good, or even great hire. When considering what to look for, keep these in mind: * **Determine what skills are needed for success.**Perhaps you’re looking for a candidate with a certain amount of experience, or someone with an expert understanding of your industry. Be specific and stick to your guidelines. * **Identify certain talents and behaviors.**What unique qualities does your candidate need to stand out? What traits will help them succeed in the role? * **Find the right balance of competitive and collaborative.** Igou offers this advice specifically for the sales rep role: “They should be competitive with themselves, but collaborative with others,” Igou says. **Pro tip:**Write down the top three qualifications a candidate should have that are most important to you. Be mindful of them throughout the hiring process! Igou emphasizes: “One of the biggest mistakes that I see small business owners make is that they don’t take the time to build their ideal candidate profile. You will waste so much time and you will bring in the wrong candidates if you don’t spend time doing this.” ### How to build a job posting Once you’ve settled on your ideal candidate, it’s time to [craft your job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) and attract the right people. Igou details the “building blocks” of a job post which include the following: * **Job Title**– Your title is also your keyword. When job seekers search for roles, they’re using this specific phrase to find search results. Keep it short, simple, and familiar. * **Job Description** – Think of your description as your job’s advertisement. Highlight specific key components like your sales model, required travel, and commission structure, but make sure it’s not excessive. Be specific but be brief. Igou suggests doing some quality checking to make sure your job posting appeals to candidates: “Go on Indeed.com or go on Google and research job titles that are being used by your competitors. Make your posting easy to navigate with section headers and bullets. Once you’ve posted the job or created it, email it to yourself. How does it look on the phone? Does it help the candidate understand what you need? A lot of times, I’ll hand it to my wife or somebody else on my team and I’ll say ‘hey, can you understand this?’ Because I know what I’m looking for, but if they can understand it then I know I’ve really hit it.” ### What will your funnel look like? Your funnel and hiring process are vital as they allow you to [evaluate candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) and bring the right hires on board. Igou runs through his process for recruiting success: * Phone Screen * Personality Assessment * Behavioral Interview * Sales Exercise * Reference Checks * Offer Before making any offer, it’s important to ensure that your candidates are up to the challenge of selling. Presenting them with behavioral questions and sales exercises can provide valuable insight for your hiring decisions. Igou advises: “**Have them sell you on them.** They should know who they are. We have several candidates who are qualified for this position, but we only have one position to offer. Why should we hire you? I’ll tell you what this last question will also do — it’ll get them more interested in your job, it’ll get them more interested in working with you, because now they’re selling you on why it’s so great to work for you.” ### Need more help hiring the right sales reps? Get a demo of the software from one of our hiring experts today to learn how CareerPlug can help you recruit the best candidates for your sales team. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/request-a-demo/) --- ## Remote Hiring: Creating Exceptional Experiences (Webinar with BenchmarkONE) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/remote-hiring-webinar/ * Posted on February 1, 2021 * by Natalie Morgan COVID-19 has changed the way we do business. Many small businesses are adjusting the way they sell, the way their employees work, and the way they hire. CareerPlug partnered with [BenchmarkONE](https://www.hatchbuck.com/) in a webinar to discuss key data from the 2021 Hiring Trends report and how you can create positive candidate experiences in a remote world. In this one hour webinar, Natalie Morgan, CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, discusses: * The current state of hiring * Why remote hiring is here to stay * Steps small businesses can take to ensure they hire the best employee for their needs * Tips for small businesses to enhance their employer brand You can watch the replay here. ### **What’s the state of hiring in 2021?** CareerPlug surveyed our clients, primarily small business owners, to learn about how their hiring had changed and what they expect in 2021 for our [2021 Hiring Trends Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2021-hiring-trends/). ### 2021 Hiring Trends Report CareerPlug surveyed industry experts about hiring trends that have emerged as a result of COVID-19. Learn which trends are here to stay in 2021. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT We found that **61% of businesses made changes to their hiring process during COVID-19 that they plan to keep in 2021.** Hiring managers plan to continue investing more time before the initial interview [evaluating applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/), utilizing pre-qualification questions and assessments and comprehensive phone screens. Most businesses are reporting that their biggest recruiting challenge is a lack of high-quality candidates, followed by employee turnover. ### **How to Create Positive Candidate Experiences** **One in two job seekers reported having turned down a job offer due to poor experience during the hiring process.** No matter the job market, top talent will always have the ability to be picky. [Creating a positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) should be a top priority if you want to attract the best candidates and gain a reputation as being a great place to work. When improving your candidate experience, start here: 1. **Show who you are.**Step back and pretend you are a job seeker interested in applying for your job . . . what’s the first thing they’re going to learn about your company as a job seeker? Lead with your purpose – your mission, your values, your vision – on your careers page and in your [job postings](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/). You want to attract candidates who value the same things you do. 2. **Enhance your careers page.**Just like your marketing website is the hub for your brand, your careers page is the hub for your recruiting. Spend time ensuring that it reflects who you are by sharing your values, describing your culture, adding real company photos, previewing your hiring process, and highlighting employee testimonials. 3. **Provide more information upfront in your job postings.**How is your company keeping employees and clients safe during COVID-19? What does remote work look like at your company now and in the future? Set the scene for job seekers and know that more and more people value upfront communication in their evaluation of your company. For example, in our candidate experience report, we learned that 32% of job seekers expect to be informed about compensation in the job post. 4. **Follow up quickly with applicants after they initially apply.** 30% of job seekers rank this first follow-up as most important when it comes to a positive candidate experience. Set time aside daily to review candidates and make decisions to move people forward or send them polite rejections. ### **Build a Remote Hiring Process** You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to a [remote hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/remote-hiring/). If you’ve previously hired in-person but are now hiring remotely or partially remotely, adapt your process, but don’t cut out important steps! **A remote hiring process still has the same goal: to help you evaluate and hire the right person for your team.** If there were steps you previously did in person, think about how you can adapt them for a video call. If they can’t be adapted, what can you replace that step with that will allow you to evaluate the same skill or characteristic? Keep in mind that remote interviewing also follows the same rules as in-person interviewing. You still want to be prepared, minimize distractions, and leave time for questions. Make sure you’re providing instructions on how to access the virtual interview ahead of time and be gracious about life and tech problems that may occur during the interview (we’re all used to the occasional dog bark or kid crashing Zoom calls by now). ### Take Action In the era of COVID-19, there are a lot of things that can make life more complicated for small business owners –but hiring the right people shouldn’t be one of them. An applicant tracking system like CareerPlug simplifies your hiring process, saving you time and money without sacrificing the quality of your hires. [Click here to get a free, personalized demo of CareerPlug today](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) and learn how our software can make hiring easier for you. --- ## 2021 Planning: Virtual Workshop with Cultivate Advisors **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/business-planning-for-2021-webinar/ * Posted on October 22, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris This past year business owners were left with the ultimate opportunity to become more nimble & creative than ever before. Heading into 2021, we’re focused on controlling our controllables as we head into the upcoming year, to ensure we protect our growth goals & opportunities on the horizon. CareerPlug has partnered with [Cultivate Advisors](https://cultivateadvisors.com/) in this 60-minute virtual workshop, led by **Cultivate Advisors’ CEO Casey Clark**, to unpack your vision for the upcoming year and how to plan, keeping your long term vision in mind. The topics discussed in this webinar include: * Framework to set up your 2021 plan * Data based decisions * Connecting your long term vision to macro/micro goals * Uncovering leading indicators ### What’s so different about planning for 2021? “It’s a very simplistic answer: the unknown,” says Casey Clark. Businesses are going into Q4 with more questions than any other year in recent memory: * Will you need to pivot or weather a different storm? * Will there be a second or third wave of COVID-19? * Will there be economic turbulence from the election? * Will past data even be accurate to plan from? Clark says that starting with the right mindset will be key to creating 2021 business plans with realistic, actionable goals. “Is your mind so far out in the future – looking forward and just excited about where you’re headed – that you’re not actually truly looking at the risks in front of you over the next six to nine months that could absolutely still come and affect your business?” ### 7 keys to approaching mindset In his presentation, Clark also elaborates on his strategy for developing the right mindset he believes business owners will need to have when creating their 2021 plans: 1. Take space for your planning. 2. Give your team space for planning. 3. Plan out multiple scenarios – allowing you to be more agile. 4. Be firm on macro; be open to the path with micro. 5. Simplify your key performance indicators (5 max). 6. Increase your cash threshold in the bank (capital is an option). 7. Review with advisor and stretch scenarios. ### Planning Framework When it comes to planning methodology, Clark suggests an incremental approach, creating milestones on your calendar with actionable goals. “I’m going to make this probably more simple than you’ve heard in the past. I think a lot of people think you’ve got to build this big business plan. It’s actually not how I feel at all. I find those kinds of big plans aren’t used,” Clark says. Instead, he advises, “You need to have a business plan that you can go back to and continue to update and edit and use in the working environment on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.” Here’s the framework he uses: Watch the free webinar video recording to hear Clark explain his planning framework in detail. --- ## Boomerang Hiring: How to Manage Staffing During Economic Upheaval (Webinar with Home Care Pulse) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/home-care-boomerang-hiring-webinar/ * Posted on June 5, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris CareerPlug and [Home Care Pulse](https://www.homecarepulse.com/) have teamed up to take a deep dive into the current hiring landscape for the home care industry in the era of COVID-19. In this webinar recorded in May 2020, Todd Austin (COO of Home Care Pulse), Clint Smith (Founder & President of CareerPlug), and Natalie Morgan (Director of HR at CareerPlug) present their insights on the current hiring landscape for the home care industry, as well as a case for why home care agencies should look to [boomerang hiring](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/boomerang-employees/) as a recruitment strategy. Below are a few key highlights from the webinar. ### How is home care doing and what does the landscape look like? “Everybody’s probably experiencing some sort of decrease in applicants [… and] there is a decrease in the job pool. I think we all thought, ‘Hey, unemployment goes up, my job pool gets larger — that’s not necessarily the case right now in different pockets. So it’s important to understand that **there is a decrease in caregiver jobs and applicants** that you’re seeing and **this is where boomerang hiring comes into place as a great practice to use**.” — Todd Austin ### How long has it taken to return to pre-COVID levels of billable hours? “What you’re seeing is essentially the majority of home care agencies (53%) have said that they’ve returned back. 47% said they haven’t returned back to pre-COVID-19 hours. So we _are_ starting to see that come back. […] Inquiry calls for new services has skyrocketed. So are you ready to take on all of these clients? Do you have caregivers to fill the shifts? What does your bench look like? How can you fill these as they start to come back to pre-COVID-19 [levels], even beyond, because **the growth is there and it’s going to be exciting**.” — Todd Austin ### What are the benefits of boomerang hiring? “Your people are your biggest growth constraint to your business. If you’re able to hire effectively and really stay staffed, then the growth potential for your business is unlimited. Boomerang hiring is not going to solve all of your problems but it could be a nice meaningful slice of the pie that makes up [your hiring pool]. **With boomerang hiring, you should be able to reduce your time to hire, get a faster ramp time, and fewer surprises.** So really what you’re talking about here is someone who’s already a proven entity and being able to stay in touch with them and bring them back in and get them out into production very quickly.” — Clint Smith ### Take action Boomerang hiring is just one part of a successful hiring strategy. Luckily, the hiring experts at CareerPlug can help you figure out the rest. [Click here to get a personalized CareerPlug demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/). --- ## 4 Hiring Trends for 2018: How does your recruiting stack up? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/2018-hiring-trends/ * Posted on August 6, 2018 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris At CareerPlug, we’re always trying to help our clients get more applicants and make the best possible hiring decisions. Based on some new data on hiring trends, we have some recommendations on how to best optimize applicant experience to get the highest volume and quality of candidates. ### Four hiring trends to watch out for ### 1. Mobile applications Even more jobseekers are applying for positions on mobile devices: Mobile apply rates are up 18.1% from 2016. It’s important to ensure that your job postings are mobile optimized. Job postings need to look as good on mobile devices as they do on desktop computers. This ensures that applicants avoid hangups when applying via a mobile device. When you use CareerPlug, you can rest assured that your Careers Pages and job apply pages are always mobile-friendly. ### 2. Streamlined applications An increasing number of applicants prefer a streamlined and short application process. When applicants are confronted with a long, formal application, they abandon those forms in favor of applications that take less time to complete. We recommend you have a streamlined application process for the best candidate experience. We did a study on time to apply in the restaurant industry and showed that CareerPlug clients’ applications took a dramatically shorter time complete compared with our competitors. The average time to apply across all applications we studied was more than 14 minutes; the average CareerPlug time to apply is 2 minutes and 25 seconds. ### 3. Optimized job titles and descriptions **Data illustrates the following hiring trends:** * Shorter job titles secure higher apply rates * Job descriptions with 300-800 words performed best in terms of apply rates * Mentioning benefits in job ads radically motivated candidates to apply With CareerPlug’s job template feature, you can optimize the title and description of a job posting and then create a template from it. When you do this, you don’t have to worry about creating new, optimized job postings in the future. All the users on your account can use any template created on your account, so you can ensure that all hiring managers use the same version of a job posting. In addition, CareerPlug’s built-in Careers Pages have a callout where you can describe the benefits of working at your company in order to attract more applicants. ### 4. Employee feedback Another 2018 hiring trend is utilizing employee feedback. Data shows that companies with higher Glassdoor profile ratings see higher apply rates. To increase your Glassdoor ratings, we recommend encouraging your employees to leave reviews, perhaps in a weekly email. To learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow [take a tour of the software](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/)with a CareerPlug hiring expert. _Source: Appcast 2018 Recruitment Media Benchmark Report_ --- ## Fitness: Preparing for Everyone’s New Year’s Resolutions **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/fitness-preparing-for-everyones-new-years-resolutions/ * Posted on November 6, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### **What the Holidays Mean for Fitness Clubs** With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s not too long before people begin to make their New Year’s resolutions. After enjoying all the holiday food and sweets, most people are likely to make a resolution to get into physical shape in the new year. According to the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA), more than [12 percent](https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/01/03/its-gym-season-from-now-until-march)of gym members join in January, compared to an average of 8.3 percent per month during the rest of the year. It’s the perfect time for fitness clubs to begin gearing up for influx of people likely to enroll in their gyms in the new year. ### **Employees and Your Fitness Club’s Brand** While many people are likely to sign up for new gym memberships the first month of the year, it is the fitness clubs’ job to keep them coming back. This is why hiring the right fitness employees is so important for gyms. If new club members are not actively engaged by your staff, then they will likely unenroll as suddenly as they signed up. Fitness club employees represent your brand, so it’s important that the right processes are in place to begin to attract the right people. ### **Preparing For the New Year Membership Influx** To begin the recruiting process for the holiday season, fitness hiring managers should start by identifying the type of people they are looking for along with the qualifications required. The ideal person may differ across positions you need to fill. For example, you may want someone who has previous experience at a gym and has specific certifications to fill a personal trainer position, but for a member services representative, you may be searching for someone who has previous customer service experience and who has flexible availability. Your current fitness club patrons are a great group to start your recruiting search. It’s likely that your active gym members are already familiar with your fitness brand and knowledgeable about how to use the gym equipment in. They could be great brand ambassadors for your fitness club. Once you’ve identified who the ideal candidate should be for different positions, you should create clear-cut job descriptions that can be posted onto job boards. To ensure managers only spend time on candidates who are qualified, pre-screen questions can be used to filter out any applicants who don’t meet the position’s requirements. Pre-screen questions can also be used to gain plenty of insights before conducting an in-person interview with a candidate. For example, if you are trying to fill a personal trainer position, you may want to know more details about the candidate’s experience and level of education. How many years of experience do they have as a personal trainer? Are they CPR/AED certified? Are they a certified ASE personal trainer? By only evaluating candidates who are qualified for the job, using pre-screen questions can save fitness hiring managers valuable time. Identifying candidates with the right mentality to work at a fitness club is also crucial to member engagement and retention. Sending candidates assessments can facilitate hiring decisions based on soft skills. A personality assessment is designed to measure certain competencies that can be important predictors of successful job performance. Fitness hiring managers can test for competencies such as service orientation, achievement striving, and optimism, or any other traits that would be most beneficial to have given the nature of the work. Personality assessments allow managers to see beyond a candidate’s resume and basic qualifications and gain more insight into whether a person would be the right fit for the fitness club. ### **CareerPlug is Here to Help With Your Holiday Hiring Needs** CareerPlug works with over 4,000 fitness clubs to hire top quality fitness candidates. CareerPlug Makes Hiring Easier by helping fitness clubs hire top talent and ultimately grow their business. To learn more about how CareerPlug can help you turn your fitness center into a talent magnet, [try a free demo today!](https://www.careerplug.com/request-a-demo/) To learn more about the approach we take to hiring, download our free ebook, [How to Build a Talent Magnet](https://www.careerplug.com/talent-magnet/). --- ## Restaurants: Diverse Sources, Predictable Hiring Success **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/restaurants-diverse-applicant-sources-predictable-hiring-success/ * Posted on May 20, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris There are many hats you need to wear as a restaurant owner or manager. You have to manage inventory control, [employee scheduling](https://www.zoomshift.com/), food safety, customer experience, and staffing – just to name a few. In 2016, recruiting and retention are some of the biggest challenges restaurant operators are looking to address. While they are constant sources of pain, many restaurateurs don’t understand how to begin addressing them. The answer lies in predictable hiring that comes from creating a standard process by which all applicants are vetted, regardless of where they came from. This can lead to lower turnover, fewer recruiting costs, and an improved dining experience for your guests. ### **Building a diverse applicant pool for your restaurant** Restaurants need to rely on more than one applicant source to identify and hire great people. Walk-ins and referrals are probably your strongest source of applicants right now, and while these candidates will always be at the heart of your hiring, restaurants need to reach job seekers beyond the “Now Hiring” sign in the window. After all, job seekers (customers) are not always on location at the right time. Many job seekers first visit a company’s website when interested in their brand. Therefore, a compelling careers page, mobile friendly online applications, and job board distribution are effective tactics that go a long way towards selling online job seekers on your opportunities and attracting a diverse and qualified applicant pool. ### **One hiring process for a variety of applicants** Do you treat applicants differently based on how they apply? You may not mean to, but perhaps a walk-in applicant gets to immediately talk to a manager and have a hiring decision made on the spot, while an online applicant must go through a resume review and phone screen before they meet the manager in person. Though it’s not intentional for the processes to differ – usually a matter of convenience – it becomes an issue when trying to design a process for predictable hiring. A central system and process to manage ALL of your applicants, regardless of how they came to you, is the solution. A central applicant tracking system ensures hiring managers take every applicant through the same process before they are hired. For multi-unit operators, this helps ensure both brand consistency and hiring compliance across all locations. The bonus: this also allows you to build a talent pipeline and be proactive about your recruiting and hiring needs. With hourly restaurant employee turnover averaging 114% (via [Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers](https://restaurant-hospitality.com/management-tips/10-ways-hire-smarter)) it is imperative to establish an ongoing recruiting program. ### **The benefits of repeatable restaurant recruitment** Having a standardized process for all of your applicants helps you in many ways. Most importantly, it helps you create predictable,repeatable hiring, empowering you to make better hires and reign in turnover. Predictability in hiring allows you to consistently take applicants through your hiring process in an efficient and timely manner. It also allows you to look for commonalities in your applicants regarding their background, personality, and work history that match your opportunity. When you understand who you are looking for when you interview, you can create predictability that ultimately leads to making better hires. Taking the approach of hiring a bunch of people and seeing who sticks doesn’t make sense in today’s market. The ability to make better hires hinges on making more data driven decisions, as opposed to gut-level decisions. In order to do so, you need to leverage all of the tools available to you and do so consistently as a part of your process. In the long run, making data driven hiring decisions will ultimately benefit your restaurant more than subjective guesswork, even if you have experience in staffing. This helps to reduce the operational costs that come along with hiring and training new team members. Finally, as a result of being fully staffed with the right employees, your guests can have a more enjoyable restaurant experience, which will benefit revenue.Hire the right people, and the rest gets easier. ### **Restaurant hiring with CareerPlug – a recipe for success** CareerPlug helps thousands of small businesses and franchise systems institute and leverage effective hiring practices to provide drastic returns on investment. We think about it this way – a great customer can provide repeat revenue to a restaurant, but a strong team will deliver exponentially greater long-term value to the business. Likewise, an upset customer may write a negative online review, but one toxic team member will be a drain on the whole team and on revenue potential. To learn more about how CareerPlug can help you turn your restaurant into a talent magnet, [take a tour of the software](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) today! --- ## CareerPlug’s Annual Year in Review: A Look Back at 2022 **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-2022-year-in-review/ * Posted on January 30, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris With each new year comes the opportunity to take a look back on the previous twelve months and reflect on the good, bad, and everything in between. As a company, CareerPlug experienced wins and plenty of lessons learned in 2022, and we continued to live our core values, hone and share our hiring expertise, and improve our product. We’re excited about the year ahead and all it will bring, but before moving fully forward, let’s take a look back at some of our major milestones and changes in 2022. ### Hiring in 2022 Compared to 2020 and 2021, many business owners felt a little more stability in 2022. However, hiring remained one of the most challenging parts of running a business. Many of our clients still dealt with [lower appli](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/)[c](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/)[ant counts](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/) that plagued the last two years. They also struggled with some new frustrations – increased competition for quality talent and changing expectations of job seekers. This means they were no longer just competing with other businesses in their own industries for jobs; they were also competing with giant companies that are always hiring like Amazon, Walmart, and DoorDash. Additionally, many employers found that they had to take a closer look at their offerings, as job seekers of today [expect higher wages](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/) and [better benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/impact-of-benefits-on-retention/) than job seekers of years past. ### Helping our clients make the right hires In the ever-changing landscape of the last year, CareerPlug is proud to still be a consistent source of hiring help for our **over 42,000 clients including 6,500 new accounts that we partnered with in 2022!** We were able to streamline their [hiring processes](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) and provide hiring expertise so that they could attract the best candidates and compete with larger companies for top talent. [Our applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) helped them easily sort through thousands of applications, [schedule thousands of interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/), and make thousands of the right hires. ### Sharing our hiring expertise Educating small business owners about how to improve their hiring process and make the right hires is a big part of our mission at CareerPlug. We’re excited to offer our clients so many educational opportunities and free resources on hiring including live webinars, [our blog](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/), and original research reports that shed light on the rapidly-changing state of hiring today. We made huge strides this year towards becoming an authoritative resource for all things hiring, including an increased focus on original research. This effort was well received, as **our content was cited nearly 300 times in a variety of business publications**! We’re proud to be industry leaders and plan to continue conducting studies that provide our clients with trustworthy up-to-date insights on recruiting and hiring. ### Product improvement Every year, we seek to improve our product based on the changing needs of our clients. In 2022, this meant a big focus on **automatic**[**interview scheduling**](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) so that our clients could hire faster. We launched a new version of our product, CareerPlug Premium and the game-changing [**Autopilot**](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) feature. Autopilot syncs with your calendar to automate the back and forth of setting up interviews and sends follow-ups and reminders over text and email to help reduce interview no-shows. In 2022, more CareerPlug clients made use of our **text recruiting**feature, which allows employers to reach candidates faster than ever before. Watch the video below to learn more about how text recruiting works! ### The CareerPlug team In many ways, 2022 was a year of growth for CareerPlug and that includes the continued expansion of our fully remote team. **We were excited to bring on 30 new pluggies this year.** The CareerPlug team is now spread across 31 different states! One of the ways we are able to stay connected across the country is through [Slack’s messaging platform](https://slack.com/). In 2022, we communicated by sending over 846,229 direct messages and 114,451 channel messages. We love to show each other gratitude, and “shout-out” team members that go above and beyond in living our values each week. In 2022, there were **652 shout-outs** given out by our team through [Assembly’s Employee Recognition](https://www.joinassembly.com/) software! ### CareerPlug gives back Giving back is extremely important to us.**CareerPlug employees contributed $26,619 to charity this year which was matched by CareerPlug (and double-matched during the last quarter) to equal an additional $36,965 donated.** As a company, we contributed a **grand total of $151,157 in charity donations to some amazing causes.** We also came together to sponsor 12 foster teens and 2 babies for Christmas through our partnership with [Foster Angels of Central Texas](https://fosterangelsctx.org/). Each team shared a Christmas list and everyone helped to shop for gifts to donate. But it wasn’t just monetary donations our team made this year. We were super excited to put on our first ever Give Back Week (organized by the Give Back Committee) where team members volunteered time and resources for daily events like a trash pick up day and card making for hospitalized children. ### 2023 and beyond Our core focus at CareerPlug is empowering people to reach their full potential by making it easier to hire and develop the right people, and every year we are looking for new ways to live out this mission. The future holds lots of exciting possibilities, and one thing is for certain: CareerPlug will continue to stay focused on our mission and remain a valuable resource for business owners for many years to come. --- ## 5 Ways to Prevent Turnover When Pay Raises Aren’t an Option **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/prevent-turnover-without-raising-pay/ * Posted on October 2, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris CareerPlug research found that **dissatisfaction with current compensation was the number one reason employees leave their jobs**, which probably doesn’t come as a surprise. But for many business owners, money is tight. You want to retain your team, but your budget is spread thin, and it’s simply not possible to offer raises across the board right now. Let’s assume you’re already paying your staff a reasonable wage for your area. (You can use the [salary calculator on GlassDoor to confirm](https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/index.htm).) If you are, but you’re still experiencing turnover, what else can you do to retain your team? Fortunately, there are employee retention strategies that don’t involve offering a compensation increase: #### Table of Contents 1. [Assess your benefits package.](https://www.careerplug.com/prevent-turnover-without-raising-pay/#h-1-assess-your-benefits-package) 2. [Promote from within.](https://www.careerplug.com/prevent-turnover-without-raising-pay/#h-2-promote-from-within) 3. [Build a strong company culture and connect employees to your mission.](https://www.careerplug.com/prevent-turnover-without-raising-pay/#h-3-build-a-strong-company-culture-and-connect-employees-to-your-mission) 4. [Cultivate employee engagement.](https://www.careerplug.com/prevent-turnover-without-raising-pay/#h-4-cultivate-employee-engagement) 5. [Offer work-life balance.](https://www.careerplug.com/prevent-turnover-without-raising-pay/#h-5-offer-work-life-balance) ### 1. Assess your benefits package. **[53% of employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/) that are unsatisfied with their pay said they would accept additional benefits instead of a pay increase from their current employer.** This suggests that an increased investment into benefits could help in retaining about half of employees who otherwise feel their compensation is lower than they’d like. I know, I know. We already talked about money being tight, and benefits can be expensive. However, not all benefits have to be a large investment for your business. Can you offer more time off? How about paying for lunch one Friday a month? It is a good idea to offer the standard benefits like health insurance and retirement options, but if you’re looking for additional ways to retain your team, getting creative with other benefits can help. ### 2. Promote from within. The opportunity for growth is a huge factor for both job seekers and employees. Being able to share examples of how you promoted from within will win job seekers over and foster loyalty among your team. There are other benefits to this as well.**Internal hiring reduces recruitment costs and decreases onboarding time.** Here are some tips for identifying and promoting internally: * [Post open positions](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) within the company first, before sharing publicly. This gives interested employees an opportunity to apply and shows you who on your team is motivated to move up. * Look at performance reviews and manager feedback to see which employees are performing at a high level. You or your managers may already have had conversations with employees that have expressed interest in their career growth within the company. * Notice which employees voluntarily take on growth opportunities. Are there any people among your team always looking to learn, train, or take on new responsibilities? Giving motivated employees the opportunity to move up in your company, shows that you want to offer them a career – not just a job. This is one of the most important things you can do for retention. As Clint Smith, CEO & Founder of CareerPlug, shares: “The commitment level is low for employees just looking for a job, but if they feel like someone is investing in their career, they’re going to think twice about jumping ship.” ### 3. Build a strong company culture and connect employees to your mission. There are many things that [keep employees engaged](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/) and connected to a company. And that connection plays a big role in their success and tenure. **A [strong company culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) is part of a great retention strategy.** This starts as early as in the hiring process, by helping you find the right people that align with your mission and values. From there, employees that feel connected to the culture are more likely to stay. In a positive company culture, managers share the company’s vision authentically. Managers are supportive, and show gratitude to employees. They help them be problem-solvers and involve them in decision making. They create a safe and comfortable working environment where employees are set up to succeed. And the best part? This strategy only costs an investment of time – and can save you the cost of turnover. ### 4. Cultivate employee engagement. A connection to your company culture also plays an important part in how engaged your employees are. Engaged employees are connected to their work and their teammates and dedicated to reaching their goals. “Employee engagement” can feel a little like one of those HR buzzwords. But what does it actually mean to engage employees, especially those frontline and hourly workers who are so hard to retain? One thing employers can do is simply **make sure employees have the technology and resources they need to do their jobs.** Employees need to be thoroughly trained on all systems and given the tools they need to be successful. Additionally, deskless employees and employees in high turnover [industries like restaurant and food service](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/restaurant-hiring-software/), often feel that they have a lack of community. [80% of frontline employees](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-organization-blog/three-actions-to-boost-frontline-engagement-and-retention) report that they have few connection opportunities at work. **Give employees opportunities to connect with one another through work-sponsored events and resource groups.**Having one platform for employees to communicate can be helpful too. Whether it’s digitally, like a [workplace communication platform](https://haiilo.com/blog/employee-communications-platform/), or physically, like a bulletin board in the break room, give employees a place to leave messages, post event reminders, and connect with their teammates. ### 5. Offer work-life balance. You know it, I know it, your employees know it. A poor work-life balance will inevitably lead to burnout, overwhelm, and eventually turnover. **Employees need proper breaks, flexibility in scheduling, and paid time off.** If it’s possible for your business, allow employees to have a say in their schedule, or easily be able to swap shifts with other employees. Don’t expect them to work during time off or make them feel bad when they need to take time. Feeling supported and given ample time for life outside of work is a huge win for employees. And this can be a huge retention opportunity that doesn’t cost as much as raises. ### Conclusion: Raises aren’t the only option With a tight budget, [retaining employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) may seem daunting, but there are practical strategies that can effectively tackle turnover. By enhancing benefits, even with low-cost options like flexible time-off or monthly perks, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to their employees’ well-being. Promoting from within solidifies loyalty, offering career growth opportunities that reduce recruitment costs and foster long-term commitment. Strengthening company culture, ensuring employees feel connected to the organization’s mission, and cultivating engagement all contribute to a positive work environment where employees feel valued and part of a community. Focusing on work-life balance can significantly reduce burnout and turnover. Offering flexibility in scheduling and supporting employees’ personal needs can lead to increased job satisfaction without financial strain. Ultimately, addressing turnover doesn’t always require more money – it requires a thoughtful approach that prioritizes employee development, engagement, and well-being, creating a workplace where people want to stay and grow. ### Grow your team with CareerPlug “**Prior to using Careerplug, my turnover rate was very high, around 75%.** Trying to find the right people was a real challenge. My business suffered greatly without having great people on my team. I was desperate. **Now that I am using Careerplug, my turnover rate hasn’t exceeded 20%.**I have found top talent that has pushed my company to new levels we have never seen before. My company has doubled in income while using Careerplug for my hiring purposes.” – April Williams, The Grounds Guys of Cedar Creek Lake Want to learn more about how CareerPlug can help you hire and retain your team? Click the button below to sign up for a free demo of our software. [Try careerplug](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## 2025 Candidate Experience Report **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-experience-statistics/ * Posted on February 3, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Hiring the right people is one of the biggest challenges business owners face today. With turnover, short-staffing, and unqualified hires draining revenue and morale, it’s no wonder employers are rethinking their hiring processes. We define the candidate experience as the experience a potential employee has with a company from job posting to job offer. As our latest report on candidate experience statistics reveals, improving this experience can have a profound impact on attracting and retaining top talent. ### Download the 2025 Candidate Experience Report Learn what job seekers want from a hiring process so that you can improve yours and make more of the right hires! DOWNLOAD THE REPORT ### Why the candidate experience matters A positive candidate experience isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a crucial factor in landing your top-choice hires. Here’s what our research uncovered: * **66% of candidates said a positive experience influenced their decision to accept a job offer.** * Poor experiences, such as lack of communication or unclear job expectations, led 26% of job seekers to decline offers in 2024 alone. This data highlights that while the economic climate may have tempered expectations, the hiring process remains pivotal in a candidate’s decision-making. ### Why are job seekers leaving their jobs? Understanding why candidates are searching for new opportunities is the first step to creating a winning hiring and retention strategy. Here’s what we found: * **42% of job seekers have considered leaving their jobs in the past year,** with 71% of them applying for 1-2 new roles. * **Pay dissatisfaction** is the number one reason employees consider leaving, followed closely by the need for better benefits and flexibility. * Layoffs are a significant driver, with 33% of those who left their jobs citing termination as the reason. ### What job seekers want in the hiring process Transparency, respect, and efficiency are high priorities for candidates navigating today’s job market. Here are some specifics: 1. **Compensation Transparency**: Nearly half (47%) of job seekers expect to learn about salary before applying. [Job posts that clearly outline pay and benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/effective-job-descriptions/) attract more applicants and build trust. 2. **Flexible Schedules**: Candidates value the ability to choose or swap shifts and seek workplaces that accommodate their work-life balance. 3. **A Streamlined Process**: Lengthy or impersonal application processes, such as one-way video interviews, can deter candidates. In fact, 33% of job seekers have abandoned applications requiring such interviews. 4. **Positive Interview Experiences**: Interviews are a two-way street. Negative interactions during interviews caused 36% of candidates to decline offers. In-person interviews remain the preferred format for 70% of job seekers. ### The role of AI in hiring While AI tools can improve efficiency in hiring, they’re not without controversy. Here’s what candidates think: * **40% of job seekers are uncomfortable with [AI in the hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/ai-in-recruiting-and-hiring/)**, with 47% saying AI chatbots make recruitment feel impersonal. * Over-automating tasks, such as initial screenings or communications, can alienate candidates. Employers should prioritize tools that balance automation with human interaction. ### What influences candidates to join your company Beyond the job itself, candidates are swayed by factors like workplace culture, growth opportunities, and responsiveness: * **Culture**: Showcase your company’s mission, values, and team dynamics through your [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/), interview process, and onboarding. * **Growth Opportunities**: Candidates value continued education, tuition reimbursement, and clear career pathways. Highlight these in job postings and interviews. * **Quick Responses**: Responding promptly during the hiring process is critical. [Text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/), for example, boasts a 97% read rate within 15 minutes, helping you stay ahead. ### Onboarding: The first 90 days The candidate experience doesn’t end with a signed offer. Onboarding plays a crucial role in retention, with nearly 75% of employees agreeing that it’s important. Adopting a [30-60-90 day onboarding plan](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/master-new-hire-onboarding-30-60-90-day-plan/) can help: * **Learning Phase (First 30 Days)**: Introduce new hires to their role, team, and tools. * **Integration Phase (Days 31-60)**: Encourage collaboration and help employees find their place in the company culture. * **Execution Phase (Days 61-90)**: Set goals and evaluate progress to ensure long-term success. ### Streamline onboarding with CareerPlug Create a strong first impression with CareerPlug’s Onboarding & Team Management software. Build customized onboarding flows and easily check your new hire’s progress. [Learn more](https://www.careerplug.com/onboarding-team-management/) ### How to improve the candidate experience To attract and retain the best talent, focus on these actionable steps: 1. **Transparency**: Clearly outline compensation, benefits, and job expectations in your job postings. 2. **Efficiency**: Simplify your application process and avoid overly complex steps. 3. **Communication**: Keep candidates informed at every stage, from application to offer. 4. **Personalization**: Balance automation with a human touch to make candidates feel valued. 5. **Organized****onboarding**: Create structured plans to set new hires up for success. By prioritizing these areas, you can turn your hiring process into a powerful tool for building a talented and engaged workforce. Remember, a positive candidate experience isn’t just about filling open roles; it’s about building lasting relationships with the people who will drive your business forward. ### Learn more about what job seekers are looking for! Improve your candidate experience with insight from real job seekers and get more candidates to say yes to your job offers. Get your copy now to read all of our findings from the 2025 Candidate Experience Report. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT --- ## Client Spotlight: Lori Janko Wilke **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/client-profile-lori-janko-wilke/ * Posted on September 5, 2014 * by Natalie Morgan Meet [Lori Janko Wilke](https://www.jankowilke.com/): a long-standing State Farm Agent from the Illinois Valley. Lori graciously took the time to talk about her experience with CareerPlug and give some hiring advice. **1. How long has your company been using CareerPlug?** I have been using Career Plug for 3 years but it wasn’t until August, 2014 that I fully took advantage of everything available. I am so impressed with all of the tools. I especially loved the one-on-one training with Eric and Ben. **2. How has your hiring process changed since you began using CareerPlug?** [I’ve] utilized the one-on-one training and the experts’ advice has been really beneficial. They helped me determine who to schedule phone interviews with, etc. I am not very techy and I found the whole process extremely easy. **3.What’s the best pieces of advice anyone ever gave you?** Slow to hire, quick to fire. Things don’t always work out how you think. **4. What’s your advice to anyone struggling to hire the right people?** Get help from the experts. When my last person resigned I really had no idea, so Ben taught me to use the weekly evaluations of my current team. This evaluation has given me great insight on why my current team needs for training and focus, etc… **5. What do you value most in your workplace?** I value employees who want to work hard and play hard and also want to be mentored. --- ## Leading with Greatness: A Ted Talk by Roselinde Torres **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/becoming-best-leader-company-ted-talk-roselinde-torres/ * Posted on December 17, 2014 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Regardless if you are a company employee or the owner of your own business, you should strive to become a leader in your workplace. Roselinde Torres, a researcher in the field of leadership, spent twenty five years observing and traveling around the world to study different leadership programs. Torres formulated three essential questions to ask oneself to able to thrive as a leader at work. Through her[Ted Talk](https://www.ted.com/talks/roselinde_torres_what_it_takes_to_be_a_great_leader), Roselinde proposes three crucial questions when trying to thrive as a leader. Roselinde Torres on the TED stage **1. Time is money, how are you spending it?** Torres proposes that the first step in reevaluating your leadership skills is to think about how you are effectively use your time. Planning is one thing but actually following through with plans is more important. To begin,look at your calendar. Who are you spending the most time with and what topics are you discussing? Is the time you’re using directly impacting a certain objective with a reachable goal? > _“_ _Great leaders are not head-down._ _They see around corners,_ _shaping their future, not just reacting to it.”_ **2. How diverse is your personal network?** Maybe the best support and advice is the advice that is different from your own personal way of thinking. Having a support network of diverse people with different beliefs and attitudes is invaluable when trying to become a great leader. A variety of insights allow you to create a powerhouse of perspective, helping you develop your own judgment and instinct. > _“And those differences can be biological,_ _physical, functional, political, cultural, socioeconomic._ _And yet, despite all these differences,_ _they connect with you_ _and they trust you enough_ _to cooperate with you_ _in achieving a shared goal.”_ **3. Are you too comfortable?** Roselinde’s third question asks, “Are you willing to drop familiarity in order to face success?” It’s easy to get used to the familiar practices, especially if they have been successful in the past. In order to grow as a leader, you need to make sure you are taking risks and daring to be different. During the talk, Torres speaks about going against the norm and actually building up the emotional stamina to push forward with change, despite the adversity of others. > _“Great leaders dare to be different._ _They don’t just talk about risk-taking,_ _they actually do it.”_ For more leadership tips follows us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Justin Zuniga is CareerPlug’s sales and marketing intern._ --- ## Search for Yes: Successful Interviewing Practices **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/yes-interviewing-interview-hire-best-people/ * Posted on December 10, 2014 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris **_Andy Adams is a Sr. Account Executive with CareerPlug, whose background includes extensive recruiting experience. He has spent time in the trenches as an agency contract recruiter, as well as a direct hire recruiter. Once a month, we have asked him to share his insights, tips, and advice on a particular recruiting topic._** There are countless articles and posts out there that can give you tips and ideas for how to interview better. There are plenty of tests, skills assessments, and other tools that you can use to make sure the candidate you are interviewing has the right skill set. Even after following a lot of these tips and testing candidates until you are blue in the face, you still may not end up making the right hire. You need to interview candidates in a manner which gets you to a “yes”, instead of putting them through a dog and pony show trying to uncover the “no”. When you do that, you’re typically ruling a candidate out based on a skill they haven’t used in two years or lack of experience with a certain tool. You are not taking into consideration everything else that candidate may bring to the table. By searching for the “no”, you may miss several things that can make candidates a “yes”. After all, that skill set they are a little rusty on can be taught or coached if you’re worth your weight as a manager. So, how do you interview candidates in a way that works you towards a yes? There are several simply ways, that when implemented, can help you get the right people on your team: Do not treat them like a “candidate”, do not go searching for the “no”, let them do most of the talking, and do not look at their resume/profile for the first time when you sit down at the interview table. **Do Not Treat Them Like a “Candidate”** But, they are a candidate, right? Wrong. They are a person. They are a person that you have to potentially spend 2000+ hours per year with. When you are hiring someone that you are going to spend that much time with, treat them like a human being and have a conversation. By lobbing questions at them like grenades and not really engaging them, how can you get a feel for what it would be like spending more time with them than you husband, wife, or kids? When I decided to relocate to Austin, TX from Ohio, this exact situation is what factored into my decision. I had multiple job offers and I accepted the position I did because my future manager treated me like a potential member of the team from our first conversation. I was engaged; I never felt like I had a “stupid question”; I felt like part of the team from the minute I stepped into the office for my interview. The other opportunities just could not match the experience that I had. Ultimately, I turned down a comparable offer and one with a little bit more money because of the way I was made to feel during that interview process. **Do Not Search for the “No”** I do not mean that you should not properly screen candidates. You absolutely should. What I am saying is that you should interview candidates and work towards reasons, yes plural, to say yes. A lot of the times you won’t get there, but you will find that you’re focusing on a lot more than checking boxes next to skill sets. Skills are important; obviously, I am not getting hired for a Mechanical Engineer position, but if you are even interviewing me for that role…the waste of time is your own fault. By treating candidates like people, you are getting a more holistic view of how they would fit in by asking about their projects, successes, challenges, interests outside of work, etc. Then you arrive at this: * Will this person’s personality fit on my team? * Do they have the necessary skill set or can they be coached to have the right skills? * Does their experience align with what we are doing as part of our growth plan? * Will the challenges they have faced allow them to bring a unique perspective to the challenges we face? If the answers don’t align with what you are looking for, then you are given your “no”. You are also not alienating candidates during the interview process, causing them to turn around and say “No” to you, once you have decided they earn a “yes”. This happens more than you imagine. I have had a number of candidates turn down offers because the hiring manager just seemed to be searching for a reason to say “no” to them. Time to take down the sign and get some real face-time? **Let Them Do Most of the Talking** This one is simple: How can you learn about a candidate if you don’t listen to them? Get them talking about their experience, their projects, their passions etc. Then listen and take very detailed notes. Obviously, stay engaged and ask for clarification and detail where things are vague. But keep in mind, you are not going to learn anything about them and build towards a yes by talking. It’s through listening. When I first started in recruiting, I remember presenting a candidate to a hiring manager that was not local, not willing to relocate, and only willing to work remotely. Candidates for this particular role needed to be local or willing to relocate and had to work onsite. I did not know any of these things about my candidate. They had the right skills, a great personality, and wanted the job. I also talked way more than him during our interview. It was embarrassing, but I learned really quickly what not to do. **Do Not Make the Interview the First Time You See Their Resume** First of all, it’s embarrassing when this happens. We, as interviewers, expect candidates to be prepared for the interview. We need to extend the same courtesy to candidates. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, is that this preparation will you allow to do the other three things I mentioned effectively. Any candidate that is worth your time to interview, should be treated like gold because hiring is hard. Why make it harder? This preparation will also help your credibility as a manager by conveying interest, organization, and putting the focus on the candidate. That helps minimize turned down offers that cause you to start your process all over again. Last story before I go: I previously had a client that worked with multiple recruiting agencies. The managers biggest complaint was that, no matter what firm presented a candidate, his offers kept getting turned down. After conducting a mock candidate interview with him, I learned that he was guilty of all of the above. He was de-valuing candidates, not learning enough about them, and in most cases, it was the candidate walking away. I had to work with him to re-train him on how to interview. Only four candidates later (he had been through about 35 previously), he had an accepted offer. So, as you can see, by treating candidates like people, working towards a “yes” instead of searching for a “no”, being prepared and listening, you can greatly improve candidate experience and limit your stress by getting the right people hired. What tips do you have for interviewing? --- ## Happy Holidays! **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/happy-holidays/ * Posted on December 24, 2014 * by Natalie Morgan --- ## First 5 Things to Know About Hiring Compliance **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/first-5-things-to-know-about-hiring-compliance/ * Posted on September 13, 2019 * by Natalie Morgan The world of employment laws and compliance can be daunting, especially when you’re hiring for the first time or don’t have a professional HR team to back you up. As part of our vision to empower everyone to be Hiring Experts, we created this short video to introduce you to 5 key pieces of hiring compliance you should know: **Video Transcript:** I’m Natalie Morgan, CareerPlug’s Director of HR. I’m going to share with you the first 5 things to know about running a compliant hiring process. _Remember, CareerPlug isn’t a legal counsel. You should always seek the advice of an employment attorney or consult your HR team to ensure your hiring practices are compliant. This video is intended only as a guide and starting point._ ### 1. Key Laws There are a few key U.S. federal laws to be aware of when you hire and manage people. Here’s the short rundown. Remember, this is not a comprehensive list. State and local laws may additionally apply. ### Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 This law makes it illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. ### The Pregnancy Discrimination Act This law makes it illegal to discriminate against a woman because of pregnancy, childbirth, or a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth. ### The Equal Pay Act of 1963 This law makes it illegal to pay different wages to men and women if they perform equal work in the same workplace. ### The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 This law protects people who are 40 or older from discrimination because of age. ### Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 This law makes it illegal to discriminate against a qualified person with a disability in the private sector and in state and local governments. ### 2. Compliant Job Postings There is no specific law that obligates private employers to post jobs in a particular way; however, employers have a responsibility to conduct an open and fair hiring process. Here are a few equal opportunity employment guidelines to practice: * Job posting system should result in a wide range of applicants * Avoid gender-specific job titles. For example use “server” instead of “waitress” * Avoid anything the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) will see as having a direct impact on minorities such as “must live within city limits”, “must be currently employed”, “no criminal record”, and “recent graduate” ### 3. What NOT to ask during the hiring process * Whether they have children or intend to have children * Marital status * Race * Religion * Sexual preference * Age (other than inquiring whether over the age of 18) * Disability status * Citizenship status * Questions concerning drug or alcohol use ### 4. Compliant Reference Checks Employers should first be sure they have applicants’ consent before checking references. Employers CAN ask: * The duties and responsibilities of the job * The organization’s mission, programs, and achievements * Career possibilities and opportunities for growth * Where the job is located, travel, mobility, equipment, and facilities available * The individual’s qualifications, abilities, experience, education, and interests * What the person has done in previous job experience that makes them able to perform the job which they have applied * What job related educational experience the applicant has that makes the individual able to do the job * What problems the applicant had on previous jobs, what they liked or disliked The same questions that you cannot ask a candidate (i.e. about marital status, religion, etc) should not be asked to a reference. ### 5. Negligent Hiring Employers have a duty to use reasonable care when hiring employees to ensure that they do not hire individuals who may pose a threat of injury to fellow employees, members of the public, or the workplace in general. In many cases, negligent hiring claims stem from acts of violence and sexual assault against co-workers. To help avoid negligent hiring claims, employers should: * Verify an applicant’s work history. * Attempt to obtain reference information from former employers. * Increase the scope of the pre-employment investigation when hiring for positions where there is greater risk of harm to the public or to fellow employees. * Consider criminal record checks in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws. Remember, CareerPlug cannot offer legal counsel. To ensure you’re operating in compliance with all federal regulations, we recommend you consult your employment attorney. --- ## Indeed Job Posting Best Practices to Improve Your Job’s Visibility **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/indeed-job-posting-best-practices/ * Posted on February 21, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris When you have an open role to fill, going to major job boards like [Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/) is a logical first step. These websites can help you get your jobs in front of the right people so that you can make a hire. However, many employers quickly learn that the job posting process isn’t always as seamless as you might expect. Indeed guidelines are intended to improve the job seeker experience and following these rules is important for ensuring your job stays active and visible. Let’s go over some Indeed job posting best practices. ### How jobs are posted on indeed There are a few different ways that a job can get posted on Indeed. Of course, employers can post jobs directly on the website. These are called “hosted jobs” and in this instance, all applicants will stay inside of Indeed. Additionally, “aggregated jobs” are job postings that are already out in the world that get picked up by Indeed. For these, Indeed works like a search engine, scraping corners of the internet to find them. Lastly, third party or “indexed jobs” is when a job posting is sent to Indeed through another source. This is how [software like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) distributes jobs to Indeed. (**Insider tip:**If it is your first time posting from a third party and aren’t seeing your job published after a day or two, you may need to contact Indeed and request approval of your jobs to be posted from a new source, outside of posting directly onto Indeed. This only needs to be done once.) However your job is posted to Indeed, there are certain guidelines that can ensure it shows up on the feeds of your target job seekers. ### The four basic components of every job posting To get accepted by Indeed, every job posting has to have the following four components. These may seem straightforward and obvious, but let’s talk a little bit about how to optimize each of these components to improve your job postings’ visibility. ### 1. Description When writing your job posting, it’s important to get very detailed in the [jo](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf)[b](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf)[description.](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) This helps the right job seekers find your posting. Additionally, a thorough and accurate job description can also save time further down the funnel as it helps applicants determine if the role is right for them earlier in the process. Think about what the applicant will be doing and the kind of experience you want them to have. Make sure to build out your qualifications section so that your job posting is targeted towards people that have those qualifications on their resume – the more specific the better. Crafting a great job description is the first step in getting the right people on your team. CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan, shares some of our best practices in this video: ### 2. Apply method Your Indeed job posting will also need an application method. One option is “Indeed Apply” which applicants can do without leaving Indeed. This allows job seekers to upload a resume and to send it to employers with just a few clicks. Additionally, you can include an “apply URL,” where the applicant would be redirected to your website or [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) or their application would go to an applicant tracking system like CareerPlug. It’s a good idea to include[pre-screen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) in your application that help you weed out unqualified candidates, but you’ll want to find the sweet spot where your application isn’t too long. If your application requires people to upload a resume and also re-type that same information into a long application, you’ve already deterred some potential candidates from applying. ### 3. Location All jobs on Indeed must include a city and state, as location is usually a part of a job seeker’s search queries. Indeed recently added an option for remote jobs, but still requires employers to input a physical location as well. For example, CareerPlug is fully remote, but since the company is based out of Austin, we would also include _Austin, Texas_ as a location in job postings. This can be a good thing for remote employers as it can actually give you double visibility, meaning you’ll show up on Indeed feeds of job seekers searching for both “remote” and whatever city you’re located in. **Pro tip:** If you are hiring in a small town and [not seeing many applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/), consider using the location of the closest, large city. This can help you increase your visibility by showing up in more searches. ### 4. Title Your job title is incredibly important and should aim to match the words that job seekers are typing into Indeed. Use clear, concise, and straightforward names instead of creative job titles like “coding ninja” or “marketing guru”. If you’re not totally sure what to title the position you’re filling, search for similar jobs on Google and see what other companies are titling their jobs. ### Job posting do’s Here are a few more job posting do’s to get more visibility on job boards like Indeed: * [**Include compensation**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/)**.** This helps job seekers self-select in or out _and_ is becoming more and more common as [pay transparency](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/benefits-of-pay-transparency/) gains traction. Trust us, it’s a good look! * **Highlight benefits.** In a job seeker’s market, it’s more important than ever to entice job seekers with [the right benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/impact-of-benefits-on-retention/). Include the standard benefits you offer, and spend some time thinking about the [creative benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-benefits-post-pandemic/) your employees receive as well. Birthdays off work? Free lunch every Wednesday? Let job seekers know! * If you’re hiring for multiple roles, make sure to **create a posting for each unique position**and location.**Each job posting needs to be for just one opportunity.**(Avoid hiring in “career fair” style or for multiple positions on one job posting.) * **Keep your posting mobile friendly**since more than 60% of applicants apply from their phones. Limit your posting to three to five prescreen questions and avoid open-ended questions. ### Job posting don’ts Now let’s talk about what _not_ to do. The following can hurt your job’s visibility on Indeed and even get your job posting flagged and removed. * **Avoid spammy titles.**As previously mentioned, your job title should be clear and straightforward. Don’t advertise a sign on bonus in your job title or use phrases like “HIRING URGENTLY” * **Don’t use discriminatory language.** Avoid gender-specific job titles. For example, use “server” instead of “waitress”. Also avoid anything the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) would see as coded language for discriminatory hiring practices such as “must live within city limits”, “must be currently employed”, “no criminal record”, and “recent graduate”. * **Don’t include too large of a pay range.**A gap of $30-40,000 can appear to be unrealistic and not truly represent what most people in the role are likely to make. It is best to think about what most people in the role make on average and include an absolute minimum.Try to give job seekers an accurate and realistic salary range. ### Organic vs. Sponsored jobs One obvious method for boosting the visibility of your jobs: pay to sponsor them. Organic jobs are posted for free. These jobs are placed based on keyword relevancy, then by chronological order. Because of this, they fall further down the search results as they age. Sponsored jobs are paid to post, based on a daily or monthly budget, and Indeed gives them “premium placement” in search results. This gives job postings additional and longer visibility, which can be a great choice if you need to fill a role urgently or are having trouble finding applicants. ### Diversify your applicant sources beyond the job boards Though some boards attract a higher _quantity_ of candidates, they don’t always deliver high _quality_ candidates. Some of the best sources of hires are [employee referrals](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/), [niche job boards](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/), and your company’s careers page. So while doing all of the things we discussed above will help your job postings get more visibility, make sure you’re not solely relying on job boards to fill your open roles. In our Ask a Hiring Expert video series, we delve into optimizing your job for visibility, but also why you should consider using other sources. Check it out here: ### Need help getting your job postings in front of the right people? An ATS like CareerPlug can help you make the most of recruitment by distributing your job posting to all the major job boards, providing a branded careers page, and automating the tedious steps of a hiring process. To learn more, take a tour of our software. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## 7 Ways to Recruit and Retain Gen Z Employees **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-recruit-gen-z/ * Posted on October 19, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris The babies of Generation Z are growing up quickly. With most of them now hovering between 20-25 years old, they are beginning to shape the labor market and will make up an estimated [25% of the workforce by 2025.](https://www.computerworld.com/article/3661170/what-gen-z-and-millennials-want-from-employers.html#:~:text=The%20Deloitte%20and%20Robin%20surveys,make%20a%20positive%20societal%20impact.) For many businesses, hiring is more challenging than ever before, and a lot of employers are struggling with [lower applicant counts](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/) than usual this year. With a limited talent pool, it’s important to actively recruit and retain quality candidates – including the younger generation. So what does Gen Z want out of work? And what does your company need to attract more of these younger applicants? **We’re sharing seven of our best tips for attracting and hiring more Gen Z candidates**. And since retention is the best recruiting strategy, we’ll also share some insight into how to keep them around. #### Table of Contents 1. [Make sure your job postings are mobile-friendly](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-recruit-gen-z/#mobile-friendly-applications) 2. [Recruit with text messaging](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-recruit-gen-z/#text-recruiting) 3. [Do virtual interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-recruit-gen-z/#virtual-interviews) 4. [Use social media](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-recruit-gen-z/#social-media) 5. [Offer the right benefits and perks](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-recruit-gen-z/#benefits) 6. [Focus on diversity and inclusion](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-recruit-gen-z/#diversity) 7. [Strengthen your company culture (and share it online)](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-recruit-gen-z/#company-culture) ### 1. Make sure your job postings are mobile-friendly Generation Z was born between 1997 and 2012. This means that they were raised around the internet and cell phones. It’s no surprise that in order to attract and retain this younger generation, businesses need to get comfortable with tech and make use of it for both hiring and day-to-day business functions. During 2021, nearly [70% of job applications were completed on a mobile device.](https://recruitingdaily.com/news/almost-70-of-2021-job-applications-were-made-from-mobile-devices/) This suggests that it’s not just Gen Z that’s expecting a mobile-friendly recruiting experience. **To ensure you are receiving applicants (of every generation) make sure that your application is just as easy to complete on a phone as a computer.** ### How would you rate your job application experience? Not sure whether or not your job applications are ideal for modern job seekers? Check out our free guide on how to assess your application experience. [GET THE GUIDE](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Grade-Your-Application-Experience.pdf) ### 2. Recruit with text messaging Since most job seekers are applying from their mobile devices, it makes sense that you should use [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) to reach younger applicants first.There’s plenty of research to back up this advice: for example, [**email has only a 20% open rate**](https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2017/33045/email-vs-sms-battle-of-the-heavyweights-infographic)**– compared to text messages, which have a 98% open rate.** The average email gets a response about 6% of the time compared with the average text message, which has a **45% response rate.** Check out the video below to learn how text recruiting compares to the old-school methods when it comes to winning modern candidates. ### 3. Do virtual interviews Another way to focus on speed and convenience in the recruiting process is to offer virtual job interviews. Not only are video interviews a more convenient option for many people, they can be more efficient and easier to coordinate in terms of [scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/). Gen Z is very familiar with video conferencing technology like Zoom and Google Meetings. If given the choice between two employers they may be on the fence about, the odds are the employer who offers the flexibility of a virtual interview could get their attention sooner. Gen Z expects both recruitment and workplace operations to be streamlined and efficient. Embracing tech in your hiring process will improve [the candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), which will help you get more candidates to say [yes to your job offers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-candidates-turn-down-job-offers/). **ProTip:**We understand that many employers and hiring managers need to meet a candidate in person before offering them a role. And that’s okay! You could consider adding a video interview as the first step in your hiring process, and then invite candidates in person for a follow-up interview. Remember: Just as you’re trying to learn more about them, they’re trying to learn more about you, so make it as easy as possible and engage them early with a quick video call. ### 4. Use social media It’s estimated that [Gen Z spends around three hours a day](https://www.ignitesocialmedia.com/twitter-marketing/gen-z-spending-time-social-media/#:~:text=Gen%20Z%20and%20Social%20Media,a%20day%20on%20social%20media.) on social media sites, and Glassdoor reports that[**79 percent of job seekers**](https://resources.glassdoor.com/65-hr-recruiting-stats-2018.html)**use social media when conducting their job searches.** It’s imperative for employers to [recruit via social media](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-on-social-media/) and maintain a presence online. Just because you might be unfamiliar with a social platform doesn’t mean your [ideal candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) aren’t actively using it everyday. Be open to branching out and meeting those candidates where they are. Chipotle, the popular restaurant chain, is a great example of this in action. In order to [reach more Gen Z applicants](https://www.nrn.com/fast-casual/chipotle-mexican-grill-taps-tiktok-recruitment-tool), they began recruiting on the popular video sharing app [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/en/). You can also use social media to keep existing employees engaged with one another. Use social media to post good news about your company and highlight your employees. Encourage employees to share those updates with their networks as well. A strong online presence can show Gen Z that you are a fun and modern place to work. ### 5. Offer the right benefits and perks We all care about workplace benefits and perks, and Gen Z is no exception. So which benefits does Gen Z care about? [Several studies](https://www.computerworld.com/article/3661170/what-gen-z-and-millennials-want-from-employers.html#:~:text=The%20Deloitte%20and%20Robin%20surveys,make%20a%20positive%20societal%20impact.)suggest that the most important benefits for Gen Z relate to work/life balance and mental health. Development opportunities are important as well. This is right in line with our own research in our [Toxic Work Environment Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/)which found that **lack of opportunities for growth was the number one reason employees wanted to leave their job.**Those employees also reported that more employee development opportunities and a better work/life balance were the most important changes they’d like to see at work. Some ideas for offering the flexibility Gen Z is looking for: Offer more paid time off (PTO). Switch to a [four day work week](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/business/four-day-work-week-uk.html) or offer some flexibility within the standard 9-5. If possible, remote working options are a big selling point for younger generations. Focus on employee mental health by giving time off for wellness days, providing health insurance that includes mental health benefits, and covering the cost of gym/fitness studio memberships. Employee development opportunities will also play a big role in retention. We recommend supporting employee development in the following ways: * Promote from within. * Provide ongoing feedback on [employee performance](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/performance-improvement-plan/). * Pay for educational opportunities like seminars, books, and online classes. * Help employees set and reach goals with a [Growth Plan](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/). ### 6. Focus on diversity and inclusion Gen Z is the most [ethnically and racially diverse generation in history](https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/us-generation-z-demographic-psychographic-overview), and social awareness is a major defining characteristic of this generation. They feel strongly about equality and that carries over into the workplace. DEI consultant Agatha Agbanobi shared her expertise on the subject with CareerPlug: “Potential employees want to be able to see themselves at every level of the business both in the present and future. Representation matters especially for those who are not used to seeing themselves reflected in leadership.” Your DEI efforts as an employer start in the recruitment process and should continue into the day-to-day workplace policies. **Start with your job description. Remove**[**gender biased language**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/)**and highlight your company’s values – particularly ones that pertain to equity and inclusion**. Lack of [pay transparency](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/benefits-of-pay-transparency/) disproportionately affects women and people of color, so [include compensation in your job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/). This shows job seekers that you are a transparent company, and can actually speed up your hiring process since applicants can self-select in or out of what you have to offer. An outlined and consistent [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) will make hiring easier. It will also help you ensure that you are giving all candidates a fair chance and equal treatment. Agbanobi also recommends diversifying your referral network. This is another win/win strategy since we found that [employee referrals are eighteen times](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) as likely to turn into hires than applicants from a job board. “Broaden your network to include individuals in your local advocacy groups and organizations who support historically marginalized groups. For example, the [Young Women’s Alliance](https://youngwomensalliance.org/) (YWA) is a nonprofit organization that centers on the professional and career advancement of young Black and Brown women in Austin, Texas. Small local businesses in Austin might benefit from partnering with leaders within YWA to identify organization members who might be interested in your open roles. You might also find Diversity & Inclusion groups on social media networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook helpful in narrowing down your search.” See more of Agbanobi’s advice in [her CareerPlug guide to diversity, equity, and inclusion](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-hiring/) in a hiring process. ### 7. Strengthen your company culture (and share it online) Many Gen Z employees want to work somewhere where they relate to the culture and feel part of the bigger picture. They want more purpose and connection than just punching a clock everyday. [According to one report](https://www.ey.com/en_us/news/2021/11/ey-releases-gen-z-survey-revealing-businesses-must-rethink-their-plan-z),**67% of Gen Z feel that it is important to work for a company that shares their values.** Strengthen your company culture by: * Clearly defining your [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) and using them as a guidepost in hiring * [Hiring for culture fit](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/) * Checking in with current employees constantly through one-on-one meetings and engagement surveys * Making employees feel valued * Hosting workplace activities like team-builders, happy hours, and volunteer days Make sure your company culture is highlighted online by actively managing your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) with [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/) like [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm) and [JobSage](https://www.jobsage.com/). Ask existing employees to share their experiences working with you and politely respond to negative comments about your business. ### Recruiting Gen Z and beyond No matter how far removed you are from Gen Z, when you think about it, it’s not that hard to understand what they want. Younger job applicants want an employer that genuinely values them and makes them feel appreciated and heard. Being a great place to work – and highlighting that online – will make it easier for you to attract and retain great employees from every generation. ### Reach Gen Z applicants faster with text recruiting. Text recruiting is just one of CareerPlug’s many features that can help your reach applicants sooner, so you can make the right hires. Click the button below to get a look inside our easy to use software. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Quiet Quitting: What Every Employer Needs to Know **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/quiet-quitting/ * Posted on October 13, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris A new workplace trend is quickly making its way around the internet – a term called “quiet quitting.” Have you heard of it? In most cases, quiet quitting refers to **minimizing the amount of work you do at a job you dislike instead of leaving that job altogether.** If you’re an employer, the last thing you want to hear is that your employees are intentionally doing the bare minimum. But why has quiet quitting even gained so much steam? Is it because workers are lazy or is there more to it than that? Let’s talk about quiet quitting and how to prevent your team from joining in on the trend. ### What is quiet quitting? Quiet quitting refers to staying at your job, but on some level, minimizing the amount of work you’re doing. For some, this might mean doing the bare minimum at work. For others, it means no longer going above and beyond expectations or taking on additional work without additional pay. Quiet quitting is rooted in social media and the conversations that happen on sites like TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram and more. It’s hard to pinpoint where and how the term was coined, but it’s clear that many Millennial and Gen Z employees relate to its sentiment. [Gallup’s chief scientist](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/398306/quiet-quitting-real.aspx)for workplace and well-being research, Jim Harter, said that quiet quitting aligns with what he classifies as “not engaged” in the workplace. And Gallup recently found that **more than half of workers born after 1989 fall into this category.** Before getting too riled up about this trend that seemingly encourages less effort from employees, it’s important to learn _why_ people are doing this in the first place. Typically, quiet quitting is a response to a job where an employee feels taken advantage of, underappreciated, and/or underpaid. It is a direct response to the “hustle culture” that for so long dominated the workplace. Instead of working insane hours to climb to the top, many younger employees are choosing to explore healthier relationships to work. Clearly, you don’t want employees that are checked out, unengaged, or biding their time until their next opportunity. Regardless of how they define it, you don’t want your employees quiet quitting, and there are steps you can take as an employer to mitigate that concern. ### How to prevent quiet quitting This popular internet trend has sparked an important and necessary reevaluation of work for both employers and employees. Now’s the time to take a step back and consider how your company culture is holding up and whether you truly are creating a great place to work. Let’s look at some actionable things you can do now to prevent quiet quitting on your team. ### Write accurate job descriptions One quick way to end up with frustrated employees is to assign them many tasks that they feel are outside of their initial job description. It’s a tough balance, because you want to give people the opportunity to take on more and grow, but you also want to make sure that they feel like they have a say-so in the additional work added to their plate. Did your newest waiter want to learn more about cooking food? Or did you just throw him in the kitchen during the rush of a Friday night dinner service? Before you even make a hire, get clear on the specifics of what the role will entail. Try not to leave anything out. Write a [clear and accurate job description](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) that lines up with the actual day to day of the role. **Pro tip:** It can be hard to know how a role might evolve and what extra responsibilities employees end up taking on within it. If you believe your employee’s role will need to expand to meet the needs of your business, consider finding a way to formally promote them (for example, giving them a “Senior” title to their current role)ideally with a raise to match the additional responsibilities. **Consider it an investment in both the growth of your employee and the growth of your business.** ### Need some expert help writing your job descriptions? Click the button below to receive free job description templates for common positions, all written by our team of hiring experts. GET MY TEMPLATES ### Keep employees engaged [Engaging your employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/) can boost [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/), decrease absenteeism, and improve productivity. In short, engaged employees are happy employees – employees that will be much less likely to quiet quit. Plus, one [study of employee engagement](https://hbr.org/2013/07/employee-engagement-does-more) found that **71% of managers believed that employee engagement is one of the most important factors contributing to overall company success.** Some ideas to keep your employees engaged? * Set aside time for team-building activities separate from work like game nights, happy hours, workshops, and group lunches. * Have a process for receiving feedback from employees. * Give feedback regularly and recognize employees on an individual level. * Have a clear mission and values. Share it with your team often so that employees feel like they are part of the bigger picture. [In a recent podcast appearance](https://www.buzzsprout.com/1425367/11418774-authenticity-at-work-with-jenny-leman), CareerPlug president Jenny Leman, shared the importance of making individual employees feel seen and heard so that they are more connected to the workplace. She says employers should ask themselves, “What are you building as your foundation for your employee to connect to you as an employer?” Leman reminds employers that employee engagement starts with managers: “Employees want their managers to know them, to know what’s going on in their lives.**Small connecting moments are really key for this younger workforce.** It makes huge strides in how they respond to an employer.” ### Pay competitive wages For many employees, quiet quitting stems from not being paid enough for the amount of work they do. Minimizing their workload can make an employee feel more in control and like they’re getting paid more fairly. However, it’s likely just a temporary fix. In our [2022 Hourly Workers Compensation Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/), we found that **55% of workers are looking for an opportunity to increase their pay**, with 67% saying they’d even explore new industries or fields to do so. So to prevent quiet quitting and well, actual quitting, it’s probably a good idea to take a look at how your compensation stacks up in your industry. Use resources on [Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/career/salaries) and [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/know-your-worth.htm) to compare your compensation and adjust as necessary. If [offering raises](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-to-give-employees-raises/) isn’t feasible for you right now, keep in mind that **many employees that aren’t satisfied with their pay are willing to accept**[**benefits over increased compensation**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/impact-of-benefits-on-retention/)**– 53% of them in fact!**We found that some of the top benefits employees would accept are health insurance, [more PTO](https://www.ontheclock.com/Blog/why-time-tracking-and-offering-pto-is-important-for-small-businesses-.aspx), and professional development opportunities. ### Promote work/life balance [Employee burnout](https://blog.vantagecircle.com/employee-burnout/#:~:text=Employee%20burnout%20happens%20when%20your,Getting%20irritated) refers to a psychological process in which employees are totally exhausted and stressed due to work. It can lead to feelings of depression and even cause physical sickness! It makes sense that quiet quitting would gain traction at a time when [burnout is at an all-time high](https://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/01/special-burnout-stress) because it’s a logical response to burnout. Employers should take burnout seriously and take steps to improve employee morale. One major contributing factor to employee burnout is a poor work/life balance. Plus, in our [Toxic Work Environment Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/), we found that **“more work/life balance” was one of the most important changes employees would like to see made at work.** You might consider offering **more paid time off** or **more flexible schedules.**[Remote working](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-create-a-remote-work-policy/) options can also give employees more flexibility and cut down on time-consuming commutes. Don’t create a culture where employees feel obligated to respond to emails outside of working hours or bring their laptops on vacation with them. If you find that mandatory overtime is a common occurrence, consider whether it might be time to make some new hires. ### Be clear about each employee’s impact on the business If quiet quitting involves doing the bare minimum in role, then as an employer, you need to ask yourself –what am I doing to motivate my people to _want to_ contribute more than that? Every person on your team should feel as though they have some skin in the game. **What, specifically, are they doing to contribute to the business? What measurable impact are they having?** Show them clearly, with real numbers. Reward them when their impact exceeds expectations. Do you have a service technician on your team who has been completing more service calls than anyone else? Communicate that with the employee and with the entire team. Give people an opportunity –and a reason –to do more than the bare minimum. Recognition and esteem can go a long way. Establishing measurable goals and communicating them regularly with your team increases transparency in the business. Plus, it gives them a better understanding of how the business operates. For many people, this kind of transparency can also double as a welcome learning opportunity, especially if they want to grow in the business. ### Final thoughts As Jenny Leman sums up the motivation for quiet quitting: “Employees want to be known. They want to be seen as human, and they want to be valuable employees. They want to be compensated appropriately for their time and work, and they want boundaries to be ok.” All in all, this is a good thing! Taking steps like the ones above can help you create a better place to work. This means a happier, more engaged workforce that’s motivated to perform. --- ## 7 Leadership Secrets of Top Home Care Owners **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/7-leadership-secrets-of-top-home-care-owners/ * Posted on September 30, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Running a home care agency is hard — but it doesn’t need to be as hard as it is. I’ve watched and worked with hundreds of home care owners in my career, including some who have built 7-figure revenue agencies in less than a year. Most of these agency owners apply many of the same leadership principles; here are some of the key pieces of advice I’ve gathered from them. #### Table of Contents 1. [Use accountability metrics to measure staff output](https://www.careerplug.com/7-leadership-secrets-of-top-home-care-owners/#accountability-metrics) 2. [Pay more so you can hire less](https://www.careerplug.com/7-leadership-secrets-of-top-home-care-owners/#pay-more-hire-less) 3. [Work in every part of the agency periodically](https://www.careerplug.com/7-leadership-secrets-of-top-home-care-owners/#work-in-every-part-of-agency) 4. [Find mentors and a community to learn from](https://www.careerplug.com/7-leadership-secrets-of-top-home-care-owners/#find-mentors) 5. [Take regular clarity breaks](https://www.careerplug.com/7-leadership-secrets-of-top-home-care-owners/#clarity-breaks) 6. [Practice self-care](https://www.careerplug.com/7-leadership-secrets-of-top-home-care-owners/#practice-self-care) 7. [Know every caregiver’s name](https://www.careerplug.com/7-leadership-secrets-of-top-home-care-owners/#know-every-caregivers-name) ### 1. Use accountability metrics and measure staff on output, not input. The concept of measuring staff on output rather than input is especially important at a time when some staff members may be doing some or all of their work from home. I frequently hear home care owners ask how to make sure their office staff are working when they should be, especially if the owner isn’t in the office every day. First of all, if you have to ask, you might have hired the wrong people. That said, I think this is the wrong question to ask. **The most important thing to focus on is the****_impact_****that each team member is making, as measured through the right accountability metrics.** Using accountability metrics will also help you as the owner feel more confident being less involved in the day-to-day or eventually stepping away entirely. To be successful, each team member needs to feel complete ownership of their metrics. If multiple people own a metric, nobody owns the metric. Accountability metrics for different roles might include things like: * New weekly added billable hours ([marketer](https://medium.com/@connormylankunz/modern-home-care-marketing-17-super-specific-tips-to-get-more-home-care-clients-in-2022-d02d1546141b)) * Inquiry-to-admission rate (intake coordinator) * New hires [(recruiter)](https://www.careswitch.com/post/a-pretty-damn-comprehensive-guide-on-how-to-recruit-and-retain-caregivers-for-your-home-care-agency) * Percentage of shifts filled (care coordinator) * Client/caregiver satisfaction (care coordinator) * Percentage of messages responded to same-day (receptionist) ### 2. Pay more so you can hire less. The impact of losing a valuable team member is massive; it can easily lead to problems that take months to fully resolve, or cost thousands in missed revenue opportunities. It’s clear that paying a [few more dollars an hour,](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-to-give-employees-raises/) or a few more thousand dollars a year, is generally a small price to pay to retain the right people to keep your business thriving. We often spend much more time thinking about [caregiver pay competitiveness](https://www.careswitch.com/post/29-ultra-specific-tips-to-recruit-and-retain-more-caregivers) than office staff pay competitiveness; while this is understandable (and probably necessary), every aspect of your business will run more smoothly when you’re spending what it takes to attract and keep the right team. Of course, pay isn’t everything. Trust, respect, expectations, benefits, schedules, and culture all play a huge part. But let’s face it: pay is often the first thing people consider with a new job. ### 3. Work in every part of the agency periodically. “Be a leader, not a boss” should be words to live by in a home care workplace. An agency owner who isn’t willing to occasionally chip in with any part of the business (including giving care) isn’t going to get far. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be very careful with your time and work on being able to delegate everything possible; however, **agency owners who have routinely worked in all parts of their agency have greater insight into their businesses and greater respect from their employees.** ### 4. Find mentors and a community to learn from. Even Tiger Woods has a coach. Home care is tough; find a business mentor that you can learn from –ideally a home care agency owner who’s been in your shoes. I strongly suggest initiating a formal agreement that involves paying them for their time. This can help ensure that you both bring a high level of investment to the relationship. You don’t need someone to answer every question for you, but **you need someone in your corner to help you see the things you can’t.** I’ve led marketing for three companies, and I attribute some of my success to having hired an experienced [marketing](https://www.careswitch.com/post/home-care-marketing-101-how-to-get-more-clients-and-grow-your-home-care-agency) leader a few years ahead of me in her career to help me chart my course. Her insight has been invaluable at a practical marketing level and a career development level. Likewise, find a community! Facebook is a great resource for this, especially if you aren’t part of a franchise network or similar organization. You might already be part of some home care Facebook communities; if not, I strongly recommend joining [Home Care Operators Community](https://www.facebook.com/groups/homecareops/) and [Home Care Breakthrough Scaling Systems For Agency Owners](https://www.facebook.com/groups/homecarebreakthroughsolutions/). If you can’t enlist the services of a professional mentor just yet, consider looking for guidance from your franchise’s professional network. ### 5. Take regular clarity breaks. The concept of a “clarity break” comes from the [Entrepreneurial Operating System](https://www.eosworldwide.com/) (which I’ve used and highly recommend for home care agencies), but the idea is pretty universal: schedule regular time to**get out of daily business problems and think about the business and its future at a high level.**It’s about working “on” the business rather than “in” the business. The person who explained its importance to me used a metaphor I still remember. Building a business can be compared to traveling through a jungle; it’s often hard to see very far, you don’t know for sure what you’re going to find, and much of your day is spent hacking through the foliage to move a short distance. But at the end of the day, though, you need to climb a tree and look out over the canopy to make sure you’re still moving in the right direction. ### 6. Practice self-care. Similarly, it’s too easy to work yourself into the ground. Home care owners are generally a combination of care worker and entrepreneur — two occupations in which it’s common (and usually necessary) to work long, difficult hours and random schedules. We asked home care owners how they balance work and self-care. The most common pitfall I’ve seen home care owners hit is **burnout**, which results in a self-repeating spiral of decreasing results and increasing frustration. Get enough sleep. Eat enough. Drink enough water. Exercise regularly. Don’t over-rely on caffeine. Spend quality time with family and friends. ### 7. Know every caregiver’s name and talk to every caregiver personally on occasion. This sounds obvious if you’re a one-person agency with three caregivers and five clients, but it’ll get harder and harder as you scale. There are two major benefits I see to knowing every caregiver’s name and interacting with each of them on occasion. First, it’ll help you **have quality interactions with caregivers**, whether it’s in the course of helping your staff with their work or meeting caregivers at training in-services or interviews. Second, it’s an easy litmus test to ensure that you have the level of involvement in your staffing that will help you be alert to potential problems that are interfering with your recruitment or care delivery. You don’t know what you don’t know. Nitya Chandra, Chief Operations Officer for ComForCare Mountainside, thanks her parents for teaching her the importance of taking care of her staff: ### Conclusion: Plan for an exit from the beginning. A recent statistic I heard from Jen Ramos, CEO of JR3 Consulting and founder of several successful home care agencies, has really stuck with me: [only 10% of businesses will sell under the owner’s ideal and expected circumstances.](https://faq.careswitch.com/value-adds-to-maximize-value-of-a-home-care-agency-to-sell) Much more commonly, one of the five D’s (divorce, disagreement, death, disability, distress) intervenes to force the business owner to sell when they didn’t plan on it. Because of this, you should be careful from the start to map out your long-term vision for your business, understand the different facets of it that will ultimately drive its value, and plan your decisions around growing these factors. This will give you a focused long-term vision that helps guide your daily decision-making. I hope this was helpful. By the way, I work for Careswitch, a new agency management software designed for staff to learn in minutes rather than days. It has all the tools you’d expect (scheduling, care documentation, caregiver app, team chat, etc.) in a super easy-to-use format, but it also has extras like built-in payroll processing. The agency management software is free — we make our money if you choose to upgrade to the payroll processing, which has a monthly fee. You can [learn more and get started free in five minutes here.](https://www.careswitch.com/) * * * _**About the Author:**Connor Kunz is VP of Growth at Careswitch, the first free home care agency management software. Before working at Careswitch, Connor led marketing and agency education at Home Care Pulse, including founding the Home Care Growth Summit and being the project lead for the annual Home Care Benchmarking Study. When he’s not working, Connor enjoys hiking with his wife, eating shredded cheese out of the bag, and watching TV while his cat judges him from across the room._ --- ## 12 Exit Interview Questions You Should Ask **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/exit-interview-questions/ * Posted on September 7, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris There’s an expensive problem business owners struggle with today. I’m talking about the “T” word: turnover. Just how much is turnover costing businesses? Here are some stats: * It’s estimated that losing an employee can cost a company [up to two times the employee’s salary](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-much-does-employee-turnover-really-cost_b_587fbaf9e4b0474ad4874fb7). * For hourly workers, turnover costs around [$1,500 per employee](https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/all-things-work/pages/to-have-and-to-hold.aspx). Not to mention the other costs of turnover, like lost revenue due to short-staffing and the negative impact on employee morale. Of course, there are many things you can do to improve your [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) including: * Raising pay ([64% workers we surveyed](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/) said they would stay at their current job if their employer gave them the compensation they were looking for.) * Offering competitive benefits * Increasing PTO and other work/life balance initiatives * Properly training management * Giving employees the tools they need to do their jobs effectively But whether you’ve implemented these types of retention strategies or not, you are bound to still have great employees leave your organization for their next opportunity. With the right exit interview questions, employees that quit can actually be a great resource for insight into how to make your business a better place to work. ### What is an exit interview? **An exit interview** is an interview you give to an employee who is leaving the company. The purpose of an exit interview is to seek feedback from an exiting employee that will help you improve your processes and prevent future turnover. They can also create a better offboarding experience for employees that are leaving which positively impacts your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) if that employee chooses to write a review on an [employer review site](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/). So that you can make the most of exit interviews, we want to share **12 exit interview questions** that can help you better understand an employee’s experience with your company and their reasons for leaving. Hopefully, the answers will allow you to make positive changes for current and future employees. ### 1. How did the day-to-day realities of your role compare to our description of the role when you began working with us? It’s important to ask employees whether the duties they performed in a role were in line with what they expected when they took your offer. Was your initial description of the role accurate? If not, does that play a role in the employee moving on? This can help you understand why an employee is leaving, and it can also help you craft a more accurate[job description](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) for the open role you will be filling. Accurate job descriptions are important for many reasons, including the [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-is-candidate-experience/). In our [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we found that **“Clearer and more accurate information about the job and responsibilities” was the number one improvement job seekers wanted employers to make.** ### 2. Did you have the tools and resources you needed to effectively do your job? Many of the questions you ask will not only shed light on why your employee is leaving, they will also help you understand the problems that are currently impacting other employees at your company. Not having the right tools and resources can be stressful and frustrating for employees and lead many of them to seek out new opportunities. Ask employees that are leaving what they were lacking so that you can improve the workplace for your team. ### 3. How would you describe our company culture? [Company culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) is important. When searching for a new job, [**77% of applicants**](https://www.glassdoor.com//blog/mission-culture-survey/)**said they would consider a company’s culture before applying and 65% of American millennials are more likely to care about work culture over salary.** This question will give you a pulse on the health of your culture as perceived by those that amplify it – your employees. ### 4. Were you satisfied with the employee benefits provided? Competitive benefits like health insurance, PTO and[employee development](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) opportunities will help you retain current employees and attract and hire new ones. The best way to find out how your employees feel about benefits you offer is to ask them. Consider sending out benefits surveys to all current employees and ask anyone that’s leaving for their thoughts on the subject. Are you finding that many exiting employees say a lack of benefits played an important role in their decision to leave? If so, it may be an expense worth investing in. ### 5. What would you improve to make your workplace better? Do your employees feel like they are working too much overtime? Are they often frustrated by their unpredictable shift schedules? Or maybe they want more opportunities to socialize with coworkers or absolutely hate that 4pm Friday meeting. There’s only one way to find out: ask! Find out what your past employees’ biggest frustrations were with the workplace and get ideas for how to make it better. ### 6. Did the onboarding process provide you with all the information you needed to be successful? Onboarding is important. How important?**Employees who have a**[**positive onboarding experience**](https://recruitingdaily.com/study-finds-bad-onboarding-experience-may-disengage-new-hires/)**are more likely to remain with the employer for three years, and companies that focus on onboarding retain 50% more new employees than those that don’t.** Plus, a standard onboarding process results in a 50% increase in productivity. Since a good onboarding experience can make such a big difference when it comes to employee retention, asking this question to employees that are leaving is a great way to make sure the new hires replacing them are onboarded properly. ### Download Our Free 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Checklist Want to improve your onboarding process but don’t know where to begin? We’ve got you covered. Download our free resource, The 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Checklist to get started. GET MY CHECKLIST ### 7. Were there any company policies you found difficult to understand? If you’ve worked at your company for a while or even started the business, then you most likely know company policies like the back of your hand – heck, you may have even created and implemented them yourself. When you are so deep in the business, it’s a good idea to take a step back every now and then and evaluate how your policies are being perceived by the people that are affected by them. ### 8. Do you have any feedback for your manager? Management is another huge factor in employee retention. It’s estimated that [bad management costs U.S. companies](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/260564/heard-quit-rate-win-war-talent.aspx) around $960 billion dollars per year! Plus, in our [Toxic Work Environment Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/), **35% of employees said that more training for managers/leadership should be a priority when it comes to creating a more positive work environment.** Hopefully, you have a process in place that allows all employees to provide feedback on their managers. And you’ll definitely want to make this kind of question a priority for anyone exiting a role. ### 9. Are there any changes that could have been made to prevent you from leaving? This question is a great way to get specific feedback on what changes you might make in the future to retain your staff. You may not be able to convince an employee to stay, but you can act on their suggestions to prevent other employees from leaving. ### 10. What are you most looking forward to in your new job? This question can give you insight into an employee’s motivation for leaving and show you where your company might be lacking. It can also give you a sense of what other job seekers might be looking for out of new roles. ### 11. Would you recommend working at our company to a friend? Why or why not? This straightforward question can tell you a lot about an employee’s time at your company. It also gives you some insight into what this employee’s or others online reviews might say. Keep in mind that [**more than half of job seekers**](https://www.inc.com/adam-robinson/more-than-half-of-job-seekers-say-they-wouldnt-apply-to-a-company-with-bad-online-reviews.html)**said they wouldn’t apply to a company with negative reviews online.**So an employee’s answer to this question may help you take a more proactive approach to building your online image. ### 12. Anything else you’d like to share? Lastly, a great way to wrap up your exit interview is by asking your former employee if they have anything else they’d like to share. This gives the employee one last chance to provide any helpful feedback about their experience working with you and cover anything your questions might have missed. ### Exit interview tips Exit interviews work best when an employee is leaving on positive terms. Even then, you might be surprised to hear some of the things they have to say! Remember not to take anything personally. The feedback you receive is invaluable in helping you retain the other members of your team. When you conduct exit interviews, look for patterns in the feedback you receive. Trends can point towards organizational issues and should be addressed swiftly to avoid losing any other great employees. An exit interview means the loss of an employee. However, with the right exit interview questions, these meetings can also be the difference that helps you keep many more great employees around. --- ## 7 Hiring Myths that Could Be Hurting Your Recruitment Efforts **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-myths/ * Posted on August 26, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Hiring myths have a way of spreading like urban legends around a campfire. While urban legends are typically harmless, falling into the trap of believing the wrong hiring myths can negatively impact your hiring process and make you miss out on great candidates. We want to shed a little light on the most common myths we hear from our clients and debunk them. Are you ready to approach recruitment with a fresh perspective? Let’s see if you’ve been tricked into believing any of these common misconceptions. ### Myth #1: “No one wants to work anymore.” A tale as old as time – maybe you’ve said it yourself while in the midst of a stressful applicant shortage. Maybe you’ve heard colleagues utter the sentiment while wondering why they can’t fill their open roles. Some of our clients tell us they worry that some people are only applying to jobs to reach an application quota so that they can still accept unemployment benefits. Some employers believe that people aren’t applying because newer generations have less drive. No matter the reasons you might think “no one wants to work anymore,” the data simply doesn’t back this statement up. [Unemployment](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf) has remained at an all-time low in the last year. With some [states seeing the lowest rates of unemployment](https://247wallst.com/special-report/2022/06/10/states-where-the-unemployment-rate-is-at-an-all-time-low/) in their entire history. So what’s really going on? Job seekers have more options these days. And the global pandemic ignited a widespread reevaluation of our relationships to work. This means that people do want to work, but on their own terms. Instead of settling for challenging jobs that pay low wages, applicants are focusing on better roles. **Companies with better work-life balance policies, great benefits, and**[**compensation listed in their job postings**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/)**are the ones seeing a steady flow of applicants that are more than willing to work.** ### Myth #2: “Job boards are the best source of applicants.” When you need to make a hire, you likely turn to popular job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, etc. These are, of course, great places to find the _largest volume_ of applicants. But despite being the source of the most applicants,**job boards do not produce hires at nearly the same rate as other sources.** The chart below from our [2022 Recruiting Metrics Report,](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) shows the rates of which applicants become hires through various sources: Applicants who apply from job boards are more likely to be sending out dozens applications in short order, with less consideration for their qualifications for the role or their interest in the specific job. By comparison, an applicant who takes the time to research a role and apply directly through a [company careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) is more likely to have spent time considering their own fit for the role and the company. To really optimize your hiring process, it’s important to recruit from a [variety of sources](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/), especially [employee referrals](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/)and [custom sources](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/), like industry-specific job boards. A great careers page, which you can build in our [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) can also bring you more applicants and hires. ### Myth #3 “You should only recruit when you have an open position.” Most employers only recruit when they have an open position, which makes sense right? But when you think about it, the most stressful time to be looking for the right candidate is when you have an open role that you needed filled yesterday! One of our mottos is: _Always be hiring._ CareerPlug client and State Farm Agent Isaias Ruiz has seen hiring success using this method and shares his [advice for hiring insurance agents](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/3-tips-to-hire-insurance-agents/): “I know as an Agent, you have a million things to do, and a million things to worry about, but without a constant funnel of team member prospects, you’re kind of spinning the wheel. You have to make sure that you’re always keeping that funnel filled even when you’re not hiring.” “Even if you think ‘my team is solid,’ or ‘I can’t afford to hire anybody right now’ — you never know. In my first three months, I lost over 50% of my team and I didn’t think that was going to happen,” Ruiz says. [**Passive recruiting**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/attracting-passive-candidates-2/)**year-round makes it easier to find people to fill open roles when they come up unexpectedly.** Always look out for talented people, and keep in touch with other applicants from the past. For our clients, we recommend always having a passive job posting up — this is a job posted only to your careers page (not job boards) with a status of “Accepting for Future Openings.” A job of this type indicates that you are passively recruiting and will reach out to candidates when an opening becomes available. Passive recruiting helps you keep more candidates in your hiring pipeline, which gives you more options when it’s actually time to make a hire. ### Myth #4: “Candidates are the only ones that are ghosting.” [Candidate ghosting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-ghosting/) is a big problem these days. Many employers struggle with taking the time to review applications and [schedule an interview](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) or phone screen, only to have the candidate seemingly disappear from the face of the earth. But guess what… Candidates aren’t the only ones that are ghosting. Employers are also guilty of a lack of communication in a hiring process. In fact, many never respond to applicants or fall out of touch after a few back and forth emails. One study found that [**75% of candidates have been ghosted**](https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220311-why-workers-and-employers-are-ghosting-each-other#:~:text=But%20it's%20not%20just%20companies,stages%20of%20the%20recruitment%20process.)**by an employer after an interview.** Ouch! This isn’t a good look for your business. [Candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-is-candidate-experience/) matters whether you want to hire someone or not. The way you treat applicants impacts your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/), meaning it could negatively affect your ability to recruit other candidates in the future. We know that you’re busy, but don’t forget to keep all candidates engaged throughout the hiring process. Improve your [communication during the hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) with [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/). Better yet –use [an applicant tracking system like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/)to automate communication for you. ### Myth #5: “Gaps in a resume are a bad sign.” At first glance, gaps in a candidate’s resume might be concerning. You might think it suggests that the candidate wasn’t able to hold a job or maybe they aren’t as committed to their careers as you’d like. We strongly urge you to change this perception, and consider that gaps in a resume actually say very little about a candidate’s professional trajectory. Many people have to take extended breaks from work for a variety of reasons. Maybe a candidate took off to care for a sick loved one, to raise a child, or to travel and see the world! None of these things should affect your willingness to hire them. Don’t believe the myth that gaps in a resume are bad. Instead, when [reviewing resumes](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/), focus on the experience a candidate _does_ have and whether or not it matches the criteria you are looking for. ### Myth #6: “The right candidate will fill out a long application.” You may think that the candidates worth hiring are the ones that are willing to undergo a long application process and prove to you that they are committed to your open role. But in reality, job seekers have more options than ever these days, and the best candidates know their time is valuable. This means that **many job seekers will abandon applications that take too much of their time in favor of shorter, less complicated applications.** Applications should be easy to complete. Here are some tips to simplify your applications: * Don’t make applicants create a login to fill one out, or worse – re-enter all the same information that’s in their resume. * Limit [pre-screen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) to two or three. * Don’t ask candidates for any sensitive information like social security numbers. Lastly, since nearly [86% of candidates](https://keltonglobal.com/) use their smartphones for job searching, a mobile-friendly application experience is crucial. How would you rate your current [application experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/application-experience/)? Click the button below to download our Application Grader to make sure that your application isn’t scaring away great candidates. [Grade Your application experience](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Grade-Your-Application-Experience.pdf) ### Myth #7: “You should hold out for the candidate who has the exact experience you’re looking for.” The perfect candidate might be as much of a myth as unicorns and mermaids. Many employers fall into the trap of thinking that they should hold out for someone who’s resume perfectly matches their job description. And sure, sometimes you actually need certain professional experience like licenses or a degree, but other times, holding applicants to too high of a standard only slows down (or brings to a screeching halt) your hiring process. For example, when you say that a candidate needs to have at least 5 years of experience for a role, does that mean you would overlook a candidate with 2 years of experience? Instead, consider [hiring for growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/). Look for a proven track record of growth and evaluate for soft skills that you know will make someone successful in a role. A resume doesn’t always tell the whole story, and it could be worth your time to get to know more about a candidate with an initial phone screen or interview. For more on how to hire for growth potential, check out this video from our Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan: ### Did you believe any of these hiring myths? Whether you’re new to hiring or have been recruiting for awhile, sometimes it can be refreshing to take a look at your hiring beliefs and make sure they aren’t holding you back. Letting go of common hiring myths can help you improve your hiring process and reach the right candidates. ### Does your hiring process need some work? Let our hiring experts help you separate fact from fiction, and improve your hiring process with our easy-to-use software built on a proven playbook for recruitment success. Click the button below to get started. [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## 10 Questions Not to Ask in an Interview (And What to Ask Instead) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/question-not-to-ask-in-interviews/ * Posted on August 16, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Interviews can be nerve-racking for both the candidate and the interviewer. Both parties want to make a good first impression and to represent themselves well. Candidates worry over their answers, and employers wonder if they’re asking the right questions. Of course, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to interview questions, but some questions are better than others at getting to the heart of someone’s professional experience and the kind of employee they are. And while you’re trying to get to know your candidates, it’s important to keep in mind that some questions are actually _illegal_ to ask, while others are simply hard to answer and don’t end up being helpful. Don’t accidentally ask a candidate something that turns them off from your company – or worse, gets you in some sort of legal trouble. To help you understand hiring best practices and improve your hiring process, here’s our list of ten questions _not_ to ask in an interview. ### Illegal interview questions To start, let’s discuss some illegal interview questions. These questions are not only inappropriate, they are barred by the [US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission](https://www.eeoc.gov/) (EEOC), and asking them could put you at risk of legal action. Here are five types of questions that should be avoided entirely. ### 1. What country are you from? Hiring managers aren’t entitled to know a candidate’s country of origin or nationality. Race and ethnicity questions are also off limits. This includes questions like: * Where were you born? * Are your parents from the US? * What’s your race? One question you can ask is: “Are you legally allowed to work in the US?” You may also ask for proof of citizenship once a candidate is hired. ### 2. Are you married? As the EEOC puts it: “Questions about marital status and number and ages of children are frequently used to discriminate against women and may violate Title VII if used to deny or limit employment opportunities.” In general, questions about a candidate’s family status should be avoided. Here are a few more examples: * Do you have children? * Do you plan to have children? * Are you single? You may think you’re making innocent small talk with a candidate when you ask them questions like this, but always remember, these kinds of personal questions aren’t relevant and won’t help you determine how they’ll perform in the role. ### 3. Are you religious? Sometimes the intent behind these types of questions is as innocent as wondering if a candidate can work on Sundays or will need any religious holidays off. However, you are not allowed to ask if a candidate is religious or even if they go to church on Sundays, but you can ask what days a candidate can work. ### 4. Are you disabled? While you are allowed to inquire whether someone can perform the duties of a job, you can’t ask any questions about medical conditions or disabilities. Other off-limits variations of this question include: * Have you ever had a workplace injury? * Have you ever filed a claim for worker’s comp? * Do you have a medical condition that would prevent you from doing this job? ### 5. How old are you? Questions around a candidate’s age are also a no go. The [Age Discrimination in Employment Act](https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/adea.cfm) of 1967 protects job seekers over 40 from being disadvantaged in hiring due to their age. Other questions that are off-limits: * How long have you been working? * What year did you graduate high school? ### Low-quality interview questions to avoid In addition to the questions like “Are you pregnant?” and “What year were you born?” that should be avoided due to anti-discrimination laws, there are also questions that simply aren’t a good use of yours or your candidate’s time. Here’s what not to ask in interviews if you want to really get to know a candidate and get the information you need to decide if they’re the right fit: ### 1. Tell me about yourself. This seems like a good opener to an interview, a chance to get the overview before you dive into the specifics. But everyone interprets the correct way to answer differently. For example, one candidate might begin with their childhood in Nebraska and another might launch into why they are a good fit for this job. It’s better to be specific upfront and ask about what you really want to hear. Are you asking this question to know about their career goals, why they want this position, or to understand them as a well-rounded person? ### 2. What is your biggest weakness? Oh, the quintessential interview cliche. This is one of the first questions we’re taught we’ll be asked when we learn what a job interview even is (along with “what is your biggest strength?”). Aside from its generic “ick,” there doesn’t seem to be much value in answers. Most people have been taught to turn their weaknesses into strengths or they have prepared an answer that isn’t actually going to tell you what they’re struggling with professionally. If you want to know their weakness, ask about a project they’ve worked on in which they experienced challenges to completing that project. Have them describe their process for overcoming those obstacles. This is often more helpful for you as a hiring manager because it gives you insight into how reflective and self-aware the candidate is about their work. Obstacles happen to everyone, but did they learn anything from them? ### 3. If I offered you the job, would you accept it? Unless you are explicitly [offering the job](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/offer-letter-templates/), this question has no place during the interview. Chances are candidates wouldn’t say ‘no’ in the moment even if they did need more time to reconsider (which will only leave you angry if they later decide to turn down the job after you do offer it). There are other ways to judge if a candidate is excited and would be committed to the position. If you’re trying to judge their feelings about taking the job, ask about what excites them about this opportunity or what questions they have. If they struggle to come up with an answer, that could be the red flag you’re looking for. ### 4. Why hasn’t anyone hired you yet? You’re worried why they’ve been on the job market for awhile; there must be something wrong with them, right? Firstly, a candidate who has been searching for a new position for some time doesn’t equate to “unfit to work anywhere” – chances are the right fit just hasn’t come up yet and it could be you!Secondly, chances are they don’t know and asking them to speculate about what makes them unhirable sends the interview into an unproductive and depressing spiral. Thirdly, ouch. ### 5. Can you explain this gap in your resume? As an employer, gaps in a resume may seem concerning, but asking a candidate about them in interviews can be off-putting. Consider this: Sometimes people take time off to raise children or care for a sick loved one. Sometimes gaps in a resume mean someone took off work to travel and see the world. Other times, there are gaps in a resume simply because an applicant left off irrelevant work experience. When interviewing, don’t focus on what’s missing. Focus on the information you have and ask clarifying questions that don’t make someone explain a time in their life that they left off a resume for a reason. ### Interview questions you should ask instead Interviews are an important time to get to know candidates and ask questions that can help you make better hires. Focus on fact-based, opinion, and behavioral interview questions like: * What were your dates of employment? * What were your job responsibilities? * Have you ever worked with X software? * What would you do in X situation? * Where do you see your biggest opportunities for improvement? * Tell me about the last time you received feedback and how you responded to it. * Tell me about a time it was particularly important to make a good first impression with a client. For more on the types of interview questions we recommend asking, check out this video from Natalie Morgan, CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People: Bad interview questions can create a negative [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-is-candidate-experience/) – and at their worst, they can even get you in legal trouble! Taking the time to prepare your interview questions ahead of time can help you steer clear of questions you shouldn’t ask, and instead focus on thoughtful questions that will help you get to know your candidates and begin building a working relationship with them. To take your interviewing skills to the next level, be sure to check out our [Ultimate Guide to Interviews.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/) ### Easily Schedule Interviews with CareerPlug CareerPlug’s easy-to-use applicant tracking system can help you organize your hiring process and schedule your interviews faster. Take a tour inside the software by clicking the button below. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## How Would You Rate Your Application Experience? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/application-experience/ * Posted on July 22, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Creating a great [job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) and getting it in front of the right people is just one piece of the recruitment puzzle. Now, you have to get job seekers to actually apply to your open roles. You may not put much thought into what candidates think of your application. After all, as an employer, you’re looking for specific information and want job seekers that will take the time to answer your questions and fill out your application no matter how long it takes. Right? Not quite. In today’s competitive labor market, it’s more important than ever to make your application experience smooth and easy so that job seekers that view your job posting are compelled to complete the application and move further down your [recruitment funnel.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hire-faster-by-optimizing-your-recruitment-funnel/) So it’s worth asking: How would you grade your current application experience? Is it possible that it’s causing you to miss out on quality candidates? Let’s look at why a great application experience matters and how to create a process that will help you make more of the right hires. ### Why application experience matters In a labor market where job seekers have more options than ever before, a bad application experience could cause a great candidate to abandon your application in favor of someone else’s. In fact, [60% of job seekers](https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/technology/pages/study-most-job-seekers-abandon-online-job-applications.aspx#:~:text=According%20to%20CareerBuilder%2C%2060%20percent,abandonment%20rate%20may%20be%20conservative.) quit in the middle of filling out applications because of length and complexity. Job seekers simply don’t have time to spend thirty minutes or more applying to one job. Instead, they want to be able to apply in just a few clicks and move on. The application process also plays a role in the overall [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-is-candidate-experience/), which is made up of all the interactions a candidate has with you from job posting to job offer. A negative candidate experience can deter candidates from accepting your job offers – according to our [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), **58% of job seekers have declined a job offer because of a poor candidate experience in the hiring process.** This means that even if a job seeker does make it through a laborious application process, they may not be left with a great impression. Since the application is one of the candidate’s first touch points with your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/), this perception may serve as a mark against your company when they are deciding between one or more offers. Your application process is just one small part of the overall candidate experience. To learn more about how to create a positive experience and keep candidates engaged, check out this video from our Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan: ### How to create a great application experience We’ve covered why a great application experience is so important. But what do job seekers want from an application experience? The following tips can help ensure that your application doesn’t scare off great candidates. ### Make applying easy Job seekers are often applying to multiple roles at once, and many will skip a long, complicated application process. Talented candidates –especially _busy_ talented candidates –know their time is important. Show them that you value it by making your applications short and easy to complete. **Our advice: You shouldn’t make applicants create an account or a login simply to apply.** And definitely don’t make them re-enter their work history if they’ve already attached their resume – no one likes that! Using an [applicant tracking system like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) will help you automatically organize your candidates and their resumes so requiring them to fill out tedious applications should be a thing of the past. ### Don’t include too many pre-screen questions We highly recommend**two to three**[**pre-screen questions**](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/)**in your job applications**. These can help weed out unqualified candidates and [speed up your hiring process.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/) However, an application that has more than a few pre-screen questions can overwhelm candidates and cause them to abandon your application in favor of a shorter one. Pick the top two to three things that are most important to you for the role (such as education, the number of years of experience, or availability) and use those to determine your pre-screen questions. Remember: The purpose of the pre-screen questions is to eliminate candidates who don’t check your most important boxes. Don’t turn your pre-screen questions into an entire interview. ### Don’t ask for sensitive information Sure, eventually you will need a candidate’s information like date of birth and a social security number. But asking for these things in your initial application could be off-putting for candidates nervous to share their sensitive information online. Save these questions, along with reference requests, for later in the hiring process. ### Make your application mobile-friendly Today’s job seekers want their search for the perfect job to be as convenient and quick as possible, so it’s not surprising that nearly [86% of candidates](https://keltonglobal.com/) use their smartphones for job searching. Because of this, a mobile-friendly application experience is crucial. Make sure that both your job posting and your application are just as streamlined on a cell phone as they are on a computer screen. Keep in mind that bulky paragraphs or a long application will seem even longer on a mobile view. Your application process doesn’t have to be the only part of hiring that’s optimized for mobile. Try [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) so that you can reach out and schedule interviews with qualified applicants sooner than your competition. Your candidates will be grateful for the quick and easy communication. ### Grade your application experience Now that you have a better idea of what makes a great application experience, how does yours stack up? We’ve compiled these tips and created an application experience worksheet that can help you grade your experience and take stock of what changes need to be made. **Click the button below to download your free PDF.** [Grade Your Application Experience](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Grade-Your-Application-Experience.pdf) **Note:**The “Grade Your Application Experience” worksheet is just one of the many free resources offered in Clint Smith’s new book, _How to Hire_: _The Essential Guide to Recruit & Retain the Right People_. Download your free copy below. ### Get your free digital copy of How to Hire! CareerPlug Founder and CEO, Clint Smith, wrote the book on small business hiring – literally. His new book, How to Hire, is an essential playbook for business owners to recruit and retain the right people. GET MY FREE E-BOOK --- ## 8 Ways to Remove Gender Bias from Your Job Descriptions **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/ * Posted on July 8, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Many businesses are moving in a positive direction when it comes to diversity in the workplace. This is great for so many reasons, and studies show that a [diverse workforce](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/09/09/the-benefits-of-creating-a-diverse-workforce/?sh=477130d0140b)contributes to more innovation and can even have a positive impact on profits. However, there is still a lot of progress that needs to be made. Consider some of these stats: * [Only 26% of jobs](https://teamstage.io/women-in-the-workforce-statistics/) in computer-related sectors are occupied by women. * [Only 27% of women](https://teamstage.io/women-in-the-workforce-statistics/) hold management or leadership roles. * [42% of women](https://whattobecome.com//blog/gender-discrimination-in-the-workplace-statistics/) have faced gender discrimination at work. * Transgender adults are [twice as likely](https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/being-transgender-at-work)as cisgender adults to be unemployed. We’re sure that most employers aren’t intentionally using exclusionary language in their job descriptions, but the fact remains that some language can be perceived as gender-specific by job seekers, causing them to think, “This job doesn’t sound like it’s for me.” Without inclusive job postings, you could be missing out on some great candidates and end up with a team that lacks varied perspectives and talents. Removing gender bias from your [job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) is one incredibly important step to hiring and retaining more people from all backgrounds, so that you can benefit from a diverse and inclusive workforce. More than that, it can actually improve your recruiting efforts. For example, one [software company](https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44399028) saw an **80% increase in the hiring of women for some of their technical roles after making changes to their job descriptions**. Plus, [data suggests](https://www.hrdive.com/news/gender-neutral-job-ads-are-best-but-few-use-them-report-says/594534/)that **gender neutral language actually increases the application rate and lowers the cost per application.** Let’s go over eight changes you can make to your job postings to remove gender bias and promote more [inclusive hiring practices](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-hiring/). #### Table of Contents 1. [Start with a gender neutral job title](https://www.careerplug.com/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/#gender-neutral) 2. [Pay attention to pronouns](https://www.careerplug.com/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/#pronouns) 3. [Use gender neutral language](https://www.careerplug.com/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/#language) 4. [Use DEI platforms](https://www.careerplug.com/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/#dei) 5. [Limit requirements to what you actually need](https://www.careerplug.com/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/#requirements) 6. [Build a culture of diversity and inclusion](https://www.careerplug.com/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/#culture) 7. [Share your company values](https://www.careerplug.com/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/#values) 8. [Offer the right benefits and share them in job postings](https://www.careerplug.com/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/#benefits) ### Removing gender bias from job descriptions ### 1. Start with a gender neutral job title Your job title is extremely important, and you want to make sure that it’s helping the right people find and apply for your jobs. Believe it or not, terms like “wizard”, “hacker”, and “rockstar” can actually discourage women from applying, as they have male-oriented connotations. Plus, while you might think these irregular job titles are clever, they can actually negatively impact your [job posting’s searchability](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/make-job-descriptions-seo-friendly/) on major job boards. Additionally, make sure not to use gendered terms like “waiter” or “waitress”. In this case, “restaurant staff” or “food and beverage server” would do. ### 2. Pay attention to pronouns This is a pretty straightforward step to take in making your job descriptions gender inclusive. Simply make sure not to use “she” and “he” when describing the tasks of your open role. Use “you” instead. ### 3. Use gender neutral language Often without realizing it, we use words that are “coded” or “charged” with a certain gender. For example, words like “aggressive” and “go-getter” are more likely to be associated with male stereotypes. Where female-coded language might be words like: “feisty” and “enthusiastic”. See the table below for a few more examples, that can help you check your own language neutrality in job postings: Try to limit gender coded words or lean towards more feminine-coded language as [research shows](https://gap.hks.harvard.edu/evidence-gendered-wording-job-advertisements-exists-and-sustains-gender-inequality) that having feminine-coded job postings has relatively little impact on men and encourages more women to apply. [Free gender decoders](https://gender-decoder.katmatfield.com/) can also be a great tool to check your job ads; these tools can flag gendered words and offer neutral replacements. ### 4. Use DEI platforms If possible for your business, outsourcing diversity initiatives to the experts can make a big impact on your hiring process. We recently partnered with [Mathison](https://www.mathison.io/), which in addition to helping us source diverse candidates, has their own bias scanner that we use on job descriptions. It not only scans for gender-charged terms – it also checks for accessibility, flagging jargon or buzzwords that could be exclusionary. ### 5. Limit requirements to what you actually need **Did you know that women are less likely than men to apply to a job where they don’t meet**[**100% of the qualifications**](https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified)? With this in mind, while writing your job posting, think about which requirements are absolutely necessary for your position and which would just be an added bonus. And though some jobs do require a certain course of study, you may also be limiting your talent pool by naming a certain degree (or degrees) that you want candidates to have. If it’s not totally necessary, [not requiring a college degree](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2021/09/30/why-companies-should-remove-college-degree-requirements-from-job-listings/?sh=4cb93f8e5ee9) can remove a huge barrier to skilled applicants that might not have the means, financial resources, or opportunities to graduate from college. ### 6. Build a culture of diversity and inclusion Your company culture should shine in your job description. So, to remove gender bias from job descriptions, it can be helpful to have a culture that makes equity a priority. Before applying to your open roles, candidates will want to know that they are joining a culture where they will feel welcomed and can thrive. Consider adding a statement to the end of job descriptions that lets candidates know more about your culture and the steps you have taken to make your workplace a comfortable one for all. ### 7. Share your company values Part of a good company culture is having the right values. If your [company values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/)promote diversity, you should definitely share them in your job posting. The right values can attract people who share your values to your job listings and give people a sense of what it might be like to work for you and what your company prioritizes. ### 8. Offer the right benefits and share them in job postings Including benefits on job postings is always a good idea. But when paying more attention to gender equality, it can be helpful to make sure you are offering [the right benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/impact-of-benefits-on-retention/) and highlighting those in your postings. For example, do you offer childcare? This would be a really attractive benefit for a woman with children, part of a group that is [significantly more likely](https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/seven-charts-that-show-covid-19s-impact-on-womens-employment) to have to leave the workforce than men. How about a flexible schedule or unlimited paid time off (PTO)? The right benefits can encourage women that are often the primary household caretakers to apply to your open roles. ### Stay aware of all biases throughout the hiring process Gender bias is just one of the many biases that can negatively impact recruitment. As a next step, check out our blog on [9 Hiring Biases that are Hurting Your Recruiting efforts](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/) so that you can stay aware of the many types of unconscious biases that happen during hiring. --- ## The Real Reasons Behind the Restaurant Worker Shortage **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/restaurant-worker-shortage/ * Posted on July 1, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris If you run a restaurant or work in one, you’ve likely experienced the effects of the current restaurant worker shortage firsthand. Restaurants are having a difficult time finding people to fill vacant job openings and stay in those roles. As a result, these businesses are understaffed, customers are being turned away, and service is suffering. So, what’s to blame for the restaurant worker shortage? If you ask restaurant operators, they might point to a few popular misconceptions: that the shortage can be blamed on the fact that many workers are still afraid of contracting COVID-19 on the job and that there is an increasingly unmotivated workforce that would rather collect benefits than work. However, data from TouchBistro and 7shifts’ [_2022 Labor Report: How to Survive the Restaurant Staffing Shortage_](https://www.touchbistro.com//blog/restaurant-staffing-shortage-report/) reveals there’s a mismatch between what restaurant owners think and why employees _actually_ don’t want to work. So, what’s the real cause behind the restaurant worker shortage, and just how bad is it? Keep reading to learn all that and more. ### How bad is the restaurant worker shortage? The [labor shortage](https://www.touchbistro.com//blog/7-ways-to-deal-with-the-labor-shortage/) is more pervasive than you may think. In fact, [81% of restaurant operators](https://www.touchbistro.com//blog/state-of-restaurants-report/) say they are short at least one position. Servers and dishwashers are in the highest demand, and one-third of restaurants report that they are short on both positions. Filling vacant roles is only half the battle. [Retaining employees,](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) which is already a [struggle for the restaurant industry](https://www.7shifts.com//blog/study-engage-employees-reduce-restaurant-turnover/), has become even more challenging because of the pandemic. While the average [restaurant turnover rate](https://www.touchbistro.com//blog/calculate-restaurant-turnover-rate/) is currently 23%, according to TouchBistro’s [_2022 State of Restaurants Report_](https://www.touchbistro.com//blog/state-of-restaurants-report/), family style restaurants experience turnover at rates of up to 32%. And, with new employee training costing $3,178 per person on average, turnover has a significant financial impact on restaurants. ### How restaurants have responded to the labor shortage Restaurant owners are frustrated by the labor shortage. Most think that employees won’t work because they’re worried about COVID-19. Many also claim that today’s workers are lazy and flaky. So, what have operators been doing to cope with the restaurant worker shortage? **44% of restaurant owners say they’ve tried to increase productivity among existing staff**, while **33% say they’ve reduced their hours of operation.** While more restaurants are offering benefits now than ever before, fewer are [offering higher compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-to-give-employees-raises/) to attract new staff. ### The real reasons behind the restaurant worker shortage Unlike what operators suspect, fear of COVID-19, competition with unemployment benefits, and a general unwillingness to work are not the primary reasons for the restaurant worker shortage. [Data from 7shifts](https://www.7shifts.com//blog/restaurant-employee-engagement-study-and-survey/#Employees-leaving) shows that restaurant workers are leaving in droves because they want three things:**higher wages, greater manager recognition, and more flexibility.** ### 1. Low Wages TouchBistro’s [restaurant staffing shortage](https://www.touchbistro.com//blog/restaurant-staffing-shortage-report/) report found that **only 54% of restaurants are offering higher wages to stay competitive**, which is down from 61% in 2019. Because of COVID-19-related revenue losses, restaurants simply have less money to operate with and to offer employees. However, it’s in a restaurateur’s best interests to pay employees more competitively. In a [survey of hourly workers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/), CareerPlug found that 55% of employees are looking for an opportunity to increase their pay, and 7shifts found that higher wages are one of the top demands among restaurant workers and play the biggest role in long-term retention. ### 2. Lack of manager recognition In their [2022 Toxic Work Environment Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/), CareerPlug found that 52% of employees in the restaurant and food services industry do not feel like their manager genuinely cares about them/their performance at work. TouchBistro found that **only 39% of restaurants are investing in professional development opportunities to stay competitive**, compared to 43% in 2019. While many people think of roles in the service industry as temporary jobs, this simply isn’t true. 7shifts found that employees actually _do_ want signs of long-term career prospects and manager recognition, such as promotions. Opportunities for professional development and career growth are critical to employee satisfaction and, subsequently, lower turnover rates. If you’re interested in learning more about how to create a development plan for your restaurant staff, you can download CareerPlug’s free [**Employee Growth Plan Template**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) to get started. ### 3. Lack of work-life balance Restaurant workers often have to deal with unpredictable and inflexible schedules, which makes it difficult for them to strike a true work-life balance. If you don’t know when you’ll be working, or don’t have the freedom to request shifts that fit into your life, how can you plan your time outside of work? Only 29% of restaurants are using scheduling software to manage labor costs and shifts, according to TouchBistro. However, 7shifts found that ​​**56% of employees say that flexible scheduling would greatly affect their happiness at work and their desire to stay in their role.** ### Wrapping up: The real reason behind the restaurant worker shortage If restaurant owners don’t listen and respond to what workers actually need,it will continue to be difficult for them to navigate the current labor shortage. By understanding the real reasons behind the worker shortage, restaurants can better adapt, reduce staff turnover, and grow their business. * * * ### About the guest author Ana is the CEO [BLOOM Digital Marketing](https://inbloomdigitalmarketing.com/), which aims to help the hospitality and tourism industries fill the gap between their in-person experiences and their digital experiences. Her work includes writing for brands such as [TouchBistro](https://www.touchbistro.com/), 7shifts, and more. --- ## 2022 Toxic Work Environment Report **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/toxic-work-environment/ * Posted on June 27, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Toxic work environments – [this term was first used](https://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/december-2018/townhouse-notes-toxic-work-environments-the-history-of-an-idea) to describe literally toxic workplaces where dangerous working conditions and chemical hazards put employees at physical risk. Since then, the term has evolved to represent a different type of toxicity – negative situations at work like poor management, lack of clear company goals, discord among coworkers, and many other things. In recent years, more and more employees have begun taking stock of how they are treated at work and what’s expected of them. Many people started evaluating whether or not they have been dealing with a toxic work environment, and if their job could actually be impacting their physical or mental health. This shift in priorities and expectations, triggered by the pandemic, led [millions of employees to quit their jobs](https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/), and countless others demanding better working situations from their employers. As an employer, you can see this time as an opportunity to reevaluate your priorities as well, and check in with the atmosphere and culture in which your employees work daily. A term like “toxic work environment” can be relative, so it can be hard to determine what constitutes one. It can also be hard to step away from the daily responsibilities of running a business and check in with how employees are feeling and being treated by their coworkers and managers. If you knew what your employees considered to be a toxic work environment and what they would like to see changed, would you make those positive adjustments for their wellbeing? If you knew that making those changes would improve [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) and give you a happier and healthier workforce, what would you do? We hope to give you insight with the answers we received in our first **Toxic Work Environment Survey, where we asked 500 people across 11 different industries to give us their opinion on their current work environment and what makes it positive or negative.** Industries surveyed: * Automotive * Cleaning Services * Education & Childcare * Fitness * Home Healthcare * Home & Commercial Services * Hospitality, Recreation, & Entertainment * Insurance & Financial Services * Personal Care * Restaurant & Food Service * Retail #### Table of Contents 1. [What is a toxic work environment?](https://www.careerplug.com/toxic-work-environment/#what-is) 2. [What makes a toxic work environment according to employees?](https://www.careerplug.com/toxic-work-environment/#employees) 3. [Toxic work environments and employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/toxic-work-environment/#retention) 4. [Which industries have more toxic work environments?](https://www.careerplug.com/toxic-work-environment/#industries) 5. [How employers can create a more positive work environment](https://www.careerplug.com/toxic-work-environment/#employers) ### What is a toxic work environment? **We define a toxic work environment as a workplace where a negative atmosphere caused by coworkers, supervisors, and/or the company culture, makes it difficult to work or progress in a job.**When we asked employees if they have ever experienced such an environment, the overwhelming majority said that they have. When breaking this down by age group, there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference across generations. **The majority of employees across all ages claim to have experienced a toxic workplace at some point in their careers.** ### What makes a toxic work environment according to employees? We asked employees to provide their own definition of a toxic work environment. The word map below can help you visualize some of the most common answers. One employee pointed out how a toxic work environment can impact every aspect of your life, in and outside of work: “A toxic workplace is mentally and emotionally taxing. The stress also affects your physical health.” Here are a few other ways employees described a toxic workplace: * “Having a boss that does not lead well and makes you feel worthless, not having people you work with be a team that works together, people becoming clique-ish and gossiping/spreading rumors.” * “Constant negative atmosphere, no positive feedback for putting in effort, going unnoticed by team leads for trying to go above and beyond expectations.” * “Poor communication between different departments, lack of distinct supervisorial chain, back-stabbing to get promotions, no accountability individually.” * “A workplace that doesn’t appreciate their team, doesn’t put their employees first.” * “A workplace that allows negativity or negative people to continue to disrupt other people’s jobs and attitudes.” We also asked employees about certain negative experiences they’ve had in the last twelve months that could be considered toxic. ### Toxic work environments and employee retention Is a toxic work environment enough to push an [employee to quit](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-employees-quit/)? Turns out it could play a pretty big role! We were surprised to see that **72% of employees have left a job because of a toxic workplace and 51% said they plan on leaving their current job for the same reason.** This is a pretty big deal considering it [can cost from one-half to two times an employee’s annual salary](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/247391/fixable-problem-costs-businesses-trillion.aspx) to replace them. Since retention is such an important issue for employers, we wanted to dig a little deeper and see what specific reasons would make this many employees want to leave their jobs. Out of the 51% of employees that plan on leaving their current job, the majority responded that “lack of opportunities for growth” was the primary factor. We also found that “unsafe working conditions”, “poor work/life balance”, “unfair treatment by managers”, and “harassment from coworkers or managers” were also pretty prevalent issues. ### Which industries have more toxic work environments? We were also curious about whether some industries struggled with this more than others, but toxic work environments seem to touch every industry. The majority of employees in every industry in our survey said that they have experienced a toxic work environment: Some of the highest percentages: * **Fitness industry:** 98% reported to have experienced a toxic work environment, with 80% saying they plan to leave their job because of a toxic work environment. * **Automotive industry:** 94% reported to have experienced a toxic work environment, with 70% saying they plan on leaving their current job. **The restaurant and food service industry**was close behind with 91% reporting they have experienced a toxic work environment. They also had some outlying stats in other areas. 77% of respondents across all industries said that their manager cares about their performance at work and gives them regular feedback on their performance. This makes it even more telling that most of those in restaurant and food service said the opposite: * **56%** of employees in restaurant & food service claimed that their manager does **not** give them regular feedback on their performance at work. * **52%** of employees in restaurant and food service do **not** feel like their manager genuinely cares about them/their performance at work. **Education and childcare** also stood out a bit from the majority: * **49%**feel like they are **not** able to voice their needs and concerns at work. * **42%** claim that their manager is **not** open to receiving feedback/suggestions. Poor work/life balance also seems to affect a lot of people in the education and childcare industry. 42% of employees said they have experienced it in the last month and **better work/life balance was the number one change employees in this industry would like to see their employers make.** One education and childcare employee summed up their experiences with toxic work environments: “​​Bad morale, overworked staff, and management not treating employees well.” ### How employers can create a more positive work environment Clearly, toxic work environments affect every industry and have a huge impact on retention. It’s not all bad news though. Many employees (84% in fact) are open to sticking it out at their current job if their employer worked to create a more positive environment. This means that if you can figure out which changes your employees would like to see made, you have the power to not only improve your retention rate, but also to create a more productive and happy workforce. Every team is different, but we asked the employees in our survey to share which changes they would like their employers to make. The graph below shows their answers. ### 1. Support employee development **“More opportunities for growth” was the #1 change that employees would like to see made**. So if it’s not already, employee development should be a priority. We recommend supporting employee development in the following ways. * Promote from within. * Provide ongoing feedback on [employee performance](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/performance-improvement-plan/). * Pay for educational opportunities like seminars, books, and online classes. * Help employees set and reach goals with a [Growth Plan](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/). Click the button below to download your free growth plan template that you can use to work through professional and personal development opportunities with each employee. [Growth Plan Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Growth-Plan-Template-1.docx) ### 2. Create more work/life balance Employees in our survey also wish for “more work/life balance”. Employers should approach this issue as well. You might consider offering more paid time off or more flexible schedules. [Remote working](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-create-a-remote-work-policy/) options can also give employees more flexibility and cut down on time-consuming commutes. Don’t expect employees to answer their phones outside of working hours or bring their laptops on vacation with them. Let the old toxic workplace culture of hustle-and-grind die down, and instead, help employees embrace a more healthy relationship to work. ### 3. A positive workplace starts with management The third biggest change that employees would like their employers to make was “better training for managers/leadership.” This one is pretty straightforward. Question how your leadership is trained and ask employees for feedback on how you can improve. Here are a few things the employees in our survey had to say regarding how management can contribute to a negative workplace: * “A negative workplace is one where it’s a top down leadership model and people aren’t allowed to question decisions – they are to just do as they are told.” * “It’s challenging when there’s no positive feedback for putting in effort, and you go unnoticed by team leads for trying to go above and beyond expectations.” Properly training your managers and leadership team can help you mitigate these types of negative experiences that create a toxic work environment. One great thing to note is that the majority of employees do feel that their manager is open to receiving feedback on how to improve the workplace. This is vital as it helps businesses adapt to the news of their employees. As a manager or employer, it’s up to you to act on the feedback you are given. Being a great place to work is important for so many reasons, and it can help you keep the best people on your team. ### Want more original research? Download our 2022 Recruiting Metrics Report to see how your company’s hiring and recruiting stats compare to others in your industry and learn tips for what you can do to make the right hires. GET MY FREE COPY OF THE REPORT --- ## The Importance of Employer Background Checks **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/employer-background-checks/ * Posted on May 23, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Your business is personal. The people you entrust to operate your organization should create an environment that fosters positivity and growth. However, sometimes finding and hiring the right people is easier said than done. CareerPlug’s annual [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) tells us that businesses are hiring faster these days — shaving nearly a week off their time to hire from 2020 to 2021. In today’s fast-paced talent market, hiring the right people can feel like a shot in the dark, and many small businesses feel pressured to snatch up candidates before properly deciding if they’re the right fit for the role. Just because you need to hire quickly doesn’t mean you should sacrifice the integrity of your hiring process. Employer [background checks](https://verifiedfirst.com/background-screening/) are a crucial part of identifying the best candidates in your applicant pool and hiring them with confidence. As a CareerPlug partner and background screening provider, [Verified First](https://partners.verifiedfirst.com/aspx/referralpage?refer=YxNJCaQHXNr4WRwDLyvaXg0RTQTzI509VRNtqDM9xhc1) believes in the mission of helping businesses make the right hiring decisions. In this blog, we will share why you need to conduct pre-employment background checks and some important tips on conducting them properly. ### Reasons employers should conduct background checks If you are a small business or an employer that wears many hats, hiring can be a daunting and time-consuming process. When you need people to fill your open roles fast, it can be tempting to rush through a [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) and skip important steps like the background screening and reference checks. However, it’s worth pointing out that when it comes to hiring, [applicant quality is more important than quantity](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/), so **instead of trying to move as many people through your recruitment funnel as possible, your focus should be finding and hiring qualified, trustworthy candidates.** Employer[background checks](https://verifiedfirst.com/bgs-buyers-guide-lp/) can help you navigate the hiring process by identifying quality talent. Background checks offer a comprehensive look into a candidate’s past to help you decide if an applicant is a good fit for your open role. By screening your applicants, you gain insight into their identity, history, credentials and more. Let’s discuss some of the main benefits of pre-employment background checks for your business. ### Workplace safety Background checks can help you ensure that your workplace and your employees are safe from workplace violence, sexual harassment, and more. Background checks allow you to get a glimpse into someone’s history including criminal charges and convictions, so that you can hire people that will contribute to a positive and safe work environment. Additionally, pre-employment background checks can help you avoid legal liability in the unfortunate event that something does happen at work. [Negligent hiring](https://definitions.uslegal.com/n/negligent-hiring/) can be a costly claim made against employers by an injured employee. This claim insinuates that an employer should have known about an individual’s history, and therefore should be held responsible. Do your due diligence and conduct a background check to demonstrate care and compliance with hiring and avoid expensive hiring mistakes. ### Data verification Background checks can verify that someone is who they say they are and that the information on their resume is true. This can help you determine someone’s honesty and reliability, and improve the quality of your hires. Though it’s always good to trust what job seekers are telling you, it’s worth pointing out that 40% of [people lie on their resumes](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/what-happens-if-you-lie-on-your-resume#:~:text=It%20is%20estimated%20that%2040,of%20employment%20and%20previous%20salary.) and three out of four employers have caught candidates in a lie. Give all candidates the benefit of your trust, but follow up with confirmation that they have the credentials and experience they claim to. ### Improves the quality of your team Background screening takes some of the unknown out of the hiring equation when evaluating applicants. It can help you determine the quality of a candidate _before_ hiring them, [preventing you from turnover](https://verifiedfirst.com/hr-at-the-table/talent-acquisition-lifecycle-challenges/) down the road. Additionally, hiring quality employees contributes to a positive [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) and reputation. And since many job seekers [won’t apply to a company with a negative reputation](https://www.ceridian.com/ca//blog/important-employer-branding-statistics-to-know), background checks can actually improve your ability to make the right hires. ### Types of employer background checks There are various types of pre-employment background checks that employers can take advantage of to determine whether or not to [make an offer](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/offer-letter-templates/) to a candidate. Here are some of the main types of screenings that can give you the information you need: * Criminal background checks * Drug screening * Employment and education verifications * Civil record checks * Driver record checks * Identity checks ### How to determine your screening needs Just as not every small business is the same, not every background check fits every organization. Many background screening providers offer specific screens that fit the needs of each industry. For example, a candidate applying for a home health position doesn’t need the same qualifications as a candidate in the transportation sector, but they do require the proper credentials to compliantly perform each job. You can determine what background checks are right for your business by **evaluating your industry and the type of roles you need filled**. You may be tempted to find out all there is to know about your prospective candidate, but remember that for many businesses, background checks can be pretty [time-consuming](https://verifiedfirst.com/resources/time-to-hire/). **It’s better to establish a list of necessary checks consistent with your profession and business ethics.** Decide which checks mentioned above will aid your hiring decision. For example, if the job involves working with children, a criminal history check is mandatory. ### More background screening tips When conducting background screenings, make sure to follow legal and ethical requirements. Inform the candidate about your background screening policy and ask for the candidate’s consent during the first meeting. Put all necessary information and provisions on your website to avoid any confusion. Last, but not least, in order to comply with anti-discrimination laws, if you’re going to conduct background checks, make sure that you check every potential employee – don’t make any exceptions. To make this crucial part of the hiring process even easier, consider using a [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/product/), like CareerPlug, that has background [screening tools](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) integrated in the platform. **Finally, though having a background check in your hiring process is a good idea, avoid using the terms “background check” and “fingerprint check” in any job postings you put online. Many major job boards, like Indeed, will flag these terms to stay compliant with cities and states that have laws around criminal history based job discrimination.** Protect your business through background screening. Quality hires are the lifeblood of your business and screening candidates can give you the peace of mind that those you invite on your team are there to positively affect your organization. * * * ### About the guest author Amanda Gutierrez is a Content Marketer at [Verified First](https://verifiedfirst.com/). She creates written and visual content that showcases Verified First’s products and contributes to the conversation on thought leadership initiatives. You can find her on[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandagutierrez6). --- ## How Many Applicants Do You Really Need to Make One Hire? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-to-hire-ratio-benchmark/ * Posted on April 26, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris No, you’re not imagining things:You’ve likely been receiving fewer applicants for your job postings lately. Our recent [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) found that while the number of new jobs posted using CareerPlug increased by 49% in 2021, the number of applicants did not. In fact, the number of candidates applying to jobs actually _decreased_ by 30%. Translation: **2021 saw fewer job seekers applying for more roles.** But what effect does reduced applicant volume have on hiring success? It turns out: not as much as you might think. Let’s look at what the data says about the impact reduced applicants has further down the recruiting funnel. ### Recruiting Funnel Metrics The question “how many applicants does it take to make one hire?” is a tricky question to answer without considering the entire recruiting funnel: **Job posting view > Application > Interview > Hire** After all, your goal in recruiting should not be to collect the most applicants. Your goal is to convert those applicants into interviews and then convert those interviews into hires. Because of this, we measure several key conversion rates throughout the recruiting funnel: ### How many job views convert to applicants? Our data shows that job postings received more views per job in 2021 than in 2020 – it’s just that **the number of applicants per job was cut nearly in half.** This tells us that**job seekers are seeing your postings. They’re just faced with more options than ever, and they’re only applying to the opportunities that appeal to them the most.** ### How many applicants convert to interviews? So now we know that job view-to-applicant rates have suffered –but have the next steps of the recruiting funnel suffered as much? The answer is, surprisingly, no. In 2020, the average applicant-to-interview conversion rate was 15%, but in 2021, the average rose to 20%. This means that, with [fewer applicants applying to jobs](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/), employers are sending [interview invitations](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) to a larger portion of the candidates that do apply. And a 5% adjustment isn’t nearly as drastic as you might have guessed considering the steep drop in applicant rates overall. Of course, some industries convert applicants to interviews at higher rates and some convert at lower rates, as seen in the chart below. But on average, each industry saw minimal change compared to the previous year. ### How many interviews convert to hires? Similarly, the interview-to-hire conversion rate saw a small rise from the 2020 average of 9% to 11%. This means that on average, 11% of candidates interviewed became hires. Again, a 2% adjustment is very small when compared to the decreased applicant volume at the top of the funnel. The exact numbers also vary slightly by industry: ### What does all this recruiting funnel data mean? Believe it or not, this data actually points to good news for employers! The [small businesses who partner with CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/)have been worried that having fewer applicants has hurt their ability to make hires, but our data shows that while 2021 saw a dramatic decrease in applicant flow, **those decreases were not felt nearly as dramatically further downstream in the hiring funnel.** The average applicant-to-interview and interview-to-hire figures saw only modest changes. This suggests that **employers don’t necessarily need****_more_****applicants at the top of their funnels to make their hires – they just need to convert applicants to interviews and interviews to hires at****_slightly_****higher rates in order to hire as effectively as they have in the past.** ### Applicant to hire ratio benchmark Now that we’ve traveled through the recruiting funnel and taken a closer look at what all the data means, let’s take a look at how many applicants it takes to make one hire in each industry: Remember that these are benchmark figures averaged from 14,000 small businesses using CareerPlug. If you find that your applicant-to-hire rate is much lower, but you’re still able to make the right hires, that’s great! In fact, that’s evidence your [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) is working efficiently. But if you find your applicant-to-hire rate is much lower and you’re struggling to fill your open roles, we have some advice on how to improve your hiring outcomes. ### How to improve your applicant conversion rates in 2022 ### 1. Market your employer brand. Candidates have a lot of options right now and they’ll pursue jobs that offer clear evidence that they’re a great place to work. Market your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) with an [attractive careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) full of [employee testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/). Manage your business’ reputation on [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/) by asking your existing employees to write reviews and responding to negative reviews with empathy and authenticity. ### 2. Make it easy to apply. Don’t make it too difficult for candidates to enter your hiring funnel right off the bat. Make it [easy to apply from any device](https://www.careerplug.com/what-is-ats/) because most applicants are searching for jobs on their mobile phones and tablets. An [applicant tracking system like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) allows candidates to apply to your jobs quickly and easily from any device. You’ll also want to make sure your application isn’t too long. If your application requires people to upload a resume and also re-type that same information into a long application, you’ve already lost some potential candidates. ### 3. Write enticing job descriptions. This is another step you can take to strengthen your job view-to-applicant conversion rate. Write [enticing job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) so that candidates are compelled to apply to your open roles. Practice [pay transparency](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/benefits-of-pay-transparency/) by offering [competitive pay and benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/) and advertising it in the job posting. Candidates will concentrate on opportunities that are upfront about the pay because they don’t want to waste their time trying to guess what an employer _might_ pay. For more on writing compelling job postings, check out this video from our Senior Director of HR, Natalie Morgan: ### 4. Communicate with candidates faster. Just because someone submitted an application doesn’t mean you’ve got them for good. A [recent CareerPlug study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) found that **84% of job seekers said that the employer’s responsiveness after initially applying influenced their decision to accept an offer.**You know how most job seekers are on their mobile devices? Well, consider [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) to reach them faster and keep them engaged throughout the entire hiring process. ### Conclusion There’s no exact science that says how many applicants are necessary to make one hire. That’s because what matters more is how well you convert applicants throughout your entire hiring process. At the end of the day, if you can run a hiring process that results in the right person for the role, it won’t matter how many applicants it took to get there. ### CareerPlug Makes It Easy to Run a Great Hiring Process Attract applicants and create an exceptional candidate experience from start to finish with CareerPlug’s applicant tracking system. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) --- ## How Text Recruiting Can Make Hiring Easier **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-makes-hiring-easier/ * Posted on December 6, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris At CareerPlug, we want to make hiring easier, which is why [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) is an important part of our hiring software. We know that as a small business owner, you’d probably rather spend your time running your business than trying to get in touch with candidates in your hiring pipeline. With text recruiting, you can make your recruitment process more efficient by sending applicants text messages instantaneously from within the software throughout the entire recruitment process. But why does that matter? Let’s look at some of the ways text recruiting can be a game-changer for your hiring process. ### Text messages have higher response rates than email The average office worker receives[more than 100 emails per day](https://globalnews.ca/news/3395457/this-is-how-much-time-you-spend-on-work-emails-every-day-according-to-a-canadian-survey/) and close to half of those are spam. With this volume of emails, it’s no surprise that people put off responding to nearly [37% of emails](https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/334235/email-triage-why-people-delay-replying-to-message.html) that need a reply. [Additional research](https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2017/33045/email-vs-sms-battle-of-the-heavyweights-infographic) shows that email has only a 20% open rate – compared to**text messages, which have a 98% open rate.** The average email gets a response about 6% of the time compared with **the average text message, which has a 45% response rate**. So if you’ve just sent a candidate an initial email to schedule an interview, following up with a text can be that extra touchpoint that gets a response. It is more likely that your text will be seen, opened, and responded to, which [improves communication](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) in the hiring process. ### Text messaging captures candidates’ attention A full inbox is just one of the many distractions a person deals with in a typical day. When you’re trying to get in touch with and hear back from prospective candidates, it’s important to catch their attention. Text messaging instead of emails or phone calls is one way to keep candidates engaged throughout the hiring process. Text messaging grabs your applicant’s attention without the risk of getting lost in their spam folder or becoming just another item on the candidate’s long to-do list. This allows you to quickly identify the most interested candidates and keep the conversation flowing. ### Text recruiting helps companies hire faster In today’s job market, it’s more important than ever before to move quickly with applicants. The highest quality candidates will have lots of options, so a speedy and efficient hiring process can help you improve your chances of making those hires. Saving time isn’t only a benefit for the hiring manager. Speed of hiring is especially important for entry-level and hourly employees — [37% of hourly workers](https://workforceinstitute.org//wp-content/uploads/2008/06/kleiman-recruit-the-best-hourly-06.pdf) list being hired quickly as the most important factor when job seeking. Here’s what one of our clients that uses text messaging had to say about it: Since texts are responded to more frequently and are better at grabbing a candidate’s attention, it’s no surprise that our **clients who use our texting feature have a 32% faster time-to-hire rate**. If you’re already a CareerPlug client, use the button below to upgrade your account to take advantage of our text recruiting feature and speed up your hiring process. [Enable Text Recruiting](https://app.careerplug.com/manage/billing) ### Text recruiting can reduce interview no-shows People are busy, and for those job seekers applying to multiple jobs at once, it’s easy to let things slip through the cracks. Imagine if you forgot to write down your scheduled interview. You likely wouldn’t realize that you missed it until you checked your email hours after it had already passed! With text recruiting, you can send automatic reminders straight to candidates’ phones before the interview, greatly reducing your chance of no-shows. This once again saves you time and frustration. ### Text recruiting and hiring compliance Texting with prospective candidates from a personal number can get tricky from a [hiring compliance](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/first-5-things-to-know-about-hiring-compliance/) perspective. With CareerPlug, you can rest assured that all correspondence is stored electronically in a secure and compliant environment. All of your messages will be sent through our text recruiting platform, which allows you to reach out to candidates without them receiving your personal phone number. ### Text recruiting can improve the candidate experience **Over 58% of job seekers that we surveyed as part of our**[**Candidate Experience Report**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/)**, reported that a negative candidate experience has caused them to turn down a job.** One of the big issues that these candidates cited with recent hiring processes was a lack of communication. The majority of job seekers also stated that responsiveness throughout the hiring process was an important factor in their decision to join a company. Text recruiting can make it easier to communicate with candidates, which greatly [improves the candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/). This impacts your ability to get the right candidates to say _yes_ to your job offers. ### Ready to try text recruiting? It’s clear that text recruiting can make hiring easier for your business. Text messages have higher response rates than emails and more effectively capture candidates’ attention. This can speed up your hiring process and reduce frustrating interview no-shows. Text recruiting can help you stay compliant through the hiring process and provide your candidates with a great candidate experience. All of these things improve your recruitment process and your chances of hiring those “got to have” candidates. If you’re curious to learn more about how CareerPlug’s text messaging automation can boost your recruiting, take a tour of the software today. [Learn MOre](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## How to Support Employee Development (And a Growth Plan Template) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/support-employee-development/ * Posted on February 17, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris #### Table of Contents 1. [Invest in employees](https://www.careerplug.com/support-employee-development/#h-1-invest-in-employees) 2. [Upskill and reskill](https://www.careerplug.com/support-employee-development/#h-2-upskill-and-reskill-nbsp) 3. [Check in often](https://www.careerplug.com/support-employee-development/#h-3-check-in-often-nbsp) 4. [Provide feedback and recognition](https://www.careerplug.com/support-employee-development/#h-4-provide-feedback-and-recognition-nbsp) 5. [Help employees set and reach goals](https://www.careerplug.com/support-employee-development/#h-5-help-employees-set-and-reach-goals-nbsp) Imagine it: Productive and satisfied employees that are engaged in your business and stick around for the long haul. It’s every employer’s dream! So how can you give your business a shot at this kind of labor? **Support your employees’ development.** Helping your employees grow within their field and/or learn skills outside of it goes a long way in showing that you care. This creates loyal employees and a fulfilled workforce. Consider this: **Over half of employees we surveyed in our annual**[**Candidate Experience Report**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/)**said that they have considered leaving their job within the last twelve months.** Another [survey of employees](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/reasons-employees-leave) found that “searching for job growth and advancement” was a top [reason that employees leave their jobs](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-employees-quit/). Another important stat comes from a 2021 [Gallup survey](https://velocityglobal.com//blog/pros-and-cons-of-employee-upskilling/): 87% of millennials prioritize professional growth and development opportunities in the workplace. The research suggests that **having a clear upward trajectory is very important to job seekers and employees.** As an employer, you have the power to offer employee development opportunities that make your business a great place to work. There are a lot of ways to support employee development in any industry. Let’s talk about some ideas for encouraging employee growth. We’ll also share a **Growth Plan Template** that we use at CareerPlug to help our employees reach their career goals. ### 1. Invest in employees Turnover is expensive. In fact, the [cost of replacing one employee](https://builtin.com/recruiting/cost-of-turnover#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20actual%20cost,%241%2C500%20for%20an%20hourly%20employee.) can range from one-half to two times that employee’s annual salary, or an average of $1,500 for an hourly employee. At CareerPlug we believe it’s important to think of every employee as an investment for your business. And like other investments, consistency and patience is key. [Hire for careers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-careers/), not just jobs and put time and resources into your employees. Your return will be loyal, productive employees that make a positive and lasting impact on your business. Depending on your type of business, you may have more or less resources to invest in employee development. Whether you are able to offer employees a small stipend to spend on books or contribute to an entire post-graduate program, investing in your employees’ growth will make them feel more motivated and [engaged](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/). Some other continuing education ideas are workshops, seminars, lectures, and mentorship programs. **The key is to make your work environment a place where employees are comfortable asking for help and encouraged to seek out opportunities for growth.** ### 2. Upskill and reskill Employee development can be a lot of things. Preparing employees for another role within your business may come to mind, but it can also involve sharpening their skills in a current position. [Upskilling and reskilling](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/upskilling-and-reskilling/) are employee development strategies that can be mutually beneficial for both employers and employees. [A report by Getbridge.com](https://www.getbridge.com/blog/talent-mobility/whats-holding-skills-management-back-key-upskilling-reskilling-statistics/) found that 74% of HR professionals agree or strongly agree that upskilling leads to substantial improvements in job performance. _Upskilling_ refers to supporting employees as they hone their skills and get really good at what they do, and _reskilling_ involves giving your employees the chance to learn new skills and take on new responsibilities. We recently had a great example of this at CareerPlug, where a longtime member of the sales team was encouraged by his manager to take coding classes. After gaining some coding skills,he made the switch to our product team in a new role as a software developer! ### 3. Check in often One thing that’s important when supporting employee development is making it a priority to check in with your employees and make it easy for them to keep track of their own progress. This can be a quick 15 to 20 minute meeting each week where you see how employees are doing and give them an opportunity to ask for extra support. You may standardize this using a weekly check-in form or simply prepare a few questions to ask each week. Give employees time to brainstorm ideas for growth and listen to their ideas. Being present with your employees in this way on a regular basis will go a long way in helping them feel supported. ### 4. Provide feedback and recognition Aside from weekly check-ins, it’s also important to provide real-time, [ongoing feedback](https://www.franchise.org/franchise-information/operations-training/you-owe-them-feedback), suggestions for improvement, and recognition to employees. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that high-performing employees like feedback too. [A survey by Oak Engage](https://www.oak.com/blog/employee-feedback-statistics/) found that 65% of employees said that they wanted more feedback. If someone is doing something right, let them know. Remember: Showing gratitude costs nothing! Gratitude is a big part of our culture at CareerPlug and we love to “shout-out” our teammates at our weekly company meetings when they go above and beyond. You may also choose to reward hard working employees through bonuses, free meals, or other fun incentives. You can get creative here and find a reward system that works for your business and helps employees feel appreciated. ### 5. Help employees set and reach goals Goals are key in growing both within and outside of your career. Some employees may be highly motivated and already have big career goals in mind. Others may need a little help figuring out the next steps on their path. We like to help our employees map out their goals both big and small, and short and long term. We use the [“SMART” goals](https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm) system to make goals more clear and actionable. This is where a **growth plan** can be helpful. Using a growth plan, employees can take a little time to think about the skills they have and the ones they’d like to develop. They can think about both personal and professional dreams that they have and find more clarity on how they can reach them. This has been a great tool for supporting employee development that we use at CareerPlug. Below, you’ll see an example of one completed section of the growth plan. Click the image below to view the fully filled out growth plan example. ### Employee Growth Plan Template To help you support your employees’ development, we’ve provided the same Growth Plan Template we use at CareerPlug. **Download your free Growth Plan Template by clicking the button below**. [Growth plan template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Growth-Plan-Template-1.docx) ### Final thoughts Employee development should be on your mind as early as the hiring process. When interviewing, pay attention to a candidate’s soft skills and consider hiring for their [growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/) vs. bullet points on a resume. Also try to promote internally when you have open roles as much as you can. Though it takes a little extra time and effort, supporting your employees’ development can definitely pay off. This is something that managers in every industry can do to help employees feel that you are invested in their growth. This encourages them to contribute more to your business and increases the likelihood of them staying with you long term. [Employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) is the best recruiting strategy, and supporting your employees’ growth is a great place to start. --- ## How to Use Employer Review Sites to Build Your Employer Brand **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/ * Posted on March 14, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Any business knows how important reviews are for their brand. Reviews give customers a clearer idea of the products or services they’re purchasing and help them decide whether or not they’re worth the money. Chances are, you’ve probably even checked out a review — or a few dozen — before swiping your card to make a purchase. But product ratings aren’t the only type of review that should matter to companies. **Employer reviews** — or what employees have to say about what it’s like to work at your company — are just as important. Employees in today’s workforce value far more than compensation, and they’re turning to third-party employer review websites to get the information they need to make informed decisions in their job search. In turn, these sites have become increasingly important to companies’ employer branding strategies. Not sure how to manage your image online? We’ve rounded up some of our best tips on how you can use employer review sites to build your employer brand. ### Why is employer branding so important? [**Employer branding**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/)**— a.k.a. your company’s reputation as an employer — affects your company’s ability to attract and hire the best employees.** A strong employer brand translates to reduced recruitment costs, better [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) rates, a great [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), and more. It’s actually pretty simple: * Being a place people want to work = numerous benefits for your company. * Being a company that people steer clear of due to a poor employer reputation = bad news for your business. ### What role do employer review sites play in branding? Employer branding doesn’t just happen in one place. It is conveyed in person through your candidate experience and workplace culture. It is shared online through your [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) and your social media pages. It’s amplified when publications write about the workplace you’ve created. But, perhaps most of all, it is built on third-party employer review sites. Any company can _say_ that they are a great place to work. But what really matters is what current and former employees have to say about their experience. Consider these stats: * Over [85% of employees and job seekers research](https://www.ceridian.com/ca//blog/important-employer-branding-statistics-to-know) company reviews and ratings to decide where to apply to a job. * [57% of job seekers](https://www.randstadusa.com/about/press-room/press-releases/randstad-us-study-reveals-ways-technology-has-helped-hurt-us/) won’t even apply to a company that has overwhelmingly negative reviews. ### How to use employer review sites to build your brand Approximately one-third of a person’s life will be spent at work. People want to know that their time is going to be spent wisely. Here’s how companies can use review sites to highlight their unique culture and attract top talent. ### 1. Develop a strategy Employer branding isn’t something that just happens. If your organization hasn’t done so already, you’ll need to map out a branding strategy that accounts for your organization’s needs and goals. During the strategy phase, you will work together to: * **Set goals**: Determine the main objective of your branding efforts. Do you want to attract highly qualified candidates? Get more applicants? Reduce the overall time to hire? * **Define your employee value proposition**: Think about the unique things that you offer your employees. Is it a stellar compensation package? A sense of purpose in the work that your employees do? A laid-back work environment? * **Identify candidate touchpoints**: Decide what channels (such as review sites, social media, your company careers page, etc.) you’ll use to promote your employer brand. This is also a good time to get down to the nitty-gritty and nail down specifics, such as the overall wording and messaging you want to use to describe your workplace. ### 2. Create a profile or claim ownership of your company on review sites Once you have a roadmap, you can set out to implement your strategy. The first step is to create profiles or claim ownership of existing profiles on employer review sites. After you are able to edit or submit information, go over the profile to make sure all provided company data on review sites is correct and accurately portrays your company. If something is wrong, correct it. Don’t leave anything on your company’s profile blank.**The purpose of these profiles is to give your candidates all the information they’re seeking.** Use every opportunity to share details about benefits, your mission and values, short bios of key people, photos, and videos. Stick to your messaging and showcase areas that make your company stand out among employers. ### 3. Empower your employees to provide honest feedback The best feedback is honest feedback — even if it’s not exactly what you want to hear. It’s important that employers empower their employees to provide truthful feedback. You can encourage honest feedback by showing employees that what they have to say matters, whether it’s on a review site, in person, or elsewhere. Ask for feedback often and show genuine interest in what they have to say. Emphasize that there will be no negative repercussions for complaints and avoid getting defensive if you don’t like what an employee has to share. Remember: **You’re working to improve your chances of attracting high-quality applicants in the future.** By creating a culture where employees’ voices are heard and valued, you can expect to receive better, more impactful evaluations. ### 4. Respond to reviews, both positive and negative If an employee takes the time to leave a review, show your appreciation by responding if the site allows you to. If you get a negative review, don’t panic — and don’t ignore it. Instead, take this as an opportunity to listen and learn. According to one survey,[**62% of job seekers**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-respond-negative-online-employee-reviews-koob-sphr-shrm-scp/)**say that their perception of a company improves after seeing an employer respond to a review.** It shows potential candidates that you care about the employee experience and are committed to improvement. When responding to a critique, be professional. Thank the employee for taking the time to leave a review, and address the specific issues that they present. Let them know how you plan on fixing the issue if it hasn’t been resolved already. ### 5. Take advantage of opportunities to be transparent Some review sites give employers extra opportunities to be transparent. For example, at [JobSage](https://www.jobsage.com/for-employers), we encourage companies to become Trusted Employers. To earn this recognition, a company lets JobSage directly survey 100% of their employee base so that job seekers can hear from those that know best — current employees — exactly what it’s like to work there. Most job seekers know that no company is going to be perfect. They do, however, want to know which ones can be honest. ### 6. Use information from employer review sites to make actionable change Perhaps the best way to use an employer review site is to use the data that you receive to make actionable changes in your organization. For instance, if a number of employees say that they are dissatisfied with the lack of growth opportunities, it’s probably time to take a look at how your organization promotes employees and how you can contribute to professional development. When you make changes based on the feedback you receive, be sure to highlight these actions. This will show employees — former, current, and future — that their voice matters and will encourage more transparent feedback in the future. ### Conclusion If you want to attract the best employees, you need to be an employer that job seekers are eager to work for. Employer review sites can be a helpful tool that allows you to showcase what makes your company unique and learn from employees about the pain points of their experience. By using employer review sites to your advantage, you can strengthen your employer brand and make the right hires. * * * ### About the Author _Katie Duncan is the Content Manager at [JobSage](https://www.jobsage.com//blog/), an employer review site centered around inclusion, growth, purpose, feedback, and flexibility. She is passionate about creating content that educates, entertains, and inspires audiences. When not writing, you can probably find her exploring new places in Austin, hanging out with friends, or playing with her dog, Poe._ --- ## How to Make the Right Hires When You Don’t Have Many Applicants **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/ * Posted on January 24, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris If you’re a business owner, then you’ve faced many challenges over the last couple of years. Recruitment and retention have been big concerns in every industry, and the [applicant shortage and recruiting difficulties](https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/03/perspectives/jobs-labor-market-trends-2022/index.html)are projected to continue into the rest of 2022. At CareerPlug, we are committed to making hiring easier for our clients, many of whom are concerned by seemingly shrinking applicant pools and the impact lower applicant count has on their ability to make the right hires. Getting hiring right matters even more when you don’t have as many applicants to choose from, but we believe that a lower applicant count doesn’t have to negatively affect a business’s hiring process. Let’s look at five helpful tips to help you make the right hires even during times of low applicant flow. ### 1. Shift your mindset First things first, when it comes to hiring from a smaller applicant pool, you’ve got to understand that less applicants isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can be really frustrating when you’re not seeing as many applicants as you used to for your open roles, but really, **when it comes to hiring, it’s quality over quantity**! We’ve heard from clients who used to receive 50 applicants for every job posting. Now, they only receive 20 or 30 applicants. They see this as a cause for concern because the volume isn’t as high as it was before. But remember: **the purpose of a [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) isn’t to collect the most applicants, but rather to identify the right hire for the role.** Consider this — [we found](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) that **out of 82% of applications that come from a job board, only 1.3% of hires come from those applications**. This means that sometimes more applicants just creates more work for you! Having to weed through a large number of applicants can actually slow down your recruiting process, making it take longer to get to the right candidate. You don’t need 50 people applying to your jobs, you just need one right candidate. Adopting this mindset can make hiring less stressful and help you focus on the right things. For example, you could improve your [candidate evaluation](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) methods so that you can confidently make hiring decisions no matter how many applicants you have. ### 2. Hire for growth potential You may be hiring for a role that has pretty specific requirements. In some cases, it may be necessary to wait months for the right person with the right experience to come along. However, in many instances, the right candidate may not have held the exact same position previously, and that’s ok! Just because a candidate doesn’t have direct experience in the role you’re looking to fill doesn’t mean they aren’t equipped to do the job. Think about the _soft skills_ you need on your team and hire for those. When reviewing resumes or conducting interviews, look for a candidate who has a history of growth and taking on challenges. Here are some questions we ask at CareerPlug to measure [growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/) and get a feel for a candidate’s career trajectory: * Tell me about a time when you knew less than others about a topic or task. What did you do to get up to speed? * Tell me about a time when you went beyond your manager’s expectations to get the job done. * When did you take on new responsibilities in your role? What or who initiated this change? For more tips on hiring for growth potential, check out this video by our Director of HR, Natalie Morgan: ### 3. Always be hiring The worst time to be looking for the right candidate is when you have an open role that you needed filled yesterday! Passive recruiting year-round makes it easier to find people to fill open roles when they come up unexpectedly. Always look out for talented people, and keep in touch with other applicants from the past. For our clients, we recommend always having a passive job posting up — this is a job posted only to your [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) (not job boards) with a status of “Accepting for Future Openings.” A job of this type indicates that you are passively recruiting and will reach out to candidates when an opening becomes available. Passive recruiting helps you keep more candidates in your hiring pipeline, which gives you more options when it’s time to make those important hires. ### 4. Provide a great candidate experience A [positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) is always important, even more so in a competitive job market where qualified candidates will have many options. Having a smaller applicant pool is an opportunity to treat every applicant like a person instead of a number and to provide excellent and timely communication throughout the hiring process. Candidate experience matters because it can make or break a candidate’s decision to accept your job offer which is especially important when there are fewer candidates to choose from. Based on our research in our annual [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), **80% of candidates said a positive candidate experience influenced their decision to accept an offer.** A great candidate experience, as well as being a great place to work, will also have a positive impact on your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). This will make it easier to attract and hire those top choice candidates. ### 5. Use an ATS to make hiring easier An [applicant tracking system (ATS)](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) like CareerPlug can help you with many parts of the hiring process. An ATS can help your job posts get more visibility and can help you craft job descriptions that attract more candidates. It can also help you evaluate candidates quickly and consistently through every step of the hiring process. An ATS makes it easier to keep up with every applicant so that no one slips through the cracks. CareerPlug also offers[text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) so employers can move applicants through the hiring process quickly, which is important when working with a limited number of applicants. ### Remember: quality over quantity Though having fewer applicants to choose from can feel challenging, applicant quality matters much more than quantity. Focus on providing a great experience to the candidates you do have and hire for growth potential when you can. It can also be a good idea to implement passive recruiting which can be done easily through an ATS like CareerPlug. And when you’re actively hiring? An ATS can help you move applicants through your hiring process more efficiently, helping you make those right hires sooner. ### Want to learn more about how an ATS can make hiring easier? CareerPlug can help you overcome hiring challenges like shrinking applicant pools and more! Click the button below to see what an ATS can do for your hiring process. [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/request-a-demo/) --- ## How to Send a Polite Rejection to Candidates (Plus Free Rejection Letter Templates) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/rejection-letter-template/ * Posted on January 18, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris The ultimate goal of every [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) is to find the right person for your team. In the best case scenario, you will have several candidates to choose from. Some people will only make it through the application stage, while others will make it to your very last interview. Through all the stages along the way, you’ll have applicants and candidates that aren’t the right fit for your team. **A rejection letter or rejection email is how you let those job seekers know that they won’t be moving forward in the hiring process.** This simple step is an important part of handling recruitment professionally. Let’s briefly touch on why you need to send all candidates a rejection letter. Then, we’ll share two **rejection letter templates** you can use for your job seekers in various stages of your hiring process. ### Why you should send a rejection letter On top of being the polite and professional thing to do, there are some other important reasons you should keep all candidates informed. Sending candidates you don’t want to hire a rejection letter improves the [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/). This helps you maintain a good relationship with all applicants and candidates, which is important because you never know when you might want to pursue someone in the future for another role within your company. Additionally, ghosting your candidates is not a great look, and many people are eager to share their experiences with potential employers online following a hiring process. **We found that 37% of candidates have left a negative review online after a bad candidate experience**, and [over half of job seekers](https://www.inc.com/adam-robinson/more-than-half-of-job-seekers-say-they-wouldnt-apply-to-a-company-with-bad-online-reviews.html) won’t apply to a company with negative reviews online. **Not sending applicants and candidates a rejection letter or email can negatively affect your**[**employer brand**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/)**, which ultimately impacts your ability to make the right hires for your team.** ### What your rejection letter should include A rejection notification doesn’t have to be complicated. You’ll want to include some basics like the name of your company and the job title. Show gratitude for the candidate’s time and interest and include some specific information that makes the message more personal. For example, for applicants that won’t make it to the [interview process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/), you might mention that you received their application and a detail about their resume that stood out. For candidates that have gone through an interview, recall that you enjoyed your conversation and hearing about their experience. If it makes sense for your business, encourage the candidate to apply again in the future. No one wants to receive a rejection letter, but a little positivity and personalization can go a long way in making a candidate feel appreciated instead of disheartened. ### Rejection letter templates You may send candidates a rejection letter as an attachment to an email, or you can simply put the rejection in the body of the email, where the subject line can be your company name and the name of the position. **Click the buttons below to download a PDF of two rejection letter templates** that you can copy and paste into a word document or the body of an email. We have included both a rejection letter for applicants that you don’t plan to interview and a template for candidates that made it to the interview stage. Keep in mind, you will still want to customize your rejection letter further for each applicant or candidate. ### Rejection letter for applicants Though you may receive a lot of resumes and applications for your open role, try to respond to all of them. Here’s a rejection letter you can send to applicants who won’t be invited to phone screen or interview. Send this to anyone who fills out an application or sends a resume. [Rejection Letter for Applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Rejection-Letter-Template-for-Applicants.pdf) ### Rejection letter for interviewees Some applicants will make it to the next stage in your hiring process and become candidates for the role. Here is a rejection letter template that you can send to candidates that made it to a phone screen or interview with your company that you have since decided not to hire. [Rejection Letter for Interviewees](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Rejection-Letter-Template-for-Interviewees.pdf) ### Final tips for sending your rejection We all know the feeling of being turned down for a job, but candidates still prefer the communication to being totally ghosted. Try to send all applicants that you won’t be pursuing a polite rejection in a timely manner so that you can both move on. Using an [applicant tracking system (ATS) like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) can make it easier to know where candidates are in the various stages of your hiring process so that you can maintain good communication with all of them. We also have automations that will send a polite rejection to applicants that don’t check all your boxes as well as rejection email templates within our software. Though it takes a little more effort, sending a polite rejection can improve your candidate experience and have a positive effect on your employer brand. Using our simple templates will make it easier to [communicate with all applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) and candidates faster. ### Automate your communication with candidates Don’t have time to email every applicant individually? We understand! That’s why CareerPlug makes it easy for you to automatically send interview invitations, offer letters, and rejection letters using our applicant tracking system. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/request-a-demo/) --- ## What’s the best applicant tracking system for franchises? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-tracking-system-for-franchises/ * Posted on January 11, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Recruiting and retention are two big challenges faced by all business owners, including franchisees. Most franchisees rely on playbooks from the franchisor for many aspects of operating their business. Hiring is the exception and is something most franchisees must figure out on their own. Fortunately, there are some helpful tools that business owners can use to help them run their business. One thing that should be in every franchise employer’s toolkit is an applicant tracking system (ATS), like CareerPlug. **An ATS is a software that helps you automate recruiting, hiring, and onboarding candidates.** As a franchisee, you probably face a lot of choices when it comes to running your business. It can be hard to weigh your options and decide which software and systems you truly need. Let’s talk about some of the benefits of using an ATS and why CareerPlug is the best choice for franchises all around. ### Why CareerPlug is the best ATS for franchises At CareerPlug, we are on a very important mission: **to make it easier for businesses to hire and develop the right people**. We know that not everyone is an HR expert, so we created a software that’s easy to use and automates all the tedious steps in a typical hiring process. We’re proud to be trusted by over 30,000 businesses, including franchises in a [variety of industries](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/) like restaurants, retail, home services, and more. Why do they choose CareerPlug? Because our software is both easy to use and packed with features that make it stand out from the competition. Let’s start with a quick overview of how CareerPlug works in the video below. ### Make the right hires with a proven process When choosing an applicant tracking system, you want to make sure the software actually gets results! Since 2007, CareerPlug has been helping franchisees make the right hires with software designed by hiring experts. Our software was built on a proven process that guides you through all the hiring steps easily so you can leave out the guesswork and be confident in your hiring decisions. Let’s take a closer look at how CareerPlug helps franchises hire better. ### Job posting process The right job posting is the first step in [attracting the right applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/) to your open roles. We know that crafting the perfect job description can be time consuming. That’s why we offer templates that can be customized to get your job posted sooner. We know how to help your jobs stand out and get results with detailed job description fields and red flag warnings to help you avoid keywords that hurt your searchability. Once you create your job description, it’s important to distribute it to as many sites as possible. Manually doing this can take up a lot of your precious time! That’s why we [automatically send your job](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) postings to all the major job boards (like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Facebook Jobs, and many more) instantly connecting you to thousands of job seekers. ### Careers pages High quality candidates do their research when it comes to applying for a company, and a [branded careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/)on your website can help you stand out. In fact, **candidates who apply from a business’s careers pages are 7 times more likely to become hires than candidates who come from job boards.** A huge benefit of using an ATS like CareerPlug is that we create a branded careers page that can include your logo, pictures of your team, employee testimonials, and more. ### Hiring automation You may already have other aspects of your business automated. Automation for things like client relationship management can save you time and energy and give your business much needed consistency. Automating your hiring is no different! One of the biggest reasons to invest in an ATS is for hiring automation that helps you move applicants through your pipeline quicker and provide all candidates with a seamless hiring experience. ### Make it easy to apply from any device Now more than ever, it’s important to make the application process smooth and easy. Candidates have a lot of options and they’ll skip an application process that takes too long. Since many people job search on their phones, CareerPlug has mobile-optimized applications so that job seekers can apply from any device. ### Prescreen candidates quickly Our applications include prescreen questions that can help you identify top applicants right away. And when a “Fast Track” applicant applies, we’ll instantly send you an email or text message to let you know. We’ll automatically remove unqualified applicants from consideration and send out a professional rejection email for you. Clients tell us these features give them an advantage against the competition and save them hours per week. ### Interview scheduling We help you streamline all your interview scheduling from the initial phone screen to final interviews. Our in-app calendar invitation syncs with all of the major calendars like Apple, Google, and Outlook. You can either schedule your interview the old-fashioned way, or you can let candidates choose from a set of available days/times you’ve set aside. You can also text or email interview reminders automatically to help eliminate uncertainty and scheduling insanity. While other applicant tracking systems promote features like allowing candidates to upload a video introduction to employers, we actually discourage our clients from using [one-way video interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/one-way-video-interview/). Why? Because we know that’s not a good hiring practice. Instead, we focus on giving you the tools to provide a [great candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/), which can help you make more hires. ### Evaluate candidates quickly By sticking to a structured [candidate evaluation process](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/), you can make better hiring decisions. We’ve built our assessments to help you learn everything you need to know about your candidates, including: * Personality assessments * Cognitive assessments (measuring math and verbal skills) * Role specific [scorecards](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/use-interview-scorecards-for-better-hiring/) and assessments Plus, our interview guides have helped our clients make tens of thousands of great hires. ### Text recruiting Any business owner who uses [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/text-recruiting-makes-hiring-easier/) will tell you it’s a game changer. Text messages have higher open rates and faster response times than email. CareerPlug’s [text recruiting software](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) allows you to quickly send text messages to your applicants to schedule and confirm interviews and keep them moving through your hiring process. ### Customer service When choosing an ATS for your business, you want to be sure that great customer service is included. Everyone at CareerPlug is trained to be a **hiring expert**in order to provide the best guidance and service. This sets us apart from other ATS platforms. We are also highly experienced in [working with franchises](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchise-hiring-software/). This is huge! You want a platform that knows how your business operates. We understand franchises and their unique needs. CareerPlug has hiring experts standing by to answer your questions directly either through email or a quick phone call. We take a consultative approach and can give you advice on both using the platform and general advice on how to hire better. ### Hiring expertise CareerPlug also makes hiring easier by providing a ton of additional resources for employers like [offer letter templates](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/offer-letter-templates/), [interviewing tips](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/), [onboarding forms](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-forms/), and more. We’re constantly doing research and updating our [blog](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/) where we share the best recruiting and employee management tips for employers and hiring managers, including franchise and industry specific content. These additional resources along with our software’s capabilities, team of hiring experts, and vast experience with franchises make us the right addition to any business’s playbook. ### Do you need an applicant tracking system? Our software adds value to a hiring process from the very first job posting to the offer stage and beyond. Click the button below to learn even more about why an ATS like CareerPlug is the absolute best choice for franchises. [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## What is Candidate Experience in Recruitment? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/what-is-candidate-experience/ * Posted on November 4, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Many employers and HR professionals are beginning to realize the role the candidate experience plays in a business’s ability to attract great people and make the right hires. At CareerPlug, we’ve always considered the candidate experience to be an important part of recruitment. This is why every year we publish a [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) that contains original survey data from job seekers regarding the hiring process. Let’s cover the basics and go over our research on candidate experience and how it can impact recruitment. ### What is candidate experience? **The candidate experience describes the interaction that candidates have with a potential employer throughout a hiring process. This includes both passive interaction like your job posting and the application process, as well as active interaction like communication before, during, and after interviews.** The candidate experience spans the entire hiring process. Some of the main elements of the candidate experience include: * [Job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) * Preliminary assessments and phone screens * Interviews * Communication throughout the hiring process * Job offer or rejection ### Why candidate experience matters in recruitment Now more than ever, candidate experience matters. The best candidates will always have options, but these days job seekers have more leverage than ever before. This means that candidates can be picky about where they work and the candidate experience might just make or break someone’s decision to say _yes_ to a job offer. But don’t just take our word for it; take a look at the data: 80% of candidates we surveyed said that a positive candidate experience influenced their decision to accept an offer, **while 58% of job seekers have declined an offer due to a poor candidate experience.** Yep, you read that correctly. That means, that if you’re providing a poor candidate experience, **over half of your offers for a job could be declined**. That statistic alone is enough to prove the importance of the candidate experience in recruitment. Another thing to consider is how candidate experience affects your reputation and brand. ### Your employer brand Your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) is your company’s reputation as a place to work as seen from job seekers’ perspective. You can strengthen your employer brand by getting clear on [your core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) and highlighting those online. However, if you don’t live up to your values and/or give job seekers a bad experience in your hiring process, your employer brand will suffer. This is because job seekers and candidates are eager to share their experiences with a company in many online spaces. Our candidate experience survey found that **37% of job seekers reported that they have left a bad review online after a negative experience with a company**. On the plus side,**61% of candidates said they have left a positive review**, which means that whether you’re providing a positive or negative impression, word will spread! A negative employer brand will make it harder to attract and hire the right people for your business. Consider this: more than half of job seekers will [abandon their pursuit of a job](https://www.inc.com/adam-robinson/more-than-half-of-job-seekers-say-they-wouldnt-apply-to-a-company-with-bad-online-reviews.html) after reading negative online reviews about the employer. Fortunately, a positive employer brand can actually [help you attract higher quality candidates](https://www.business2community.com/human-resources/brands-with-a-great-reputation-attract-the-best-candidates-02298517)! The data is clear! Providing a positive candidate experience can have drastic effects on recruitment success. ### What does an exceptional candidate experience look like? Now that you have a better idea of the importance of candidate experience, let’s talk a little about what an exceptional candidate experience entails. CareerPlug’s Senior Director of HR, Natalie Morgan, explains it best in this video: As Natalie explains, it’s important to consider the candidate experience from the candidate’s point of view. Here are some examples of what make up an exceptional candidate experience from that perspective: * A strong and positive employer brand * An easy and quick application process * Prompt communication during every stage * Interviewers that are prepared and respectful * Clearly documented offer and compensation package With these things in mind, let’s discuss some important changes you can make as an employer. ### How to improve your candidate experience All elements of the hiring process play a role in creating a positive candidate experience. We asked job seekers what improvements matter the most. Here’s what they said: ### Be honest and open The top three recommendations from job seekers all have to do with **accuracy, transparency, and better communication.** Job seekers want more information sooner, starting with a detailed [job description](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf). [Include compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/) and benefits in the job posting and make sure that you accurately describe the responsibilities of the role. Keep up the transparency throughout the rest of the process and make sure that all interviewers effectively communicate with candidates and leave them enough time to ask any clarifying questions they might have. ### Standardize your hiring process When your [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) isn’t standardized, it’s much easier for things to slip through the cracks. This means that you might be giving someone a poor candidate experience without even realizing it. If you want to improve your candidate experience, a great first step is making sure that all candidates go through the same protocol and receive equal treatment. This can eliminate [hiring bias](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/7-ways-to-avoid-hiring-bias/) and speed up your hiring process. Consider creating a candidate experience checklist to outline the steps of your process and keep everyone on the same page. It’s also a good idea to use an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/ats-benefits/)(ATS) like CareerPlug to automate those crucial steps. ### Analyze how you’re doing The best way to know where your candidate experience can be improved is to ask candidates that have actually been through it. This will help you focus on making the right changes. We recommend sending a [candidate experience survey](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-survey/) to all candidates you interviewed and asking for feedback. It’s also a good idea to ask existing employees what they thought about their experience and see if they have any suggestions for improvements. We’ve created a free candidate experience survey template that you can use to analyze how you’re doing. Click the button below to download. [Download The TemplatE](https://12gno23uo3pg18e2lq1vatuv-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com//wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Candidate-Experience-Survey-Questions.docx) Be open to both positive and negative feedback. Don’t be discouraged by the negative feedback – rather see it as an opportunity to improve your chances of making better hires. Ultimately, you should strive for a smooth hiring process with minimal roadblocks and honest and accurate information about the job throughout the process. Let’s sum it up with an easy reference for some do’s and don’ts: ### Final thoughts The candidate experience has always been important, but our research shows that candidates care more now about the hiring process than they did before the pandemic. Job seekers also report that **all parts of the hiring process influence their decision to accept an offer.**Creating a good candidate experience isn’t always easy, but the willingness to improve your hiring process can bring you great results. A good candidate experience can help you make more hires and improve your employer brand. Communicating clearly and honestly, standardizing your hiring process, and asking for feedback are important steps toward a positive candidate experience and a successful recruitment. ### 2021 Candidate Experience Report Access our original research report to learn more about the candidate experience including what job seekers want from employers during the hiring process. DOWNLOAD THE FREE REPORT [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column] [/et_pb_row] [/et_pb_section] --- ## State Farm Agent Shares His Top 3 Tips for Recruiting Success **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/3-tips-to-hire-insurance-agents/ * Posted on May 7, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris As the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) partner for State Farm, CareerPlug serves thousands of State Farm Agents in their hiring journeys every year. We spoke with one Agent who has developed a hiring process that has seen significant success —resulting in an above-average applicant flow that caught the attention of his colleagues at State Farm. In mid-March, news of COVID-19 quickly changed the landscape of the job market. Record unemployment claims were filed and hiring freezes were being felt in many industries. But between March 24 and April 14 — a time when most other businesses were reeling from these sudden unexpected shifts — State Farm insurance agent [Isaias Ruiz](https://www.statefarm.com/agent/us/ca/bakersfield/isaias-ruiz-fq0lz8yt5al) saw 61 new applicants for the two open positions he had posted on his careers page. Ruiz has been operating his State Farm Agency in Bakersfield, California, since January 2019. Before beginning his career in insurance, he worked for a digital marketing and advertising firm. It turns out, the skills he learned there would give him an edge in the insurance business. “I knew that it was all about **making sure that you have relevant content** and **making sure it’s fresh and always up to date.** I keep my social media marketing up to date.” Ruiz found that he excelled in small business recruitment marketing — marketing efforts focused on generating applicants — while many others in the insurance industry struggle to fill their applicant pipeline with qualified candidates. Now he’s sharing his advice with others so they can see improvements in their own results. Here are his top three keys to recruiting success. ### 1. Share the job posting link with everyone in your network. Ruiz started developing his process by using CareerPlug to set up a personalized careers page to host his job postings. Each job posting he created generated a custom link. **Rather than relying on the job boards to bring him the majority of his applicants, he began sharing his custom links instead.** “If someone I knew said, ‘Hey I want to apply for the job. Can we sit down for an interview?’ I would send them the link and say ‘fill this out first.’ Even if it was a good friend of mine looking for a job!” Ruiz says. If he met a potential applicant at a marketing event or networking mixer, he would do the same. **This approach also keeps applicants engaged in the process**more so than if they were simply sending resumes that would pile up in Ruiz’s inbox. According to Ruiz: “I would say, ‘Give me your email or your phone number. I’m going to send you the link. And then just make sure you apply through the link first.’ It makes it a little bit more official than just sending me your resume. You have to answer the questions and complete the assessments. Plus it was an easy way for me to track my candidates and see what stage they were at.” In addition to streamlining his application process, he says there’s also a strategic benefit to directing all applicants to his careers page:**he has noticed that it helps his job postings rank higher on search engine results.** He says, “Once I figured that out, I’m like: Okay, this is the way I’m going to start doing it moving forward.” ### 2. Make sure the content on your job posting is fresh, updated, and relevant. Ruiz says it’s important to constantly refresh the content on your job postings. You shouldn’t be afraid to make changes to a job posting if it’s not generating the number of applicants you’d like to see. He’s experimented with changing the job titles to attract applicants —for example, if _Account Representative_ wasn’t working, he would change the title to _Account Executive._ “Make sure your content is fresh, updated, and relevant,” he advises. In addition to refreshing his job titles, he’ll also add line items to job descriptions. “Just little things,” he says. “I wouldn’t go back in and re-do a whole job posting.” Ruiz believes that constantly iterating on a job posting makes it easier to see what resonates most with job seekers. Don’t let your content become stale. If something is not working on your job posting — change it. Eventually, you’ll find a winning formula. The same is true for the content on your company [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/5-company-culture-elements-you-need-on-a-careers-page/). To read more about how to write compelling job descriptions, check out [this guide](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) from our _Ask a Hiring Expert_ series. ### 3. Always keep a pipeline of applicants. CareerPlug has always had the mantra _always be hiring_— in fact, it’s one of the [best practices](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-best-practices-7-tips/) we’ve developed as part of our Opinionated Approach to hiring. It turns out this philosophy is really working out for Isaias Ruiz. “I know as an Agent, you have a million things to do, and a million things to worry about, but without a constant funnel of team member prospects, you’re kind of spinning the wheel. **You have to make sure that you’re always keeping that funnel filled even when you’re not hiring**,” Ruiz says. “Even if you think ‘my team is solid,’ or ‘I can’t afford to hire anybody right now’ — you never know. In my first three months, I lost over 50% of my team and I didn’t think that was going to happen.” Ruiz says these days, he keeps an internship posting on his careers page at all times. He finds that it attracts a lot of hungry business professionals eager to break into the industry. ### TLDR To recap, here’s Isaias Ruiz’s advice for insurance agents: To get started on improving your own hiring process with an applicant tracking system, [try a free demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) of CareerPlug today. --- ## CareerPlug and ZipRecruiter Announce Partnership **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-and-ziprecruiter-announce-partnership/ * Posted on June 10, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris PRESS RELEASE — CareerPlug and ZipRecruiter today announced the launch of a partnership to offer CareerPlug clients free sponsored distribution to ZipRecruiter for a limited time. The partnership will allow customers to post jobs and receive increased visibility across a mix of channels.¹ “This partnership is going to help the small to medium-sized businesses that work with CareerPlug attract more quality applicants faster,” says Ian Siegel, CEO of ZipRecruiter. “ZipRecruiter has been a great partner and we’re very excited to collaborate with them on this,” says Clint Smith, Founder and President of CareerPlug. “We share the same goal: to help employers make the right hires. This partnership will be a huge win for our clients.” CareerPlug clients can now sponsor their jobs through ZipRecruiter. On average, sponsored jobs receive 10X more applicants than organic jobs.² CareerPlug users can activate their free trial of ZipRecruiter sponsored jobs by filling out [this form](https://offers.careerplug.com/careerplug-ziprecruiter-trial) and following the instructions on the page. **About CareerPlug:**[CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-and-ziprecruiter-announce-partnership/) is a software company on a mission to solve the #1 challenge of running a business: attracting and hiring the right people. Over 10,000 clients love working with CareerPlug because they give employers a proven playbook to make the right hires. Their software is easy enough for anyone to use, so you don’t need to be an HR professional to succeed. **About ZipRecruiter:**[ZipRecruiter](https://www.ziprecruiter.com/) is a leading online employment marketplace that leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered smart matching technology to actively connect millions of employers and job seekers. Since ZipRecruiter’s inception in 2010, they’ve helped over 2.3 million businesses of all sizes (from SMBs to Fortune 500 companies) find great candidates. * * * Disclaimer: ¹Promotion only eligible for new ZipRecruiter clients ²ZipRecruiter internal data, average based on Jan.1 to Dec. 31 2019, based on applications received within the first 30 days of jobs being posted. Sponsored jobs refer to Zip Apply jobs that are not pay for performance. --- ## Stay in Touch: How to Improve the Hiring Process with Better Communication **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/ * Posted on November 1, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris We’ve all been there. We’ve all been on the job search at some time or another. We’ve all spent hours perfecting resumes, writing cover letters, and scouring job boards. We’ve all felt the pre-interview jitters and experienced how slowly time can move when you’re waiting to hear back about a job you really want. Thinking back on your past experiences, it’s probably not very surprising to hear that in a recent survey, we found that **candidates want more communication in the hiring process**. Now that you are on the employer side of things, it’s up to you to effectively communicate with your candidates during every stage, from an accurate [job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) all the way to your final offer or polite rejection. Making communication a priority will improve your hiring process and your chances of attracting and hiring the right people. ### The importance of communication according to candidates Communication throughout a hiring process can make or break the [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), which we define as the interaction a candidate has with you from the job posting to the offer stage. As it turns out, a [positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) is crucial for getting candidates to accept your job offers. **80% of candidates said that a positive candidate experience influenced their decision to say yes to an offer**, and **58% of job seekers say that a poor candidate experience led them to decline a job**. Additionally, communicating quickly and clearly with applicants (even those you don’t want to move forward through the process), can have a positive impact on your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). This is important because people are much more likely to apply to companies that have a good reputation. Simply put, **if communication is poor in your hiring process, your candidate experience suffers, and you may miss out on making the right hires for your roles.** So when and how can you communicate better with candidates? Let’s look at the data. ### How to improve communication in your hiring process Communication is important during every stage of the hiring process, but our research (seen in the table below) clearly shows that**candidates want more information sooner**. Sharing information about compensation, company culture, and benefits early in the process can save time for you and candidates, as all parties can quickly determine whether it’s the right fit. Let’s break down the various stages of the hiring process even further with some recommendations for improving communication in each. ### In the job posting More communication starts early. **39% of job seekers in our survey expected to be informed about compensation in the initial job post**, and **21% said that employers should focus on more transparency about compensation and benefits to improve their hiring process**. We think an effective[job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) is an easy way to improve communication with job seekers and applicants. Clearly outlining the role and responsibilities as well as [including compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/) and benefits can make sure the right job seekers are finding and applying to your role and can prevent late stage candidates from feeling like they were misled. ### Before the initial interview As those applications start rolling in, try not to keep candidates waiting. **84% of job seekers said responsiveness after initially applying** (e.g. how quickly they receive an email) **was “important” or “very important**” **when evaluating a potential employer.** If you’re running a business, you may not have the time in your day to reply to every applicant as they hit your inbox, so we recommend [automating your interview scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) to improve communication with your candidates. An applicant tracking system like CareerPlug can allow you to automatically fast-track applicants who check your most important boxes and even [send text messages to candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) for a faster follow-up. After that initial contact is made, job seekers appreciate transparency regarding the rest of the hiring process. 84% said that being told what to expect next (like the number of steps in the process, types of interviews, and the people they’ll be interviewing with) is important. For example, at CareerPlug, we like to start by sending all our candidates a video to explain the steps of our hiring process and what they can expect in the days or weeks to come. Check out that video here: ### During the interviews Clearly, open lines of communication must be maintained during the interviews as well. In fact, when we asked recent job candidates what they would like to see employers improve, “**improved communication between the interviewers & job applicants**” was a high ranking recommendation. Make sure all interviewers provide detailed and correct information to candidates. [Interviewers should be prepared](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/common-mistakes-interviewers-make/) to stay present throughout interviews, listen intently, and answer candidate questions. Keep in mind that interviews are two-way conversations, and that candidates are using that time to decide whether or not they want to work for a company. Interviewers that can communicate well and make candidates feel comfortable certainly have a big advantage. This is also an ideal time to restate the details of this role including compensation and benefits to make sure that everyone is still on the same page. **Pro tip:**Avoid conducting [one-way video interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/one-way-video-interview/), or interviews in which job seekers record a video of themselves answering a set of questions for the hiring manager to view later. Candidates consider this new trend in hiring to be a poor candidate experience and we agree! If you’re really in a time-crunch, try to set aside just 5-10 minutes for a quick phone screen with each candidate instead. ### Post interview and beyond You’ve almost made it to the end of the hiring process! However, your work is not quite finished. Good communication must continue through this later stage for all candidates, whether you hire them or not. **85% of job seekers said responsiveness later in the hiring process, like follow-up emails after an interview, is an important factor in their decision to accept an offer**. Plus, if you’re waiting several days to follow up with a candidate that is pursuing other opportunities, you might just miss your chance to [close the deal](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/closing-the-deal-how-to-hire-the-right-person/)! Even if the candidate isn’t the right fit, be sure to let them know promptly so that they can continue their search as well. This respect to all candidates is important and will positively impact the way your company is perceived. Don’t [ghost your candidates](https://www.thebalancecareers.com/ghosting-job-candidates-can-destroy-your-reputation-4173212)! ### Final tips Having a standardized hiring process is the best way to make sure no candidate slips through the cracks and that you are communicating with everyone effectively. This will improve your candidate experience and your ability to hire the right people for your team. We’ve all been on the other side of the recruitment process and know how stressful it can be. Have empathy for all of your candidates and take the necessary steps to ensure better communication to improve your hiring process. ### Want more tips for improving your hiring process? Get the 2021 Candidate Experience Report to learn more about what job seekers are looking for. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT --- ## A Beginner’s Guide to Inclusive Hiring Practices **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-hiring/ * Posted on July 28, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris As businesses realize the importance of building and sustaining diverse teams, diversity recruitment has become a high priority for business owners and hiring managers. In the race to fulfill diversity hiring goals or to appear diverse and inclusive, many have fallen into the trappings of “performative hiring” and need help retaining the underrepresented talent they hired only months ago. Worse yet, some underrepresented talent and/or historically marginalized talent are [dropping out of the hiring process](https://www.gem.com//blog/think-diversity-is-a-pipeline-problem-look-to-your-process-instead) because the process itself signals exclusion, inactive listening, and shortsightedness. Now more than ever, businesses must ensure that _all_ job seekers feel that the hiring process was made for them while finding the best person for the role. ### Job seekers evaluate businesses for equity and inclusion during the hiring process Right now, the labor market is going through a seismic shift with job seekers at the helm. Applicants are aware that they are in high demand and they have more options now than ever before. More than that, underrepresented job seekers are in high demand due to the widespread business priority to hire more diverse teams. So, it follows that they will be selective and intentional about where they choose to work next. Job seekers who have prioritized working in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment are looking at the language in job descriptions. They’re looking for an easy and accessible application process, rather than the 10-page online application form. They’re taking note of how they feel during and after the initial conversation with hiring managers – if they feel listened to and if they are given enough time in the conversation to speak. They’re also looking at the diversity composition of the business, who leads the business, who the business serves, and its broader community. In short, they’re looking at the full picture – including how hiring managers communicate and interact with them during the hiring process. ### How to ensure the hiring process is inclusive, intentional, and impactful for all job seekers Potential employees want to be able to see themselves at every level of the business both in the present and future. Representation matters especially for those who are not used to seeing themselves reflected in leadership. However, this can be difficult for businesses that do not yet have the budget to increase the size of staff for equal representation across demographics, education, and socio-economic backgrounds.**So how do small businesses start sending the right message about their value for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging without the representation and employee experience to show for it?** If you’re wondering how you can do better, you’re not alone! No one has diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in hiring all figured out. Everyone is learning as they go from reading books to attending conferences and webinars to coaching sessions. Businesses can and should maintain a mindset of continuous learning and improvement. Give yourself the gift of patience and time while on the path to the right inclusive hiring process for your business. Here are some initial practical steps to take. ### 1. Interrupt your own biases. All the [points of contact with job seekers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) are crucial. How you communicate with them, from the job description to the interview process, is interpreted as a signal of how they will be treated as hired employees. As a business owner and/or hiring manager, you must have foundational knowledge and practical tools for mitigating [potential biases in your hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/) and inclusive communication and interaction practices. Luckily, there are many great resources that can help, such as [Bias Interrupters for Managers](https://biasinterrupters.org/toolkits/tools-for-managers/) and [Bias in Hiring](https://biasinterrupters.org/toolkits/orgtools/) from the Center for Worklife Law. It might also be helpful to find an affordable Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practitioner who is able to provide training or coaching sessions that are customized to small business owners who are at the beginning of their DEI journey. Firms such as [Optimal Leadership](https://www.optimalleadership.co/) provide custom training and coaching sessions specifically related to sourcing and hiring strategies that attract diverse talent. As a business leader, it will always start with you. You must recognize your own conscious and unconscious biases before being able to interrupt them. ### 2. Be aware of your company culture. A business’ culture is on display when job seekers visit its website, read the description of open roles, visit the corporate office, or ask insightful questions. As a business owner, it’s important to remember that every part of your business is an extension of who you are. Your conscious and unconscious values and beliefs will naturally seep into the way you source, recruit, and hire. It might be helpful to take a step back and evaluate your business culture. Seek out the assistance of a peer or friend who is not linked to the business. Determine if your business has a culture that is inviting and attractive to job seekers of diverse cultural, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds or if there is only one type of profile that seems to be hired for all the roles. Your awareness of this will allow you to be more intentional as you determine how you will attract and source diverse talent. ### 3. Know who you want to attract. While knowing who you want to attract seems obvious, it’s worth slowing down for this step to ensure that the people you attract will match the candidate profiles you want. For example, sometimes job descriptions will have statements such as “must be data-driven” or “ambitious and self-reliant” which reflects who job seekers **are**, rather than what they **can do**. Because these requirements or preferred qualifications reflect personality traits, it can lead to [affinity-biased hiring](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/). Businesses can easily end up with a homogenous culture of people who think and operate in the same way, missing out on the immense opportunity of having diverse minds take the business to the next level in innovative ways. **Consider centering your criteria on what a candidate can _do_ first, rather than trying to seek out personality traits, which can be difficult to evaluate anyway.** Once you have identified the abilities you want your ideal job seeker to have, you should ensure they are inclusive of all identities. This means that one’s identity (gender identity, race, socioeconomic status, etc.) should not be a barrier to their ability to do the role you are advertising. For example, the ability to “work under pressure in a fast-paced environment” is exclusive of groups within the disability and the neurodivergent community. It also promotes the idea that only those who can physically and mentally move quickly under pressure can succeed in your business. If speed and pressure are truly vital to the role, provide accommodations for those who do not move as quickly as others, giving them the opportunity to still give you their best work. Accommodations should be provided for any and all job activities that are inherently exclusive. Ensure that you list them in the job description and ads so that those who may qualify will not be deterred from applying. Lastly, it’s important to codify the job requirements in an evaluation tool such as an [ideal candidate profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/), before you begin the recruitment process. This will help mitigate implicit bias in who you reach out to and how you score their application. More often than not, we subconsciously activate [“like me” bias](https://percipiocompany.com/like-me-bias/) when we write job descriptions, thinking through the lens of how we would operate in the role. Instead, we should list the core requirements that will lead to the value add or output we want from employees. ### 4. Use inclusive language in the job description. The use of inclusive language in communications with job seekers has become increasingly popular. There are apps that can identify non-inclusive language or language in job descriptions that would discourage historically marginalized groups from applying. For example, studies have shown that women and men respond differently to different words on a job description. While women are often deterred by masculine words such as _dominant_, _competitive_, and _self-reliant_, men are not turned off by either masculine or feminine words such as _commitment_,_dependable_, _relationships_. Because of this, it is important to avoid having a masculine-coded (an overemphasis of masculine words) job description. Tools such as [Texito](https://textio.com/) or the [Gender Decoder for Job Ads](https://gender-decoder.katmatfield.com/) might be helpful for signaling the gender inclusivity of your job description. It is also important to note that there are biases that an app may not detect, such as maternal wall bias or parental wall bias, which is a form of bias that mothers and/or parents encounter when it is believed that they are not as competent or committed to their job as candidates without children. It is important to think through whether mothers, single parents, or parents with special needs children might be discouraged to apply due to the language used. These job seekers are more apt to apply to roles that are flexible in nature and include remote work options. Women, in general, are more likely to respond to job descriptions that include a salary range than to those without. Women love the transparency of a salary range to determine how they will negotiate an offer. Statistically, women negotiate far less than men. Having a salary range visible in the job description might encourage women to negotiate just as much as men do. Because this step might seem a bit overwhelming at first, I recommend forming or outsourcing a small diverse panel of reviewers to evaluate your job description for inclusive language, whether or not you use an app. ### 5. Diversify your referral networks. Small businesses rely heavily on referral networks for all sorts of reasons, including budget limitations. However, referral networks often lead to homogenous candidate pools because those you know often resemble you, your ethnic or cultural background, the way you think, where you went to school, and so forth. You will have to make a concerted effort to diversify your network and those you enlist in your referral programs. Broaden your network to include individuals in your local advocacy groups and organizations who support historically marginalized groups. For example, the [Young Women’s Alliance](https://youngwomensalliance.org/) (YWA) is a nonprofit organization that centers on the professional and career advancement of young Black and Brown women in Austin, Texas. Small local businesses in Austin might benefit from partnering with leaders within YWA to identify organization members who might be interested in your open roles. You might also find Diversity & Inclusion groups on social media networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook helpful in narrowing down your search. **Practically speaking, you will have to move out of your comfort zone to make new connections, network, and learn**. This is the best way to diversify your referral network, including those who participate in your referral programs. ### 6. Be aware of how you communicate and interact with all candidates. Employers must invest in creating an exceptional [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) at every point in the hiring process in order to remain competitive in today’s job market. This means it’s important to be mindful of every email communication, phone conversation, and in-person interaction with job seekers. While this is a rule of thumb for most, many still struggle with inclusive communication and interaction practices. Some of these include introducing yourself with your pronouns during your phone screen, making eye contact, giving every candidate the same amount of response time per question, giving all candidates access to the same interview questions that they should expect to be asked, over-communicating the expectations of the interview process to all candidates through a standard operating procedure (SOP), being mindful to treat each candidate the same level of dignity and respect, etc. Sometimes all it takes is one microaggression or the repeated act of asking a candidate to clarify what they have said one too many times to count. **Job seekers need to feel that they are at the center of the hiring process once you have convinced them to apply.** It takes physical, emotional, and intellectual stamina to apply to job after job with the possibility of being rejected each time. Be mindful of what it is to be in a job seeker’s shoes. Ensure that your words and actions towards them instill a sense of belonging and inclusion for them as they move through your vetting process. ### 7. Be clear about the rationale for each hire and evaluate for bias across diverse groups. Once you have made your hiring decisions, review your rationale for each hire. Keep a record of your justifications for each hire as well as for those who didn’t make it past the final interview stage. Check to see if there are any patterns among the profiles of those you have hired. For example, you might notice that those hired are mostly from startups or top-tier universities and are young white men and women, even though you blinded resumes and stuck to all of the advice presented in this article. In this case, it might be worth going back to the stage where most underrepresented or historically marginalized groups were screened out. Review the questions asked by both you and the job seeker during the interview process. Re-evaluate the responses. Might there have been a bit of unconscious bias in the way the job seeker’s responses were evaluated? It might also be worth reviewing questions asked about flexibility, timeline and capacity. These often hint at potential barriers for job seekers. ### What matters most While many of these tasks require business owners and hiring managers to go beyond “checking the box” of inclusive hiring tasks,try not to overcomplicate the process. Each step requires introspection and pushes us beyond the familiar when we reframe how we define a “qualified candidate.” As I have advised small businesses and mid-to-large organizations on hiring processes, I have discovered that what matters is how potential employees feel during the hiring process. It matters most how smart and impactful your hiring systems are to building a diverse workforce, regardless of the size of the business. It matters most that you continuously lead with empathy, making genuine connections, and building trust with job seekers of all identities and backgrounds. * * * ### About the Author _Agatha Agbanobi is a DEI consultant, antiracism educator, and inclusive leadership coach for high-profile companies and organizations in the public and private sectors. She has researched, designed, and published equity-based curriculums for U.S. and international agencies. Through her consulting firm, [Optimal Leadership](https://www.optimalleadership.co/), she has developed quality coaching content for teams and leaders to cultivate equitable and inclusive culture through thoughtful and transformative practices and processes._ --- ## Webinar: Essential Hiring Do’s and Don’ts for Small Businesses **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/webinar-go-small-biz-careerplug/ * Posted on March 10, 2025 * by Tatiana Diaz Hiring the right team is crucial for any small business, but navigating the legal landscape can be tricky. Missteps in hiring can lead to costly fines, lawsuits, and compliance issues. In this webinar, CareerPlug’s [Chris Igou](https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-igou/) and [GoSmallBiz](https://gosmallbiz.com/)’s [Anna Grantham](https://www.linkedin.com/in/annakgranthamwilson/) sit down with labor and employment lawyer, [Jeremy Schneider](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsschneider/) from Jackson Lewis to discuss the critical hiring mistakes small businesses make—and how to avoid them. With extensive experience helping employers manage legal risks, Jeremy shares insights on best hiring practices to prevent costly lawsuits and compliance violations. The panel covers essential topics such as: * How to classify workers correctly and avoid misclassification penalties * Interview tips to stay compliant with employment laws * The risks of asking the wrong questions during hiring * How to properly onboard employees to minimize legal exposure Watch the full webinar recording here: ### A business needs workers to grow The webinar starts with this introductory tip: As a small business owner, you have to know when it’s time to hire. Your business won’t grow, unless you grow your team. However, hiring and retaining new employees can be a huge challenge. Not only is it difficult to find and keep good people, you also have to be mindful of illegal hiring practices that could put you at risk for litigation. This leads us to the simple but important “Do’s and Don’ts” to consider when hiring. ### Do: Classify workers correctly “The world of independent contractor vs employee classification is a growing and evolving one in employment law,” says Jeremy Schneider. Understanding the difference between an independent contractor and an employee is key to avoiding legal trouble. Employees are entitled to protections like overtime, minimum wage, workers’ compensation, and unemployment benefits—while independent contractors are not. **Misclassifying a worker can lead to penalties, back taxes, and legal disputes.** As Jeremy explains, “If you misclassify someone as an independent contractor when they should be an employee, you could be liable to the government or that employee for income taxes that were never withheld and for overtime and minimum wage compensation.” There are several tests you can use to determine how someone should be classified. These involve asking questions about the employment situation and terms. Some considerations that can help you determine if someone is an independent contractor are: * Are they a highly skilled/experienced professional? * Did they approach your company seeking “contract work”? * Did they negotiate and sign an “Independent Contractor Agreement”? * Is it common in their industry for workers of this type to be contractors rather than employees? * Are they paid on a 1099? ### Don’t: Assume a contract defines status Simply signing an “Independent Contractor Agreement” doesn’t automatically make someone a contractor. Courts and regulatory agencies will look at how the worker operates within your business. If you provide training, tools, office space, or dictate their work schedule, they may legally be considered an employee—even if they agreed to work as a contractor. ### Do: Follow fair and legal interview practices Creating a fair and comfortable interview experience is important and can help you make a better impression on top candidates. “You want to prepare for the interview. Sit down, review the functions of the position, really know what it is the person is going to need to do in order to be successful,” said Jeremy. By taking the time to prepare, interviewers can ensure they ask insightful, fair questions that reveal a candidate’s true potential (and follow legal practices, too.) Jeremy also recommends letting the candidates do most of the talking. This will help you learn more about them, “The less you talk, the less risk there is. Also, the more the candidate talks, the more you will get a sense for who they are and what they’re about.” ### Don’t: Ask prohibited questions in interviews Small businesses care about a candidate’s fit with their company, and interviews are how they determine that fit. This could lead to them asking the wrong types of questions. As Jeremy shares, “Interviews are another significant area of risk.” **Interviews should focus solely on a candidate’s ability to perform the job.** Prepare questions in advance and structure them around the essential functions of the role. Stick to behavioral and open-ended questions, such as: * Tell me about a time you had to manage multiple deadlines. * What part of your current role do you excel at? * What challenges do you anticipate in this position? [Avoid questions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/question-not-to-ask-in-interviews/) related to protected characteristics, such as: * Age: Refrain from asking about birthdates or graduation years. * Race or Gender: Don’t assume interests based on race or gender. * Marital/Parental Status: Don’t ask about childcare arrangements or future family plans. * Pregnancy: Never ask about current or future pregnancies. ### Do: Use an offer letter, not a contract Once you’ve selected a candidate, provide an [offer letter](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/offer-letter-templates/) rather than an employment contract unless required otherwise. The offer letter should outline salary, start date, job duties, and any pre-employment conditions, such as background checks or drug testing. Offer letters allow you the flexibility to add your wants and needs for your potential hire. An offer letter provides flexibility and minimizes legal obligations, whereas an employment contract can create binding commitments that may be difficult to modify or terminate. “When you give them an offer letter and you want to hire them, you explicitly say in your offer letter that this offer is contingent upon successful completion of a background check and a drug test, if you want to put that in there,” said Jeremy. ### Don’t: skip pre-hire considerations Before an employee starts, confirm they meet all requirements, including performing [reference checks](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reference-check-questions/) and verifying eligibility to work in the U.S. Many business owners also want to conduct background and drug screenings. The growing trend in the country is that **you can’t perform a criminal background check until after you give what’s called a contingent offer of employment**. Avoid putting language around background checks in your job descriptions to stay compliant. And as Jeremy recommends, “Try to make all of this stuff conditional—meaning, you can have the job, but you need to clear this first.” For both background checks and drug screens, you’ll need to determine if both are necessary for your business. For example, if someone is going to be working with heavy machinery or around children, drug tests are easy to justify. However, you’ll need to know the rules in your state and look into what they allow (or don’t allow) you to test for. ### Hire more confidently with CareerPlug and GoSmallBiz Hiring the right way helps [small businesses](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/small-business-hiring-and-recruiting/) grow while staying legally compliant. By following these best practices, you can build a strong workforce while avoiding costly legal pitfalls. “You are only one person,” says Jeremy. Managing a small business can be overwhelming, but by following these do’s and don’t’s, you’re on the right track to creating a successful, legal-trouble free business! **About GoSmallBiz:**_Since 1996, GoSmallBiz has provided services and tools to help small business owners and entrepreneurs turn their dreams into reality and reach new levels of success. Whether you’re looking to attract more customers online, seek expert advice, or ensure you’re compliant with employment laws, we’ve got you covered._ _[CareerPlug and GoSmallBiz have partnered](https://support.careerplug.com/careerplug-partner-gosmallbiz)to give CareerPlug users exclusive access to the comprehensive solution of legal, tax, and tech services_ _designed to streamline operations and supply you with the tools needed to hire and manage your team confidently and effectively._ --- ## 6 Ways to Support Employees During The Busy Holiday Season **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/supporting-employees-during-the-holidays/ * Posted on November 14, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris The holiday season is an exciting, but often stressful, time for businesses across various industries. With the surge in demand comes increased pressure on employees who work tirelessly to keep operations running smoothly. From retail and logistics to hospitality and customer service, each sector faces unique challenges during this period. Ensuring your staff feels supported, valued, and prepared can make all the difference – not just in maintaining productivity, but in fostering a positive work environment during the busiest time of the year. In this post, we’ll explore some strategies to help you support your employees and keep morale high throughout the holiday rush. #### Table of Contents 1. [Implement flexible scheduling to accommodate personal needs.](https://www.careerplug.com/supporting-employees-during-the-holidays/#h-1-implement-flexible-scheduling-to-accommodate-personal-needs-nbsp) 2. [Provide extra incentives and bonuses.](https://www.careerplug.com/supporting-employees-during-the-holidays/#h-2-provide-extra-incentives-and-bonuses) 3. [Make sure you’re adequately staffed.](https://www.careerplug.com/supporting-employees-during-the-holidays/#h-3-make-sure-you-re-adequately-staffed-nbsp) 4. [Offer mental health support and resources.](https://www.careerplug.com/supporting-employees-during-the-holidays/#h-4-offer-mental-health-support-and-resources-nbsp) 5. [Create a positive and inclusive work environment.](https://www.careerplug.com/supporting-employees-during-the-holidays/#h-5-create-a-positive-and-inclusive-work-environment-nbsp) 6. [Recognize your employees’ hard work.](https://www.careerplug.com/supporting-employees-during-the-holidays/#h-6-recognize-your-employees-hard-work-nbsp) ### 1. Implement flexible scheduling to accommodate personal needs. During the holiday season, hourly employees often juggle work responsibilities with personal commitments. Implementing flexible scheduling can greatly alleviate stress by allowing employees to manage both work and personal life effectively. Consider offering shift swaps, part-time options, or the ability to work from home if possible. Flexible scheduling not only supports employees’ personal needs but also demonstrates that the company values their well-being, which can boost morale and reduce turnover rates significantly. ### 2. Provide extra incentives and bonuses. The holiday season can be financially straining for many. Providing extra incentives and bonuses can be a motivating factor for employees to maintain productivity and customer service quality. These can include holiday bonuses, gift cards, or additional paid time off. Another idea is to provide transportation stipends for employees that are working late shifts or on the holidays. Giving employees a ride to or from work can be that extra incentive to pick up a shift, and it also goes a long way in showing your appreciation for them. ### 3. Make sure you’re adequately staffed. One of the biggest things you can do to avoid adding strain to your team is to make sure you’re adequately staffed up for the busy season. Failure to plan ahead and factor in upcoming time off requests and busier-than-usual shifts can make your team feel overwhelmed and frustrated. [Hiring seasonal workers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/) can reduce the burden on full-time staff. Ensure seasonal staff are well-trained to handle the increase in guests, without putting extra pressure on regular employees. Setting your seasonal hires up for success starts with a strong onboarding process. You can have all new hires complete the required paperwork right from their phone with [CareerPlug’s Onboarding and Team Management](https://www.careerplug.com/onboarding-team-management/) solution. This will also help ensure you don’t miss any important steps and can help you get your seasonal staff up to speed sooner, so they can start taking some of the burden off your other employees. ### 4. Offer mental health support and resources. The[holiday season can be mentally taxing](https://www.nami.org/from-the-ceo/the-most-difficult-time-of-the-year-mental-health-during-the-holidays/) due to increased workload and personal pressures. Offering mental health support and resources can make a significant difference in employees’ lives. This can include access to counseling services, stress management workshops, or mental health days. By prioritizing mental health, companies show that they care about their employees’ overall well-being. It goes without saying that this is an important part of being a good place to work. And being a good place to work makes it easier to hire and retain great people. ### 5. Create a positive and inclusive work environment. A positive and inclusive work environment can make a world of difference, particularly during stressful times. Encourage a culture of inclusivity where every employee feels respected and valued. Organize team-building activities, use inclusive language, celebrate diverse holidays, and acknowledge individual and team achievements. ### 6. Recognize your employees’ hard work. [83% of employees](https://nectarhr.com/blog/employee-recognition-statistics) feel recognition affects their motivation to succeed. This is especially true during times when employees are busier and more stressed than usual. Acknowledging your employee’s contributions makes them feel seen and valued. Some ways you can [recognize your employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creative-ways-to-recognize-employees/) during the holiday season include: * Personalized thank you notes or holidays cards * Holiday parties or team events * Public recognition and shout-outs * Surprise treats or meals ### Improving employee retention throughout the year Making a noticeable effort to support your employees during the busy holiday season is not only kind, it’s also a great [retention strategy](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) and can help you build a loyal and motivated workforce. Having empathy and creating a supportive environment are a big piece of the retention puzzle. It’s important to always ask employees for feedback on how you’re doing, and make changes based on their opinion and experiences. With a little extra support, you can make the most of the busy holiday season, growing your business and growing your team! ### Be a better employer with CareerPlug. CareerPlug helps busy owners and managers hire, onboard, and retain their teams. Learn how by requesting a demo of our software. [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## CareerPlug Wins Gold Stevie® Award For Achievement in Sustainability in 2024 Stevie Awards for Women in Business **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/press-release-stevie-awards/ * Posted on November 11, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris PRESS RELEASE: [AUSTIN, TX] – November 11, 2024 – CareerPlug has been named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Achievement in Sustainability category in the 21st annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The Stevie Awards for Women in Business honor the achievements of women executives, entrepreneurs, employees, and the companies they run – worldwide. The Stevie Awards have been hailed as the world’s premier business award. Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for “crowned,” the awards were presented to winners last night during a gala event attended by nominees and their guests at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. The event was broadcast via Vimeo. More than 1,500 entries from organizations and individuals in 36 nations and territories were submitted this year for consideration in more than 100 categories, including Executive of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Company of the Year, Startup of the Year, Women Helping Women, and Women Run Workplace of the Year. CareerPlug received the Stevie® Award for Achievement in Sustainability in recognition of its partnership with the global nonprofit [WeForest](https://partners.weforest.org/sponsor/careerplug), through which the company has planted 20,000 trees in Zambia’s Copperbelt. By planting a tree for every first hire made on its platform, CareerPlug integrates environmental responsibility directly into its business model, creating a lasting impact that aligns with its mission. This initiative not only helps restore ecosystems and support biodiversity but also highlights CareerPlug’s commitment to aligning business success with global sustainability efforts. Jenny Leman, President of CareerPlug, expressed how meaningful this recognition is for the company, “I’m so honored and excited that CareerPlug has been chosen for the 2024 Stevie Sustainability Award! This means so much to us, especially because it ties directly into our commitment to making a positive impact on the planet as we operate our business ongoing. Getting to contribute to reforestation projects through our Partnership with WeForest is so rewarding. And through our Founder’s Vision, we’ve found a way to make it even more meaningful as it’s connected to our own Purpose of helping small business owners make critical hires to realize their own dreams.CareerPlug is proud to participate in creating a more sustainable future!” Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more [than 200 business professionals](https://stevieawards.com/women/2024-judging-committees) around the world, working on seven juries. Details about the Stevie Awards for Women in Business and the list of winners in all categories are available at [www.StevieAwards.com/Women](http://stevieawards.com/Women). Entries for the 2025 Stevie Awards for Women in Business will open in May. For press inquiries, please contact Lauren Torregrossa: ltorregrossa@careerplug.com About [CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/) CareerPlug was founded in 2007 in the heart of Austin, Texas by Clint Smith. He had a simple vision to make hiring easier for busy business leaders. Today we are the preferred partner to over 400 hundred franchise brands and member-based organizations, as well as over 60,000 business owners. Together, we are achieving our purpose of empowering teams to grow by making it easier for managers to hire and retain the right people. Our software is easy-to-use and built for busy owners and managers who are not HR professionals but still need to hire and retain their teams. CareerPlug has a proven playbook that has helped our clients build a winning culture, hire faster, and retain great people. In addition to innovative tools that streamline and automate time-consuming HR tasks, we offer exceptional client support to help you hire, grow, and retain your team. About the Stevie® Awards Stevie Awards are conferred in nine programs: the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the German Stevie Awards, the Middle East & North Africa Stevie Awards, The American Business Awards®, The International Business Awards®, the Stevie Awards for Great Employers, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, the Stevie Awards for Technology Excellence, and the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Stevie Awards competitions receive more than 12,000 entries each year from organizations in more than 70 nations and territories. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at [http://www.StevieAwards.com](http://www.stevieawards.com/). HCLTech sponsored the Women in Technology categories in the 2024 competition. --- ## Ask a Franchise Expert: 5 Ways to Maintain A Winning Franchise Culture As You Scale **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/maintaining-a-winning-franchise-culture-as-you-scale/ * Posted on November 5, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris What if I were to tell you that _building_ a company culture isn’t the hardest part? As I’ve worked with franchise brands of all different sizes, I noticed a common theme: Setting the foundation for your brand is hard. _Maintaining_ (and building on) that foundation as you scale is harder. Most franchise leaders will tell you that scaling too quickly can come with many consequences – but even for those who grow steadily, how do they ensure that their original “vision” of the company isn’t lost? _How do you preserve your company culture when you get to 50, 100, or 500+ locations?_ ### 1. Let your values lead the way. [Core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) are the driving force of your brand – not only its internal culture, but its reputation, customer experience, and, in many instances, overall success.Your core values serve as your guiding light when it comes to making important decisions. As Clint Smith, Founder and CEO of [CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/) and Author of [_How to Hire_](https://howtohire.com/) shares: > _“If you are not sure about what direction to head in a tough situation, you should be able to look at your values to determine the right course of action.”_ A common rebuttal I’ve heard is that “core values” are simply a “buzz phrase” brands use to appeal to a fresh, young workforce. The reality is that **core values have existed for decades**, and they have differentiated some of the highest-performing brands from their counterparts. In 1994, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras published [_Built to Last_](https://www.amazon.com/Built-Last-Successful-Visionary-Essentials/dp/0060516402)_,_ a deep dive into what makes a company exceptional vs. ordinary. You’ll never guess what topped the list… One thing about core values is that it’s _okay_ to be a little cliche. You can still find ways to make them your own. For instance, kindness. Some may say – “Well, isn’t that basic? Shouldn’t _everyone_ value that?” And yes, everyone _should,_ but not everyone exemplifies it (especially when things get rough, as they sometimes do in business). As a leader, it’s up to you to ask yourself: _“How do we foster an environment that doesn’t settle for anything less?”_ As my recent [LinkedIn post stated](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lizzy-young_corevalues-workculture-franchising-activity-7222594009116893184-TvnB?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop): > _“Core values are not just something employees ‘follow.’ They are hopes and dreams for what the workplace could and should be.”_ ### 2. Remember that a qualified franchisee does not equal the RIGHT franchisee. How are you screening candidates in your Discovery process? Your Franchise Development strategy should incorporate every aspect of the culture you’re trying to build. When you ask a candidate, “Why do you want to franchise with our brand specifically?,” the right fit should mention your values or mission and explain why it resonates with them. Emerging brands may be tempted to accept candidates in your target expansion territory who meet the “hard” qualifications, but I’d encourage them to think ahead and dive deeper. After their grand opening, what happens when you realize how they treat employees or customers does not align with the brand you’re trying to build? You don’t want to spend the first few years of your expansion building exit strategies. For emerging and established brands alike, asking more behavioral questions like “How would you handle X scenario with an unhappy customer?” and [examining a potential franchisee’s leadership style](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/key-management-skills-for-franchisees/) can go a long way. ### 3. Align marketing with your culture. Maintaining your culture isn’t only an internal necessity. Your culture can set you apart from a competitor when it comes to where customers choose to spend their money. The more you keep your culture at the heart of your marketing strategy, the more you will attract customers (and employees) who believe in what you do. Think of the [infamous Budweiser Super Bowl ads.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLQwfC966iw) They are memorable, not because of the product itself, but because of the _feelings_ their marketing evoked in consumers. **Don’t underestimate the power of emotional connection in purchasing decisions.** ### 4. Recognize franchisees and employees who embody your culture. Recognition programs are critical to a consistent, healthy culture. People love to be told they’re doing a great job, and incorporating your company culture into your rewards programs is an excellent way to keep it front-and-center, no matter how much you scale. At CareerPlug, we have a dedicated platform to give shoutouts to colleagues, and when we do, we are prompted to list which core value(s) they’ve exemplified. **Remember that culture starts from the top**. Make sure your mission, values, and the experience you’re trying to create for employees and customers are highlights of your training programs for all franchisees, managers, and employees. ### 5. Invest in your onboarding process. Speaking of training, [onboarding](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-onboarding-preparing-for-the-first-day/) is often the first impression employees get of your brand once they join it. If it’s not centered around what you _hope_ each unit’s work environment will look like, it’s missed the mark. **Onboarding is more than filling out paperwork and learning how everything runs operationally.**It’s also about setting expectations on how others are expected to be treated, how teams can succeed together, and how employees can address a situation that does not align with those expectations. Business performance expert and author[Scott Greenberg](https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-greenberg-1b17539/)discusses the importance onboarding as a time to connect with your new employees: > _“We need to understand and meet the soft needs of employees. Usually when people leave, it’s because the soft needs haven’t been met – the emotional needs, the way we want to feel. We want to connect with them on an emotional level right away.”_ ### One final note: Collect feedback and take action. Fostering open communication not only creates a great culture, but also a consistent one. Encourage your managers and franchisees to [collect employee feedback](https://www.careerplug.com/pulse/) and equip them with tools. Most of all, ensure feedback is followed up on. The best cultures are created from the people who “walk the walk” and are on the front lines of your business every day: your valued employees. Make them feel heard. Inquire to learn more. Continuously build on the culture you started. ### Learn more about building a winning franchise culture with the right people on your team. People are the heart of your business and your culture. Download our FREE guide to learn the best tips for becoming a top employer in franchising. [GET MY GUIDE](https://offers.careerplug.com/top-employer-franchising-ebook) --- ## Case Study: Using CareerPlug to Hire More Confidently **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/culligan-case-study/ * Posted on October 30, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris William Bocast owns a [Culligan franchise in Chico, California](https://culliganofchico.com/), and is what our team lovingly refers to as a “CareerPlug power user.” William combines the tools available in CareerPlug’s software, our proven hiring playbook, and his passion for his business to create a winning team. [Culligan](https://www.culligan.com/culligan-about-us)provides water treatment systems and solutions for homes and businesses. William’s journey with the Culligan brand began when he was just 20 years old. Starting from the ground up, he’s worked in nearly every role within the company. This hands-on experience gave him a deep understanding of the business and a passion for creating career opportunities for others. When William was given the chance to purchase the business, he seized it and became a Culligan franchisee. He believes in providing his employees with the same opportunities he once had, fostering a work environment where growth and advancement are not just possible but encouraged. We sat down with William to learn more about how he’s using CareerPlug. He also shared some of his best tips for evaluating candidates and growing your business with the right people. ### The challenge: Updating a manual and inefficient hiring process Prior to using CareerPlug, Culligan of Chico faced the same hiring challenges felt by many others: They had no clear [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) and hiring decisions were often made without much evaluation. When an opening popped up, the office would often make a hire based on a stack resumes that were dropped off and who showed up at the store most recently. This hit-or-miss approach was neither efficient nor effective in finding quality candidates. William acknowledged the flaws in this system, comparing it to “rolling the dice,” but also shared that sorting through a large number of applications can be incredibly time-consuming and daunting. William found himself often putting off this task because it felt overwhelming to start. ### The solution: Using CareerPlug to narrow down the applicant pool The introduction of CareerPlug was a game changer. It brought structure and efficiency to the hiring process, transforming it from a chaotic and overwhelming task into a streamlined and manageable system. By using [pre-screening questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/), CareerPlug helps narrow down the pool of applicants right at the beginning. This makes the process less daunting and more manageable, allowing William to focus on the most promising candidates without wasting time on those who are not a good fit. ### More than just resumes: Taking a holistic approach to candidate evaluation William quickly realized that hiring based solely on resumes wasn’t enough. Many potential candidates might not excel at writing resumes but could still be a great fit for the team. To address this, he started conducting informal [phone screens](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-phone-screen-interview/) to get to know applicants better. “I love being able to ask questions in an informal setting. It’s different from coming into an owner’s office, sitting down with your nice clothes on, when you’re sitting at home answering the phone.” This holistic approach allows William to assess candidates based on their potential and fit within the [company’s culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/), rather than just their ability to craft a polished resume. This method has proven to be more effective in identifying candidates who are truly passionate and capable. ### How William creates a better candidate experience We define the [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) as the experience someone has with your company from job posting to job offer. It can make or break your ability to hire the right people for your team. William uses CareerPlug and his own best practices to provide all candidates with a great experience and positive impression of his company. Let’s go over some of his best strategies. ### Keep all candidates informed Communication is key during a hiring process, and it’s important to keep all candidates informed. William personally calls everyone he interviews to give them feedback and let him know why he isn’t moving them forward. If this level of time commitment isn’t feasible for you, you can [automate communication with CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/)and send polite rejections emails to candidates you don’t want to hire. ### Have empathy for candidates We all know job hunting can be tough! It’s good to put yourself in the candidate’s shoes and make them feel at ease. William shares that he often prefaces interviews by saying, “It’s ok to be nervous. Nervousness is good; it means this is something important to you! Let’s just have a conversation.” ### Be honest about job expectations Finding out that the role and responsibilities are different than they expected is one of the number one [reasons candidates turn down a job offer.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-candidates-turn-down-job-offers/) It can also lead to turnover down the road for those you do hire. It’s important to write thorough [job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/effective-job-descriptions/) that accurately reflect the role. Be sure to spend some time during interviews to explain the role in more detail. William shares, “It’s a job. Don’t sugar coat anything. People appreciate being told what the job is going to be like and what the culture of the company is. Tell candidates what it feels like to work for your company.” ### “If you’re not using CareerPlug, what the heck are you doing?” Finding the right person is infinitely valuable and even has an impact on the retention of the rest of your team. When asked about some of the measurable impacts of CareerPlug, William explains: “I don’t think it’s quantifiable how important a good hire is. We are a small company. If we have a revolving door because of bad hiring… it impacts the current team. You have to find good people because your employees will question whether or not you make good decisions, and it will make them question whether they want to work for you.” He also said, “Make sure you’re using all the resources that CareerPlug provides. You have to put the effort in. The more effort you put in, the more it’s rewarded.” And some final parting thoughts for his fellow business owners… “If you’re not using CareerPlug what the heck are you doing?” ### The value of CareerPlug: Priceless With our easy-to-use software and outstanding client support, CareerPlug is the best way to grow your team. See for yourself today! [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## 5 Reasons Job Seekers Aren’t Applying to Your Job Posting **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/why-job-seekers-arent-applying/ * Posted on November 29, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris So you have an open position and you’re ready to start the hiring process. You’re a great company and this is a great opportunity, so finding the perfect candidate that checks all your boxes should be easy, right? In fact, you were certain that when you posted your open job online, you’d immediately see an influx of qualified applicants to choose from… but maybe that hasn’t been your experience after all. _Maybe_, for some reason, you’re struggling to get applicants when you post an open job, and you’re not sure why. You’ve begun to realize, there are a lot of great companies with a lot of open jobs, and getting applicants interested in _your_ role may take a little more effort. But what kind of things do applicants want to see –and _not_ see –in a job posting? We decided to survey recent job seekers to learn what gets them excited to apply to job postings as part of our [2023 Applicant Expectations Report.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/applicant-expectations-report/) Their answers provide insight into some job posting mistakes that might be limiting your applicant pool. Read on to use what we learned from job seekers to help you improve your job postings and increase your chances of making the absolute best hire for your team. ### What makes job seekers excited to apply to jobs Let’s start by going over what job seekers are looking for in a job posting, and the things that have the most impact on their decision to apply. We asked the job seekers in our survey to **choose their top 3 things that get them most excited about a job posting.** Here are some of their answers: You can use this information to determine what your job posting might be missing. Let’s take a closer look at the reasons job seekers aren’t applying to your open jobs and what you can do about it. ### Why aren’t people applying to my job? ### 1. You’re not leading with benefits and perks Job seekers have told us again and again that [benefits and perks are just as important as competitive compensation.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/) They want to see this information up front – before applying or interviewing. Job seekers won’t waste their time applying to a job they’re unsure about. Plus, it’s a great way to show you’re a transparent company from the start. One job seeker told us, “Compensation and benefits are rarely, if ever, mentioned until the applicant has been put through a grueling and inconvenient interview process. **Employers need to be upfront about what matters most to the applicant**… salary, benefits, and work conditions, including upward mobility.” ### 2. There’s no compensation listed **46% of job seekers ranked compensation as a top reason** they get excited to apply to job postings. Of course, we know that people want to be paid well for what they do, so offering a competitive salary is important. But even that won’t get you very far, if you’re not transparent about that salary in the job posting. There are a few reasons that not [including the compensation in your job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/) could be making you miss out on applicants. One thing to keep in mind is that candidates are busy and applying to jobs takes time and effort, so they want to make sure that effort is worth it. A lot of qualified folks won’t take the time to apply if they are unsure of what you’re offering. Plus, including the compensation can actually save _you_ time as it helps candidates self-select in or out of your opportunity. This keeps you from spending time and resources moving someone through your hiring process only to find that you don’t agree on compensation terms at the offer stage. Lastly, (and very importantly) [pay transparency has now become law](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/pay-transparency-laws/)in several cities and states, and **major job boards like Indeed are actually removing job postings in these areas that don’t list compensation.** So if you’re not seeing as many applicants as you’d expect for your job posting, not including the compensation might be why. ### 3. No remote or flexible working options In a [FlexJobs study](https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/remote-work-statistics/), 32% of respondents reported that they want a hybrid work environment, and **65% said they want to work remotely full-time.**In our own survey, we found that remote/flexible working options are a big draw for people looking for a job. If you already offer remote or hybrid work, be sure to include the details in your job description. If you’re unable to let employees work remotely, consider other ways that you can add flexibility to their schedule. For example, do you have a generous time off policy? Or let employees swap shifts with other employees through a scheduling app? Let job seekers know how you support a flexible working environment. ### 4. You don’t have a compelling employer brand When job seekers are scrolling through job boards, deciding between various opportunities, one thing that stands out is a job posting that shows off a company’s [employer brand.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) Job seeker’s know they have options, and they will get excited about a company that has a good reputation. The first way to build your employer brand is to simply be a good place to work – after all, employees that have a positive opinion of your workplace will be more likely to provide [compelling employee testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/) that you can showcase on your [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/). You’ll also want to provide [**positive candidate experiences**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/)**anytime you’re hiring.** This will help you build a good reputation organically, but you can also use [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/) like [GlassDoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm) and [JobSage](https://www.jobsage.com/)to actively manage your employer brand online. Having a stellar reputation helps you stand out in a sea of job postings, and makes job seekers more likely to apply to your open role and accept the job later in the process. ### 5. Not enough focus on skills in your job posting We asked job seekers to tell us in their own words what makes a job posting attractive. One theme that emerged was the desire for [skills-first hiring](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/skills-first-hiring/) – or **emphasizing the importance of skills and capability over strict requirements like specific degrees or experience.** By listing skills in your job description, job seekers are more likely to feel qualified for the role, and align themselves with the position. For example, someone may not apply to a job based on your requirement for a specific degree, but seeing that you’re looking for “good communication skills” or “leadership experience” may make someone feel like they are a better fit. Here’s a couple of quotes from job seekers on this: ### Get more job seekers to apply to your jobs Now that you have a better idea of what job seekers are looking for, you can improve your job postings to attract more applicants. The job seekers we surveyed get the most excited about job postings that list benefits and perks, compensation, and flexible working options. They also prefer companies that take a skills-based approach to hiring and have a strong employer brand. If you’re not getting as many applicants as you’d expect for your open roles, start by taking a look at these key components and adjusting your job posting accordingly. Doing so can help you find your next awesome hire for your great opportunity! ### Attract more high-quality applicants with better job descriptions Download our Ultimate Guide to Effective Job Descriptions e-book to learn everything you need to include in your job description to attract more and better candidates. Click the button below to access your free copy. DOWNLOAD THE E-BOOK --- ## Build a Recruiting Machine: A Conversation with Clint Smith and Forrest Higdon **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/build-a-recruiting-machine/ * Posted on October 18, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Sometimes hiring managers get stuck in the cycle of hiring for necessity in order to fill a position quickly, rather than hiring the highest quality applicant. This hiring trap can cause your business more harm than good. CareerPlug wants to make hiring easier, so we hosted a webinar to explore the strategies for hiring and retaining top-notch candidates. In this webinar, you’ll learn how to turn your hiring process into a well-oiled machine for success. Clint Smith, Founder and CEO of CareerPlug, sat down with Forrest Higdon, owner of [Gumby’s Pizza](https://gumbyssanmarcos.com/) in San Marcos to discuss their hiring experiences and what they’ve learned over the years. Smith’s book, [_How to Hire_](https://howtohire.com/), was released last month and inspired this conversation. ### Full webinar video: #### Table of Contents 1. [Recruit like you sell](https://www.careerplug.com/build-a-recruiting-machine/#recruit-like-you-sell) 2. [Building a company culture](https://www.careerplug.com/build-a-recruiting-machine/#building-a-company-culture) 3. [Attracting quality applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/build-a-recruiting-machine/#attracting-quality-applicants) 4. [Interview conversion](https://www.careerplug.com/build-a-recruiting-machine/#interview-conversion) 5. [Empowering others on your team to hire](https://www.careerplug.com/build-a-recruiting-machine/#empowering-others-to-hire) 6. [Listen more than you speak in interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/build-a-recruiting-machine/#listen-more-in-interviews) 7. [Final thoughts](https://www.careerplug.com/build-a-recruiting-machine/#final-thoughts) ### Recruit like you sell “Recruit like you sell,” is one of _How to Hire_’s best pieces of advice that can help you build a recruiting machine. Smith explains his advice, “You have to get away from this idea of, ‘Hey, I’m the one with the job, candidates should be bowing down to me and begging me to work here.’ The reality for most of our clients and for us is – you have to sell them on it. You’ve got to be able to present yourself in a really professional and attractive way. It’s really just about a mindset shift, and there are some specific tactics you can take on to act more like you’re selling.” Higdon shares how this notion resonates with Gumby’s: “When people leave Gumby’s it’s usually for a bigger and brighter future. One of the things that we try to install with our team is support with that, because we want what you learn here to propel you forward into your career. We’re selling people on the idea that there’s more training happening here, and leadership opportunities.**I think when you start to look at your job as more than just an hourly type position for your employees, that’s when you can start to bring value.**” At the end of the day, a mindset shift can go a long way in recruiting top candidates. Job seekers have more choices of work now than ever – selling candidates on why they should be at your business can make them feel more valued and motivated to join your team. ### Building a company culture Building a strong [company culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) is one of the most effective things you can do in order to empower your employees and [attract top candidates.](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) Higdon shares how Gumby’s has grown their company culture: “Around 7 years ago we spent a lot of time working on our [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) and identifying exactly what those were. When you have a restaurant that’s been around for a little bit, it starts to create an identity involving our staff. So our core values are what really happens in the store on a day to day basis.” Higdon shares what can happen when you don’t take the time to build your culture and let it lead your hiring process, “A bad hire can do more damage than good. I would rather not make that hire and empower my team to try and find a way around that, rather than hiring someone with red flags just because you really need a person hired. **It makes so much more sense to wait a little bit longer and find the right person.** That can be really painful in the interim, but the damage that you do to your sales, retention, and loss of other employees is just massive.” ### Attracting quality applicants Both Smith and Higdon agreed that [well-written job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-job-posting/) are one of the most impactful ways to attract candidates. Higdon noted that by making your job postings unique to your business, applicants will be more intrigued and motivated to apply. As Smith emphasizes, “You attract who you deserve. If you put out a generic job posting that pays on the low end of the scale, you shouldn’t be surprised if the caliber of candidates you get are on the lower end. **Building good job descriptions and [careers pages](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) really go a long way in applicant quality** and engagement.” Higdon similarly shares, “I think a lot of employers spend very little time actually looking at their job descriptions and what those descriptions say about them. Your job description should make them go. ‘Oh, these guys are different. Let me look into this more.’” Job descriptions are the first impression you make on job seekers. Making them authentic to who you are as a company can attract the like-minded and quality applicants you need. ### Interview conversion Many companies think they have an applicant problem. But what if they really had an interview conversion problem? **If qualified applicants aren’t getting converted into interviews, you might not be moving fast enough.** High caliber candidates are in high demand. To help, CareerPlug recommends the [“24-48-5”](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/time-to-hire/) rule. **Contact applicants within 24 hours. Schedule an interview within 48 hours, and hire within 5 days.**You can put your business at a significant advantage if you contact applicants fast, before competition scoops them up. Smith explains, “The number one culprit for that is timeliness. Maybe you didn’t get back to someone, or you didn’t get back to them soon enough – if you get back to them a week later, and you’re talking about a job that’s more of like a frontline job, they’re already going to have a job somewhere else. It’s really about having a system. The system might even be as simple as, ‘I’m gonna block out half an hour each day when I’m in hiring mode to review my applicants and follow up with them.’” ### Empowering others on your team to hire Higdon and Smith agreed that usually a CEO or owner of a business is going to be the best salesperson you have in terms of hiring new employees. However, at a certain point these leaders need to focus on other tasks and hire someone to do the recruiting instead. Higdon explains the process of how he stepped back: “I haven’t done an interview in probably 2 years. But what we do is empower our frontline shift leaders and managers to do all the interviews. We make sure everything is systematized into a process – here’s the interview questions you ask. Here’s the form we use. Here’s how we put it back into our slack channel for hiring. Here’s how you message that. So it’s just building a system to get yourself out of it.” As business owners, another part of stepping back from the hiring process is [trusting your team](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-turn-your-company-culture-into-a-talent-magnet/#importance-of-trust). Higdon notes, “If you trust your managers to open the store, close the store, make the bank deposit, and do all these other things… why wouldn’t you trust them to make the hiring decisions and hire the staff that they’re working with?” Personal growth is another opportunity that arises from [empowering employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) on your team to do the hiring. Smith shares, “The tasks that are the least important on your plate that you want to delegate to someone else could become one of the most important things they do for personal growth opportunities.” ### Listen more than you speak in interviews Smith and Higdon were asked if they have any specific questions they ask during [the interview process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/). One of the main ideas that arose was the act of listening over talking. Higdon notes, “**One of the biggest things we’ve had to coach on is to listen twice as much as you are talking.**” Smith similarly shares how this helps him look for core value alignment in candidates: “I actually prefer to just listen. If the core value fit doesn’t just come through, in how they’re talking about people – I can usually tell just based on the stories they talk about from previous experience and how they’ve approached things whether or not they have that core value or culture fit.” Sometimes letting candidates speak for themselves is the best approach. Especially when it comes to hiring for [growth opportunities](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/), giving candidates the space to prove their potential for a company can go a long way. ### Final thoughts To build a recruiting machine and hire the best talent, try to focus on being an employer of choice, rather than an employer of necessity. Often, employers settle for candidates in order to fill a position quickly. This can lead to losing sight of investing and retaining quality employees and hurt your business in the long run. Smith sums it all up, “I think most small business owners are familiar with this idea of working _in_ the business versus working _on_ the business. It’s a combination of optimizing hiring yourself and letting other people run it so that you can create the space to be able to do that. And I think that’s ultimately what’s going to get you to a stronger position.” ### Download Clint Smith’s new book, How to Hire. How to Hire is a valuable resource that can help you master the recruiting process. Whether you are just gathering the pieces for your hiring machine or looking to fine-tune it, this book can help you succeed. DOWNLOAD THE E-BOOK --- ## Pay Transparency Laws and What They Mean for Your Job Postings **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/pay-transparency-laws/ * Posted on October 4, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris As part of a wave of new pay transparency laws across the country, New York is the latest state to require employers to include their salary in job postings. New York’s pay transparency law went into effect on September 17, 2023 and Indeed began **removing job postings without compensation information.** From [Indeed’s Hiring Lab](https://www.hiringlab.org/data/) website: “_Job postings in New York that do not include employer-provided pay information will not be visible until pay information is added or employers indicate the job is exempt.”_ Below is the data published on Indeed’s Hiring Lab on September 22, the first covering the period with the new law in effect. As you can see, job postings drop significantly. In fact, over the last week, nearly **30% of job postings have been removed.** This means that **employers posting jobs in New York will need to be certain that their jobs list compensation or they could be removed from major job boards like Indeed.** But New York isn’t the only state in which employers need to pay extra attention to their job postings going forward. ### Which states have pay transparency laws? Currently, [**nine states have laws**](https://mosey.com/blog/salary-transparency-laws-by-state-best-practices/)**around pay transparency:** * Colorado * Connecticut * Maryland * Nevada * Rhode Island * Illinois * California * Washington * New York Other cities and localities have similar regulations, and it’s expected that more states will continue to follow suit. Some of these policies require employers to disclose salary and benefits information upon the applicant’s request. But in four of these states – including most recently, New York – employers are required to **disclose salary in the job posting.** ### What do pay transparency laws mean for employers? Pay transparency laws create an added layer of complexity for employers in an already challenging labor market. To stay compliant, employers in the states that have active pay transparency laws need to learn and adhere to the new policies. It’d also be wise for employers in other states to understand these new laws as well, and to start preparing for similar legislation in their area. One big thing that employers need to be aware of is that not complying with these laws can have some pretty drastic consequences on their ability to post jobs and make hires for their team. ### Why pay transparency is good for recruiting [We’ve long encouraged employers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/benefits-of-pay-transparency/) to follow this practice as it can actually save you time in your hiring process. [Including the compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/) or a compensation range in your [job description](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-job-posting/) can: * Help candidates self-select in or out of your opportunity, so you don’t end up spending time or resources moving someone through your process only to not agree on terms. * Encourage more applicants. Job seekers have a lot of options and high-quality candidates will concentrate on companies that are up front about what they are offering. * Create a better experience for candidates and show them that you are a more transparent company. This can help you get more candidates to say yes to your job offers. * Lastly, [research shows](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-022-01288-9) that pay transparency can help increase pay equity, as being secretive about pay contributes to gender pay gaps and pay gaps that affect people of color. There are obvious benefits to job seekers when pay transparency laws go into effect. But as an employer, all of these new requirements can be difficult to keep up with. It can be challenging to make sure that your [job postings](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) and hiring process comply with these new laws. ### How to start practicing pay transparency on your job postings If you’re in the state of New York or another area with pay transparency laws, it’s clearly time to start including your compensation on your job postings if you want to maintain the visibility of your open jobs that sites like Indeed can provide. So how do you go about including compensation on your job postings if you’ve never done it before? Here are some of our best tips: * If you’re not sure where to start with competitive compensation, research what it looks like in your market by searching for similar job titles online. You can also**check out free compensation resources on sites like**[**Indeed**](https://indeed.com/salaries)**or**[**Glassdoor**](https://glassdoor.com/salaries)**;** keep in mind this is also where job seekers are often looking to evaluate their market worth. * Have internal discussions and make sure your job posts are aligned with your internal team. **Compensation should ideally meet both internal and external benchmarks**– i.e., what you’re paying the position compared to other companies in your industry and what you’re paying the position compared to other employees within your company. * Remember that many candidates are looking for a **combination of salary and benefits.**Include the benefits you offer in your job posting as well. This can be especially helpful if you’re worried about the competitiveness of the salary you can offer. * If you’re including a _compensation range,_ the range should not exceed **1.5 times the base amount** you’re offering. * Never put the compensation in your job title or include spammy phrases like “Make Cash Now” or “Unlimited Earning Potential”. This can potentially get your job flagged and removed. ### Easily create and share your job postings with CareerPlug Our job description templates make it easy to format a great job posting that is compliant and attractive to job seekers. Plus, we’ll distribute your job postings to all the major job boards instantly. [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Your Biggest Hiring Pain Points Solved: Advice From an Expert **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-pain-points/ * Posted on January 19, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Every day, CareerPlug clients reach out to our team of experts to ask what they can do to improve their hiring results. We know that for our clients who own small businesses and franchises, hiring and recruiting is just one of many responsibilities they juggle day-to-day. Our goal is to make hiring easier so they can spend less time hiring and get back to running their business. That’s why we have hiring and recruiting experts like Gabe Wilson. In his role as a hiring consultant, Gabe has advised hundreds of business owners and hiring managers on the strategic improvements they can make to attract more quality applicants and hire the right people. His advice is so helpful that he’s become a favorite resource for our clients, with one business owner writing: _“Gabe helped me to get totally started. He helped me to setup my job description, helped with the title to attract more job seekers. He helped with automation of a couple of steps, and to create a template to send emails. I had over 20 applicants the FIRST DAY!”_ _– Mary Conrad, Joe Homebuyer of Kentuckiana_ CareerPlug’s Senior Content Marketing Manager Desiree Echevarria sat down with Gabe to learn more about the burning questions our clients have asked him over the years, along with the advice that’s been the most effective. #### Table of Contents 1. [What can I do to attract more qualified applicants to my open roles?](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-pain-points/#attract-more-applicants) 2. [Do I really need to list compensation in the job posting?](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-pain-points/#compensation-in-job-description) 3. [How can I prevent candidate ghosting and interview no-shows?](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-pain-points/#candidate-ghosting) 4. [How soon should I contact applicants after they apply?](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-pain-points/#contacting-applicants-sooner) 5. [How do I get to the top of the search results on job boards?](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-pain-points/#job-board-search-results) ### What can I do to attract more qualified applicants to my open roles? The number one concern we hear from hiring managers is **a lack of**[**qualified applicants**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/attract-high-quality-candidates/)**for their open roles.** It can be a stressful situation, oftentimes feeling like it’s beyond their control. Some employers believe that their only options are to spend more money to sponsor their job postings or raise their pay when they may not have the budget to do so. But Gabe challenges employers to think about the problem differently, saying, “It doesn’t have to do with pay. Even if you don’t offer the highest pay, you still have a great chance of landing that quality hire. You just have to take a few simple steps, and [think about] what the job seeker’s perspective is.” Gabe’s number one piece of advice is:**include your compensation in your job description.** By adding a pay range, you’re making it easy for job seekers to decide if it’s worth applying. Remember that job seekers are busy too, and if they’re presented with a choice between spending their time applying for a role that lists pay or one that doesn’t, they’re usually going to apply to the one with the [pay transparency](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/benefits-of-pay-transparency/). So the problem may not be that you’re paying enough, but that your pay is simply unknown. Gabe’s second piece of advice: **add a benefits and perks section in your job post.** Some employers believe that these details are only valuable if they provide standard benefits like insurance or retirement plans. However, even if you lack these traditional benefits, it’s still worthwhile to highlight smaller perks, like fun company events or flexible working hours. It’s all about the framing – by showing off your company as an attractive place to work, job seekers will want to apply. Gabe’s third tip: **list the requirements and qualifications on your job posting**. It sounds simple, but remember to write these with the job seeker’s perspective in mind. They need to be able to envision themselves succeeding in the role before they apply. “The thing [applicants] want to know is: am I qualified? Are they clear on what the requirements are on the job posting?” Gabe says. You want to get job seekers to a place where they can say, “Okay, if I do apply for this, it’s worth it. It’s worth my time.” When you take the time to write an [effective job description](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/effective-job-descriptions/), it allows job seekers to feel more confident about your opportunity. Removing those unknowns can convert an uncertain job seeker into a candidate for the role. Watch Gabe’s full answer in the video below. ### Do I really need to list compensation in the job posting? In short: yes. But we certainly empathize with employers who feel hesitant to list pay in the job posting. Gabe makes a great case for why pay transparency is now becoming essential to your recruiting strategy on the job boards. Gabe says, “If you don’t have pay listed, there’s a really good chance no one will ever see the posting. That sounds dramatic and extreme, but I think it’s the truth.” This is especially true for jobs listed in the growing number of states that have passed [pay transparency laws](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/pay-transparency-laws/) requiring employers to disclose compensation in job ads. For example, when New York’s pay transparency law went into effect in September 2023, Indeed began [removing job postings](https://www.hiringlab.org/data/) that were missing compensation information. It’s also important to remember that applicants tend to search for jobs using filters, and oftentimes they filter their search to _only_ show them jobs that list compensation.**If your job doesn’t have pay listed, high-quality candidates could be filtering out your jobs so that they never even see them.** Watch the video below to hear more from Gabe about the importance of pay transparency. ### How can I prevent candidate ghosting and interview no-shows? [Candidate ghosting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-ghosting/) and interview no-shows can prolong the hiring process and be frustrating for employers. According to Gabe, we need to take a step back and try to understand the root causes of disengaged candidates. Gabe advises: “Don’t rely solely on email. Emails go to spam. I’ve heard from a lot of hiring managers that use [texting with applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) first and responding before the other employers do.” Gabe says that **his recommended best practice is to contact applicants within 24 hours at most –and even sooner is better.** “You can utilize some [automation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-automate-the-hiring-and-interview-process/) and get that sent out immediately within three minutes,” Gabe says. “You will be the number one employer, the first one to respond to these applicants, which gives you a really good chance [at increasing candidate engagement].” Gabe also recommends that **employers increase their interview availability** to accommodate the schedules of busy candidates. Most candidates have jobs and it’s a huge commitment for them to take time off of work to go to an interview. If it’s at an inconvenient time for them, or something comes up at the last minute, they’ll often skip the interview because they just can’t make it work. To hear more about Gabe’s approach to preventing candidate ghosting and interview no-shows, watch the video below. ### How soon should I contact applicants after they apply? “I would say 24 hours at the most,” Gabe says. “A few hours is what I would recommend.” But why is it so important to contact candidates ASAP? “If an applicant is moving along through the hiring process and there are three interview steps and they’re on step one, maybe another company reached out earlier and they already have that applicant on step two. They’re going to take that other job because they’re going to get that offer letter first,” Gabe says. High-quality candidates will always have the freedom to be picky about where they want to work, and by moving them through the hiring process as quickly as possible, you’re signaling to them that you’re extremely interested and value what they bring to the table more than other employers do. Luckily, there are tools that can help you move quickly with your top candidates. Using an applicant tracking system like **CareerPlug can automate all of this instant candidate communication** so that busy hiring managers don’t need to be glued to their phones all day. Desiree shares her own experience using CareerPlug’s automations: “If you’re already a CareerPlug client, you can just automate this part of the hiring process. Set up [Autopilot](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) and you don’t even have to think about it. I’ve used it before and it contacts candidates immediately for me.” To learn more about CareerPlug’s hiring automations like Autopilot, [**schedule a demo today**](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/)**.** ### How do I get to the top of the search results on job boards? Gabe says that while employers can use[job board best practices](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/indeed-job-posting-best-practices/) to optimize their rankings (e.g. writing better job descriptions, pay transparency), he thinks that it’s actually more important for employers to turn their attention to diversifying their applicant sources and not relying solely on the job boards as their only source for [high-quality applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/attract-high-quality-candidates/) in the first place. “When it comes to how to get more visibility, I would say: 1) let’s focus on the job description and 2) there’s different types of visibility. And that’s visibility from employee referrals, and Facebook, and social media, and some of these other sources.” Instead of spending hundreds of dollars to promote your job board posts, you can use that money to create employer recognition incentives or bonuses for employee referrals. This not only strengthens your company culture, but also your job descriptions, allowing you to get testimonials and include the incentives in your job posts, leading to employee retention. Hear more of Gabe’s thoughts on job board visibility in the video below. ### Conclusion Gabe Wilson’s expert insights have one overarching theme: it’s important to view your hiring practices from the perspective of the job seeker. Be courteous and respect their time and effort. Taking those small steps like reaching out quickly or investing more energy into writing a high-quality job description can go a long way in converting job seekers into hires. ### The Hiring Software Built by the Hiring Experts CareerPlug is proud to provide our hiring expertise to over 60,000 small business locations. Our software is built on a proven process designed to hire and retain the right people. Plus, it’s easy enough for anyone to use – you don’t even need to be an HR pro. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Why Being a Responsive Employer Matters in Recruitment **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/why-being-a-responsive-employer-matters-in-recruitment/ * Posted on January 26, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris As a business owner or manager, you’ve probably got an always growing to-do list, and hiring new employees is just one task of many you need to check off. It can be hard to give the hiring process the attention and focus it needs, and keeping track of where every applicant is in your process, and responding to all your candidates in the various stages can get confusing and overwhelming. But even though it’s challenging to do, **being more responsive during recruitment** can actually improve your ability to make the right hires for your team. Why is being responsive so important? And is it even feasible as a busy manager or business owner? We’ll explain everything you need to know about being a responsive employer during recruitment, including some time-saving tricks to make it easier. ### How being a responsive employer makes it easier to hire the right person In today’s competitive labor market, job seekers have a lot of options. You’re competing for the best talent with many other companies, and being responsive can actually give you an advantage. ### Applicants prefer responsive employers If you want to have your top choice of the best candidates, responsiveness should start as soon as those applications start rolling in. We found in our [Applicant Expectations Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/applicant-expectations-report/) that **nearly half of applicants would prefer an employer contact them within 24 hours of applying.**Responding quickly after someone applies is a great first impression to all your potential candidates. Remember to respond to everyone that’s applying, not just the candidates you want to move forward. We found that **51% of job seekers wouldn’t apply to a company again if they didn’t hear from them the first time they applied.** ### Protect your employer brand Your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) is your business’s online reputation as a place to work. Reviews on sites like [JobSage](https://www.jobsage.com/) and [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm) by current employees can give job seekers an idea of what it’s like to work for your company. But your online reputation is built through the hiring process as well, and candidates are leaving reviews online regarding their [experience with your company during recruitment.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) And the good news is that many of them are eager to share positive experiences online: We found that **60% of job seekers have left a review online after having a positive candidate experience.** This means that taking steps to create a good experience for candidates, including being responsive and communicating with them can have a positive impact on your employer brand and help you attract and hire more top candidates. ### Keeps candidates engaged during your hiring process The best candidates are typically engaging with multiple opportunities at once. Not being responsive to them during the hiring process could actually be a reason they drop out and pursue another job. Hiring and recruiting expert [Gabe Wilson](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-pain-points/) says, “If an applicant is moving along through the hiring process and there are three interview steps and they’re on step one, maybe another company reached out earlier and they already have that applicant on step two. They’re going to take that other job because they’re going to get that offer letter first.” A couple of job seekers we spoke to share how they moved on to other opportunities because of a long communication gap from an employer: ### Indeed rewards responsive employers Another big reason to be responsive to candidates is that it can earn you a “[Responsive Employer badge](https://indeed.my.site.com/employerSupport1/s/article/What-is-an-Employer-Response-Badge?language=en_US)” on Indeed. Indeed will grant you this recognition if you **update the status of more than 50% of the applicants you get on a job.** This “Responsive Employer badge” shows job seekers that you are active on the job board or in your [applicant tracking system (ATS)](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-is-ats/) and that you’ll be more likely to reply to their application. It’s an easy way to market your jobs better on Indeed because it encourages more applicants to apply. ### How to be a more responsive employer So how can you be more responsive to multiple candidates in various stages of your hiring process without being stuck at your desk or glued to your phone all day? The right tools can help: ### Automated interview scheduling Gabe Wilson recommends that employers reach out to applicants as quickly as possible –**24 hours at most, but a few hours is ideal.** This may sound like a longshot for a busy employer, but hiring automations like those available in CareerPlug make this possible. With an [automated interview scheduling system](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) like CareerPlug’s Autopilot, **you can automatically send candidates a link to schedule their own interviews based on your availability.** This saves you and the candidates from having to go back and forth to find a time that works for you. The interviews automatically show up on your calendar, helping you book more interviews in less time, without having to manually respond to candidate emails or phone calls. Watch the video below to hear more from Gabe about how employers can gain an advantage by contacting applicants sooner. ### Text recruiting When it comes to responding to candidates quickly and conveniently, no method of communication beats text messaging. [Text messages](https://www.attentive.com/blog/texting-statistics#:~:text=Text%20messages%20have%20an%20average,SMS%20is%2020%2D35%25.) have a **97% read rate within 15 minutes of delivery,**and the [average response time](https://www.heymarket.com/blog/manage-expectations-with-sms-customer-service/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20the%20average%20response,can%20be%20seen%20as%20rude.) for a text is 90 seconds. An applicant tracking system like CareerPlug will have built-in tools to send text messages to your candidates without ever leaving the software –so you don’t have to be glued to your phone all day. And if you’re still hesitant to ditch email, **83% of applicants believe text message communication with a potential employer is equally as professional as email communication** in a hiring process. ### Automate tedious hiring tasks When you’re not bogged down with the administrative parts of the hiring process – like sorting resumes, scheduling interviews, sending rejection letters, etc. – you can focus on being more responsive and creating a great experience for candidates. In addition to automating interview scheduling and improving candidate communication, an ATS like CareerPlug can also organize and [streamline other parts of the hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/). For instance, CareerPlug’s FastTrack feature will automatically send candidates that meet your criteria a link to schedule an interview _as soon as they apply._ CareerPlug can also automate candidate rejection emails for you, so that you have more time to focus on responding to the candidates that you want to hire, while not hurting your chances of those candidates applying again in the future. ### Be a more responsive employer with CareerPlug Although it can be difficult to stay on top of your hiring process when you’ve got other things to do, focusing on good communication and being a responsive employer can actually help you make better hires. Being responsive creates a better candidate experience, keeps more candidates engaged, can make your job posting look better on Indeed, and improves your employer brand. You can work on being more responsive by setting a goal to contact all applicants within 24 hours (or sooner), and aiming to avoid long gaps of no communication with candidates. An ATS like CareerPlug provides the tools you need to do this quickly and conveniently. ### Want to learn more about applicant tracking systems? An ATS can organize your hiring process, helping you be more responsive and create a better experience for candidates. Read more about the benefits of an ATS and how to choose the right system for your business. GET MY GUIDE --- ## Why You Need a Passive Recruiting Strategy and How to Get Started **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/passive-recruiting/ * Posted on March 14, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Have you ever had a hiring emergency? You know, when you unexpectedly have a position open up that you need filled ASAP. This can be a stressful situation for several reasons. For one, business operations are often put on hold when you are short an important staff member. And needing to make a hire urgently is not a great situation to be in. It could lead you to rushing the hiring process and settling for the first candidate that comes along instead of the right person for the job. But is there really any way to avoid this kind of hiring predicament? The solution: Passive recruiting. **Passive recruiting refers to maintaining a pipeline of high quality candidates that you can reach out to when a hiring need pops up. This also involves advertising future job openings on your careers page or at your business and maintaining a strong employer brand.** We’re breaking down what you need to know to create a passive recruiting strategy, including why it can be a game changer for your business. ### From reactive to proactive: Why passive recruiting is important Any business owner will tell you: [hiring is tough](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/why-is-hiring-so-hard-right-now/). So it’s important to have a strong recruitment (and retention) strategy that makes it easier to hire the right people quickly and confidently. One of the most impactful things you can do is to switch from a reactive to a proactive recruitment approach. Passive recruiting is how you do this. Instead of relying on Indeed to send you candidates or waiting until someone leaves to post a job, you can accept applications even when you’re not actively hiring. Passive recruitment also involves maintaining contact with candidates you’ve interviewed in the past and were impressed by, but didn’t hire. This is important for any industry, but can be especially helpful for high-turnover roles or hard-to-fill, revenue generating positions. If the loss of a teammate would put your business at a significant disadvantage, having candidates you can reach out to right away can make a huge difference in lost revenue. Maintaining a relationship with strong candidates makes it easier to hire quickly when an opening comes up. Plus, candidates that apply to a future opening post are typically more interested in your company – not just looking for any job. This means that once they are hired they will be motivated and loyal employees. ### Never miss out on peak applicant volume Another thing to consider is that applicant volume ebbs and flows throughout the year. In our annual [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/), we often see that employers in various industries hire in months where applicant count is lower and miss out on peak applicant volume. However, if you’re accepting applications year-round, you can still take advantage of the months of the year when applicant volume is at its highest. This can give you more options when it comes time to hire. ### How to always be hiring with passive recruiting So what does it look like to actually put passive recruiting into practice? ### Building a hiring pipeline It takes a lot of time and resources to complete a [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/). In a best case scenario, you have several strong candidates to choose from, and some great people that made it to the final stages of your process that you didn’t hire. This isn’t time wasted! Maintaining a relationship with these candidates helps you build a hiring pipeline – or a pool of candidates that you can reach out to when you lose your [next A-player.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/whats-talent-gpa/) ### Creating a passive job posting We recommend always having a passive job posting up — this is a job posted only to your [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) (not to job boards) with a status of “Accepting for Future Openings.” A job of this type indicates that you are passively recruiting and will reach out to candidates when an opening becomes available. You can also use in-person methods for attracting candidates passively. Consider ideas like posting flyers around your business or putting business cards with a QR code near the register that tells your customers you’re always accepting applications. ### Stay in touch Make sure that you keep up with past candidates and any that come through your passive job posting. If someone doesn’t check all your boxes, send them a [polite rejection email](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/rejection-letter-template/). If they do, schedule a time to call and talk to them about their experience and explain your current availability. Keep in touch with these candidates and send them personalized updates occasionally and correspondence about the company. ### Growing your employer brand Another component of being successful at passive recruiting is to maintain a strong [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) – or your business’s reputation online. Having a good reputation makes it so that candidates are actively seeking out your company and keeping a tab on upcoming opportunities. Some tips for building a great brand: * Create good [candidate experiences](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) for everyone that comes through your hiring process. * Include [testimonials from current employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/) on your website, social media, and careers page – bonus points for video testimonials! * Actively maintain your presence on [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/) like [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm), and ask employees to leave positive reviews. ### Get ahead of hiring emergencies with passive recruiting Passive recruiting can help you avoid hiring emergencies and always have high quality candidates waiting in the wings. This can save you time during recruitment. It also saves you money by minimizing the amount of time you go with an empty seat in your business. Plus, it ensures that you’re making the most of applicant volume year round. Creating a passive recruiting strategy is as easy as using an [ATS like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) to host a passive job posting to your careers page. CareerPlug also helps you [build your talent pipeline](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) and keep in touch with your applicants. A strong employer brand and transparency with all your applicants makes it easier to quickly make the right hire when the need pops up. --- ## 10 Creative Ways to Recognize Employees and Make Them Feel Valued **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/creative-ways-to-recognize-employees/ * Posted on July 18, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Think about the last time you received recognition for a job well done. It probably made you stand a little taller and gave you a sense of pride that you carried throughout the rest of your day. We humans love to be acknowledged and rewarded for our hard work, and your employees need this kind of recognition to motivate them and keep them engaged. Of course, competitive pay and good benefits is a prerequisite for your employees, but what about for employees that go above and beyond? How are you recognizing employees and making them feel appreciated? If you need a little inspiration, we’re here to help. We’re covering 10 creative ways to recognize employees that can help you grow your team and your business. ### Importance of employee recognition High-performing employees are motivated by recognition for their hard work. Acknowledging your employees’ efforts can boost your team’s morale, improve employee engagement, and even positively impact retention. This ultimately leads to more growth for your business. The data backs this up. [One survey found that](https://nectarhr.com/blog/employee-recognition-statistics): * 83% of employees feel recognition affects their motivation to succeed * 78% of employees said they would be more productive If they were recognized more often * 71% of employees would be less likely to quit if they were recognized more frequently. This is huge! However, [only one in three workers](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/236441/employee-recognition-low-cost-high-impact.aspx) report receiving recognition or praise in the last week. Recognizing your employees doesn’t have to be hard, and it can make a huge difference in their engagement and performance at work. ### 10 Employee recognition ideas Employee praise and recognition contribute to a [strong company culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) and positive work environment. Let’s go over some ways to recognize your employees that will make them feel seen, valued, and appreciated. ### 1. Personalized thank you notes Has an employee gone above and beyond in an interaction with a customer? Or maybe they just consistently perform their job well with a positive attitude and leadership mentality? When it’s time to praise hard work, don’t discount the simplicity of a handwritten thank you. Handwritten notes from the owner or manager can make a big impact. Highlight specific contributions and express genuine gratitude. ### 2. Employee of the month program Another simple, but proven recognition method is an employee of the month program. Recognize one outstanding employee monthly with a designated parking spot, a plaque, small bonus, or free meal. This will make your hard-working employees feel valued, and will help motivate other employees to earn this recognition. ### 3. Gift cards and bonuses We all love a good gift or monetary reward! Consider providing gift cards to popular local restaurants, coffee shops, or stores as a thank you for a job well done. Tailoring the selection to employee preferences makes it even more personal. ### 4. Surprise treats What do love almost as much as free money? Food! Bring in breakfast, lunch, or snacks unexpectedly to show appreciation. Personalize it by including some of your employees’ favorite treats. Bonus points, if you’re a small business owner, consider collaborating with other small businesses to exchange treats for your teams. For example, a cookie shop may trade a dozen cookies with a coffee shop for a jug of cold brew. You get the idea! ### 5. Extra paid time off or scheduling flexibility Your hardest working employees show up, speak up, and out-perform. One of the best ways to reward this effort is through extra time-off or flexibility. For example, you may be able to offer someone an extra day of PTO or give them the ability to cut out early on a slow day (if they want!). Reward employees with the opportunity to choose their shifts or have a more flexible schedule for a period of time. Some companies also offer paid sabbaticals after a certain number of years of employment. ### 6. Team outings Organize activities like a bowling night, a picnic, or a local sporting event to foster camaraderie and celebrate achievements. Not only does this help your employees feel appreciated, it’s also great team-building that will improve engagement and build stronger working relationships. ### 7. Professional development opportunities You can show your employees you’re invested in their future and motivate them to keep growing by offering [professional development](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) opportunities. Consider covering the cost of workshops, courses, or certifications that employees are interested in. High-performers are more likely to stay with a company that supports their growth, and you’ll help your team build valuable skills that can have a positive impact on your organization. ### 8. Support self-care with wellness activities One way to combine an [employee engagement](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/) strategy with employee recognition is by offering rewards in the form of wellness initiatives.This could be reimbursement for a gym membership or massage or even offering wellness events like meditation or yoga classes. ### 9. Public recognition Public praise goes a long way. Create a recognition board in a common area where you highlight employee accomplishments and positive customer feedback. You might also start a peer-to-peer recognition program where employees can publicly shout each other out. At CareerPlug, we use [Assembly](https://www.joinassembly.com/) to publicly recognize teammates and give them points that can go toward gift cards. ### 10. Celebrate milestones Celebrating your employees’ milestones is a great way to acknowledge their accomplishments and tenure. You may shout-out employees publicly for meeting goals or getting promoted. At CareerPlug, we make work-anniversaries a big deal, and let employees spin a virtual prize wheel for things like dinner on CareerPlug or the highly-coveted “mystery gift”. ### More employee recognition tips As mentioned, recognizing and rewarding employees doesn’t have to be complicated. Make it authentic and specific, and remember that feedback of all types is valuable for helping your employees grow. Employee recognition is one part of a strong engagement and retention strategy. To keep a pulse on how your employees are feeling, you might consider offering regular engagement surveys to monitor sentiment and workplace satisfaction. With Pulse, CareerPlug’s employee survey tool, you can send employees short surveys to fill out and automated reminders to ensure maximum participation. This can help you determine if your employees are feeling appreciated and have what they need to do their work. You can also use the data to monitor trends overtime and prevent turnover before it happens. Learn more about [Pulse here](https://www.careerplug.com/pulse/), or [request a demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) to take a full tour of the software. --- ## Webinar: Avoid the “I Quit” and Save Your Franchisees Time, Money, and Turnover **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/webinar-avoiding-the-i-quit/ * Posted on August 27, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Are your franchisees struggling with turnover and staffing shortages? They’re not alone. Across the United States, the [volunteer turnover rate doubled](https://info.workinstitute.com/hubfs/2022%20Retention%20Report/2022%20Retention%20Report%20-%20Work%20Institute.pdf) in the ten year span of 2011 and 2021. And recent CareerPlug research found that **49% of employees said they have thought about leaving their jobs in the last year.** But it’s not all grim! We also found that [84% of employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/) who said they were planning on leaving their job said they would stay IF their managers made positive changes in the workplace. This means there are steps that franchisees can take to decrease turnover and retain their team, and it’s up to franchisors to support them in those initiatives. In this webinar, we explore what those steps are and how franchisors can help. Hosted by [Lizzy Young](https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizzy-young/), CareerPlug’s Senior Manager of Partnership Acquisition Panelists: * [Clint Smith](https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintsmithcareerplug/) – Founder & CEO of CareerPlug * [Scott Greenberg](https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-greenberg-1b17539/) – Business Performance Expert & Author * [Angele Coté](https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelacoteinc/) – Founder & CEO of AC Inc ### Business impacts of high turnover When it comes to the cost of turnover, there’s a number of ways you can look at the impact on a business’s bottom line. There is the direct cost of having to hire and retain replacement employees, of course, but there are often other unforeseen costs as well. Clint shares, “The smallest number I’ve seen for the cost of turnover is around $2,000.**But there’s a lot more to the cost than just that.**There’s an **impact on the client experience**.” He goes on to share this example: “Imagine you are the customer of a company that provides house cleaning services, and you have a new person in your house constantly. That wouldn’t be a great experience.” Plus, by now, we’ve all seen signs on our favorite restaurant doors where they couldn’t open or had to change their hours because they are short-staffed. In addition to this anecdotal data, there’s hard data supporting the [connection between customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction](https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashiraprossack1/2019/05/31/employee-satisfaction-customer-satisfaction/). It’s simple, if you’re happy at your job, you’ll provide a better experience for your customers. Lastly, there’s also the impact on the staff and the pressure added by constant turnover. This often contributes to a cycle of low morale that’s hard to break out of. Scott shares, “**High turnover is a symptom of a bigger problem** – of the work environment itself. There’s a reason that people aren’t happy and are leaving.” ### Common reasons for turnover Clint says, “The number one cause of turnover is that **you didn’t hire the right person in the first place.**You need to hire for ability, motivation, and culture fit. They need to check the box on all 3 of them. Another thing that could lead to early turnover is unmet expectations during onboarding. You didn’t follow through on something that you said or promised in the hiring process.” Another thing Clint mentions is the failure to establish a connection with your new hire and their coworkers or managers. He shares, “If your employee has no relationship with the company – or worse, a poor relationship, then it’s nothing more than a transactional relationship. If employees had a real connection with the company, they wouldn’t be looking for another opportunity.” A compounding issue is flexibility in scheduling. Turnover puts pressure on your team and affects their schedule. Additionally, not providing your high-performers with opportunities for growth could also cause them to seek out new opportunities. But ultimately, the main reasons for turnover are different across every company. Clint recommends that franchisees**do exit interviews****to find out why their employees are leaving** so that they can better address the problems at hand. ### What can you do as a franchisor? When a franchisee is struggling with high turnover, they may feel the strain of having to constantly work _in_ the business instead of _on_ it. They may find themselves picking up the slack of not having enough team members or constantly putting out fires because of the impacts of turnover mentioned above. But it’s still up to franchisors and those supporting franchisees to help them see just how detrimental turnover and an unengaged staff can be. Angela says, “We need to be equipping the people that are directly supporting franchisees with tools and resources. We need to show them the big picture. If they don’t have the picture laid out for them, they may not be able to understand or create buy-in. Lay out the metrics, break down the numbers and show them how much it cost to find a new team member.” In addition to helping franchisees understand the impact of turnover, there are some other ways that you can support them and help them retain their teams. ### Connect them to their network The panel agrees: The franchise system is built on community. However, as Scott explains, “Franchisors may not put the time and energy into what may be the most important thing: helping the franchisee understand that **you’re not just buying a business, you bought into a community.** Introduce them to as many franchisees as possible. Ask another franchisee to be their mentor.” The relationships among franchisees is really valuable. “The more franchisees can deliver on that, the stronger the system will be.” Angela adds that in addition to connecting them to their network of franchisees, “**Connect them with their local chamber of commerce and the resources in their local community**. Showing them thought leaders and resources like books, webinars, and podcasts so they can learn from experts.” ### How to equip franchisees to hire the right employees As mentioned, one way to prevent turnover is to**hire the right people in the first place.** Clint shares, “Do your franchisees know what a talented person looks like and do they know how to evaluate for that?” And when it comes to attracting the right candidates, he goes on to say, “Help the franchisee and ultimately the applicant connect with the _why_ for the organization. And make people feel good about what they’re doing.” Which brings the group to the next point around the importance of [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) for both your business and your hiring process. **Core values alignment can be a huge indicator that you’ve found the right person for your team.** When creating (or reworking) your core values, keep them authentic and straightforward. Angela adds, “Look at what it is that’s making your current team and your organization successful and write your values based on that.” Another important point: **Core values exist for your employees, not your customers.** Scott explains, “Customers don’t benefit from your values. They benefit from you living those values.” ### Effective onboarding for new employees As mentioned above, having a transactional relationship between employers and employees is not great for the longevity of your team. Your franchisees can and should start building relationships early on with new employees and make it about more than the transactional piece. [**Onboarding**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-onboarding-preparing-for-the-first-day/)**is the perfect opportunity to start forming those relationships.** Scott shares how tools like CareerPlug can make it easy to automate the tedious, administrative elements of onboarding like [new hire paperwork](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-forms/), so that managers have more time for “the things that need that human element.” He goes on to say, “We need to understand and meet the _soft_ needs of employees. Usually when people leave, it’s because the soft needs haven’t been met – the emotional needs, the way we want to feel. We want to connect with them on an emotional level right away.” ### Fostering employee engagement Of course, [employee engagement](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/) is a huge piece when it comes to employee retention. How can franchisors support franchisees in driving ongoing employee engagement initiatives? Clint offers, “**You have to show them how to lead.**Many franchisees haven’t been in leadership or management positions before. It’s about the attitude they take with their employees. Do they make people feel like they have more than just a job and that they are valued?” He also mentions that franchisors can model good engagement strategies through their relationships with franchisees. “**Be willing to accept and give feedback.**This creates more of a safe space for others to do the same thing.” As a former franchisee, Angela shares that she messed up a lot when it came to culture and motivation for their employees. Like her team, your franchisee’s managers might assume that they know what motivates their employees, but they may not always be right. “If you’re going to do something to motivate your team with money, time-off, a group outing – **first, find out what they would even want.** And make sure they are in the loop with how to get it.” ### Final tips and a note on joint employer When it comes to preventing turnover, both franchisors and franchisees need to be proactive. Our panelists’ advice boils down to some simple steps. Franchisors should: * Communicate the impact of turnover with franchisees * Connect them to their network of fellow franchisees and local community * Equip them to hire the right people * Equip them with good onboarding processes * Model and support good employee engagement initiatives ### A note on joint employer When it comes to providing your franchisees with the resources and support they need, Angela shares: “Have courage to do it. Lawyers have scared some franchisors to be fearful of providing employment resources, but you also need to think about the risk of not giving your franchisees the tools to be successful.” The information in this blog post and webinar is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but none of the information should be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Due to the evolving nature of this topic and potential differences in regional regulations, it is crucial for franchisors and franchisees to seek legal advice specific to their jurisdiction to fully understand their rights, obligations, and any potential joint employer considerations. [To learn more about Joint Employer and providing optional resources to your franchisees, check out this CareerPlug blog!](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/franchise-joint-employer-avoid-coemployment/) --- ## CareerPlug’s Annual Year in Review: A Recap of 2024 **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplugs-annual-year-in-review-a-recap-of-2024/ * Posted on January 7, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris It’s hard to believe we’re already diving into 2025 and preparing for yet another year that will be full of growth, challenges, and change. As we do every year, before fully embracing the year ahead, we’re looking back to recap 2024 and the milestones that came and went with it. ### The hiring landscape in 2024 2024 marked a [shift in the U.S. job market](https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/hard-to-find-a-job-get-hired-why-november-2024-jobs-report-rcna183102) after many years of tight competition for employers. The unemployment rate stayed low, ending the year around 4.2%. However, the demand for labor has decreased, along with employee satisfaction. One interesting trend is that many workers _are_ looking for new jobs and [seeking new opportunities](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/653711/great-detachment-why-employees-feel-stuck.aspx) at the highest rate in the last 5 years. But many are not having much luck gaining traction. This lines up with CareerPlug original research as well. In previous years, we’ve reported that the majority of job seekers (~50%) have turned down a job offer due to a poor candidate experience during the hiring process – but data from this year’s upcoming report tells a different story. In 2024, only 26% said they have declined a job offer due to a poor candidate experience. Employers looking to hire had more options this year, which will likely continue into 2025. In the past year, [Careerplug clients](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/) used our software to manage the influx of qualified applicants and make the right hires for their teams. Let’s take a closer look at our impact on thousands of small business owners. ### How we helped our clients CareerPlug is proud to have partnered with new brands and helped nearly **77,831**teams grow this year, including the **10,864 new****clients**that came on board. Our team of hiring experts ensure that all of these clients feel supported and served our clients through **31,520 interactions** this year! We helped our clients streamline their hiring operations, so they could hire the best candidates more quickly than the competition. Our applicant tracking system helped employers in various industries [**post their open jobs**](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/)**, Fast-track their best applicants, schedule thousands of interviews**, and of course – make the right hires, rounding out the year with **215,511 new hires**marked in the software. ### Sharing our expertise As part of CareerPlug’s mission to make hiring easier, we share our hiring expertise year round. This includes conducting original research, writing articles to educate our audience of small business employers, and hosting live webinars to help educate business owners and shed light on hiring trends. This year’s original research included two annual reports: [The Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) and our [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/). We also attended 77 conferences where we were able to connect with both current clients and new business owners alike, to share our best practices and spread the word about our software. Another proud moment this year was publishing our e-book, _How to Become a Top Employer in Franchising._ This resource is the ultimate playbook for franchisors to help them create a great culture, attract talent, and build a winning team. ### Download Your Copy of the E-book Become a top employer in franchising with these expert hiring and retention strategies! GET MY E-BOOK ### Keep growing: CareerPlug team highlights We added 25 new pluggies to our fully remote team, which is spread across 30 states! One way we all stay in touch during the workday is with [Slack’s messaging platform](https://slack.com/). In 2024, we communicated by sending over **103,271 public channel messages and 537,011 direct messages**. We also made sure to recognize teammates that exemplified our core values via [Assembly’s Employee Recognition software](https://www.joinassembly.com/solutions/employee-recognition-rewards). There were **887 public shout-outs** given by team members this year. ### Giving back Giving back is a big part of CareerPlug’s mission. This year, our employees donated nearly $38,000 to their favorite charities. CareerPlug matched donations throughout the year, and double matched in the last quarter of 2024. We gave back in other ways throughout the year as well. And as we do every Christmas, we sponsored and bought gifts for 15 teens in foster care through [Foster Angels of Central Texas](https://fosterangelsctx.org/). And through our partnership with WeForest, we planted 5,251 trees. ### Looking ahead to 2025 We’ve got a big year ahead at CareerPlug as we continue to transform the way we work with our clients and help them grow their businesses. We will continue to help teams hire and retain the right people through easy-to-use software and the consultative support of our expert team. --- ## Press Release: CareerPlug Named an Indeed Gold Partner **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-named-indeed-gold-partner/ * Posted on September 22, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris CareerPlug is excited to announce that we are officially a **Gold Partner with Indeed, a status only given to the top 4% of applicant tracking system (ATS) partners!** [As a Gold Partner,](https://www.careerplug.com/indeed-partner/) we are recognized as having completed all the product integrations that Indeed requires and have demonstrated that our applicant tracking software contains the powerful tools needed for businesses to attract and hire talented candidates. [Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/about) is the #1 job site in the world with over 300 million unique job seekers every month. Indeed strives to put job seekers first, giving them free access to search for jobs, post resumes, and research companies. Every day, Indeed connects millions of people to new opportunities. This partnership perfectly aligns with CareerPlug’s mission to help employers solve the number one problem of running a business: **attracting, hiring, and retaining the right people.** And as part of any successful recruiting strategy, businesses need their opportunities represented in the place that contains the most active job seekers. Our Indeed Partnership provides access to key integrations that allow our employers to: * Post a job to Indeed within just a few clicks * Sponsor a job on Indeed through CareerPlug * Benefit from the Indeed Apply integration to make applying faster for applicants * Earn the “responsive employer” badge on their jobs by updating Indeed on the candidate status through the process * Make it easier to use CareerPlug for the hiring process after Indeed-sourced applicants apply, staying in one system for every step CareerPlug President, Jenny Leman says, “CareerPlug and Indeed have had a longstanding healthy partnership that both parties view as strategically critical. We are both honored and elated to be recognized as an Indeed Gold Partner and remain deeply committed to the ongoing collaboration required to continually serve our mutual customers’ needs.” ### Interested in learning more about how CareerPlug can help you make the right hires? Click the button below to take a tour of our easy to use hiring software. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## The Franchise Onboarding Report: What the Data Reveals About Early Turnover **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/franchise-onboarding-report/ * Posted on July 3, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Franchisors today are feeling the pressure from all sides. Rising labor costs, inconsistent unit performance, and the challenge of maintaining brand standards across multiple locations—it’s a lot. And when underperforming franchisees start to fall behind, the ripple effects are real: declining royalties, increased support needs, reputation damage, and stalled growth. What’s one of the biggest drivers of these performance gaps? People. More specifically: how franchisees hire, train, and keep the right team in place. At CareerPlug, we’ve helped thousands of franchisees tackle high-volume hiring and navigate industries notorious for turnover. But we’ve also seen a shift. Today’s franchisors are realizing that hiring alone isn’t enough. Getting someone in the door is only half the battle—keeping them is where the real ROI lives. That’s why onboarding matters more than ever. The first 90 days can make or break an employee’s decision to stay, directly impacting customer experience, brand consistency, and ultimately, profitability. In this report, we dig into the real reasons employees leave early—and how better onboarding can help your franchisees improve retention. We’ve combined our own data with insights from team-building experts, including CareerPlug’s founder and CEO, [Clint Smith](https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintsmithcareerplug/), to give you a clear, actionable path forward. ### Is your onboarding process broken? The way most businesses approach onboarding just isn’t cutting it. And it shows. Early employee turnover (especially within the first 90 days) is one of the costliest, most frustrating issues employers face today. [Replacing entry-level workers](https://www.gnapartners.com/resources/articles/how-much-does-employee-turnover-really-cost-your-business) can cost anywhere from 30% to 50% of their annual salary, while replacing skilled or technical employees may cost 100% or more of their yearly pay. And with up to 20% of staff turnover happening within the first 45 days, it’s clear that many teams are losing great people before they’ve even had a chance to succeed. So, what’s going wrong? For many businesses, onboarding is treated as a checklist: fill out paperwork, complete training modules, shadow a few team members. Maybe there’s a welcome lunch if time allows. But if you stop there, you’re missing a big opportunity. Onboarding should be more than transactional. It should be intentional. This is your chance to make a real connection between new hires, their team, manager, and your company’s mission and values. And if you’re a franchisor, you have the opportunity to standardize the onboarding process across your whole network, and give franchisees the tools they need to grow. ### The first 90 days matters more than you think We asked our clients about their onboarding process and the experience they create for new employees in the first 90 days. We were surprised to see some mixed responses. Only 40% of franchisees said they think poor onboarding has _some_ impact on turnover, with some explicitly saying that they don’t think onboarding and turnover are linked at all. But in [another survey of employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), a different story emerged. 78% of new employees rated the onboarding experience as very important. 30% of new hires we surveyed said they’ve left a job within the first 90 days because of a poor onboarding experience. And [Gallup found](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/357104/ways-managers-stop-employee-turnover.aspx) that 52% of voluntarily exiting employees say their manager or organization could have done something to prevent them from leaving their job. There’s a disconnect between some employers and employees—and employers may be underestimating the importance of the first 90 days when it comes to their retention rates. As Clint Smith, founder and CEO of CareerPlug shares, “Onboarding is the best opportunity to improve employee retention. People rarely take a job with plans to leave within 90 days.” _“Onboarding is the best opportunity to improve employee retention. People rarely take a job with plans to leave within 90 days.”_ And consider this, many new hires have likely been putting in multiple applications elsewhere. If they have unmet expectations or a rocky first week and receive an offer to interview elsewhere? They won’t think twice about jumping ship. ### Benefits of a strong onboarding process Clearly, there’s a connection between onboarding and employee retention. A strong onboarding experience can solve some of the most pressing challenges facing franchise systems today: staffing struggles, inconsistent customer experiences, and performance gaps between locations. ### Stronger teams = stronger performance Retention is just one piece of the puzzle. To retain, managers also need to engage and motivate their team. Your franchisees and their managers need to make new hires feel connected to your company and mission and give them the tools they need to thrive. This doesn’t just impact their wellbeing—it impacts your bottom line. Let’s look at some of the stats: * New employees with good onboarding experiences are 18x more committed to their employer. * Companies with a standard onboarding process experienced [54% greater new hire productivity](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2011/03/08/994239/0/en/New-Hire-Onboarding-Standardization-and-Automation-Powers-Productivity-Gains.html) (and 50% greater new hire retention). * 53% of HR executives indicated that good onboarding boosts employee engagement rates. On the flip side, new hires who have a poor onboarding experience are [eight times more likely](https://www.glintinc.com/blog/why-employee-engagement-is-important/) to be disengaged, with 40 percent of these employees feeling disengagement after just three months. _Companies with a standard onboarding process experience 54% greater new hire retention._ ### Consistency that scales Great onboarding doesn’t just benefit the individual location—it protects the brand. Engaged, well-trained employees deliver more consistent service, which keeps customers coming back and supports system-wide growth. In fact: * Organizations with structured onboarding saw a [60% improvement in revenue](https://www.glassdoor.com/blog/brandon-hall-understanding-impact-employer-brand/) year-over-year. * They also experienced a 63% jump in customer satisfaction. * 78% of companies investing in onboarding reported revenue increases in the last fiscal year. When you help franchisees build stronger teams from day one, everyone wins—your franchisees, your customers, and your brand. ### Franchisees’ biggest challenges when it comes to onboarding When we asked franchisees about their onboarding process, a common theme emerged: it’s not that they don’t care about onboarding—it’s that they’re overwhelmed by it. A few franchisees admitted they have no structured onboarding at all. Others said their onboarding lasts just five days or less. That’s not unusual in fast-paced environments where hiring managers wear many hats and need team members to hit the ground running. But this short-term thinking often creates long-term problems, especially when early turnover drains time, energy, and morale. Here’s what franchisees told us are their top three biggest onboarding challenges: 1. **“I’m not sure how to measure the success of onboarding.”** Without clear benchmarks, it’s difficult to know whether your onboarding is working. Is your new hire productive? Engaged? Ready to stay long-term? If you can’t answer those questions confidently, your onboarding process may need more structure. 2. **“It takes too long for new hires to become productive.”** Many franchisees feel stuck between a rock and a hard place: they need employees to contribute quickly, but rushing onboarding can set them up to fail. When done right, a structured process actually accelerates productivity. 3. **“I don’t have time to dedicate to a structured onboarding plan.”** Owners and managers are busy running the business, and onboarding often gets pushed aside or reduced to a quick orientation. But the time you invest upfront pays dividends in retention, performance, and culture. ### What new hires are saying To understand what else may be going wrong, it helps to look at onboarding from the employee’s perspective. Top 3 new hire complaints about onboarding: * **“The onboarding process was unorganized and inefficient.”** When new employees feel like no one is prepared for their arrival, it sets a poor tone. A messy or inconsistent onboarding experience creates confusion and damages first impressions. * **“The role and responsibilities were different than I expected.”**This speaks to the importance of aligning job expectations during the hiring process and reinforcing them during onboarding. Misalignment leads to frustration and early exits. * **“I felt unprepared and wasn’t given enough training for the role.”**Too many employees are thrown into the fire with minimal support. Effective onboarding should build confidence, provide tools for success, and clearly outline what’s expected. ### How to improve onboarding across the franchise network Many franchisees know their onboarding process isn’t ideal but they’re not sure how to fix it. And that’s where a repeatable, franchise-wide onboarding system can make all the difference. And look, we know your franchisees are busy. Our Senior Director of People, [Natalie Morgan](https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-morgan-95377942/) shares how not taking the time up front to adequately prepare new hires can just cause you more stress down the road: “You know that saying about throwing employees into the deep end and they’ll either sink or swim? Well, the unsaid part of that is that we’re okay creating a lot of waves and saving a lot of struggling people all for the sake of testing someone’s mettle (or realistically, because you don’t feel you have time to invest in someone’s success). You want your new hires to swim. So show them the strokes. Hang out as a lifeguard. Tell them when they’re going to hit a wall. You don’t need to be on duty forever, but setting new hires up for success early on means they’ll contribute faster, stay longer, and require less of your energy in the long run.” _“Setting new hires up for success early on means they’ll contribute faster, stay longer, and require less of your energy in the long run.”_ ### Standardize the process When onboarding varies widely from one location to the next, so does the employee experience. Franchisees need a playbook. A repeatable, scalable process that takes the guesswork out of onboarding and helps every new hire feel set up for success, no matter where they land. Start by identifying the non-negotiables: the essential steps and experiences every new hire should go through in their first days and weeks. This could include reviewing company values, completing role-specific training, meeting with their manager, and shadowing a top performer. From there, build a checklist or workflow that franchisees can easily follow and adapt for their team. The more turnkey you make it, the more likely it is to be used consistently and successfully. Onboarding workflows built in CareerPlug are just as much for the new hire as for the manager. They make it easy to see which tasks are due when and keep track of what’s been completed. You can also support consistency by: * Providing templated training schedules for different roles * Creating welcome emails and messaging guides for managers * Offering video-based modules that reinforce company culture Think of your onboarding process like your brand—it should be recognizable and reliable across every location. The goal is to make every new hire feel like they’re part of something bigger from day one. ### Provide the right tools Franchisors need a platform that makes it easy to create a consistent, scalable onboarding experience across every location. But they also know that too much tech can overwhelm franchisees. With CareerPlug, you can: * Standardize onboarding checklists and tasks so every franchisee follows the same proven process Deliver digital forms and documents—from tax paperwork to employee handbooks—so nothing falls through the cracks * Track onboarding progress in real time, ensuring accountability and follow-through across your network * Integrate hiring and onboarding workflows, creating a seamless transition from offer to first day Best of all? CareerPlug was built with franchise systems in mind. Our tools are easy to roll out, simple for franchisees to use, and designed to reinforce the brand standards and operational consistency that drive long-term success. ### Invest in offboarding How confident are you that you understand why employees leave? Employers can make assumptions about what went wrong during the first 90 days and beyond but many don’t have the tools to know for sure and prevent it from happening again. Most employers are only guessing. While some (25%) conduct exit interviews for all departing employees, many don’t have systems in place to capture and learn from early turnover. And without that insight, they repeat the same mistakes. With CareerPlug, franchisors get access to a centralized retention dashboard that brings together data from exit interviews and ongoing employee surveys. This dashboard makes it easy to monitor turnover and retention trends across the entire system—and zoom in on specific locations to identify what’s working and where support is needed. Franchisors can view key metrics like retention rates, employee sentiment scores, and reasons for turnover by location, helping them recognize top-performing franchisees and step in early where others may be struggling. CareerPlug president, [Jenny Leman](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-leman/) shares, “You must learn from every employee that walks out the door. Do everything possible to get that feedback and work it into your strategy.” ### Hire, onboard, retain with CareerPlug New employees are the most vulnerable to turnover, but they’re also the easiest to save if you invest in their experience from day one. That’s why intentional, structured onboarding isn’t optional anymore. It’s a competitive advantage. CareerPlug’s onboarding and manager toolkit are built to help create a consistent, scalable experience across your entire network. With workflows for onboarding, offboarding, and other operational tasks, you can simplify your processes and give every location the tools they need to successfully retain their team. This leads to more confident hires, fewer early exits, and a stronger team from the start. Just ask [Heidi, Senior Director of Learning & Development](https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-loiacono-cfe-557a7b143/) for GymGuyz, who recently rolled out CareerPlug’s Onboard across her entire franchise network: “It has really streamlined the onboarding process, not only in helping new employees get up to speed faster, but also in reducing early turnover—which we all know is one of the most costly and morale-draining challenges.” Start building an onboarding process that actually retains your best people. [Book a demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) to see how CareerPlug can help you hire, onboard, and retain top talent. --- ## Press Release: CareerPlug Achieves Indeed Platinum Partner Status **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-indeed-platinum-partner/ * Posted on July 16, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris CareerPlug, the leading hiring and retention software built for growing businesses, is proud to announce its new status as an [**Indeed Platinum ATS Partner**](https://www.indeed.com/hire/ats-integration)—the highest level of partnership awarded by Indeed, the world’s #1 job site. This achievement reflects CareerPlug’s ongoing commitment to providing seamless, high-impact hiring and retention solutions for business owners. This milestone marks a significant step forward in CareerPlug’s long-standing collaboration with Indeed. As a Platinum Partner, CareerPlug is recognized for delivering outstanding value to clients through an integrated hiring experience that maximizes visibility and results on Indeed. _“As HR tech keeps evolving, CareerPlug remains very closely aligned with one of our most strategic partners, Indeed,”_ says Jenny Leman, President of CareerPlug. _“We’re proud to have recently achieved Platinum Partner status and will continue prioritizing our relationship with Indeed as we work together to achieve both of our missions through connecting employers and job seekers.”_ ### What Platinum Partner Status Means for CareerPlug Users The Platinum Partner badge is more than just recognition—it’s a guarantee of quality and performance. CareerPlug’s 60,000+ clients benefit from: * **Direct job feed integrations** for faster job postings and higher visibility * **Seamless applicant syncing** between CareerPlug and Indeed * **Priority access to new Indeed features and support****** * **Improved job seeker reach** through optimized listings and enhanced distribution These enhancements make it easier for employers to get their jobs in front of the right candidates faster—and convert top talent more efficiently. CareerPlug works with individual business owners and offers a unique partnership model built for franchises and networks. Visit our website to [learn more about this partnership model](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchisors-networks/) and how CareerPlug can help your brand grow with system-wide hiring and retention tools. --- ## Fill Caregiver Roles Faster with the CareerPlug + myCNAjobs Integration **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/fill-caregiver-roles-faster-with-the-careerplug-mycnajobs-integration/ * Posted on February 5, 2026 * by Darian Bordon In home care and senior services, hiring isn’t just about filling roles; it’s about keeping promises to families, clients, and your team. Whether you operate a home health agency, senior care franchise, or assisted living facility, the need is the same: you need reliable caregivers, and you need them quickly. If you’ve ever felt like your hiring process slows you down or forces you to scramble across multiple platforms, this new integration is built for you. The [CareerPlug + myCNAjobs integration](https://support.careerplug.com/mycnajobs-integration) connects your existing hiring workflow to the largest network of active caregivers, Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), and Home Health Aides (HHAs), helping you move faster and make better hires, all in one place. ### The Challenge: Caregiver Hiring Can’t Wait When a new client signs on or a caregiver calls out, you don’t have days to react. Every shift left uncovered puts stress on your team and jeopardizes care quality. And while demand keeps rising, qualified caregivers are harder than ever to find. Many aren’t actively applying to job boards, they’re already working, or only checking in on specialized platforms like myCNAjobs. That’s why CareerPlug partnered with [myCNAjobs](https://www.mycnajobs.com/) to help you close that gap instantly. ### What is myCNAjobs? myCNAjobs is the nation’s leading hiring platform built exclusively for the caregiver market. This isn’t a general job board — it’s ~~a targeted, vetted marketplace~~ where top caregiving talent goes to find meaningful work, apply for scholarships, and access online training to grow their careers in care. Here’s what makes it different: 1. **The only nationwide job board dedicated to roles in care.** myCNAjobs doesn’t host retail, restaurant, or warehouse jobs — just caregiving roles. That focus makes it the go-to destination for people who genuinely want to work in home care, home health, hospice, and senior living. 2. **The largest active network of ready-to-work caregivers.**Proactively source candidates from the industry’s most comprehensive resume marketplace — filled with CNAs, HHAs, and caregivers actively seeking their next opportunity. If you’re in the care space, this is where your candidates already are. ### How CareerPlug Fits In On its own, myCNAjobs is powerful, but CareerPlug’s integration takes it even further. Instead of managing two platforms, everything happens in one place. CareerPlug is all about helping businesses make hiring easier. With its applicant tracking system (ATS), you can: 1. Post jobs to multiple boards automatically 2. Screen candidates with customized assessments 3. Schedule interviews automatically without the back-and-forth When you connect CareerPlug to myCNAjobs, you’re essentially creating a direct hiring pipeline. Here’s what happens when these two tools team up: 1. **Automatic job syncing** – Post a job in CareerPlug, and it’s instantly visible to myCNAjobs network of trade professionals. 2. **Centralized candidate management**– No more switching between platforms all applications land in CareerPlug. 3. **Better visibility for your open roles** – myCNAjobs connects you directly with skilled candidates who are actively looking. 4. **Instant Matches**– myCNAjobs will scan your Career Plug jobs while scanning its network of 5.2M people and instantly match candidates, allowing you to start the hiring process right away. 5. **Flexible Packaging** – monthly and annualized options with exclusive pricing. ### The Cost & Time Advantage To post jobs on myCNAjobs independently, you’d need a separate account, pay additional fees, and manually manage two platforms. With this integration, you get seamless access to myCNAjobs as part of your existing CareerPlug workflow. That means: 1. No duplicate work 2. No missed candidates 3. No delays in care delivery **Here’s how it works:** 1. Purchase your myCNAjobs subscription from the CareerPlug marketplace. 2. Post a job in CareerPlug for a caregiver, CNA, or HHA. 3. All of your caregiving jobs are instantly shared to myCNAjobs, the largest network of caregivers, CNAs, and HHAs. 4. Applications come right back into CareerPlug. This means you can manage all applicants, W2 hires and subcontractors alike, from a single dashboard, without toggling between tools. ### Why It Matters Hiring in home care is high-stakes. Each role you fill (or fail to fill) has a direct impact on the lives of real people. With the [CareerPlug + myCNAjobs integration](https://support.careerplug.com/mycnajobs-integration), you’re not just getting another tool. You’re getting a competitive edge in one of the most urgent hiring landscapes. If you’re ready to stop scrambling and start hiring smarter, this is your next step. ### Getting Started is Simple Activating the CareerPlug + myCNAjobs integration only takes a few clicks: 1. Log in to your CareerPlug account. 2. Navigate to the settings section (gear icon in the upper right corner). 3. Click on “Marketplace.” 4. Select myCNAjobs and follow the prompts to purchase your subscription. 5. Start posting jobs to instantly reach caregivers, CNAs, and HHAs. That’s it. You’re ready to tap into the nation’s largest caregiver network. You can turn the integration on or off anytime, giving you the flexibility to align hiring with your staffing needs. With setup this easy, you’ll be filling roles faster and keeping care consistent in no time. --- ## Understanding the American Franchise Act: A new framework for joint employer concerns **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/american-franchise-act-framework/ * Posted on February 6, 2026 * by Clint Smith You know that hiring and retention are critical to [franchisee success](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchise-hiring-software/). When franchisees build strong teams, they win. When they struggle, everything else falls apart. But the rules around what franchisors could safely do to help without crossing into joint employer territory were never clear and shifted with each change in presidential administration. It’s a real challenge and has been a friction point across the industry for years. Many franchisors err on the side of caution and stay away from [certain types of support](https://www.careerplug.com/franchise-joint-employer-avoid-coemployment/). Some avoid offering people management tools altogether, while others provide limited guidance but hold back from comprehensive support. The cost of that uncertainty shows up across [franchise systems](https://www.careerplug.com/customers/). Franchisees are struggling to fill positions and high turnover impacts consistent customer experiences. The business knowledge about how to help franchisees do better exists, but concerns about joint employer status and unintended liability hold everyone back. ### The American Franchise Act (H.R. 5267) would give franchisors clarity Introduced in September 2025 with bipartisan support, [the American Franchise Act](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5267/text)defines exactly what does and does not constitute joint employer status. No ambiguity or shifting standards, it offers a clear demarcation around what you can do to support your franchisees where it matters most. ### Understanding where we are today The current standard established by the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) 2020 rule and still in effect already requires “substantial direct and immediate control” over essential employment terms for joint employer status. This is similar to what the American Franchise Act would codify. Under the 2020 rule, franchisors can set brand standards, offer training materials, establish minimum staffing requirements, and provide support resources without crossing into joint employer territory. But the problem is that the 2020 rule can be changed at any time by a future NLRB. And it has been. The definition of joint employer has shifted four times in the past decade as administrations changed. In 2023, the NLRB tried to expand the definition dramatically (requiring only “reserved authority to control” rather than actual exercise of control), though that rule was struck down by federal court in March 2024. The uncertainty has been constant. ### What makes the American Franchise Act important? The American Franchise Act offers permanence and specificity. By writing these protections into federal statute rather than leaving them to NLRB rulemaking, the American Franchise Act would end the decade-long cycle of uncertainty. Franchisors could finally invest in people support systems knowing the rules won’t change with the next administration. Rather than leaving “control” open to interpretation the way past rules have, the American Franchise Act provides concrete examples of what does and does not constitute joint employer status for each employment category. This level of detail removes guesswork and gives franchisors clear guardrails for supporting their franchisees. ### What creates joint employer status? The American Franchise Act identifies “essential terms and conditions of employment” and provides precise definitions for each: * Permits franchisee to participate in franchisor’s benefits plan under an arm’s-length contract **Category****Franchisor IS NOT a joint employer:****Franchisor IS a joint employer:** **Wages & Benefits**Permits franchisee to participate in franchisor’s benefits plan under an arm’s-length contract Determines wage rates, salary, or pay for individual employees or job classifications Determines which fringe benefits are provided to franchisee employees Selects specific benefit plans or dictates benefit levels **Hours & Scheduling**Establishes franchisee’s operating hours Establishes minimum staffing levels to meet service standards Determines work schedules or work hours (including overtime) of franchisee employees **Hiring**Encourages, recommends, or requests staffing level changes Sets minimal recruiting/hiring standards for legal compliance, safety, or brand protection Determines which particular employees will or won’t be hired **Discipline & Discharge**Brings misconduct/poor performance to franchisee’s attention (who makes the final decision) Expresses negative opinion of an employee Sets minimal performance/conduct standards for legal compliance, safety, or brand protection Refuses to allow an employee to perform work under the franchise contract Decides to terminate employment of a franchisee employee Decides to suspend or otherwise discipline a franchisee employee **Supervision & Direction**Provides limited, routine instructions on what work to perform, where, and when (but not how) Sets brand standards for work performance Offers training materials for franchisee to use Establishes minimum training requirements Offers resources and tools for franchisee to consider using for directing work schedules, positions, and tasks Consistently and directly instructs franchisee employees how to perform their workIssues employee performance appraisals Assigns particular employees their individual work schedules, positions, and tasks ### Ongoing control is the critical distinction The American Franchise Act doesn’t just require “direct and immediate control.” It requires _substantia_**l** direct and immediate control, defined as control that: * Has a **regular or continuous consequential effect** on employment terms * Is **not** sporadic, isolated, or de minimis This protection exists under current law too. The 2020 NLRB rule uses the same language, so one-time interventions or occasional involvement don’t create joint employer status today. The control must be ongoing and meaningful. For example, if you step in once to address a serious safety issue with a franchisee’s employee, that’s not joint employment. But if you’re regularly making those decisions for the franchisee, it crosses the line. The American Franchise Act codifies this distinction into permanent statute, ensuring it can’t be changed by future NLRB rulemakings. ### The American Franchise Act will support franchise growth The American Franchise Act protects the fundamental franchise model: franchisors can maintain brand standards, quality control, and operational consistency without being deemed employers of franchisee staff. The framework recognizes that: * Franchisees are independent business owners who control day-to-day operations and labor relations * Franchisors can enforce standards that protect brand integrity, consumer safety, and legal compliance * Brand protection activities don’t create employment liability This clarity unlocks the ability to build what franchisees need most: robust people systems. When franchisors can safely provide [hiring tools](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/), retention strategies, and management training, franchisees build stronger teams. Stronger teams deliver better customer experiences. Better experiences drive revenue. And revenue growth benefits the entire system. ### Where the American Franchise Act stands today **Current status:** The American Franchise Act (H.R. 5267) was introduced in the House of Representatives on September 10, 2025, with bipartisan support led by Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) and Rep. Don Davis (D-NC). A companion bill (S. 3525) was introduced in the Senate in late 2025 by Senators Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Angus King (I-ME). **Committee review:** The House bill is currently under review in the Committee on Education and Workforce. **Industry support:** The bill has strong backing from the International Franchise Association and various business coalitions that have been advocating for joint employer clarity. **What to watch:** If passed, the Act would amend both the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), creating a single, stable federal standard for joint employment in franchising. It would only apply prospectively—not to any proceedings commenced before the date of enactment. ### Less ambiguity will help everyone succeed The American Franchise Act creates a bright-line test that preserves the franchise business model while clarifying employer responsibilities. By specifically defining what constitutes joint employment across each essential employment category, the bill removes the ambiguity that has plagued the industry. For franchise brands, this means the ability to protect brand standards and ensure quality without inadvertently becoming a joint employer. For franchisees, it means maintaining true independence as business owners while getting the support they need to succeed with their people. For the 8.4 million employees working in franchise businesses, it means clarity about who their actual employer is. Most importantly, it means franchisors can finally help franchisees with what matters most: [building great teams](https://www.careerplug.com/retain/). The tools, training, and support that have sat on the shelf for fear of legal risk can now be deployed. That’s how franchise systems get stronger — not just in compliance, but in actual performance. * * * **Note:** This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The American Franchise Act is pending legislation and subject to change. Consult with legal counsel regarding your specific situation. --- ## Clint’s Notes: Starting something new **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-starting-something-new/ * Posted on February 9, 2026 * by Clint Smith I’m trying something new. Every Monday, I’m going to share what’s on my mind about franchising and hiring. The format is flexible, but the commitment is consistent. I’ve been writing for years. It’s something I genuinely enjoy. (Really! I wrote two books:[How to Hire](https://howtohire.com/) and [The Franchise People Playbook](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/), which we are launching at [IFA](https://www.franchise.org/annual-convention/) next week.) But I’ve been inconsistent about sharing what I’m thinking day to day. I’ll write something, polish it, sit on it, wait for the “right time” to push it live. Meanwhile, I’m having conversations every week with people across the franchise industry who are wrestling with the same challenges, and I’m learning things from our work with 10,000+ franchise locations that would be useful to share. So instead of waiting for the perfect moment or the perfect post, I’m just going to show up every Monday and write about whatever’s pressing or interesting or worth discussing that week. I’ve seen a lot in this industry. Over the years, CareerPlug has worked with [franchise systems](https://www.careerplug.com/customers/) across every industry you can imagine. I’ve watched some grow from 10 locations to 200. I’ve seen others struggle to scale because they couldn’t crack the people side of things. I’ve learned what works, what doesn’t, and what franchisors wish someone had told them earlier about building hiring systems that actually scale. That’s what I want to write about —the things I wish I could tell every franchisor I meet. So here we are. Every Monday, whatever’s on my mind about franchising and hiring. If there’s something specific you want me to write about — a challenge you’re facing, a question you can’t find a good answer to, a topic that keeps coming up in your world — [let’s connect on LinkedIn](http://linkedin.com/in/clintsmithcareerplug). Tell me what’s on your mind. This will work better as a conversation than a broadcast. More next Monday, Clint --- ## Clint’s Notes: Is now a good time to hire? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/january-jobs-report-franchising/ * Posted on February 17, 2026 * by Clint Smith I’m heading to [IFA](https://www.franchise.org/annual-convention/) next week, and I’ve been thinking about a question I keep getting asked: “Is it a good time to hire right now?” It’s a fair question. The headlines have been all over the place. December’s jobs report was weak, with only 50,000 jobs added. The [January jobs report](http://usatoday.com/story/money/2026/02/11/us-january-jobs-report/88589437007/#:~:text=US%20economy%20added%20130%2C000%20jobs,decline%20in%20the%20labor%20force.) just came out and it is looking a bit better than expected. But a headline doesn’t tell you much about what’s actually happening. In fact, for franchise systems, this might actually be a good hiring environment. Let me explain what I’m seeing. And yeah, I know… [first real Clint’s Notes post](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-starting-something-new/) and I’m a day late, diving into labor market analysis. But if I’m going to do this every week, we might as well start with something that matters. ### Headlines miss the story Monthly jobs reports create whiplash. One month looks terrible, the next looks better, and back again. But for franchise businesses — whether it’s a restaurant, fitness studio, or home services company — macro number doesn’t tell you much. For example, I looked at the breakdown by industry for the December report. Private Education and Health Services added about 700,000 jobs. Leisure and Hospitality added close to 200,000. Construction was relatively flat, likely due to higher interest rates. Retail was also flat. Meanwhile, the January report actually showed gains, mostly due to Healthcare and Construction. Collectively it’s not a boom, but not a bust either. The industries where most franchises operate are doing fine. ### Two different labor markets There’s a huge gap right now between office jobs and frontline jobs. Tech companies are still deep in layoffs. Corporate America is obsessed with doing more with less. If you’re an office worker right now, I know the job market is brutal. But the job market for frontline workers is different. You can’t automate a massage therapist or replace a restaurant manager with ChatGPT. Service businesses that want to grow still need to hire real people. And frontline roles have higher turnover, which means there’s nearly always hiring activity. From what we see in the reports and from talking with franchisees on the ground, frontline hiring is still competitive. Franchises are competing with every other restaurant, gym, or spa for the same hourly workers. Skilled workers like electricians, nurses, and childcare providers remain in high demand. Not much has changed there. ### The hidden opportunity The massive corporate layoffs have created a pool of experienced professionals who are reconsidering everything about their careers. A few years ago, someone with a decade of corporate operations experience wouldn’t even look at a franchise operations manager role. Now they’re reconsidering where they want to apply their talents and open to shifting industries. Maybe you think adding another person right now isn’t your best move, especially not a senior role. But you don’t know until you meet that person. ### Making a strategic hire If you’re deep in it running a franchise, you’re probably thinking: “I need to hire another server” or “I need to replace the technician who just quit.” Fair. You probably do need to make those hires. But what if you were also able to make the strategic hire that could actually change your business? Think about where you spend the most time. Are you still doing sales calls you wish you could delegate? Managing day-to-day operations when you could be planning the next location? Doing admin work at 10 PM because there’s no one else to do it? The person who could take that work off your plate might be available right now. Maybe it’s an operations manager who can oversee multiple locations. Maybe it’s a salesperson with a proven track record. Or a bookkeeper who can save you hours. That’s the strategic hire that changes everything. And those people are rethinking their careers right now. ### What to do right now These are the three things I’m telling CareerPlug clients to focus on right now: * **Look for the strategic hire, not just the backfill:**Don’t only think about replacing the person who left. Think about the role that would actually change your business. Go beyond the immediate need and look to the future. * **If you need to hire in the next six months, don’t wait:**Post the job now. You might find someone skilled enough to make you want to hire them immediately. Yes, you’ll pay them for a few extra months. But you’ll have them trained and producing value sooner. The cost of waiting almost always exceeds the cost of action. * **Don’t hold onto underperformers:**A few years ago, it was so tough to hire that many employers felt like they had to hang on to whoever they had. That’s no longer the case. Give each employee the “Keeper Test” from Reed Hastings’ book No Rules Rules: “If this person were to leave tomorrow, would you fight to keep them?” If the answer is no, start looking for someone who would make you say yes. The person who could transform your business might be looking right now. Don’t get spooked by the headlines and wait too long. ### See you at IFA So is now a good time to hire? If you’re going to be at the conference next week, find me and the CareerPlug team at booth 700 and let’s discuss in person. I want to hear what you’re seeing in your hiring… what’s working and what’s not. More next week, Clint --- ## Clint’s Notes: Why I wrote The Franchise People Playbook **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-why-i-wrote-the-franchise-people-playbook/ * Posted on February 23, 2026 * by Clint Smith I’m at [IFA](https://www.franchise.org/) today. If you’re here too, come find me at booth 700. We’re officially launching [_The Franchise People Playbook_](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/)and I figured today was the perfect time to share a little bit of the backstory behind the book. ### **New Orleans, 2013** It goes back to my first IFA. I was standing in the exhibitor hall in New Orleans knowing exactly one person in the entire place. CareerPlug was doing fine at that point, but something felt off. We were helping a lot of large and small organizations with hiring. But we had launched the first version of our [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) specifically for [State Farm insurance](https://www.careerplug.com/3-tips-to-hire-insurance-agents/) and I saw how much impact we could make when embedded within a network of businesses. That’s why I was at IFA in the first place, following my curiosity to see if franchises would allow this same ability to help more people hire and grow winning teams. I looked around the hall. There were franchise people everywhere, all of them building and working towards something. And everyone was excited, energized, and eager to share with each other. Within hours I was in conversations with franchisors who were [wrestling with the core problem](https://www.careerplug.com/american-franchise-act-framework/) that CareerPlug helps solve: “How can we help our franchisees hire people without doing it _for_ them?” My curiosity was sated. Franchisors and franchisees needed help that CareerPlug could deliver in a unique way. ### **The variable nobody talks about** Over the next decade working with hundreds of franchise brands and thousands of franchise locations, I kept seeing the same pattern. There’s one variable that determines whether any individual franchisee succeeds or struggles. It’s the people they hire and how well they manage them. Franchisors hand their franchisees everything: operations manuals, marketing systems, supplier relationships, financial frameworks. But when it comes to hiring and managing people, most franchisees are figuring it out on their own. And most franchisors have been cautious for a variety of reasons (but mainly [joint employer liability](https://www.careerplug.com/franchise-joint-employer-avoid-coemployment/)) about giving too much guidance here. ### **This book fills the gap** People management is the hardest part of any business. In franchising, it’s the one thing that can make or break an otherwise solid investment. When employees struggle, franchisees struggle. When franchisees struggle, the whole system feels it. That’s the gap and it’s why I wrote this book. [_The Franchise People Playbook_](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/) is written just for franchise businesses, built from more than a decade of working alongside franchisors and franchisees to figure out what actually works. Come grab a copy and chat with me and the CareerPlug team at booth 700. I’d love to hear what you think. More next week, Clint --- ## How to Stop Candidates From Ghosting (Webinar with Core Matters) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-ghosting/ * Posted on May 4, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Competition for candidates remains fierce, and employers are finding it hard to keep up and recruit the talent they’re after. Candidate “ghosting” has become an increasingly widespread issue, leaving business owners with an even greater challenge of making the right hires. In this fireside chat-style webinar, CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan, sits down with the CEO and Founder of [Core Matters](https://thecorematters.com/), Ryan Englin, to share tips and insights on why job seekers are ghosting employers. Morgan and Englin discuss topics that cover: * Why candidates are ghosting potential employers * What employers can do to break the cycle * Steps to improve communication with candidates * Key recruiting process strategies Here are some key takeaways from the webinar: ### What is Candidate Ghosting? **Candidate ghosting refers to the candidates who cease all communication with an employer during the**[**hiring process**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/)**.**Instead of sharing why they may no longer be interested in a role, they simply disappear without any explanation or reasoning. Ghosting has become a common problem among employers, some of whom have reported up to 90% of their applicants going silent. Englin notes: “I think for most [employers] when they tell me they’re being ghosted, it is either they get an application in and then crickets, or the one that’s even more painful is the person schedules the interview and then doesn’t show up for the interview.” ### Why are candidates ghosting? Morgan poses the question we’re all wondering: “Why apply for the job if you didn’t want to be contacted for it?” It’s important to note that out of the total number of candidates applying for a job, almost 70% will never hear back. Englin says, “I think what’s happened is we have an entire generation of workers that have been conditioned to believe that employers don’t care about them.” In the recruiting process, [communication](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) is key to creating an exceptional [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-candidate-experience-thats-exceptional/), especially when it comes to keeping in touch with those top choice applicants. Remember, communication goes both ways, so always reciprocate and keep the channel of communication open regardless of where your applicants are in the hiring funnel. Plus, it’s no secret that we’re currently in a candidate’s market. Job seekers are faced with plenty of options. “People are just applying en masse, and they don’t remember applying,” Englin suggests. “We have job seekers thinking one thing, and employers thinking another. It’s just a vicious cycle.” ### How can employers break the cycle? According to our [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/), the average time it takes employers to first contact candidates is nearly eight days. Englin states, “If I’m applying for work and it’s been eight days, I’ve moved on.” **Englin recommends thinking of your applicants as leads for your business.**He emphasizes, “No one would let a customer lead sit for eight days.” Give yourself the best chance of securing your top choices. Be responsive and move your applicants through the hiring stages quickly. The pandemic has also changed the way people seek work. A lot has happened in the past two years, and gig jobs have seen a significant rise in popularity. Companies like Uber and Lyft allow people the freedom to make their own schedules without a 9-5 commitment. Ultimately, Englin believes that people want work, but they also want to know that their employer is going to care about having them on board. ### Attracting the right job seekers Our 2022 Recruiting Metrics Report found that job seekers are scrolling right by job postings that don’t catch their attention. “The job boards have made it super easy for job seekers to apply to jobs en masse,” Englin mentions. This makes it extra crucial to catch the eyes of those you want to attract. Making the right hires means having the right recruitment strategy in your toolbox. As an employer, it’s crucial to capture your candidates’ focus and keep them engaged and excited about your business throughout the hiring process. ### Creating your recruitment strategy The first step to any new hire is identifying your [ideal candidate](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/). By determining who you’re looking for, you’ll be able to tailor your recruiting efforts around a strategy that supports them. When mapping out your recruitment plan, consider the following: * **Craft compelling job postings.** Include details about your leadership team and your employees. Promote your [culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/) and make job seekers feel like they’ll belong. Morgan adds, “What some of our clients have done on the job posting level is reorganize sections, starting with benefits, perks, and culture before responsibilities. It demonstrates the priority of the company and that’s had a good response.” * **Gather employee testimonials.**Ask your team to write or record a [video testimonial](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/) to showcase your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). Give job seekers an authentic look into what it’s like to work for you. * **Give job seekers clear next steps.** In the war for talent, don’t keep candidates waiting. Reach out and thank them within an hour of applying. Provide them with links where they can learn more, like your [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) and [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/). Keep them engaged while they wait to hear back. * **Schedule interviews promptly.**Be flexible with your time and use phone screen calls as a simple first step. Add a personal touch to the [interview](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/), like discussing a hobby or similar interest. “If they’re connected to you personally, they’re going to be less likely to ghost you,” Englin shares. Running a business can be time-consuming, so automating where you can is important. [Scheduling interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) through an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) (ATS) like CareerPlug can save time and reduce your chances of being ghosted. In fact, Englin advises using CareerPlug’s pre-screen questions to [evaluate](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) potential red flags in candidates: **“If you are not using pre-screen questions, which is a built-in feature in CareerPlug, I don’t know there’s a whole lot you can look for.”** Setting yourself apart in today’s labor market is what’s going to give you an advantage over your competition. With the demand for talent so high in 2022, taking the proper steps to show job seekers you care will help bring in the people you need to keep your business moving forward. ### CareerPlug Helps Employers Become Ghostbusters! Well, sort of. Our applicant tracking system makes it easy for busy employers to keep their candidates engaged so they don’t vanish into thin air. We ain’t afraid of no ghosts! [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Home Health Care: Recruitment Reality vs. Perception (Webinar with myCNAjobs) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/home-health-care-recruitment-data/ * Posted on July 29, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Today’s hiring landscape has brought big concerns to employers everywhere. Talent is scarce and attracting the right candidates has never been so challenging. But what does the data really tell us about the job market right now? In this webinar, Chris Igou, Vice President of CareerPlug and Maggie Keen, Vice President of [myCNAjobs](https://www.mycnajobs.com/) sit down to uncover the details about hiring in the competitive labor market. Keen and Igou discuss topics that cover: * The perception of home health care companies hiring in the current job market * What the data really says about hiring * Steps home health care employers can take to attract top talent * Tips for creating a job posting strategy Here are some key takeaways from the webinar: ### How do home care employers perceive their recruitment efforts? According to a survey from myCNAjobs, hiring managers are looking to make between 5-15 hires on a monthly basis. When asked how they feel their company is doing from a recruitment standpoint, here’s what home care employers had to say: * 52% said they were struggling and turning away cases or hours * 43% said their recruitment was average * 5% said they were doing really well With just 5% reporting that recruitment’s going well, it’s clear that home care employers are feeling the impact of the war for talent. **Be sure to watch the webinar for a more in depth look at all of the findings.** ### What does the data really say about hiring? Our [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) found that**the**[**number of applicants**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/)**per job posting decreased in 2021**. Plus, home health care businesses typically see a lower-than-average number of applicants per job. Chris Igou notes, “Your roles as a caregiver are more specialized than other industries.” It’s no secret that it’s a candidate’s market, giving job seekers the opportunity to be more selective. With the view-to-applicant conversion rate down across all industries, Igou paints a picture from a job seeker’s perspective: “Imagine you’re driving down the highway a couple years ago, and you see a handful of big billboards on the road. Well now it’s like a billboard every second, it’s constant. That’s what the candidate experience is like.” Despite these concerns, **the impact felt further downstream in the hiring funnel was less than expected**. Igou suggests, “You don’t necessarily need a ton more applicants to make the hires you need.” ### Attracting the best candidates Having the right tools is essential to recruiting exceptional candidates, especially in a challenging environment. Igou encourages employers to think about specific generations they’d like to hire as well as their needs: “Flexibility is one of the core things that Generation Z and Millennials crave […] They’re an incredibly talented, smart generation that is highly efficient.” Igou also outlines the Three C’s to keep in mind when mapping out a top-notch strategy: * **Culture** – Your [culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/) is your company’s shared values. To attract those that align with your team, showcase who you are in your recruitment efforts. * **Career opportunities** – In a competitive market, [retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) is key. Focus on the [professional development](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) of your employees by giving them ample opportunities to [strengthen their skillset](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/upskilling-and-reskilling/). * **Childcare** – Many job seekers also happen to be busy parents, so give them the peace of mind they’re looking for in a job. Offer them the [flexible schedules](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-shift-scheduling-tips-for-small-businesses/) they need for a better work/life balance. Igou states, “If you can address flexibility and the Three C’s, you’re going to significantly increase that view-to-applicant conversion rate.” Additionally, diversifying where you post jobs can help you tap into those desired talent pools. Igou shares, “[Custom sources](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/) are an incredibly effective channel for recruiting high quality candidates in the healthcare industry.” ### Creating a job posting strategy Landing your ideal hires starts with [your job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf). It’s important to be clear, concise, and compelling to get the right people through the door. Keen advises, “No matter what anybody says, job posts are still a key part of a recruitment mix.” To help employers stand out from the crowd, Igou and Keen share their advice for building a better job posting: * **Don’t limit yourself**– Remember, you win by having a larger recruitment funnel. Reduce any super-specific requirements and change some of your have-to-haves to nice-to-haves. List certifications, but don’t over-qualify. * **Hire for**[**growth potential**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/) – Do your candidates have little experience but are willing to learn? Give them an opportunity to explore a new career path! * **Get feedback**– Ask people outside your industry to review your job posting. Does it make sense? Tell a powerful story? Put yourself in the shoes of a job seeker. What’s their experience look like? Try applying from your phone. Is it easy to navigate? * **Include the essentials**– Include a persuasive title for your role and put purpose into your job description. Discuss your [culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/), [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/), and the candidates’ future at your company. Be transparent and [list compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/benefits-of-pay-transparency/)! Keen notes, “Culture, I think, is a company’s secret weapon right now, especially when you’re the employer in the market who can’t always pay more or has limited benefits that you can offer.” * **Research your business online**– What are job seekers seeing when they Google your company? Look at [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm)and other employee review sites. Amplify your [social media](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-on-social-media/) presence and ask your staff to provide their own [testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/). After all, 100% of job seekers look up companies before applying! Igou and Keen encourage employers to streamline their recruitment process by investing in the right sources. An [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) (ATS) like CareerPlug can help. Keen mentions, **“Companies on an applicant tracking system generate way more hires than those that aren’t using one.”** While the demand for applicants remains at an all-time high, employers should know that making the right hires is still possible. Setting yourself apart with a proven strategy will help you win those top-choice candidates and keep your business thriving regardless of what the hiring landscape looks like. ### Hire the Right Caregivers for Your Home Care Business CareerPlug helps you diversify your applicant sources, communicate faster, and create a great candidate experience so more caregivers say “Yes” to your offers. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/home-health-care-hiring-software/) --- ## Ask a Hiring Expert: Why Pay Transparency is a Good Thing **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/benefits-of-pay-transparency/ * Posted on November 22, 2021 * by Natalie Morgan Pay transparency refers to the way employers communicate with job seekers and candidates about compensation for a role. Being up front about how much a role pays as early as the initial job posting is a trend that’s gaining steam. In fact, in some states, like Colorado, it’s now [required by law](https://cdle.colorado.gov/equalpaytransparency) to include [compensation in job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/). And yet, some employers are still reluctant to include salary in the job postings, and would rather discuss compensation later on in the [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/). Though there may be mixed feelings about pay transparency, at CareerPlug, we think it’s a very good thing! As our Senior Director of Human Resources, I’d like to share why pay transparency matters and how it can positively impact your hiring process. ### Let’s talk about compensation When it comes to recruiting, the old advice was don’t lead with compensation. Instead, the idea was to first get candidates engaged in your process so you can later sell them on the total package — benefits, culture, job responsibilities, and then, compensation. But that’s the old way of doing things. The reality? **You should lead with the total package on your job descriptions, including compensation.** The data backs this up! In our survey of job seekers in our annual [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), **39% of job seekers told us they expected to be informed about compensation in the initial job post.** When Indeed asked in their [own survey of job seekers](https://www.indeed.com/lead/the-importance-of-fair-pay-and-salary-transparency) if salaries were helpful when shown along with job descriptions, over 80% job seekers responded favorably. There are so many good reasons to be transparent about pay. Let’s dive deeper into those reasons and discuss how pay transparency has shaped hiring at CareerPlug. ### Why pay transparency matters **Pay transparency can actually save you time and effort during the hiring process**. It can impact recruiting efforts from the initial job posting all the way to the offer stage. Let’s start by talking about applicant flow. Putting compensation information in your job postings will actually help your visibility on Indeed and other major job boards and ensure your jobs are showing up in searches to relevant candidates. Indeed found that “salary information” is one of the most important factors for job seekers when they search for and view jobs. Because of this, **when you don’t provide a salary in your job posting, Indeed will add a salary estimate to the job.**If this estimate isn’t in line with what you’re willing to pay, it can lead to frustrated applicants and wasted time for your hiring process. Instead, include the accurate compensation in your job posting. This will allow job seekers to self-select in or out early in the process. This may mean that you get less applicants, but it also means that you can be sure that someone who takes the time to fill out an application is aware of what you have to offer and is ok with it. **Pro Tip:**On major job boards like Indeed, make sure you’re listing the compensation in the appropriate section of your job posting. **Don’t include the compensation in the job title.** Major job boards remove jobs with title modifications. Another thing to consider is that not including pay in your job descriptions might actually keep high quality candidates from applying. Candidates have a lot of options these days, and they don’t want to spend all day filling out applications. Candidates will concentrate on opportunities that are upfront about the pay instead of playing the guessing game. ### Pay transparency and the candidate experience Pay transparency may have an impact on how many late stage candidates say _yes_ to your job offers as well. We found that **“compensation and benefits not meeting expectations” was one of the top contributing factors of a poor candidate experience.** That’s important because **58% of job seekers have turned down a job due to poor candidate experience**! It’s also important to note that when we asked job seekers what employers should focus on during the hiring process, they said they want [more communication](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) sooner, including **more transparency in the hiring process about compensation and benefits**. Pay transparency can [improve your candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/), and therefore improve your chances of getting candidates to accept your offers. ### The job seeker’s perspective It’s important to think about pay transparency from the job seeker’s perspective. Here are some of the stories candidates make up about your business when you withhold compensation early in the hiring process: * When I do learn about compensation, it will be below market. * They want to see the lowest amount they can pay for someone to do the job. * They don’t understand the value of my work. * They don’t value open communication and transparency as a company. On the flip side, when you do share compensation, here are the kinds of stories job seekers tell themselves: * They understand the value of this position at this company. * They will value my work. * They value open communication and transparency with their employees. * They care about inclusive hiring practices and pay equity. ### Why I switched to leading with salary on job descriptions We practice pay transparency at CareerPlug and it’s made a positive impact on [our hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-we-hire-at-careerplug/). I hate negotiating and most candidates do too! Why was I putting people through this awkward, painful process that implied we didn’t lead with our best offer and therefore value their candidacy _and_ only rewarded people who asked for more – which, by the way, has a disparate impact on historically marginalized groups like[women and people of color](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/20/smarter-living/pay-wage-gap-salary-secrecy-transparency.html)? Now, instead of feeling like an intense game of poker, the screening conversation is a breath of fresh air. I can confidently say, “We put compensation in the job description because we like to be transparent with candidates. The role pays X. Is this in line with what you’re looking to make?”. I can almost feel the candidate’s relief on the other end of the phone that I didn’t ask them the impossible question: “What are your compensation requirements?” which forces someone to evaluate their own worth (a dangerously subjective task) while trying not to shoot themselves in the foot. ### Our advice Respect job seekers enough to be transparent from the start. Job seekers will truly appreciate the clarity you provide, increasing your likelihood of making the right hires and positively impacting your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). If you’re not sure where to start with competitive compensation, research what it looks like in your market by searching for similar job titles online. You can also check out free compensation resources on sites like [Indeed](https://indeed.com/salaries) or [Glassdoor](https://glassdoor.com/salaries); keep in mind this is also where job seekers are often looking to evaluate their market worth. Have internal discussions and make sure your job posts are aligned with your internal team. Compensation should ideally meet both internal and external benchmarks – i.e., what you’re paying the position compared to other companies in your industry and what you’re paying the position compared to other employees within your company. Once you know your best offer, include it in your [job description](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) and the right candidates will find you. For more tips on creating your job posting, check out this video with some of my best advice: ### What if my pay is not competitive? First, the hard question to ask yourself: Why? **Really think about what it would mean for your business if you were able to hire and retain the best people.** Would it grow? Would it save you time and money? Think about hiring as an investment and consider what you might get in return. And of course, compensation isn’t everything. [Benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-benefits-post-pandemic/), perks, culture, growth opportunities, working for a great boss or for a company whose mission they believe in — all of that can be vitally important to candidates. Make sure your job description speaks to all of those things! Compensation is just one piece of the puzzle and you can contextualize it alongside the other reasons why you’re a great place to work. ### Final thoughts The labor market has gone through some major shifts in the last couple of years. If you have been struggling to find high quality employees, it might be time to change the way you hire. When you consider pay transparency from the job seeker’s perspective, it becomes much easier to see why it’s so important. Ultimately, pay transparency can help you attract the right candidates and improve your chances of getting them to accept your offers. --- ## How to Attract Passive Candidates (Webinar with Core Matters) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/attracting-passive-candidates-2/ * Posted on February 11, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### What is Passive Recruiting? Passive recruiting refers to the candidates who aren’t actively pursuing a new job, but could be the perfect fit for your team. They may still consider applying for the right opportunity even if they are not currently looking. For instance, let’s say Ben, a retail manager, gets a message on LinkedIn from a recruiter inviting him to apply for a similar job at another retail store. The recruiter shares details about the position, culture, and employee development opportunities. After a Google search of the company returns stellar reviews and employee testimonials, Ben eagerly applies. This is an example of passive recruiting. Passive recruiting can be an excellent way to find the right people and fill open roles as they come up. CareerPlug partnered with Ryan Englin, CEO and Founder of [Core Matters](https://thecorematters.com/) to share insight and strategies that you should consider for attracting passive job seekers. In this webinar, Englin shares advice that covers: * How to attract and find quality job seekers * What businesses can do to create their brand story * Steps to recruiting passive candidates * Key hiring process tips Here are some key highlights from the webinar: ### Finding the right job seekers Englin notes: “It’s no secret right now that hiring is becoming very challenging. In fact, there are some people that say it’s the number one issue affecting small business in America today, and I can’t say I disagree with that.” It’s important to remember that quality hires typically [aren’t made through job boards](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/). While [82% of applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) are still found through this source, only a small fraction will ultimately be the talent you’re looking for. When identifying your [ideal candidate](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/), Englin makes a strong case for millennials. This generation makes up one out of every two people in the workforce today and have proven to be some of the hardest workers! Plus, 93% of millennials prioritize [skill training and development](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/upskilling-and-reskilling/) in the workplace as well as emphasize [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/), [culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/), and work flexibility over money. Englin suggests, “Millennials are willing to take a pay cut to work for a place where the purpose, values, and mission align with their own.” ### What does a job seekers’ journey look like? In the next 12 months, 80 million people in the United States alone are expected to switch jobs. Englin emphasizes: “People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers […] If people are leaving people, a culture, or an environment, why is it as employers we continue to post job ads that speak to the work we do and not the environment in which we work?” The search for a new role is stressful enough, so understanding what job seekers are going through is key. Determine what you need to do to get in front of them before your competition does. **Job seekers value transparency**. Share details about the management team or leadership style in [job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) and create a compelling careers page that tells the story of your business. ### Creating your brand story Creating your brand story is one of the most vital steps in building a strategy to attract the right people. Englin notes, “The way you message your open opportunities to the job market is important.” When creating the story you want to tell about your business, consider including the following: * **Define your core values.**At CareerPlug, our [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) guide us in everything we do. If you haven’t done so already, start with aligning your purpose and values. Englin suggests, “If you don’t know what your core values are in your organization, if you don’t know why your company exists, if you don’t know where you’re going, start there. People are attracted to leaders with a vision.” * **Take on the job seekers’ perspective.**Google your company. Look at your reviews. How do they look? What do candidates see when they go to apply? * **Ask employees to provide testimonials.**Have your team write or record [employee testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/) to showcase your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). Share them on social media. Include them with your job posting! Show job seekers who you are through this outstanding form of social proof. Your brand story can help you make the right hires the first time, boosting [retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) and saving on turnover costs in the long run. Englin says, “If you don’t think turnover is costing you money right now, I want you to think again. I challenge you to think again because turnover is expensive, not just in money but in time, in lost customers.” ### Create a great candidate experience to hire better It’s no secret that job seekers want an [exceptional candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) throughout the hiring stages. Communicating openly with candidates can play a big role in the experience they have, improving your reputation in the process**.**Englin emphasizes, “Attractive means being responsive!” [52% of job seekers](https://www.websolutions.com//blog/tips-to-find-and-hire-the-right-candidates-when-your-company-is-growing/) said the number one frustration during their job search was lack of communication in the [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/). [**Job seekers want information sooner**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), so being responsive and moving them quickly along the hiring stages should be a top priority. As a business owner, it can be challenging to reply to every applicant, but automating messages through an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) (ATS) like CareerPlug can save time and in return [improve the candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/). Englin recommends, “If you don’t have the automation turned on, turn on the automation in CareerPlug! Let the system do it. That’s one of the values of CareerPlug.” Move fast, be responsive, and keep candidates excited about your open roles! ### Recruiting passive candidates As an employer, passive recruiting is an essential tool to have in your toolbelt. It keeps talent in your pipeline year-round for the open roles you may need to fill at a moment’s notice. Englin outlines his strategies to finding these top-quality candidates: * **Employer branding:** Employer branding is about communicating your message, your core values and vision, where your company’s going, and the information about your leadership team. When you communicate that well, you’ll make high-quality hires. * **Employee referral programs**:[Employee referral programs](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/) are commonly known as the best source for quality hires. In fact, [48% of businesses](https://www.ebiinc.com/hiring-statistics/) say their top-quality hires come from referrals! To get your team excited about referring potential candidates, tie the reward or incentive to your values or a foundational part of your business. ### Attract Passive Candidates with CareerPlug Get a demo to learn how our applicant tracking system can help you automate your hiring process and attract passive candidates consistently. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Why should you hire recent grads? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/why-should-you-hire-recent-grads/ * Posted on June 24, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris The summer is here and recruiters are looking for top talent to hire. Recent college graduates are among the most sought after to fill those positions. A [survey](https://www.naceweb.org/about-us/press/job-outlook-college-class-2015.aspx) by NACE shows that employers plan to hire 9.6 percent more graduates than the class of 2014. Why are employers hiring the most recent group to enter the workforce, and more importantly, are you looking at recent graduates as potential candidates? If you’re still stuck on the fence about the class of 2015, here are some qualities this group will bring to the table. **A breath of fresh air.** A person who recently graduated and is new to the career world can be a perfect choice. You have the opportunity to hire someone free of any previous bad work attitudes or habits. A younger, recent grad can bring a spark of energy and a new perspective to your office. Going with a more forward, progressive hire, you are allowing your company to adapt and grow into tomorrow’s workforce. Compared to other seasoned candidates, recent college grads will be more likely to adjust and learn while also bringing creativity, innovation, and collaboration. **Experienced.** When deciding which two candidates should get the job, having experience could be a tie-breaker. Nowadays, there are different types of “experience”. Instead of having 10+ years in one work setting, newer candidates and graduates are now entering the workforce with much more diverse backgrounds. Different internships here, self taught skills there, and lets not talk about all of the technological and social media experience new college grads have under their belt. **Money Saver.** Yes, really. Many companies hate to admit it, but hiring workers fresh out of school is a penny saver. Money is not the most important factor to many graduates who often look for potential growth, applying their degree, and a positive company culture. Plus, graduates understand that they are starting at the bottom and will not expect the same pay a candidate with years of experience might. Think of hiring a recent graduate as an investment where the only direction to go is up. When deciding to hire college graduates, it’s important to take all factors into account. Although these individuals are out of school, they are still learning and curious to see what your company has to offer. A refreshing candidate can bring positive energy, experience, and a lower pay stub. Still on the fence? Check out a previous Careerplug [post](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-recruit-gen-z/)on everything millennials, the current generation merging into the workforce. For more hiring tips follow us on Twitter[@CareeerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## The Cost of a Bad Hire: Harry Potter Edition **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/the-cost-of-a-bad-hire-harry-potter-edition/ * Posted on July 31, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan We already know a bad hire can cost your company a lot of money,but there is more than just your recruiting budget to consider when making an important hire. In honor of [The Boy Who Lived’s 35 th birthday](https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2015-07-31/happy-birthday-harry-potter-the-chosen-one-turns-35-today), let’s see what J.K. Rowling’s immortalized Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers can teach us about the hiring process (Dumbledore certainly could’ve used these tips). **Professor Quirrell** Professor Quirrell may have appeared to be a competent molder of minds, that is, until it was revealed Lord Voldemort had been living on the back of his head all year. Your next bad hire may not have one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time hitching a ride, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have skeletons in their closet. Background checks are a simple and effective to learn more about a new potential employee before you bring them on the payroll. Yes, there’s probably nothing alarming in your “perfect” hire’s record … but we thought the same thing about “p-p-poor, st-st-stuttering Professor Quirrell.” **Professor Lockhart** Gilderoy Lockhart certainly had a decorated resume … that he completely fabricated. This led to a year of sub-standard teaching, cumulating in a couple of 12-year olds demonstrating more cunning and skill than their famed professor. Checking your candidate’s references before you make an offer is an easy way to make sure they are who they say they are (and have done all they claimed). A surprising number of applicants lie on their resume and they are not the people you want on your staff. **Professor Moody** Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody, ex-auror and good friend of Albus Dumbledore, might’ve been a great professor . . . unfortunately he never got around to teaching (you might recall he spent 9 months in the imposter Barty Crouch Jr.’s trunk). Assuming your new hire isn’t drinking a flask of polyjuice potion every hour on the hour, you still want to make sure you can count on an employee to show up and excel at their job. Ask for details of their work experience during the interview process and set expectations up front. Then, if they are taken over by a death eater later you’ll know something’s up. **Professor Umbridge** To put it lightly, Professor Umbridge didn’t jive with the company culture at Hogwarts (something about her pure-blood mania and forcing students to cut open their own hand in detention didn’t sit well with the rest of the staff). Company culture should play an important role in your hiring process. Tell candidates about your culture in interviews and ask about what they value the most in a workplace. If they’re not a good fit you can move along. **The Good Hire: Professor Lupin** Remus Lupin, Harry’s third year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, is an example of hire done right. Lupin was qualified, vetted, and genuinely cared about the job he was doing and got along with the staff (Snape excluded). Plus, he always seemed to have chocolate on hand. Now isn’t that the kind of employee you want on your team? **Bonus: Professor Snape – The Internal Hire** Dumbledore went with external hires for years before turning to Severus Snape for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position. He needed to wait until Snape was ready to take the job (even though Snape wanted it for years). Internal hires have the benefit of knowing the company and probably understand the expectations of the job better than someone coming from a different office. However, not all positions are the same and you want to make sure that employee has the qualifications, skills, or potential to succeed. What can you learn about hiring and recruiting from the Harry Potter series? For more magical hiring tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) --- ## How to Hire for Careers, Not Just Jobs: An Interview with CareerPlug CEO Clint Smith **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-for-careers/ * Posted on November 9, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris At CareerPlug, we’re on a mission to empower people to reach their full potential. One way we do this is by helping businesses make the right hires, but it doesn’t stop there. We also want to help employers invest in their employees’ growth. This focus on the long-term results of hiring is important to Clint Smith, Founder and CEO of CareerPlug and author of the upcoming book _How to Hire._ Smith believes a great recruitment strategy must also include a retention strategy with an eye toward the future of your business. Of course, this is often easier said than done, so Smith has one piece of advice to help employers shift their mindset when recruiting: **hire people for careers as opposed to just jobs.** I sat down with Clint to discuss the importance of this concept, and he shared some actionable ideas that businesses can use to make better hires and retain the right people. ### Why hiring for careers matters Let’s start with one big reason that hiring someone for the long haul matters — the cost. Smith is quick to point out that, “The cost of turnover is really high,” and the data backs this up. According to one [Gallup report](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/247391/fixable-problem-costs-businesses-trillion.aspx), the **cost of replacing one employee can range from one-half all the way up to two times that employee’s annual salary.** Here’s another stat to consider: According to the [Society of Human Resource Management](https://www.shrm.org/about-shrm/press-room/press-releases/pages/human-capital-benchmarking-report.aspx), the average cost for companies to make one hire is $4,129. Of course, the ideal employee makes that cost worth it and the expense of hiring pays off. When you approach hiring with a career mentality, you become more committed to each employee and their growth, and employees become more committed as well. As Smith points out, “The commitment level is low for those employees that are just looking for a job, but if they feel like someone is investing in their career, they’re going to think twice about jumping ship.” Not to mention all the unseen costs of turnover that are just as impactful. Smith says, “It’s disruptive when people leave. There’s a gap where you don’t have anyone and it slows things down.” One last and really important thing to consider is this: The [labor pool is shrinking](https://www.businessinsider.com/over-4-million-workers-quit-record-labor-shortage-great-resignation-2021-10). As Smith puts it, “There’s a smaller number of applicants and more competition for them than ever. How will you stand out and hire the best talent? I think that offering a career instead of a job is a great strategy.” ### How to Hire for Careers If you want to commit to supporting the growth of your employees and making hires for the long term there are some changes you can make before, during, and after the [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/). Let’s look into some of those ideas as told by Clint Smith. ### 1. Build intrinsic motivation with current employees **Hiring for careers starts with the way you treat your current employees.** When thinking about how to foster career development and hire employees for the long term, Smith is inspired by the book [_Drive_ by Daniel Pink](https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594488843/ref=asc_df_1594488843/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312175933381&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6200580793606503179&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029024&hvtargid=pla-468530034898&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=60258871817&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312175933381&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6200580793606503179&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9029024&hvtargid=pla-468530034898). This book focuses on the value of intrinsic motivation, and as Smith puts it, “If you can build intrinsic motivation within someone, you can make them feel like they have a career and not just a job.” Smith goes on to say that, “The three things Daniel Pink talks about in this book are **autonomy, mastery, and purpose**.” It’s necessary for you to foster these with your employees and you can do this in any type of job. For autonomy, Smith likes the example of the Ritz-Carlton, a company that gives their employees a budget to solve issues for customers without having to get approval. This sends a message of trust that empowers each team member. He goes on to say that, “Mastery doesn’t always have to be about advancement. Some people just want to get better and hone their craft. People that take pride in the work they do are open to more learning. This is career development.” Lastly is purpose. Smith says to consider, “Are you a mission based organization? Do your employees believe in this mission?” Helping employees feel a sense of purpose contributes to a sense of loyalty and commitment. These three objectives –autonomy, mastery, and purpose – provide a framework for how to treat current employees and should be top of mind as you position yourself in the hiring process as well. ### 2. Plan for the future When it comes to hiring for careers, planning is a crucial step. The hiring process begins well before you post a job listing online. Smith recommends creating a future organizational chart that maps out all of your current employees and helps you anticipate where your needs will be. When it comes time to actually make hires, spend a little time creating your [Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/). This planning tool helps you think about the skills and traits you’re looking for in your next hire and can help you evaluate candidates more quickly. Smith also says to “spend time thinking about how someone is going to make a difference in your company _and_ how you are going to make a difference in someone’s life.” Once you know your “differentiators” and how you will share them during interviews, it will be easier to position yourself throughout the hiring process and sell people on your company. ### 3. Send the right message When creating a [job description](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) and sharing your open roles online, it’s important to make sure you’re sending the right message. This message can help you [attract the right people](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/) and show them you’re making an effort to hire for the long term. Smith advises: “If you’re creating a posting for just a job, you’re simply going to write the requirements for the job. Whereas if you’re posting for a career, you would take a different approach to that.” Position your job posting in a way that helps people see your mission and what you value. Convey what kind of person you are looking for to fill a role and the impact they will make. Make sure your job posting catches the right eyes. As Smith says, “don’t bury the lead” — highlight what makes you different early on in the job posting, then get down to the specifics of the role later on. And one final thought on job descriptions: “The more you can personalize the message, the better.” ### 4. Ask the right questions Sometimes candidates are simply looking for a short term solution or temporary job. Other candidates may be ready to commit to a company for the long term and grow within the role. So how can you tell job seekers from career seekers? By asking the right questions and paying attention during [interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/). Notice what candidates are asking during interviews; see where their focus is. Smith says: “Look for people that are already digging into the company’s problems. Where are their passions? Is this person committed to mastery? What’s their motivation?” You can tell a lot about someone by asking situational questions and taking stock of how they’ve handled themselves in previous roles. You can also ask questions to get a better idea of their intentions for the future. At CareerPlug, we invite all late-stage candidates to a lifeline interview where we talk about the candidate’s background as well as professional and personal goals. This not only helps the employer get a better idea of whether or not the candidate is the right fit, it helps the candidate feel valued throughout the process. ### 5. Fine tune your brand As Smith likes to say when it comes to hiring, **“You attract who you are.”** This means that if you’re treating your open positions like jobs, you’ll attract people that are looking for a short term opportunity. This is especially important in industries that are known for high turnover. Hourly positions might come to mind or those roles that people typically think of as “just jobs.” If you are giving your hourly employees autonomy, trust, and purpose, you will become known as a great place to work in the long term. Smith says, “Imagine if you did this in restaurant industries or home services, you’d actually be the exception as opposed to the standard.” No matter what industry you’re in, you are in charge of your own narrative. Walk the walk, and “don’t be shy about sharing what makes you different.” Word will spread through[employee testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/)and online reviews. Clint says, “Nothing beats social proof.” Having a positive[employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) that reflects an attitude of caring about your employees growth will make it much easier to hire for careers, even in industries where doing so isn’t the norm! ### 6. Hire for growth potential When it comes to hiring, it can be beneficial to hire for [growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/) vs. experience. Think about hiring for ability, motivation, and culture fit. The rest can be taught. “Giving the right person a chance can help you earn employees for life,” Smith says. He goes on to say, “There’s something special about being the first organization to give someone a shot and make them feel like they have a career. Over the years, the people that have been the most loyal are the ones that I gave a shot early on. Maybe on paper they didn’t have the right qualifications but I hired them for their potential.” Once hired, continue to support your employees’ growth. Promote internally when you can and consider covering the cost of additional education, training, and professional development. For more on hiring for growth potential, watch this video featuring CareerPlug’s Senior Director of HR, Natalie Morgan: ### Final thoughts Build intrinsic motivation in current employees by fostering autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Make a plan before hiring and be intentional throughout the hiring process by sending the right message and asking interviewees the right questions. The way you treat both candidates and employees will impact your employer brand and your ability to make the right hires. Lastly, a willingness to give candidates a chance can create loyal employees. Hiring for careers is an important strategy for both recruitment and [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) and is an essential part of [how we hire](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-we-hire-at-careerplug/) at CareerPlug. When it comes down to it, Clint’s best advice is simple: “It’s about how you position yourself and treat people. You can either make people feel like it’s just a job, or you can make them feel like they’ve got a career.” --- ## 6 Common Mistakes Interviewers Make and How to Avoid Them **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/common-mistakes-interviewers-make/ * Posted on April 14, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Developing strong interviewer skills is key to converting the most highly qualified candidates into hires. A [2021 CareerPlug study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) found that **58% of job seekers had declined a job offer due to poor experience during the hiring process.** Many small business owners struggle in this area, especially when they’re not full-time recruiters or seasoned HR professionals. It’s always worth honing your interview skills because the best candidates will always have the freedom to be selective about where they choose to work. We’ve put together our advice for avoiding common interviewing mistakes so that you can create a great [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), build a solid [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/), and make the best hires for your business every time. ### 6 common interviewing mistakes and how to avoid them ### 1. Being unprepared Most applicants prepare thoroughly for an interview. It’s important to show that same level of preparedness. Showing up to an interview unprepared sends the wrong message about how much you value a candidate’s time. It also gives the impression that the business itself is disorganized. The interview itself is not the time to read a candidate’s CV and resume for the first time. **Set aside as little as 5-10 minutes ahead of the interview to review the resume.**If there’s something in their application that needs clarification or there’s something you find interesting, make a note and include it in your interview questions. If you’ve asked the candidate to complete a sample assignment such as a writing exercise, a coding challenge, or a [proposal template](https://betterproposals.io//blog/proposal-template/), remember that the candidate likely spent hours working on the assignment. Return the courtesy by taking the appropriate amount of time to review it so you can deliver meaningful [interview feedback](https://www.zoomshift.com//blog/interview-feedback/). ### 2. Poor questioning technique One trend the recruiting world has seen over the past few years is [brainteaser interview questions](https://www.inc.com/adam-vaccaro/25-crazy-interview-questions.html) –but research shows these questions do not help evaluate a candidate’s potential to perform on the job. These questions could sour an applicant’s experience and have a negative impact on your reputation as an employer. Keep your questions relevant. For instance, you can ask them behavioral or situational questions, such as “Tell me about a time when you…” Ask questions that reveal their accomplishments, opportunities, and the reason they applied for the role. You should also ask technical questions to know if they’re familiar with the tools they will be required to use on the job. For example, are they familiar with the software, such as Google Docs or [Docusign alternatives](https://betterproposals.io//blog/docusign-alternatives/), that you use as a team? A new hire is an investment for your business’s future, so you’ll want to hire people interested in growing with your company. **Try to look beyond the resume and ask questions that reveal their**[**growth potential**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/)**.**Asking questions about the applicant’s career aspirations, areas in which they want to grow, and their longer-term goals will help you see if they align with your business. Learn more about hiring for growth potential in the video below from CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan. ### 3. Asking potentially illegal questions Many interviewers unknowingly ask questions that they aren’t legally allowed to ask, even when they think they’re just making small talk. However, a lot of seemingly innocuous questions can be seen as discriminatory and are thus illegal. Here are a few common questions that could get you in hot water and some alternatives you can use. **Don’t ask:**“Where do you live?” If you’re hiring for site-based work, you might naturally be concerned about the candidate’s attendance and the amount of time it takes for them to get to the workplace. However, if a rejected candidate lives in an area with a large minority population, that question can be discriminatory. **Ask these instead:**_“Would you consider relocating for this job?”_ or _“Will getting to and from work be an issue for you?”_ or _“Can you commit to being here at 8 a.m. every day?”_ These questions deal solely with the time aspect of the job, which clears you of any liability associated with residence-based employment discrimination. **Don’t ask:**“How old are you?” This question is one of the most commonly asked in job interviews. However, it’s also illegal. Laws such as the [Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)](https://www.eeoc.gov/statutes/age-discrimination-employment-act-1967) specifically prohibit age as a condition for employment. While the ADEA specifically covers candidates and employees aged 40 above, some states have laws that protect younger candidates as well. Asking oblique questions, such as “When did you graduate high school?” is also illegal. **Ask these instead:**_“This job is physically demanding. Would you have any issues with that?”_ These questions ask about the candidate’s physical condition, which is not prohibited by law, especially when the job requires a lot of physical labor. **Don’t ask:**“Do you plan to have children?” Asking a candidate whether they intend to have children can be interpreted as discrimination against a person who could get pregnant. This is a violation of the [Pregnancy Discrimination Act,](https://www.eeoc.gov/statutes/pregnancy-discrimination-act-1978) which prohibits employers from assuming that female employees have responsibilities at home that keep them from committing to their jobs. **Ask these instead:**_“How do you think this job fits into your career goals?”_ or _“Are you fine with working overtime?”_ The common thread that runs through both questions is the focus on the job, not the candidate. These questions will make the candidate consider their future plans, even personal ones, in the context of the time demands of the job. For more information about illegal interview questions, check out [this guide from the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.](https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/small-business/4-what-cant-i-ask-when-hiring) > Try to look beyond the resume and ask questions that reveal their growth potential. ### 4. Being too quick to judge It’s easy to form preconceived ideas or views about a candidate’s suitability for the position during your interview preparation. Perhaps you are worried about a potential skills gap or career choice after reading their CV. While these concerns may be warranted, it’s important to remember that we’re all susceptible to [unconscious bias in hiring](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/). Hiring managers can avoid falling into the trap of confirmation bias, the halo effect, contrast bias, and more by taking the time to learn how to recognize when they occur. By learning how to make objective judgments based on facts rather than emotions, hiring managers can make better hiring decisions and reduce turnover. Read CareerPlug’s guide, [7 Ways to Avoid Hiring Bias](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/7-ways-to-avoid-hiring-bias/), to learn more. ### 5. Failing to listen and dominating the discussion There’s a reason it’s called an interview: It’s supposed to be an exchange of ideas. If you embark on a monologue and insist on dominating the discussion, you won’t learn much from the conversation. During an interview, let the candidate do most of the talking. You can ask follow-up questions based on what a candidate says or ask them to elaborate on something. **Always keep in mind that the purpose of each step in the hiring process is to determine whether or not you want to learn more about the candidate.** An interview is a [data-gathering process](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/), so gather as much data as you can! Avoid asking close-ended questions with “Yes” or “No” answers. Instead, use open-ended questions that draw on the candidate’s experiences: _Why do you want to join the company? How do you think your experience makes you suited for the role? Can you tell me about a situation in which you had to work through conflict?_ > Always keep in mind that the purpose of each step in the hiring process is to determine whether or not you want to learn more about the candidate. ### 6. Appearing uninterested or distracted One major red flag for an applicant is an interviewer who seems entirely uninterested in what they have to say. Candidates will instinctively feel when you’re less than enthusiastic about them. Our research found that a whopping **26% of job seekers who declined a job offer did so because of a negative experience with the people in the interview process,**citing rude or distracted interviewers or a hiring process that seemed disorganized. Candidates took these as reflections of the company as a whole. During the interview, make a deliberate effort to demonstrate your undivided attention. Sit up straight, lean in as they talk, maintain eye contact, smile and nod as they respond, and take notes. Consider turning off your phone or leaving it out of the room altogether. Above all, you need to listen intently and actively. For more tips on how to create a great candidate experience, watch the video below from CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan. ### TLDR * As an interviewer, it’s important to be prepared, patient, and genuine. * Only ask the questions that will allow you to learn whether or not you’re interested in moving the candidate forward in the hiring process – not quirky questions, irrelevant questions, or illegal questions. * Make sure you’ve created a great candidate experience in order to protect your employer brand. * * * ### About the Author _Petra Odak is the Chief Marketing Officer at [Better Proposals](https://betterproposals.io/), a simple yet incredibly powerful proposal software tool that helps you send high-converting, web-based business proposals in minutes. She’s a solution-oriented marketing enthusiast with more than 5 years of experience in various fields of marketing and project management._ --- ## How Would You Grade Your Hiring Process? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-process-grader/ * Posted on August 6, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris As hiring experts, we know how important it is to make good hiring decisions. Without the right people in the right roles, your business can’t reach its full potential. But in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employers are finding it more difficult than ever to fill their open roles. Since spring 2020, the job market has gone through dramatic shifts that have, at different times, left both job seekers and employers struggling. As of this writing, it’s a candidate’s market –meaning there are more open roles than there are candidates to fill them – so job seekers have the advantage of being selective about where to work. With market conditions changing so rapidly, you may want to stop and ask yourself: _Is there anything I need to change in my hiring process that would put me in a better position to recruit top talent?_ That’s why we’ve created CareerPlug’s free Hiring Process Grader tool. Answer a few simple questions about the processes and technologies you use to attract, communicate, and evaluate candidates, and our Hiring Process Grader tool will show you areas where you’re excelling – and where you need to improve in today’s competitive hiring market. Click the button below to get started. ### Try Our Free Hiring Process Grader! Got 5 minutes to evaluate your hiring process? See how your recruiting methods measure up and what you can do to improve your hiring. [GRADE MY HIRING PROCESS](https://careerplug.outgrow.us/hiring-process-grader) ### The 4 Components of a Great Hiring Process We measure a hiring process based on the four main components of our own proven process, which has helped more than 12,000 [small businesses](https://www.careerplug.com/small-business-hiring-software/) make the right hires. ### 1. Attract Your [job postings](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) should first be distributed to all of the popular job boards where candidates are looking. You should also go one step further and recruit from sources outside of the major job boards, like employee referrals and smaller job boards that are niche, industry-specific, or local. We’ve found that [these sources produce the highest quality candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/) overall. Finally, employers that perform well in this category do a great job of enticing candidates to apply by showcasing their workplace culture, benefits, and employer brand on their own unique [company careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/). ### 2. Communicate Our data shows that candidates consider communication one of the [most important aspects of a great candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/). They want employers to respond quickly after they apply and continue to be responsive throughout the hiring process. Remember that **a great hiring process centers around the [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-candidate-experience-thats-exceptional/).** Create [interview invitation templates](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) you can quickly send to let candidates know you’re interested, as well as rejection letter templates in case you decide not to proceed with them. To reach candidates quicker and more reliably, consider using [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) in addition to email. The average response time for an email is 90 minutes compared to [just 90 seconds for an SMS text message](https://www.notifii.com/mass-text-messaging-7-statistics-you-need-to-know-before-you-start/). When candidates are on the job hunt, they’re typically pursuing multiple opportunities at once – if you wait too long to communicate your interest, they could have moved on to another opportunity by then. ### 3. Evaluate The only way to make great hires consistently is to evaluate consistently. One of the biggest mistakes hiring managers make is failing to create an [ideal candidate profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) before they post a job. This can be a simple document to help employers identify the skills, behaviors, and traits necessary to be successful in the role so that they know what to look for when evaluating candidates.Download our free ideal candidate profile template by clicking the button below. ### Free Ideal Candidate Profile Template Use the free candidate profile template designed by the Hiring Experts at CareerPlug for your own hiring needs. DOWNLOAD MY TEMPLATE A strong evaluation process should also include: * Having [pre-screening questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) in the job application * Requiring candidates to complete assessments to demonstrate their fitness for the role * Creating a standard set of [interview questions](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/) designed to reveal the behaviors you’re looking for * Conducting [reference and background checks](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/closing-the-deal-how-to-hire-the-right-person/) to verify your hiring decision ### 4. Automate A great hiring process should work like a well-oiled machine while producing predictable results. By automating tedious and repetitive hiring tasks, employers save time and create a consistent and positive experience for candidates. Businesses that score well in this category use tools that [automate the publishing of your jobs across multiple job boards at once](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/), send them alerts via email or text anytime a qualified candidate applies, automatically remove unqualified applicants, and send [new hire paperwork](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-forms/) and [onboarding materials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-onboarding-preparing-for-the-first-day/). --- ## How to Conduct a Lifeline Interview and Why You Should **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/lifeline-interviews/ * Posted on March 9, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris It’s no secret that making the right hires is crucial for running a successful business. A consistent [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) helps you accomplish this. Not only should a hiring process help you evaluate candidates, it should also provide a [positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) and get those candidates excited to join your team. At CareerPlug, as a [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/small-business-hiring-software/) company, we are in a unique position to “practice what we teach” with our hiring process and create exceptional candidate experiences that help us truly get to know our candidates _and_ show them we care about their professional development. A lifeline interview is the perfect way to do this. The purpose of a lifeline interview is for you and late stage candidates to get to know each other so you can both decide if it’s a good fit. Our lifeline interviews at CareerPlug consist of moving candidates down their timeline from past work and educational experience to future career vision. We also ask candidates to share any personal goals and dreams they have if they are comfortable doing so. These types of interviews have positively impacted [how we hire at CareerPlug](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ7gQegFgrg), so we want to share some tips for incorporating them into your own recruitment process. ### Why we conduct lifeline interviews at CareerPlug The lifeline interview sets us apart at CareerPlug and has become a cornerstone of our recruitment process. These interviews serve as an evaluation tool for us _and_ help candidates make their decision to join our team. ### Lifeline interviews help us make the right hires One important aspect of lifeline interviews is that they help us determine whether we will be able to help someone reach their career goals. We want to make sure we can give a candidate what’s important to them in the next few years. If their vision doesn’t align with the position and the available growth opportunities, it might not be a good fit. A lifeline interview can also help us get to know a candidate on a deeper level than [traditional interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/). The way someone frames their professional life story helps us see their journey from their perspective and can give us a better understanding of their level of self-awareness. What kind of mindset do they have? How do they approach their goals? These kinds of questions help us determine if it’s a good [culture fit](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-process-steps/) and whether a candidate has the right motivation and ability to do the job. Remember, not only are we evaluating candidates during interviews; they are evaluating us as well! A candidate with many options may be swayed by the lifeline interview since it shows we are invested in both their personal and professional growth. Becca Cinfio, a recently hired layout artist had this to say about how the lifeline interview influenced her decision to join the team: “I really appreciated the lifeline interview portion of the hiring process because it showed me that CareerPlug is going to invest in me as a PERSON, not just an employee. During the lifeline interview you’re asked to set goals for yourself, not just professional or skill-related goals, but for your personal life too. They ask about financial, interpersonal, and lifestyle dreams. They actually call them Dream Goals. I’ve never been asked that in a job interview before and seeing this more ‘human side’ of a company definitely affected my decision to join the team!” ### It’s part of our growth culture One of our[core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) at CarerPlug is “Keep Growing” and we truly do care about the success and [development of our employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/). Conducting lifeline interviews plays a big part in this. The lifeline interview has proven to be a positive exercise that helps people think their goals through, and we commit to helping our team reach those goals after the hiring process. Becca went on to say: “They don’t just write down your answers and keep them in a file never to be opened again. No! They revisit your goals with you every quarter — to see if you’re on track, to see if you’re happy, or if you need help or resources. Your manager makes sure you have the tools you need to be successful, not just at work, but in your personal life. CareerPlug really does value you as a whole person and being able to set goals in my personal life and have a company that supports those goals makes all the difference!” ### How to conduct lifeline interviews As you can see, a lifeline interview in your hiring process is a great way to help candidates understand your company better and give them insight into your core values. So how can you start including these interviews? Let’s walk through how we do it at CareerPlug. ### Steps of the lifeline interview We recommend conducting the lifeline interview toward the end of your hiring process with the hiring manager and possibly a member of your leadership or HR team. You and the candidate can think of this interview in two parts: “where you’ve been” and “where you’re headed.” Here is a high level overview of the steps in our lifeline interview and questions you might ask during each phase. #### “Where you’ve been” **1. Prologue** * What do you want us to know about your story leading up to your professional career? * Anything you want to tell us about where you’re from and what influenced who you are today? **2. Formal education** * Where did you go to school? What was that experience like? * What were the major lessons learned from that time? * Tell us about the transition from school into the workforce. **3. First chapters in professional life (first jobs in chronological order)** * Tell us about your experience working there. What did you like/not like about it? * Tell us about your manager. What would they say are your strengths and weaknesses? * What were the major lessons learned from that job? #### “Where you’re headed” **4. Vision for the future and how they plan to achieve it** * Tell me about what your best life looks like for your career in three years? What does that mean to you? * How do you think you will achieve this vision? Do you have any specific goals? * How does this make you feel? What word or words come to mind? **5. How they think your company fits into that vision** This might be the most important part of the lifeline interview. We sum it up with this big question: **Based on what you know about this career opportunity, can you see yourself accomplishing all of this while working here?** When in person, we used a whiteboard to help a candidate visualize their path from past to future. Now that we hire remotely, we share our screen so that candidates can see their trajectory as we talk through it. You might use a scorecard to evaluate during the interview. You can create customized scorecards in our [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) that helps you stay organized and evaluate candidates fairly. ### More tips for including a lifeline interview in your hiring process Our Senior Director of Human Resources, Natalie Morgan has conducted many lifeline interviews at CareerPlug. Her biggest tip for these types of interviews? “The framing of it is important. You need to share how you are going to conduct your interview and why, to foster a sense of trust and vulnerability.” She also adds, “Don’t grade someone on their willingness to open up and be vulnerable. I tell candidates to share whatever they are comfortable with when we ask about goals outside of work: hobbies, family, health, whatever is most important to them.” Finally, if you’re going to include lifeline interviews in your hiring process, be prepared to follow up with candidates that turn into employees and stay committed to helping them reach their professional goals. This commitment will help you hire and retain the best people for your team. As another recent hire, Ileanell Perez shares: “​​Going through the lifeline portion of the interview gave me insight into the company’s values. I immediately felt CareerPlug cared about me and my career. Having your values written on a wall or your website doesn’t define you — living them does.” ### Ready to optimize your hiring process? CareerPlug can help you automate hiring with evaluation tools, interview scheduling, and more. This helps you create a positive candidate experience and move your top choice candidates down the pipeline more quickly. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## The Franchise People Playbook **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/just-launched-franchise-people-playbook/ * Posted on February 19, 2026 * by Clint Smith When I finished writing [_How to Hire_](https://www.amazon.com/How-Hire-Essential-Recruit-Retain/dp/1645433242) in 2018, I told myself I was done writing books. It took a long time to get that one right, and honestly? I wasn’t eager to do it again. But over the past year, something kept nagging at me. I kept having the same conversation with franchisors and franchisees. Smart operators who had everything figured out except how to build a team that stays. Franchisors who were struggling to help their franchisees with hiring, worried about crossing legal lines that were never clearly drawn. I also couldn’t help but think about how much the proposed [American Franchise Act](https://www.careerplug.com/american-franchise-act-framework/), currently making its way through Congress, was about to change everything. So I started writing. And this time, it poured out. ### The missing system in franchising I wrote [_The Franchise People Playbook_](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/) because I kept seeing the same patterns across our franchise clients at CareerPlug. The successful ones (the operators growing to multiple units, hitting their numbers, actually taking time off) understand the fundamental importance of hiring and retaining a winning team. [Franchising](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/) has always been about systems. Operators get the proven business model, the brand recognition, the operational playbook. But franchisors don’t typically provide a system for how to build, grow, and keep a great team. For years, legal uncertainty around joint employer laws made franchisors nervous about getting too involved in helping franchisees with hiring. So they stayed out of it, even though the team that a franchisee builds is one of the biggest predictors of whether that franchisee will succeed or scale. ### A new book with concepts and strategies you can use immediately _The Franchise People Playbook_ introduces four core concepts and provides practical strategies to implement each one right away. Every idea comes with specific steps you can take this week. This is what actually works in franchise operations, distilled into practical actions: **The fifth P: People as your differentiator** Product, price, place, and promotion are identical across your franchise system. Your people are where you can actually stand out. I’ll show you how to make that your competitive advantage. **People first, profits follow** Stop chasing short-term labor savings and start investing in people who drive long-term profitability. Better hires stay longer, perform better, and cost less over time. The playbook shows you how to make this shift without blowing your budget. **Jobs to careers** The difference between filling shifts and building career paths shows up in your job posts, your interviews, your training, and your retention numbers. This section gives you the framework to make that transformation real. **The Multiplier Mindset** When you build a people process that works, you’re creating something that scales as you grow from one location to five to twenty. The playbook walks you through building systems that multiply your success instead of multiplying your headaches. ### Get your (free) copy now If you’re a franchisee ready to stop spinning your wheels on hiring and start building a team that scales with you, this book is your next step. If you’re a franchisor looking to give your operators the support they’ve been asking for, this is the framework that makes it possible. **Next week I’ll be at the International Franchise Association’s Annual Convention in Las Vegas signing and giving away free copies of****_The Franchise People Playbook_****.** **CareerPlug will be at booth 700.** **See you there?** --- ## 22 Restaurant Interview Questions Plus Interviewing Tips **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/restaurant-interview-questions/ * Posted on June 21, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris The restaurant industry is high energy and fast-paced. When you have an open role in your restaurant, you most likely need to fill it fast. Once you’ve crafted and posted the perfect [job description](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf), and finally start to get some applications rolling in, you can use interviews to [evaluate candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) and find the perfect person for your team. Excellent customer service is key along with skills like time management and multitasking. You may want someone that has experience in a similar role or be willing to take on someone with the right [growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/). **The following restaurant interview questions can help you find the candidate with the right experience and combination of skills to succeed in your open position.** Let’s start by covering the types of questions you might ask in an interview, then get into some restaurant industry-specific questions to help you get to know your candidates and find a good fit. ### Types of interview questions In an interview, you will typically ask questions that fall under four main categories: verification, opinion, behavioral, and random. CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgans explains this further in the video below: Let’s get into some example restaurant interview questions under each category. Asking a combination of these types will help you determine if someone has the skills, knowledge, and desire to succeed in your open role. ### Restaurant interview questions to help you make your next hire ### Verification questions These questions are used to verify a candidate’s credentials and experience. They can be thought of as “fact-based” questions. Ask a few verification questions to make sure you understand a candidate’s resume and skill set. * What dates were you employed at your previous job? * What restaurants have you worked in before? * What positions have you held in restaurants before? * What is your availability? * Describe your job responsibilities at the last restaurant you worked at. * Are you familiar with (_insert name_) point-of-sale software? * What education or training do you have related to the restaurant industry and this position? ### Opinion-based questions These questions ask about a candidate’s perspective (or opinion). Opinion questions can provide valuable insight into how a candidate thinks, what motivates them, what values they hold, and how they solve problems. * What do you like about working in the restaurant industry? * What is your favorite food dish? How would you describe it to a diner? * Can you describe your ideal restaurant work environment? * What types of wines pair well with our dinner entrees? * What are your career goals in this industry? * Tell me about your favorite past manager. What did you like most about them? ### Behavioral questions Behavioral questions ask for examples of how a candidate has behaved in the past. Assuming that past behavior is most indicative of future behavior, you can use behavioral questions to predict a candidate’s success in a new role and to evaluate their problem solving skills. * Tell me about a time you had a really difficult customer. How did you handle the situation? * Tell me about a time you made a mistake while working in a restaurant. How did you resolve the issue? * How do you typically remember your customer’s orders? * Our restaurant can get really busy. Tell me about a time you worked well under pressure. * Have you ever gone above and beyond to enhance someone’s dining experience? * Tell me about a time when you went the extra mile to help someone on your team. ### Random questions Random questions, as the name implies, are catch-all deviations from traditional questions. Random and problem-solving questions fade into and out of popularity, but there can be some merit in throwing one into your interview to gauge skills like creativity, the ability to maintain composure under pressure, and comfort with vulnerability. One or two of these are fine, but you’ll typically learn much more about a candidate from the first three types of questions. * What would the title of your life story be? * What do you do outside of work? * What is your biggest pet peeve? ### More interview tips In our [2023 Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we found that a “**negative experience with people in the interview process” was one of the main reasons**[**candidates turned down a job**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-candidates-turn-down-job-offers/)**.** So in order to get more of your top choice candidates to say yes to your offers, you need to not only think about your interview questions – you also need to focus on conducting great interviews. Here are some of our best tips: * Make sure all interviewers are prepared for interviews and stay present and engaged throughout. * Create a warm, welcoming experience for candidates coming in to interview. * Avoid asking candidates to participate in [one-way video interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/one-way-video-interview/). * **Allow candidates to schedule their own interviews when it’s convenient for them using**[**automated interview scheduling**.](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) Kick off a great candidate experience before the interviews begin by using CareerPlug’s automated interview scheduling tool, Autopilot, which instantly sends your qualified applicants a text (or email if they’ve opted out of texting) with a link to book an interview directly on your calendar. To learn more about how Autopilot makes scheduling easier for both managers and candidates, watch the video below with CareerPlug’s president, Jenny Leman: The right restaurant interview questions can help you effectively evaluate candidates for your role. And moving candidates down your pipeline quicker with automated interview scheduling can help you get more of the best candidates to say yes to your job offers. Happy hiring! ### Hire Faster with CareerPlug You’ve got way more on your plate than filling open roles. Let CareerPlug’s hiring automations take some items off your to-do list and help you find the right person quickly. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## 5 Offer Letter Templates to Help You Make Your Next Hire **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/offer-letter-templates/ * Posted on December 1, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris You’ve made it through the time-consuming stages of the [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/), from job posting to interviews, to candidate evaluations. You’ve found the right person for the job, and you can’t wait to have them join your team. There’s just one thing left to do! It’s time to craft the perfect offer letter. #### Table of Contents 1. [What is an offer letter?](https://www.careerplug.com/offer-letter-templates/#what-is) 2. [What should be included in offer letters?](https://www.careerplug.com/offer-letter-templates/#included) 3. [Offer letter templates](https://www.careerplug.com/offer-letter-templates/#templates) 4. [Tips for delivering your offer letter](https://www.careerplug.com/offer-letter-templates/#delivery-tips) At CareerPlug, we know that the offer letter is one last step in providing a [positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) so that you can [close the deal](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/closing-the-deal-how-to-hire-the-right-person/) with your top candidates. That’s why **we created five offer letter templates that you can use in a variety of circumstances to make the final stage of your hiring process a little easier**. Use these offer letter templates as a guidepost to ensure professionalism and feel confident that you’re including all the right information for your new hires. ### What is an offer letter? Though a job offer can be made verbally to candidates, it’s also important to put an offer in writing in the form of an offer letter. **An offer letter outlines the details of an offer with specific information about the role. Sending offer letters to candidates is how you officially make sure they are interested in the role and that they agree to the job terms.** For some great tips on putting together your offer and presenting it to your soon-to-be new hire, check out this video from our Senior Director of Human Resources, Natalie Morgan: ### What should be included in offer letters? Offer letters can be customized to fit your needs as a company. You can add personal touches that align with your company’s [brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) and [values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/), but there are a few things offer letters in most circumstances should always include like: * Job title * Type of employment (full-time or part-time) * Start date * Compensation * Benefits * [At-will statements](https://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/at-will-employment-overview.aspx#:~:text=Employment%20relationships%20are%20presumed%20to,all%20U.S.%20states%20except%20Montana.&text=At%2Dwill%20means%20that%20an,reason%20without%20incurring%20legal%20liability.) (for all states but Montana) Some other elements you might add: * Any contingencies (like background checks or drug screens) * Company logo * Job description * Work schedule * Bonus information * Offer letter expiration date ### Offer letter templates We have created a variety of templates for you to choose from so that you can find one that’s right for the position you are hiring for. Under each template section, you’ll see two options. **To download a PDF version of each offer letter, click the blue button**. You can edit these using a PDF editor or by simply copy and pasting the content into a new document. Alternatively, **if you click on the Microsoft Word template button, a Word doc will download right to your computer** that you will be able to edit in Word. ### General offer letter template For most positions, this general offer letter template should do the trick. This example of an offer letter shows that it’s ok to keep it simple and leaves plenty of room for customization. [PDF Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/General-Offer-Letter-Template.pdf) [Microsoft word template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/General-Offer-Letter-Template.docx) ### Internal/promotion offer letter template It’s a good idea to send an offer letter even when you are offering a job to someone that already works for your company. Your employee will likely already be aware of the details of the role, but be sure to include information like the title of their new position, new compensation, and other relevant changes. Give your employee time to review this internal change or promotion and be sure to make yourself available for answering any questions. Here’s a template that you can use when sending an offer letter to someone that already works for your company. [PDF Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Internal_Promotion-Offer-Letter-Template.pdf) [Microsoft word Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Internal_Promotion-Offer-Letter-Template.docx) ### Formal offer letter template For certain companies and positions, you might be inclined to draft a more formal offer letter. This kind of letter is usually more comprehensive with a highly professional tone. Small touches, like breaking your offer letter into sections (as seen in our template) or even including a table of contents can make an offer letter more formal, perfect for those top choice candidates that you are offering an important role within your company. [PDf Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Formal-Offer-Letter-Template.pdf) [Microsoft word Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Formal-Offer-Letter-Template.docx) ### Casual offer letter template Though offer letters are professional types of correspondence, they don’t all have to be formal. If you’re looking for an offer letter that gets the point across in a more casual way, then this template is right for you. [Pdf Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Informal_Casual-Offer-Letter-Template.pdf) [Microsoft word Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Informal_Casual-Offer-Letter-Template.docx) ### Internship offer letter template If you are adding an intern to the team, it’s a good idea to send an offer letter that outlines the details of this position. Since many internships are unpaid, this offer will be a little different. [PDf Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Internship-Offer-Letter.pdf) [Microsoft word Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Internship-Offer-Letter.docx) ### Tips for delivering your offer letter **58% of candidates turn down offers due to a negative [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-is-candidate-experience/)**, so make sure you’re keeping a strong candidate experience until the very end, even at the offer stage. Delivery of the offer is just as important as the offer itself. Don’t send an offer letter without a conversation. Invite candidates in to deliver your offer in person or schedule a video call to present your offer virtually. At CareerPlug, we schedule a quick meeting with candidates to go over the details of the offer and answer any additional questions they might have. This is a good time to let candidates know when we need an answer and that we are available to answer any other questions as candidates consider the offer. Show enthusiasm when presenting your offer to candidates. We like to make the offer conversation feel like a big deal — because it is! If you are transparent in earlier stages of the hiring process regarding elements of the role like [compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/), [benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-benefits-post-pandemic/), and job responsibilities, then the offer letter should just be reinstating things your final stage candidates already know. Candidates appreciate this transparency and it can help you feel more confident that candidates you send offers to will accept. If you are sensing hesitation with your candidate, it’s ok to ask them if they are weighing other options or if they’re willing to share what’s holding them back. Remember, not everyone is going to be a match for your company, and that’s ok. You can learn something from every hiring process and make adjustments as you go. The offer letter is one of the many important stages in a good hiring process and a positive candidate experience. We hope that these offer letter templates will be helpful for the next letter you need to send. Happy hiring! --- ## How to Create a Performance Improvement Plan That Works **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/performance-improvement-plan/ * Posted on September 13, 2021 * by Natalie Morgan Performance Improvement Plans are metaphorical death sentences in the workplace. Many managers and employees view Performance Improvement Plans as a formality before termination. It’s that process HR forces upon us so we have our liabilities covered and are technically abiding by the discipline process in our employee handbook. Do they work? No. Not with that attitude. In this article, I want to cover what performance improvement plans are supposed to be, why we often get them all wrong, and what we can do as people managers to effectively coach our underperforming employees. #### Table of Contents 1. [What is a Performance Improvement Plan?](https://www.careerplug.com/performance-improvement-plan/#PIP-1) 2. [Performance Improvement Plan Template](https://www.careerplug.com/performance-improvement-plan/#PIP-2) 3. [Performance Improvement Plan Example](https://www.careerplug.com/performance-improvement-plan/#PIP-2-B) 4. [When Performance Improvement Plans Don’t Work](https://www.careerplug.com/performance-improvement-plan/#PIP-3) 5. [How to Create Effective Performance Improvement Plans](https://www.careerplug.com/performance-improvement-plan/#PIP-4) ### What is a Performance Improvement Plan? A Performance Improvement Plan (or PIP), is a document managers create for employees who are not meeting their job expectations. The document will usually include examples of poor performance, corrective behavior required, resources available to the employee, and a timeline for improvement. It’s a coaching tool with higher stakes – a performance improvement plan is typically the final step before termination. ### Performance Improvement Plan Template ### Free Performance Improvement Plan Template Download our free Performance Improvement Plan template designed by the Hiring Experts at CareerPlug to help you guide conversations with your employees. [DOWNLOAD THE TEMPLATE](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Performance-Improvement-Plan-Template.pdf) ### Performance Improvement Plan Example Let’s look at an example. Say you have an employee, Naomi, who is frequently late to work. As Naomi’s boss, your first step is creating clarity for Naomi on your expectations through direct feedback. You explain to Naomi that arriving on time is part of her job responsibilities and important to your business operations. You ask Naomi if there’s anything preventing her from being on time. If there’s a legitimate barrier, you might problem-solve together. Then, have Naomi commit to a plan to arriving on time. **That’s the first step for nearly any performance issue: a direct conversation.** In many cases, this will solve the problem. But let’s say Naomi is on time for the next week, but then backslides into old patterns. That’s strike two. Another conversation is needed to explain that if the tardiness continues it could impact her job security. You owe it to Naomi to repeat your expectations and the need for improvement. If the problem persists, that’s when you need to be crystal clear. At its best, a performance improvement plan creates clarity for both managers and employees. You prepare the written plan and review it with Naomi. You talk about what you’re willing to do to help her improve and explain what will happen if she does not. It’s all in writing. You follow through on your commitments. Now it’s up to her. In one world, Naomi meets the expectations of the plan and she stays on as a great employee. In another, Naomi’s attendance issues are not solved and you part ways with her. In her book _Dare to Lead_, Brené Brown writes, **“Clear is kind – unclear is unkind. Not getting clear with a colleague about your expectations because it feels too hard, yet holding them accountable or blaming them for not delivering is unkind.”** Performance Improvement Plans are kind. Except, when they are not. ### When Performance Improvement Plans Don’t Work The common advice for an employee handed a performance improvement plan is simple: start looking for a new job. _A PIP isn’t to help you, it’s to get rid of you_. As managers, as organizations, we give PIPs a bad reputation. Because most of us are _doing it all wrong._ Here’s how we’re failing our struggling employees when we present them with a performance improvement plan: 1. **Unclear expectations.**We want Kyle to be a high-performing team member, but we’re not sure what that looks like. We don’t outline clear metrics, deliverables, or behaviors for Kyle. We figure we’ll know “high performing” when we see it. 2. **No prior feedback****_._**We save up all of Kyle’s mistakes and document proof of his shortcomings over months, but the first time Kyle hears about it is in the performance improvement plan. We reason he should have just _known_ he wasn’t performing well. 3. **The decision has been made.**We’ve already made up our minds that we want Kyle gone. We knew long before the PIP that there is nothing Kyle could do to prove himself. It’s merely a formality at this point. Let’s check this HR box and start hiring his replacement. That final point – you’ve already decided to fire someone – is the ultimate failure of PIPs.**The biggest mistake I’ve seen managers make is waiting too long to seriously manage performance issues.**You go back and forth on how you feel about Kyle’s performance. You hired him and are ashamed it’s not going well. You like him and want to protect him. You are uncomfortable giving him direct feedback. Whatever the reason for the delay, eventually it becomes too much _not_ to do something. Having an underperforming employee is hurting the rest of your team and maybe even driving away your top performers. Maybe you see how much easier it would be to achieve your goals with an employee who could do the job better. You are done. But wait, don’t you need to do a PIP first? If that’s where you are, you have failed not only that employee but your team and your business. Okay. That’s harsh. But I want to talk about how to create effective performance improvement plans and to do _that_ you have to start from this foundation:**performance improvement plans should give underperforming employees opportunities to succeed.** If that’s not where you are, it’s better to be upfront. Whether that’s terminating the employee with some extra pay in lieu of notice, talking about a plan for them to transition out in the next couple of weeks, or whatever makes sense for your circumstances that protect your business and current team while letting the employee exit with dignity. Bottom line: if you’re just going through the motions with performance improvement plans, they’ll never work. ### How to Create Effective Performance Improvement Plans One more time: performance improvement plans should give underperforming employees opportunities to succeed. That means, first and foremost, that you need to have performance improvement conversations with your team earlier than you think.**Coaching should be a regular part of managing your team, and when you first see a performance issue you start providing feedback.** Remember, one direct conversation can often solve the problem. If it doesn’t, begin closely managing performance improvement while you still believe in their success, not after you’ve given up on them. Here’s how to create an effective performance plan to set employees up for success: 1. **Document clear examples of underperformance.** Metrics are easiest here, for example: meeting sales quota or resolving X support cases per week. If it’s a behavior issue, refer to specific examples in the plan i.e. “Naomi arrived over thirty minutes late for work on [these dates]” rather than “Naomi is always late”. 2. **Understand what success looks like.** What performance metric do they need to achieve? What behavior do they need to exhibit? Be as clear and specific as possible. 3. **Offer resources.**As the manager, your job is to help them be successful. How are you going to check in with them on the progress of the PIP? Will you offer additional meetings and coaching? Will you provide them with retraining or additional educational materials? 4. **Set a clear timeline.**Layout the timeline for improvement. Some PIPs are 30 days. Some are 90 days. What makes sense for your business and what you’re asking them to accomplish? 5. **Be clear.** Tell the employee that their job may be in jeopardy if they fail to complete the expectations of the plan. 6. **Get the employee’s commitment.** Express your commitment, and ask them if they can commit to following through with this plan. It’s a tough conversation, so you can let them sleep on it if needed and revisit with them the next day. If they decide not to commit, you can mutually decide to part ways. Remember: the number one recruiting strategy is [retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/). It’s worth the effort to determine if your underperforming employees can become more engaged and motivated to succeed in their current role with increased support and direction from leadership. You’ll still inevitably terminate some employees. Not everyone will be the right fit for your team. But you’ll part ways knowing you gave them a real shot at correcting their performance with your full support.That’s something the rest of your employees will see and appreciate. --- ## The Importance of Indeed **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/the-importance-of-indeed/ * Posted on September 29, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Indeed is the #1 job site in the world with over 180 million unique job seekers visiting the site each month. So if your job postings are not on Indeed, think about the number of qualified candidates who are not viewing your jobs. CareerPlug partners with Indeed to allow our users to advertise current positions directly on the site. Candidates will find your postings and click to apply via your CareerPlug account. **Here’s why we love Indeed:** **Simple Search** The job search process can be incredibly overwhelming and tedious. With Indeed, a Google-like search engine for jobs, applicants find it easy to search. Applicants search by keywords, job titles, company name and by city, state or zip. And this is how it works for applicants around the world – no matter where they are, they search for what they want and where they want to do it. **Mobile Friendly** In this market, more job seekers are using their mobile devices to search. Over 50% of Indeed’s traffic comes from mobile and their app has been downloaded over 46 million times globally.Employers who add [Indeed Apply](https://www.indeed.com/hire/indeed-apply) to their jobs make it easy for job seekers to apply through mobile. Mobile job search is an essential part of the process since [59% of applicants](https://www.glassdoor.com//blog/9-10-job-seekers-search-jobs-mobile-glassdoor-state-mobile-job-search-survey/) believe they have a better chance of being considered if they apply as soon as the job posted. Applicants want the ability to search for jobs, save jobs, and receive alerts about job openings and Indeed’s mobile platform is built with this in mind. **Proven Results** Research has shown that Indeed is the leading source of external hires. According to a study by [SilkRoad](https://blog.indeed.com/2015/04/29/indeed-helps-more-people-get-hired-than-any-other-job-site/), Indeed is the primary source of interviews and hires with 52% of interviews and 54% of all external hiring coming from Indeed. With the tracking and analytics on CareerPlug, we see the majority of hires made by our clients come from Indeed as well: We are proud that Indeed is our partner in making hiring easier! _Taylor Wilson is one of CareerPlug’s Dedicated Account Managers._ --- ## Taming Office Pet Peeves **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/taming-office-pet-peeves/ * Posted on August 6, 2015 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Respect and success work hand in hand in the office, in fact they’re dependent on one another. Office mannerisms, or unspoken rules of the workplace, are kept in place to create flow and balance for everyone hard at work. What happens when that harmony is disrupted? I’m talking about certain disturbances caused by your not-so-aware coworker. That’s right: office pet peeves. Here’s how to spot them and so that you can become aware of yours or another’s actions. After all, the office is a communal space shared by everyone, and people should treat it as such. News agency, [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/article/2010/02/10/us-office-idUSTRE6192S520100210), researched from a sample of 1,800 employees what exactly bothers them the most in the office. Before you become _that employee,_ you should be mindful of a couple things that might bother a co-worker. Here are some of their findings: **The Kitchen** Strong smells, dirty dishes, and not fully turning the faucet off. You’d think cleaning up after yourself would be an easy concept for people to grasp. Not washing your dishes in a company kitchen is disgusting and borderline unprofessional. The same goes for strong smelling foods. Don’t be the person that stinks up the whole office. Be mindful of everyone in the office, and leave the extra garlic pasta at home. As for the sink faucet being left on, you don’t have to be an environmentalist to want the best for your company. You can, however, make sure to fully turn off the sink before heading back to your desk. **Loud Noises** Making an unreasonable amount of noise is a sure way to annoy everyone around you. I’m not saying that you need to be a mouse in the office. In fact, casual talk and humor is encouraged in the office setting. I’m talking about noise levels that equate to a distraction. Loud noise can get annoying fast. Like, real quick. Besides cutting down productivity, being obnoxious on the phone can make coworkers feel disrespected. Using the speaker option to talk or listen to voicemails are simple examples of this pet peeve. Or those people who chew their food/gum/ice just a little too loudly… **Not replacing something** Not replacing something has become NOTORIOUS and is listed as a huge dis-pleaser among employees, so much that it is listed as a top pet peeve among workspaces. Whether it’s replacing the paper cartridge when the printer’s empty, making a new batch of coffee after taking the last cup, or letting someone know there’s no more paper towels/ toilet paper. Paying it forward by replacing something is a fundamental act of showing respect for those you work with. Nobody wants to be the person to find out something’s empty/missing/or insufficient. Just replace something, don’t be _that_ coworker. **Work time as personal time** Using work time as personal time. Pretty self-explanatory. Almost everyone has encountered this person. The co-worker who just can’t differentiate when to be professional and when to log onto Facebook every 15 minutes to post a youtube video. While these type of employees don’t typically last too long in the office, their actions can be a pet peeve to the rest of the workspace. Every now and then, it’s expected to take a personal call or log onto Instagram during lunch. That’s perfectly fine. We are all human– personal time is personal time, but it shouldn’t consume all (or most) of work time. **Grumpy or moody colleagues** Finally… the number one rated office pet peeve according to a survey by [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/article/2010/02/10/us-office-idUSTRE6192S520100210). Moods change like the weather, and no one wants to be influenced by a pessimistic team member. A whopping [37%](https://www.reuters.com/article/2010/02/10/us-office-idUSTRE6192S520100210) of employees across the workforce listed grumpy colleagues as their number one office annoyance. A negative influencer, or “Debbie Downer” of the office, can lower productivity, create stress, and lead to potential arguments. While loud noises and dirty dishes are more easy to brush off, a negative attitude can linger on and on. Pet peeves can be avoided by being mindful in the office and making sure respect is being communicated. Do you have an office pet peeve that didn’t make the list? Tweet your office pet peeve to CareerPlug’s Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug) _Justin Zuniga is CareerPlug’s sales & marketing intern._ --- ## The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Owning a Franchise **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-buy-a-franchise/ * Posted on April 27, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris If you want to own a business, but don’t want to take on the risk that comes with building a new brand, franchise ownership may be the best path for you. Franchise owners benefit from having the reputation and resources of a larger corporation, while still being able to run an individual store as their own business. This isn’t to say that franchise owners will not have their own set of issues; there will still be problems to work through as a franchisee. If you’re new to the world of franchise ownership and want to learn how to get started, this step-by-step guide is for you! ### Step 1: Conduct preliminary research. One of the most important steps to becoming a successful franchise owner is selecting the _right_ franchise. Before just jumping into the first franchise that you qualify for, you should do some preliminary research to truly understand everything about the franchise. ### Identify your interests Before conducting any deep company research, take a step back and think about yourself first. What industries interest you? Do you have any prior experience that would lead you to run a certain type of business over another? Make sure that the franchise you pursue is in an industry that you feel passionate about – because that passion can be the fuel that keeps you going when times get tough The most common industry for franchise ownership is the hospitality sector, but there are [franchises available in almost every industry today](https://www.franchise.org/what-are-the-most-common-franchised-industries). Some of the other popular industries to own a franchise are service-related fields (HVAC, Mechanics), retail stores, and wellness-related services. ### Conduct franchise-specific research Once you’ve narrowed down your franchise industry, you’ll need to look through the specifics of each franchisor. Just like any other business, not every franchise is built the same, and one may be more aligned with your skillset and strengths than another. As you get started, check out franchise research tools to get a quick snapshot of the most important information about each franchise. We recommend using the [IFA’s Franchise Database tool](https://www.franchise.org/franchise-opportunities), where you can easily see important information about each franchise. As you research prospective franchises, consider: * **Location —**Location is extremely important when selecting a franchise. Certain franchises only operate in specific geographical locations while others may have a limit of how many can operate in one area. * **Costs —**One of the biggest drawbacks of owning a franchise is the high-startup costs. Each franchise will come with its own financial requirements that an applicant must meet to qualify for ownership. Check out [this guide](https://www.thebalancesmb.com/most-popular-food-franchises-and-how-much-they-cost-1350254) to get a breakdown of the cost of ownership for the most popular food franchises. * **Reviews —**Try to track down owner reviews about each franchise group. Certain franchises will have higher success rates than others due to better support from management. After you have reviewed everything, you should have a shortlist of franchises to contact to discuss applying for ownership. ### Step 2: Determine franchise costs. For this example, let’s say you want to become an Ace Hardware franchise owner. An applicant must have $250,000 in liquid capital, with a net worth of at least $400,000. On top of that, you must also be able to afford $5,000 in franchise fees and other smaller startup costs. Most people will not have over $500,000 laying around to become a franchisee. Luckily, there are a few financing options available. Some common ways to fund your franchise include: ### Franchisor financing If you need some financial assistance, certain franchises offer financing through their own lending services. These services are a great one-stop shop for prospective owners, but getting approved can be very difficult. ### SBA loan options The small business administration offers a range of options to help prospective franchise owners handle the upfront costs of becoming an owner. The [SBA 504 loan](https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/504-loans) offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) can provide applicants with up to three million dollars and with long repayment options. ### Alternative business loans Online-based business loans have become an increasingly popular option within the business lending space. These [small business loans](https://www.credibly.com/small-business-loans/) can be a great option for applicants who do not qualify for funding through traditional lenders. Not every franchise is going to be as expensive as a national brand like Ace Hardware, but the fact is, investing in any franchise will require you to have a strong financial backing. ### Step 3: Complete the application process. After you’ve reviewed all the prospective franchises available to you, it’s time to pick one and apply to become a franchisee. The franchise application process is thorough, and it should be approached with the utmost caution and care. A franchise application will usually ask you for very specific information about your financial situation, work history, and reasons for applying for a franchise. Applying for a franchise is like applying for any other job, except you are the boss – which is why franchise groups will be extremely thorough when vetting potential franchisees in the application process. **Pro tip:**Many prospective franchise owners find it useful to consult a legal expert to help guide them through the application process. This ensures that you’re asking all the right questions and taking any legal repercussions into consideration before you commit to buying a franchise. After you fill out the application, if the franchisor is interested, they will provide you with the [Franchise Disclosure Document](https://www.franchiselawsolutions.com/fdd/), or the FDD. An FDD features twenty-three sections that provide you with all the legal, financial, and business information that you will need to become an owner. Essentially, the FDD completely lays out the agreement between a franchisor and an individual owner. Again, it would be wise to bring in a franchise lawyer to help understand the more intricate legal details of the agreement. ### Step 4: Attend the franchise discovery day. If you’re invited, it’s a good idea to attend the franchise discovery day for the franchise you want to purchase. A [franchise discovery day](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254864) can be thought of as an extended recruiting visit. The franchisor is attempting to further gauge a candidate, while the candidate should be feeling out what it would be like to work for the franchise. Make sure to do your research before attending the discovery day. You will want to treat this as an extension of the application process. Sometimes, franchisors will be choosing between a few candidates and the discovery day could influence the decision. Some questions to ask during the discovery day are: * Do you support multi-location ownership? * Have there been any franchise terminations as of late? * What are your three-year and five-year growth plans? Bringing questions will show the franchisor that you are serious about becoming an owner. ### Step 5: Close the deal and open up shop! If you have made it to this point, _congratulations!_ Becoming a franchise owner is no small feat, but just know, the work has just begun. Just like with any other business, starting a franchise from scratch can come with some early challenges. You’ll have to build out each department yourself, and it can be intimidating when just starting out. ### Make the right hires Hiring will be a crucial component determining your early success. Having the right people in the right roles is fundamental to any business, but especially in the early days of a new business. Your first employees will create your business’ early reputation in your community and can set the tone for your workplace culture going forward. **Pro tip:**Make sure you’ve established your [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) early and use them as a guidepost when hiring. Without having a dedicated HR team, it can be difficult for a [small business](https://www.careerplug.com/small-business-hiring-software/) owner to manage their own hiring efforts because they’re so focused on a million other things when launching and running a business. Using [franchise hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchise-hiring-software/) can save you time and money while equipping you with all the tools you need to attract and hire the right people for your roles –not just “warm bodies in seats.” As you start to hire, your new business will begin to feel like it’s coming together. ### Start marketing One of the biggest benefits of owning a franchise is that you’ll already have an established customer base. Not having to build up a brand from scratch will help you save time and money when it comes to marketing. While you won’t need to spend money on logo creation or web design (the franchise group will do all that for you), you should still make sure local marketing efforts are driving local engagement. As a new business in town, it will be important to get listed on any local business directories and on Google. Before opening, consider getting out in the community and having some sort of grand opening event. Local communities usually support a new venture and will be curious to check out the new business in town. ### Step 6: Set your business up for future success. The first year of your business will be the most important in determining your success. Every few months, take a step back and look at the current state of the franchise. How does your performance compare with other franchises in the area? To ensure continued success, always try to solicit local feedback about your business. Your customers will often be able to identify areas of improvement before you can. It’s also a good idea to meet with other members of your franchise group quarterly to make sure that you are aligned in business practices and keep your finger on the pulse of current market trends. Owning a franchise can seem intimidating at first, and we won’t lie:it’s hard work. But it can also be a rewarding career path for independent entrepreneurs who are up to the challenge. ### 2021 Recruiting Metrics Report: Franchise Hiring by Industry Learn what the current hiring and recruiting landscape looks like for franchise owners by downloading our free 2021 Recruiting Metrics Report. GET MY FREE PDF DOWNLOAD --- ## Getting It Done: Effective Goal Setting in the Workplace **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/getting-done-effective-goal-setting-workplace/ * Posted on September 22, 2014 * by Natalie Morgan From writing a daily or weekly to-do list to committing to a marathon training schedule, most of us regularly set goals in our life. But personally and professionally, less of us have found the right ingredients to achieve those goals. The runner gets tired of waking up at 5 am and a to-do list scribbled on a post-it note is easy to crumble up and throw away. Determining our goals and effectively seeing them through is an acquired skill, and when goal-setting is successfully integrated into a work environment the company and employees can all benefit. Clearly defined work goals can give meaning to the routine of quarterly feedback, deadlines, and reports. As an owner or manager the best thing you can do is set your own goals for your company and team and empower your employees to do the same. This enables each employee, team, and department to drive their own success within a company. But where are they driving to? What’s at the end of the journey? Certainly there needs to be smaller, attainable goals along the way, but there also needs to be The Goal. Here at CareerPlug we utilize [Franklin Covey’s idea of a Wildly Important Goal or WIG from their 4DX methodology](https://www.forbes.com/sites/danschawbel/2012/04/23/the-4-disciplines-of-business-execution/). This is a long-term, reach goal that every other goal is helping you to achieve. WIG’s operate through all levels of the organization, but the company WIG generally informs all those below it. For example, a company WIG might be to bring in $1 billion of revenue and a department goal might be to bring in a portion of that or to implement a new system that attracts new business. As an individual your goal might be slightly different, perhaps to become the head of your department. To achieve that, you might make smaller goals to increase your skill set, innovate within your current position, and network with higher level employees. To accomplish those you’d need even small milestones and on and on. The point is to create small attainable successes as you work on a long-term goal that might span over years. The starting point is to identify what it is you’re really after. Or you could just take Calvin’s philosophy… But as anyone who’s ever made a New Year’s Resolution knows, goals are easily unraveled. New priorities come up, you can’t find the time to work towards your goal, or you don’t even know where to start. To see something through, you need a plan, you need supporters, and you need to _want_ it. **The Plan:**Clearly define each level of your goals from your WIG to your weekly commitments. For reference, the[SMARTER Method](https://managementhelp.org/employeeperformance/goal-setting.htm) is probably the most popular. This method defined the parameters for writing a goal: it needs to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timely, Extending capabilities, and Rewarding. Keep your goals visible and spend time evaluating your progress each week. **The Supporters:**Whether you’re the CEO or an entry level employee you need people to have your back and encourage you to succeed. Tell others about your goals. As a company the goals should be well communicated through all levels of the organization and as a team member you should let your colleagues and managers in on your goals. Not only will they hold you accountable, but they can act as great resources along the way. **Wanting It:**Have you ever heard about someone who climbed a mountain, wrote a book, or started a business who didn’t _really really_ _want_ to? If you are not invested in your goals, you’ll probably care very little if they are ever accomplished. As a company, the challenge is to inspire that same dedication you have to your WIG to all levels of your business. If you work for a company who is not communicative, you can always set goals within your department or team. Company culture plays a huge role in successful goal setting and completion, but even if you’re not happy with your company’s objectives or values, you can still focus on your own professional success. It’s important to remember that goals can change. Industries shift, new priorities arise, or goals just don’t get met on time. In this case, flexibility is your best weapon. And your small goals along the way will show you just how much you have accomplished, even if you fall short of a stretch goal. It’s always better to fail at attaining an ambitious WIG than to never reach beyond your comfort zone. As a final note, it’s good to acknowledge intrinsic motivation as well. This goal-setting method may not work for you, but you have the equal potential to be successful. To that, this[blog post](https://whatedsaid.wordpress.com/2014/08/31/10-alternatives-to-goal-setting/) from educator Edna Sackson is good food for thought. Do you set goals at your workplace? What are the best methods you’ve found for following through? For more articles and tips follow us on Twitter [@CareerPlug](https://twitter.com/CareerPlug). --- ## How to Improve Your Employee Engagement Survey Response Rate **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/survey-response-rate/ * Posted on May 16, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Employee engagement surveys are vital for keeping tabs on how your employees are doing and improving the morale of your organization, but getting participation can be a challenging task. What’s your average engagement survey response rate? And are you ready to improve it? We have some tips that can help! ### Importance of employee engagement surveys Before you throw in the towel because of a poor survey response rate, let us remind you of how important it is to make sure your workforce is engaged. Engaged employees are more productive and miss less work. **Research shows that companies with poor engagement scores earn an operating income that is**[**32.7% lower than companies**](https://decision-wise.com/show-me-the-money-the-roi-of-employee-engagement/#:~:text=Engaged%20companies%20grow%20profits%20as,likely%20to%20leave%20the%20organization.)**with more engaged employees**. Employee engagement is also a cornerstone of a good retention strategy. Employees who are engaged are more likely to stick around and have higher job satisfaction rates. Employee engagement surveys give you the insight you need to identify concerns and [improve engagement](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/) among your team. They help your employees feel heard and show them that you care about making positive changes to the workplace. Ultimately, employee engagement surveys are a great tool in helping your employees and your business grow. ### What’s a good survey response rate? You may be aiming for a 100% total survey response rate, but actually, some HR experts warn that 100% response rates might be a sign of coercion more than enthusiastic employees. More than likely, your response rate is falling much lower than 100% and it’s understandable that you’d want a higher rate so that you can get the most accurate picture of how your employees are feeling and doing. A good rate for you will depend on the size of your company. Instead of aiming for a specific number, look for an **improved response rate over time**, with a little more participation in each new survey than in the last. Let’s talk about the specific strategies to help you accomplish this. ### How to improve employee participation in surveys Just like you, your employees are busy. Engagement surveys feel like just another item on their to-do list. But with the right approach, you can get employees to recognize the value of these surveys and improve your survey response rate overtime. ### Promote your survey before launching it As with most new initiatives in the workplace, **overcommunication is key.**An employee that sees a survey pop up in their inbox with little context or preparation is most likely going to ignore it and move on. Before you ever launch your employee engagement surveys, make sure you’re promoting them to your team and telling them what to expect. Make sure they understand how to participate, how you’ll be using the data, whether the surveys are anonymous, and how often they should expect them. Use a few different channels to communicate about the survey. For example, you might send an email about it, write a slack or company wide text, and have managers distill the information in their team meetings as well. ### Keep the surveys short and easy Though it can be enticing to gather as much information as you can in one go-round, shorter surveys can be more effective at getting participation. We recommend **regular pulse surveys** which are shorter and more frequent. Pulse surveys are really useful for monitoring trends over time. They can help you make data-driven decisions and track the impact changes you make are having on employee engagement and satisfaction. Plus, shorter, more regular surveys are less intimidating for employees and help them provide their feedback on a continuous basis. With [CareerPlug’s newest feature, Pulse,](https://www.careerplug.com/pulse/) employees can also easily complete surveys from their phones or tablets making it even more convenient. ### Send automated reminders There’s a pretty good chance that your employees aren’t actively ignoring surveys, they may just have forgotten or let the survey get lost in their inbox. It’s a good idea to nudge your employees with**regular survey reminders**. A good engagement survey tool can automate these reminders for you – like CareerPlug’s Pulse, which will send your employees automated weekly reminders to help keep your surveys top of mind. ### Create a culture of feedback If [giving and receiving feedback](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/) isn’t a fundamental part of your culture, your team may have a hard time understanding the importance of surveys or feel uncomfortable offering their own feedback. In addition to regular engagement surveys, make sure that you’re encouraging feedback and transparency in other ways. You might consider offering workshops around feedback and communication in the workplace. Consider creating other pathways where employees can give and receive feedback, so that it’s a company norm. Make sure managers are bought into this as well. Have them remind their teams when an employee engagement survey is due, and lead by example when it comes to creating a culture of transparency and candor. ### Show employees how you are using the data It’s not enough to just gather insights from your employees. You then need to use that data to make positive changes. After surveys are launched, be transparent with your employees about the trends you’re seeing and how you plan to address their concerns. Making your employees feel like their voices are being heard will go a long way in encouraging them to continue participating and keeping them engaged. Being transparent with this information supports your effort to improve feedback initiatives and strengthens your [company culture.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) ### Improve employee engagement with CareerPlug Most business owners and managers understand the importance of employee engagement, but struggle to make the time for employee engagement initiatives. It can be even more frustrating with such initiatives, like employee surveys, are met with little participation. CareerPlug gives busy managers the tools they need to improve engagement and retention. Pulse surveys help you check in with your employees on a regular basis, by giving employees an easy way to share their feedback and automatically sending survey reminders to increase survey response rates. To learn more about CareerPlug, take a tour of the software, by clicking the button below. [Get a demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## How to Optimize your Applicant Conversion Rate **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-optimize-your-applicant-conversion-rate/ * Posted on November 1, 2019 * by Clint Smith Your hiring process is one big recruitment funnel. You start with a job posting that gets clicked on by job seekers. Some of those clicks will convert into applicants. Some of them will make it through to the interview stage. And then some of those get hired. Your recruiting results are impacted by how well (and how quickly) you can attract candidates and convert them throughout your funnel. [In my last blog post](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hire-faster-by-optimizing-your-recruitment-funnel/), I wrote about the middle of the funnel and how companies can improve the number of applicants who convert to interviews by contacting applicants faster. Now I am focusing on higher in the funnel to discuss a conversion rate you might not even be aware of: converting job seekers who click on your job posting into applicants. ### Analyzing your Click-to-Apply Rate Many companies think they’re not getting enough applicants because no one is seeing their jobs, but that’s not always true. Companies think they have a visibility problem, but they really have an applicant conversion problem. Your applicant conversion, or click-to-apply rate, is calculated by taking the number of applicants you receive for a job divided by the number of clicks you receive on your job from job seekers. **Click-to-Apply Rate = Applicants / Clicks** This number tells you how many people are abandoning your job posting without applying. You may be wondering: What’s a good click-to-apply rate? We recommend taking a look at what this rate has been in the past for your company as a benchmark for your current postings. ### Job Application Mistakes to Avoid If you find that many applicants are abandoning your application, here are a few reasons why: 1. **Your job title is misleading** – You should expect some job seekers to drop out after reading the job description. However, a low click-to-apply rate may indicate that job seekers expected to see something different when they clicked on the job. Take another look at your job title to see whether it matches the role. If you’re not sure, search a job board for other jobs with the same job title to see how closely they match your opening. 2. **Your application requires a login** – Certain applicant tracking systems require job seekers to create a login with their system before applying. This can be a dealbreaker for job seekers, particularly those who apply from a mobile device (more than 75% of all applicants in some cases). 3. **Your application requires job seekers to enter sensitive personal information upfront –** I have seen some applications that require someone to enter their Social Security number to start their application. There’s no reason to ask for this upfront. You can always collect this later as the candidate moves further along in the hiring process. 4. **Your application requires job seekers to enter their job history –** Job seekers spent time putting together a professional resume; they don’t want to type out information on their last three jobs like they’re completing an old paper job application. Other applications ask for information that few job seekers will have handy (like a phone number of a manager from three jobs ago) 5. **Your application requires a long assessment upfront** – Job seekers want to find the best jobs available and apply to them. These applications should take no more than five to ten minutes each. If you ask for much more than that, job seekers will abandon the application. ### How Our Clients Have Succeeded in Attracting More Potential Candidates CareerPlug’s clients don’t need to worry about most of the scenarios above. There’s no login to apply. We don’t ask for DOB or SSN to get started. There’s no job history form, and assessments are completed as a second step (which could be immediately after applying if that works for the candidate). Making things simpler for job seekers can produce dramatic results. We have had some clients come from other applicant tracking systems that require logins and/or job history forms, and **these clients’ applicant totals have doubled (or more)**. This is almost completely due to improving their click-to-apply rate (since most applicant tracking systems all send their jobs to the same job boards). The area where our clients’ applications can become longer (and at higher risk of abandonment) is with our prescreen questions feature. Prescreen questions are valuable resources for our clients. They allow clients to ask a few questions upfront to prequalify candidates. In most cases, their responses can be scored and used to create a candidate prescreen score and also disqualify candidates who do not meet the job requirements. Our standard recommendation is for clients to use 3-5 prescreen questions. Our thought is that fewer questions equal a shorter application time. And a shorter application leads to a higher click-to-apply rate. Indeed has previously [published data](https://blog.indeed.com/2016/08/15/fastest-job-application-process/) supporting this and showing that job seekers on their site have an 88.7% abandonment rate for jobs with 45+ screener questions. I wanted to put this to the test by analyzing our own clients’ data. The results were surprising (and not as conclusive as I expected). While there were some indications of the click-to-apply rate dropping as the number of prescreen questions increased, we also found that several of the jobs with the highest click-to-apply rates had over 10 prescreen questions (some had over 20). While trying to make sense of this, I did some research to see how this works in the sales/marketing world. Does the number of fields on a sales lead capture form impact the conversion rate on that form? I read [this article](https://www.cobloom.com//blog/form-fields-and-conversion-rates-is-less-really-more) which analyzed a few companies that provide the software that powers these landing pages, and I found a similar pattern. Landing page forms with more fields generally don’t convert at as high of a rate as those with fewer fields, but there were significant exceptions to this. While one source showed three as the ideal number of fields for conversion, another source showed that 10 fields converted at a higher rate than three. ### It All Comes Down to Motivation As I thought through this some more, I remembered that not all jobs are created equal. Some companies and some jobs have a higher appeal, and more job seekers will be willing to do whatever it takes to be considered. Could you get an interested candidate to jump through several hoops for you and complete a lengthy application? Yes — but they will need to have the right motivation. I’m going to break motivation down into two parts: absolute and relative. **Absolute motivation** is someone’s pure desire to work for you. Perhaps this is someone you already know or a referral from a trusted friend. Or it could be that your reputation and employment brand is so strong that people will line up to work for you. It could also be that supply and demand are simply in your favor. There may be only a few open positions like the one you have to offer in your job market, and these jobs are highly coveted. You will often see this dynamic with executive-level roles. If you have enough candidates from these categories to meet your hiring needs, then you probably don’t need to make any adjustments. Most companies’ jobs do not fall into this category, and therefore they need to take steps to make sure that people will complete their applications. **Relative motivation**is how motivated the average person would be to complete any job application. Ten years ago, it was common applications to take 30 minutes to complete, on a computer or in person with a paper application. Once more candidates started to apply from their phones, the standards changed. Some applications can now be completed within a few clicks if the candidate’s resume is already on file with a job board. Job seekers’ motivation to complete a 30-minute application has plummeted. Dr. BJ Fogg developed the Fogg Behavior Model to explain the relationship between motivation and effort required to complete a task (or Trigger). As you will see on [this graph](https://www.behaviormodel.org/), anything to the right of the Action Line will get done. Anything to the left won’t. If someone has high motivation, they will be willing to do just about anything to apply to your job. If they have low motivation, they won’t be willing to do much at all. The answer is not to make your application as short or easy as possible. I do think there is such a thing as too short, and that it’s good for certain job seekers to self-select out of the application process. You need to find the right sweet spot for your business and job. Just remember that the best candidates can afford to choose, and they may be the first ones to bail on your job posting if it’s too cumbersome — unless you give them a compelling reason to stick around and apply. ### Take Action * **Analyze your click-to-apply rate on your jobs.** If you are not seeing enough applicants, check to see whether you have a visibility issue or a conversion issue. Your applicant tracking system should be able to provide these recruiting metrics. * **Check to see if your job title is attracting the wrong job seekers.** Analyze other jobs with the same job title to see how they compare to yours. They may be attracting job seekers who are too junior or senior (or just the wrong job seekers altogether). * **Look for ways to simplify your application process.** Eliminate unnecessary requirements like logins or job history forms. * **Focus on quality over quantity of questions.** Make sure that you get the essential information upfront, but not much else. And use open-ended questions sparingly. We typically only use one open-ended prescreen question (“What makes you unique?). I have seen a few clients who put several essay questions in their application. It does not surprise me when they call to ask how they could increase the number of applicants they receive. --- ## 4 Reasons to Give Your Employees a Raise in 2022 **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/reasons-to-give-employees-raises/ * Posted on February 28, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Every business owner wants to create a great place to work for their employees, but being a great place to work means more than just pizza parties and casual Fridays. Offering employees the right compensation also plays a major role. In a recent survey of hourly workers, **we found that roughly one-third of employees are dissatisfied with their current compensation and nearly 27% of those workers said they have never gotten a raise!** Most businesses have countless expenses and operate on tight budgets. Knowing how much to pay employees and when to give them raises can be challenging. However, it’s important to show employees they are valued and doing so can actually help your business grow. Let’s look at some reasons you might consider giving your employees a raise and how increasing compensation can impact your business for the better. ### 1. Improved employee retention In the last couple of years, workers have been leaving their jobs in droves. [Employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) is a huge concern for many businesses and for good reason! The [average cost of replacing one employee](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/247391/fixable-problem-costs-businesses-trillion.aspx) can range from one-half to two times that employee’s annual salary. Offering raises is something you can do to improve employee retention and the data backs this up. As part of our recent [Compensation Expectations Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/), we found that 55% of employees are looking for a new opportunity to increase their pay, but that**64% of those that are seeking a pay raise said that they would stay at their current job if their employer gave them the compensation they were looking for.** If you are concerned about employee turnover, letting employees know your plans for increasing their compensation can help mitigate that concern. Plus, employees that feel valued are more engaged in your business and want to see it succeed, so **offering higher compensation is an investment in your business’s success as well.** ### 2. To reward hard work Hard working employees are truly the lifeblood of a successful business, so rewarding their effort is a good idea! If an employee has been exceeding expectations in their role, a raise is a great way to show them you see and appreciate all their hard work. You may consider setting performance goals or [key performance indicators (KPIs)](https://xobin.com/hr-glossary/kpi/) for your staff so that the results of their work are measurable. You’ll also want to pay attention to the things that can’t be measured but are just as important, like a positive attitude, initiative, and [culture fit](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/). You can also create a growth culture by offering promotions and title changes along with raises. For employees who are individual contributors (i.e. non-managers), consider adding a tier for “Senior” or “Expert” level versions of their roles. An elevated title can go a long way with your top performers. [Supporting your employees’ development](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) in this way can make a major impact on their lives and your business. ### 3. To boost morale In times of unprecedented stress and uncertainty, it’s no surprise that [many workers are burned out](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/04/05/indeed-study-shows-that-worker-burnout-is-at-frighteningly-high-levels-here-is-what-you-need-to-do-now/?sh=77d41f8a23bb). Taking steps to boost the morale of your employees is more important than ever and a pay increase can do just that! Compensation that doesn’t meet employees’ basic needs can greatly contribute to additional stress outside of work. **26% of hourly workers we surveyed said that their income is not enough to cover all of their living expenses and 27% said that their income is enough to cover their living expenses and not much else.** This is a staggering statistic and it’s understandably difficult for employees to do good work when they’re worried about their basic needs outside of work not being met. Even a small pay increase can have a positive impact on your employees’ lives, helping them feel more motivated at work and more positive overall. **Side note:**Employee burn-out is a serious concern, and though raises can help, you may also want to consider offering employees options like flexible time off and mental health resources to help them cope and contribute to a [healthy work life balance](https://www.uschamber.com/co/run/human-resources/helping-employees-work-life-balance). ### 4. Your compensation is lower than the industry average If your compensation does not meet the industry standard, it’s definitely time to offer pay raises. How can you tell? We recommend using resources like [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm) and [Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/) to see how your compensation stacks up to others in the same industry. 32% of employees in our survey said they don’t feel they are paid fairly to others in the industry who work in a similar role. Over time, this feeling might lead to your employees looking for new opportunities. Paying at (or above) industry average should be a priority as an employer. Keep in mind that this also plays a role in your ability to attract and hire new talent to your team. ### Final tips Clearly, offering increased compensation when possible has a lot of benefits for your business. However, if it’s just not possible to offer raises right now, know that there are other things you can do within your business to make employees feel valued. [Competitive benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-benefits-post-pandemic/) may play just as big of a role as compensation when it comes to employee satisfaction. In fact, we found that **66% of employees said they would stay at their current job if their employer offered additional benefits instead of higher compensation.** If you can’t offer the traditional benefits, creative benefits like more paid time off (PTO), health and wellness classes, and remote work options can be affordable ways to make employees feel appreciated. You may also consider offering hard working employees a one-time or periodic bonus if a permanent pay raise isn’t currently an option for your business. Over time, showing your employees that you value them and investing in them however you can will pay off. --- ## 25 Hiring Statistics All Employers Should Know in 2022 **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-statistics/ * Posted on May 12, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris As a [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) company, it’s important for us to stay up to date on the latest hiring and retention trends. We do this by conducting our own original research throughout the year and paying attention to research from other reputable sources. In such an unprecedented time in the labor market, there’s a lot of information out there and it can be difficult to cut through all the noise. That’s why we compiled some of **the most compelling hiring statistics that every employer should know in 2022.** This data sheds a light on what job seekers and employees are looking for and how to hire and retain the right people. ### Retention and turnover statistics The best recruiting strategy is retention, but many employers are dealing with high rates of turnover. Let’s look at how many [employees are quitting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-employees-quit/) this year, and some clues on what might be driving this shift. * 47.4 million people [voluntarily quit their job in 2021](https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/01/economy/us-job-openings-quite-december/index.html#:~:text=In%20total%2C%2075.3%20million%20workers,47.4%20million%20were%20voluntary%20quits.), a phenomenon dubbed “The Great Resignation”. * In a[survey of hourly workers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/), CareerPlug found 55% of all employees are currently seeking or will be seeking new employment in order to get a pay increase in 2022. * ​​64% of those workers seeking an opportunity for a pay raise said they would stay at their current job if their employer gave them the compensation they were looking for. * 66% of those employees said that they would stay at their current job if their employer offered additional [benefits instead of a pay increase](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/impact-of-benefits-on-retention/). * 67% of hourly workers we surveyed said they would explore new industries or fields this year in order to get the pay increase they’re looking for. * A staggering 91% of healthcare workers seeking a raise said they would explore new industries or fields in 2022. * Leisure and hospitality workers are quitting at the [highest rates of any industry](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t04.htm) with about one million quitting in November 2021 alone. ### Recruiting metrics Paying attention to certain [recruiting metrics can help you hire better](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-recruiting-metrics-to-hire-better/). Every year, we look at our clients’ metrics to get a pulse on what’s happening in the job market and offer suggestions for [hiring process improvements](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/). Here are some important takeaways from CareerPlug’s recent [Recruiting Metrics Report.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) * We found that the number of new jobs posted using CareerPlug in 2021 increased 49% over the previous year, but applicant flow was actually down 30%. * Jobs posted in January received an average of 40% more applicants per job than the yearly average. * Job boards produced 72% of all applications but less than half of hires. * In our analysis, an applicant who applied directly from a company [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) was 4 times more likely to be hired than an applicant from a job board. * An applicant who applied from a referral was 18 times more likely to be hired than an applicant from a job board. * In 2020, the average time to hire was 24.7 days, but in 2021, that number dropped to 18.4 days. This means that employers were hiring 6.3 days –nearly a week! –faster than they were the previous year. ### Attracting the right people If you have open roles, you may be wondering [what job seekers are looking for](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/). Let’s take a look at some of the trends we’ve seen over the last year. This information can give you clues on where your job postings or hiring process might be lacking, so that you can adjust accordingly and attract more applicants. * Today’s job seekers rank [careers pages as the #1 way to learn about a company](https://www.thetalentboard.org//wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2018_Talent-Board-NA-CandE-Research-Report_FINAL_2619.pdf). * [77% of people would consider a company’s culture](https://about-content.glassdoor.com/en-us/workplace-culture-over-salary/)before applying for a job there, and 56% ranked a strong workplace culture as more important than salary. * [85% of job seekers and employees research](https://www.ceridian.com/ca//blog/important-employer-branding-statistics-to-know) company reviews and ratings when deciding to apply for a job. * [45% of job seekers search for jobs](https://thrivemyway.com/recruitment-stats/) daily using a mobile device, and 89% of job seekers consider mobile devices key in the job-hunting process. * Nearly[40% of job candidates worldwide](https://www.manpowergroupsolutions.com/wps/wcm/connect/976d951f-5303-41d4-be36-4938169d2d80/ManpowerGroup_Solutions-Work_for_Me.pdf?MOD=AJPERES) said schedule flexibility is one of their top three factors in career decisions. ### Candidate experience statistics Attracting applicants is the first battle. In order to turn those applicants into hires, employers must consider [the candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/). This is the experience a person has with you from application to offer stage (and all points in between) and it can make or break your ability to hire. Let’s look at some of the most interesting statistics around candidate experience that we found in the last year. (Read even more in our [2021 Candidate Experience Report.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/)) * 58% of job seekers have declined an offer due to poor candidate experience. * 80% of candidates said a positive candidate experience influenced their decision to accept an offer. * The number one [reason candidates turned down job offers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-candidates-turn-down-job-offers/) was a negative experience with people in the interview process. * 84% of job seekers said that responsiveness after initially applying influenced their decision to accept an offer. * CareerPlug clients who use [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) have a 32% faster time-to-hire rate. * 39% of job seekers expect to be informed about compensation in the job posting. * 17 states have passed laws around [pay transparency](https://pequity./blog/pay-transparency-in-2022-which-states-require-employers-to-provide-salary-ranges%EF%BF%BC/#:~:text=There%20are%20currently%2017%20states,provide%20salary%20ranges%20to%20candidates.), and 7 of those require companies to put a [salary range in the job description](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/). Though the labor market has been tumultuous this year, one thing is for sure: Job seekers and employees are enjoying the power shift in their direction and demanding more from their places of work. As an employer, think of this as a positive thing and take action to ensure that you’re giving job seekers and employees what they’re looking for. We hope these statistics help you better understand the state of hiring today and help you make improvements to your recruitment and retention processes. ### Need help with hiring? An applicant tracking system (ATS) can help you optimize your hiring process and make the right hires sooner. Not only that, CareerPlug makes sharing our expertise with clients a priority. This includes access to our proven hiring playbook and a team of experts that are committed to your success. Click the button below to learn more. [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## How to Hire Great Managers: an Interview with CareerPlug Founder Clint Smith **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-managers/ * Posted on February 16, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Every hire you make for your business is important. The right person can bring your team to new levels of success. And the wrong person… Well, you probably know what the wrong person can do to your business. The stakes are even more amplified when it comes to hiring managers. You may have heard the saying: People don’t leave companies; they leave managers. The right manager can innovate, motivate and help your team become more efficient and productive. The wrong manager can slow things down, leave your employees confused and frustrated, and at worst — even make some of your [employees quit](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-employees-quit/) altogether! The founder and CEO of CareerPlug, Clint Smith, is no stranger to the importance of hiring the right people, so we sat down with him to discuss some of his biggest tips for hiring managers. His advice and insight can help make your next big hire a little less intimidating. ### Is it time to hire? First things first, is it time to hire a manager? Sometimes this step is obvious. You may know that you’ve needed a manager for a long time, and be more than ready to get the right person in a leadership position on your team. Other times, especially for new or small businesses, it can be difficult to know when it’s time to bring a manager on. Clint Smith experienced this while starting CareerPlug, but quickly learned that if you don’t give up control, you create a bottleneck in your business. Smith says, “It gets to a point where you need to hire people who are better at certain things than you are. I realized that every time I gave a part of my job away to someone else, that was a big step forward for the business in terms of growth.” Are you slowing things down in your business? Would the right person (or people) help your business grow? If so, it might be time to hire a manager to take on some of your responsibilities and lead your team to success. Let’s talk about some things to consider when it’s time to make that hire. ### Identify your persona **For any hire you make, it’s important to spend some time thinking about the kind of person you are looking for**. At CareerPlug, we recommend creating an [Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) to help you think this through. This practice can be especially beneficial for when you’re hiring managers. As Smith puts it, “There are many different types of management, and getting the right type of persona down and understanding who you need is very important. Do you need operational expertise? Do you need a people person that can help your employees grow?” Keep in mind that your needs will evolve as your business grows. Clint shares an experience where the needs of the business changed: “The first sales person I hired was great at getting big accounts. What he lacked was experience with operational sales and building processes. So the next time I made a hire, I knew that’s what I needed, someone that could build a proven sales process.” ### Think about what’s most important While thinking about the type of management you need, try to narrow it down to what’s most important. As Smith puts it, “Don’t try to look for too many things. Someone might be in the top 5% in the world at doing a certain thing. But you can’t expect them to perform at that level for 2 or 3 other things. Know what’s most important for your business and hire for that.” When asked about some other skills that he thinks are most important for managers to have, Smith says, “**A manager has to care about people first and foremost.** Additionally, communication skills are key and managers need to be able to distill information in a way that makes sense and holds people accountable.” ### Promote from within Sometimes the best managers are people that are already on your team in other roles. Smith recommends developing from within. “Keep in mind that everyone is a manager for the first time at some point, so it may be up to you to give an employee their first opportunity to manage.” If you are going to promote from within, what should you be looking for in your employees? Smith’s answer is: “**Look for someone that gets a lot of energy from helping others succeed and for someone that stands out when it comes to living your company’s values**.” It’s also important to make sure your employee wants that kind of role. As Smith explains, “Some people get pushed into it, feeling like it’s the next logical step.” And though you can definitely train your current employees to take on management roles, in some cases it may still be best to bring in outside talent. Smith says, “If it’s an area where I don’t have a lot of expertise, I like to look to hire from the outside.” ### Hire for culture fit Whether you’re promoting from within or looking for outside talent, one of the most important tips for hiring managers is to [hire for culture fit](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/). This means hiring someone that understands what your culture is and exhibits your values. Smith reminds us that, “Your managers distill your values down to other members of your team.They are amplifiers of your culture. You need them to magnify it and make it even better.” If you haven’t already, get clear on your [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) and come up with a few questions you can ask in [interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/) to better understand whether your candidates’ own values align. Smith shares, “There have been times where I’ve brought in someone that has ‘been there done that’ but it wasn’t a good culture fit. Those managers ultimately didn’t work out.” This is another time when promoting from within can be helpful, as your current employees likely already fit your company’s culture. ### Evaluate their expertise For some jobs, it’s easy to put a candidate’s skills to the test. If you’re hiring a graphic designer, you’ll look at previous examples of their work. If you’re hiring a writer, you can read some of their published articles. When looking for someone that can manage people and take on the big responsibilities in your business, it can be a little more difficult to evaluate their skills and experience. There are certain situational questions that can be helpful, but Smith also says **it’s important to pay attention to what they’re asking you.**“When it comes to evaluating a manager in an interview, if you gotta probe too much, that’s concerning. You learn more from the questions they ask you. You’ll get an understanding whether they understand your business and your problems well enough to lead others.” You still want to evaluate them for subject matter expertise, _but_ they should also exhibit their skills and values without you having to dig too deep for them. Talking to references is also a good idea and can help you get a better understanding of a candidate’s experience. ### Final thoughts Hiring a manager can be a huge step for your business. Whether you already have open roles or are just now deciding to let go of some control in your business, it can be helpful to think about your ideal persona and what skills will be most important for your business. If you’re lucky, you may already have someone working for you that lives your values and would be a great choice to promote into a management position. If you do have to hire from the outside, make sure to consider each candidate’s culture fit and pay attention to what they say _and_ what they don’t say in interviews. Hiring managers can be risky, but a little planning and an organized [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) can make this big hire a little easier for your business. One last piece of advice from Smith is this: “Think about how you would want to be managed, and let that guide your decision.” --- ## New Hire Forms and New Employee Checklist **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/ * Posted on September 17, 2025 * by Natalie Morgan You made a new hire! Hooray! What comes next, however, can be the ultimate party pooper: new hire paperwork. This is especially true if you don’t know where to start or you don’t have a system in place to make that day one paperwork run like a well-oiled machine. If you’re new to hiring and onboarding, or simply want to tighten up your knowledge, this how-to guide should leave you feeling confident that you have your bases covered so you can move forward with what’s most important: getting your new hire up to speed so they can start making an impact! New hire forms: * [Form I-9](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#form-i-9) * [W-4](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#w-4) * [State new hire tax forms](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#state-new-hire-tax-forms) * [New hire reporting](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#new-hire-reporting) * [Offer letter](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#offer-letter) * [Employment agreement](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#employment-agreement) * [Employee handbook acknowledgment](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#employee-handbook-acknowledgement) * [Direct deposit authorization](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#direct-deposit-authorization) * [Emergency contact information](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#emergency-contact-information) * [Policy acknowledgements](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#policy-acknowledgements) * [Benefits information](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#benefits-information) * [New hire questionnaire](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/#new-hire-questionnaire) ### Ditch the piles of paperwork and filing cabinets with CareerPlug’s onboarding tools Automatically send all new hires digital documents and tasks, automated reminders, and easily monitor their progress. Completed forms are stored securely online and can be accessed anytime in your employee’s profile. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/onboarding-team-management/) ### New hire forms checklist New employee forms fall into two major categories: **federal and state forms**, which are required by law and **standard new hire forms**, which are specific to your company’s human resources operations. Combined, these forms make up our new hire employee forms checklist: ### Federal and state forms There are a few new hire forms that all U.S. employers need to have their employees fill out at the start of their onboarding process. ### Form I-9 The Form I-9 verifies a new employee’s identity and their eligibility to work in the United States. It has an employee and employer section, with employees required to complete their portion by the first day of their employment. Employers must**physically examine** identification documents the employee provides and **complete the form****no later than 3 days after the employee starts employment.** This form is _the big one_ and it’s worth reading the instructions provided to ensure you’re staying compliant here as there are some pretty hefty penalties for both unintentional mistakes and willful noncompliance. For example, the minimum fine for a technical violation is $234 per individual. **Retention:** You must keep the Form I-9 on file **three years after the date of hire or one year after the date employment ends.** You can [**download the Form I-9 here**](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-9-paper-version.pdf) and [**read the full instructions for Form I-9, employment eligibility verification here**](https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-9instr.pdf). ### W-4 The W-4 tells you, the employer, how much to withhold from an employee’s pay for the correct federal income tax. Every employee should complete this when they are hired and must submit an updated W-4 if they ever want to change their withholding. **Retention:**You must keep a Form W-4 on file for each employee for **at least four years after the date the employment tax becomes due or is paid (whichever is later).** You can **[download the W-4 Form here.](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4.pdf)** ### State new hire tax forms Many states have their own form for withholding state income tax. You should [**visit your state’s revenue site**](https://www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/government-sites) to learn about what forms are required in your state. ### New hire reporting You’ll need to let your state government know that you’ve made a new hire to stay compliant with the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). One key provision of PRWORA requires certain new hire information be reported in order for state agencies to effectively enforce child support. Where to send this info, the time frame, and any additional reporting requirements vary by state. Use [**this State New Hire Reporting Guide**](https://ocsp.acf.hhs.gov/irg/irgpdf.pdf?geoType=OGP&groupCode=EMP&addrType=NHR&addrClassType=EMP) from the federal OCSE website. A [**Multistate Employer Registry**](https://ocsp.acf.hhs.gov/csp/mser) is also available, which allows an employer to report all of its new hires in any state where it has employees. ### Standard new hire forms The following are forms that are not required by any governing bodies, but are important to [successfully onboarding new employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-onboarding-preparing-for-the-first-day/) to your company. ### Offer letter You should provide candidates with an [offer letter](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/offer-letter-templates/) outlining the terms of their employment. The offer letter typically includes: * The type of employment (Ex: full-time/part-time or hourly/salaried) * Compensation * Company benefits * Start Date * Supplemental Material (ex: detailed benefits information or commission plan) **Retention:**You must keep the offer letter on file for **at least three years after termination.** [Click here to download a **sample offer letter template**](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Offer-Letter-Template.docx) you can edit. ### Employment agreement An employment agreement outlines the rights and responsibilities of both you and the employee. It’s more detailed than an offer letter and will also include any special obligations unique to your hiring situation such as **nondisclosure agreements** or **non-compete agreements**. While you can find free templates online, we suggest you consult with an employment attorney to create an agreement that is suited to your business. **Retention:**You must keep the Employment Agreement on file for **at least three years after termination.** ### Employee handbook acknowledgement An employee handbook typically includes human resources and legal information, company policies, company benefits and perks, and other information core to your people operations. You’ll want to provide this handbook to employees upfront and have them sign off that they’ve received and reviewed the handbook with an acknowledgment form. **Retention:**You must keep all policy acknowledgments on file for **at least three years after termination.** Download a [**sample employee handbook acknowledgment form** here.](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Employee-Handbook-Acknowledgement-Template.docx) ### Direct deposit authorization If you’re paying employees by direct deposit (as most employers do), you’ll need to gather your employees’ bank account information so you know where to send their paychecks. Your payroll provider may provide you with a standard form, but if you’re creating your own, it should at a minimum include: * Bank Name * Type of Account (Checking or Savings) * Routing Number * Account Number * Employee Name & Signature * Date Signed * Language to the effect of: _“This authorization will be in effect until the Company receives a written termination notice from myself and has reasonable opportunity to act on it.”_ You can also use a form that allows employees to split their deposit into multiple accounts or that requires a voided check on file for each account. **Retention:**You must keep direct deposit records on file for **at least four years after termination.** ### Emergency contact information It’s a good idea to keep emergency contact information on file for all employees. This is a simple form with the contact name, phone, email, and relationship to the employee. [Click here to download our **sample emergency contact form.**](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Employee-Emergency-Contact-Form-Template.docx) ### Policy acknowledgments If you have any other policies not documented in your handbook, have new hires review and sign off on their first day. For example, if you have a separate policy about internet usage or sales commissions, include it with your new hire paperwork. **Retention:**You must keep all policy acknowledgments on file for **at least three years after termination.** ### Benefits information Make it as easy as possible for your new hires to enroll in your benefits program. Provide them with plan summaries and enrollment instructions upfront as well as who to go to (if it’s not you) to answer their benefits questions. Your insurance provider or benefits broker will provide you with the correct enrollment forms and many now use online portals so you don’t have to mess with lengthy paper documents. **Retention:**Health and benefits forms should be kept on file for **three years after termination.** ### New hire questionnaire New employee forms are admittedly pretty dry, but onboarding shouldn’t be! We include a get-to-know-you questionnaire in our onboarding process so we can help break the ice while introducing them to the company. Here’s what we ask at CareerPlug: * Introduce yourself…elevator pitch style. * Which of our core values stood out the most to you? Why? * What are you passionate about? * What’s your favorite hometown meal? * If you could visit anywhere in the world you’ve never been, where would you go? * The last great book I read was… ### How CareerPlug makes onboarding easier It’s helpful to have handy resources (like this) to double-check the forms you need after you make a hire. But having the right hiring and onboarding software can help ensure you never miss an important step again. CareerPlug’s onboarding tools can help you automate all of your new hire process. As soon as you mark a hire in the system, CareerPlug will automatically send them the required paperwork and tasks. From there, you can monitor their progress, and easily keep things moving. This prevents any hold ups and can help you get your new hire onto more important tasks – like training for their new job! Plus, this provides a better experience for new hires and leaves a lasting positive impression, which is crucial for retention. [69% of employees](https://www.octanner.com/ebooks/an-onboarding-checklist-for-success) are more likely to stay with a company for at least 3 years after a great onboarding experience. ### Onboarding beyond the paperwork Remember when I said onboarding shouldn’t be as dry as all these compliance forms? It really shouldn’t! As you envision your new hire’s first day, think beyond the paperwork when you create their experience: * How will they understand your company culture? * How will their coworkers get to know them? * How will they feel welcome in your work environment? * How will they know the expectations and milestones of their training? The hiring experts here at CareerPlug have also created a free [90-day onboarding checklist](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/master-new-hire-onboarding-30-60-90-day-plan/) you can download and use for your own onboarding needs. ### Onboard new hires better with CareerPlug Learn how CareerPlug can streamline all of your recruiting, hiring, and onboarding processes –saving you time, money, and hassle. [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Reference Check Questions to Help You Make Better Hires **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/reference-check-questions/ * Posted on August 4, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris You’ve found the perfect person to fill your open role. They’ve made it through the application process and assessments. They wowed the team during interviews and you’re ready to [make them an offer.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/offer-letter-templates/) If everything has gone well so far, it can be tempting to move right ahead without conducting background or reference checks. However, these last steps are a crucial part of making the right hires. [Background checks](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-background-checks/) can help you look into someone’s legal and work history and ensure they are who they say they are. **Reference checks**,on the other hand, are an opportunity to chat with the candidates’ previous managers or colleagues, not only to fact-check their resume, but also to get a feel for how they perform at work and the impact they’ve made in past jobs. All too often, hiring managers look at the reference check step as merely a box to check, or a speed bump on the way to making a hire. But what if, instead, you saw it as an opportunity to interview someone _else_ about your candidate? The right reference check questions can help you prepare to manage your new hire better and to understand their needs and how to set them up for success in your role. That’s why we compiled some of the best reference check questions that can improve your recruitment process and help you make better hiring decisions. ### Reference check questions Let’s face facts: Anyone your candidate lists as a reference is probably going to have only positive things to say about them. After all, why would they ask someone to vouch for them who might say less-than-nice things about them? A candidate’s list of references is pretty much their own personal marketing team. So how do you move past the more general raving reviews that many hiring managers have come to expect during a reference call? The simple answer is to **tailor your questions to be specific and targeted at what you’d most like to know about an applicant.** Asking “How was it managing so-and-so?” might invite vague answers of the “great” and “good” variety. By changing your question to “Can you give me two examples of how so-and-so accomplished their main priorities?” you are asking the reference to be specific and speak directly about the applicant’s job performance. With this in mind, let’s go over a few types of reference check questions you might ask, with some specific examples under each category. ### Confirmation of resume information Talking to references is a great way to make sure that the information on your candidate’s resume checks out. At CareerPlug, we say “Trust but verify.” We don’t assume that a candidate is being dishonest, but we double-check the facts so that we can be confident (and excited) about the offers we make! It’s also hard to ignore stats like these: **40% of**[**people lie on their resumes**](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/what-happens-if-you-lie-on-your-resume#:~:text=It%20is%20estimated%20that%2040,of%20employment%20and%20previous%20salary.)**and three out of four employers have caught candidates in a lie.** Here are some questions you can use to start your reference check discussion and confirm what you’ve learned from a candidate’s resume and interviews: * Can I confirm their dates of employment with your company? * What were their responsibilities while working for you? * How did you measure their performance? ### Questions to get to know your candidate better During the[interview process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/), you learn what a candidate wants you to know about who they are. During reference checks, you’re given the unique opportunity to get another perspective on the person you are considering hiring for your open role. Use reference checks as a chance to get to know your candidates even better. This can help you determine if someone is the right fit and help you provide the resources that they need as they take on their new role. Here are some questions that can help you get to know your candidate through their references: * What are their strengths? * Where is their biggest room for improvement? * Has this person ever taught you anything? (or) Have you ever learned anything new from this person? (If so, what?) * What three words would you use to describe this person? * Can you give me an example of a time this person impressed you? Notice that the questions we recommend are open-ended and not simple yes/no questions. One popular question hiring managers like to ask is, “Would you hire this person again?” But an answer like “yes” simply doesn’t tell the whole story. Remember that most references won’t want to risk saying the wrong thing to their colleague’s potential employer, so they might not expand upon a question the way you want them to unless you guide them. By asking them specific and open-ended questions, you can solicit unique and informative answers – and a lot of times you might even catch a reference off-guard! That could be a good thing, because the answer you receive will more honest and authentic than an answer they had already rehearsed in their minds. ### Questions to help you manage this person better At their best, reference checks can also help you be a better manager to your incoming hire. This can help you ease their transition into a role and help you retain them for the long haul. **Talking to people that have previously managed or worked with your candidate can provide great insight into their working style and the type of management that allows them to perform at their best.** Asking these kinds of questions can help: * Is there anything you observed during your time managing this candidate that I should know about? * What can you tell me about their working relationships with peers? * What type of work environment do they work best in? * What advice can you give me about how I can best manage or support them? We especially like the last question because it’s mutually beneficial – it allows you to benefit from the deep knowledge of someone who has managed them before, but it also puts you in a position to know how to best support your new hire before they’ve even started. It’s win-win. ### Final tips for conducting reference checks Reference checks are an important part of a [great hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/). We know it can be tempting to skip them if you want to make a [hire quickly](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/), but taking the time to ask the right questions could help set your new hire up for success right away. Make your reference check process consistent across the board for all hires. Ask candidates to provide two to three references and let them know that you will be reaching out to them. Consider using a reference check question scorecard for each candidate so that you can fairly evaluate the answers you receive. An [applicant tracking system like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) makes it easy to save and use question scorecards for every candidate, allowing you to check every candidate’s references faster and more thoroughly. When you’re excited about a candidate, reference checks can be a great opportunity to get some final confirmation that you’re making the right decision. They can help you be the type of manager your incoming hire needs, ultimately improving both your hiring and retention. ### Need help hiring the right person? Yeah, we can automate that. CareerPlug automates all the steps of a hiring process from candidate evaluation to interview scheduling to reference checks so you can spend more time running your business. Take a look inside our software today. [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## How to Improve Candidate Engagement Throughout the Hiring Process **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-engagement/ * Posted on April 24, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris A great hiring process helps you effectively evaluate candidates and choose the right person for an open role. On the flip side, quality candidates are also evaluating you during this time, so keeping them engaged and invested in your company is important. Engaged candidates become hired candidates. So how can you improve candidate engagement in your hiring process? **Tips for keeping candidates engaged:** 1. **[Start with a strong job description](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-engagement/#strong-job-description)** 2. **[Make the application process easy](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-engagement/#easy-application)** 3. **[Showcase your employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-engagement/#employer-brand)** 4. **[Respond to candidates early and often](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-engagement/#respond-to-candidates)** 5. **[Automate interview scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-engagement/#automate-interview-scheduling)** 6. **[Keep candidates informed about next steps](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-engagement/#candidates-informed)** 7. **[Conduct great interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-engagement/#conduct-great-interviews)** ### Why candidate engagement matters Candidate engagement is a crucial part of an effective [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/). If you aren’t getting candidates excited about your company and effectively communicating throughout, then you’ll struggle to make the right hires for your team. Candidates have [more options than ever](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/why-is-hiring-so-hard-right-now/) in the current job market. If someone applies to your company and doesn’t hear back promptly or gets a bad first impression in initial conversations with you, they won’t want to move forward. Candidate engagement and the candidate experience go hand in hand. We know from our annual [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) that **81% of candidates say a positive candidate experience has influenced their decision to join a company.** The candidate engagement tips we’ll share in this article contribute to a more [positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) and can help you get more of your top choice candidates to say yes to your job offers. ### Candidate ghosting Another big reason to focus on keeping candidates engaged? It can also help you mitigate one of the biggest challenges employers have been facing during recruitment: [candidate ghosting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-ghosting/). Candidate ghosting refers to when a candidate disappears and ceases communication with an employer during some point of the hiring process. Since [94% of employers have reported](https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthatodd/2019/10/29/94-of-employers-have-been-ghosted-why-job-seekers-do-it-and-how-to-avoid-being-haunted/?sh=2cd76cda35e6)experiencing this, it’s likely that it’s happened to you. Keeping candidates engaged through the hiring process makes them much less likely to drop out of it. If you are able to establish a connection with them and help them feel more invested in you and your company – even if they decide to move forward with another offer, they will be more likely to keep you informed instead of disappearing without a trace. Candidate engagement will ultimately give you more options as it keeps more people in your hiring process. Let’s get into some best practices. ### 7 tips for keeping candidates engaged ### 1. Start with a strong job description Job seekers begin drawing conclusions about a company as early as the [job description.](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) For this reason, you need to make sure your job title and description resonate with applicants. Your job post needs to attract top talent and entice them to apply. Start by describing the functions of the role accurately. **We found that “clearer and more accurate information” in the job description was one of the top improvements job seekers want employers to make in their hiring process.** Make sure to include benefits and [compensation information in your job description](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/). Remember, applicants have a lot of options and are just as busy as you are –they want to spend their time applying to jobs where they’re certain of the salary range, not on jobs where they have to guess what the compensation might be. Lastly, don’t list too many qualifications or describe the perfect candidate in too much detail – this could intimidate applicants that may not have the exact experience but would still be good for the role. Think about [hiring for growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/) and consider the soft skills that are just as important as the specific qualifications for the role. To learn more about hiring for growth potential, check out this video from CareerPlug’s very own Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan: ### 2. Make the application process easy [60% of job seekers](https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/technology/pages/study-most-job-seekers-abandon-online-job-applications.aspx#:~:text=According%20to%20CareerBuilder%2C%2060%20percent,abandonment%20rate%20may%20be%20conservative.) quit in the middle of filling out applications because of length and complexity. If your application is too long or difficult to complete, you’ll lose great candidates before you ever get the chance to meet them! To improve candidate engagement early in your hiring process, make it easy to apply to your open role. Don’t make applicants create an account or login to apply, and definitely don’t make them re-enter information like work history if they’ve already attached a resume. And though we do recommend two to three [pre-screen questions in your application](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/), be sure not to overdo it or ask for any sensitive information. Both of these things could turn applicants off. Lastly, make sure your application is as easy to complete on a mobile device as it is on a computer. Remember: the best candidates have the freedom to be choosy – don’t make them jump through hoops to apply for your open role. Curious what job seekers think about your application experience? **Click the button below to download our free “Application Grader”.** Rate your application and make the necessary changes to keep job seekers engaged. [Grade Your application experience](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Grade-Your-Application-Experience.pdf) ### 3. Showcase your employer brand In a competitive labor market, keeping candidates engaged means standing out from the crowd and showing job seekers what makes you great. You want candidates in your hiring process to be excited about the prospect of working with you, so you don’t lose them to other opportunities. You’ll want to showcase a strong [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/), or your business’ reputation as a place to work. Your employer brand affects your company’s ability to attract and hire the best employees. You can actively manage your employer brand with [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/) like [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm) and [JobSage](https://www.jobsage.com/). Ask existing employees to share their experiences working with you and politely respond to negative comments about your business. Natalie Morgan shares her advice, “Stand out; make sure you’re leading with your best foot forward. Help people learn what it’s like to work with you. Look at how you can lead with that as early as possible to help people stay engaged with you throughout.” Showcasing your [company culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) early on is a great way to attract candidates and keep them engaged, especially younger generations. [67% of Gen Z](https://www.ey.com/en_us/news/2021/11/ey-releases-gen-z-survey-revealing-businesses-must-rethink-their-plan-z) feel that it is important to work for a company that shares their values. To lead with your best foot forward in a hiring process, we also recommend building a strong [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) where you can host your open jobs and give job seekers an idea of what it’s like to work for you. Include employee testimonials, photos of your team, and let your core values and culture shine. Plus, we found that a candidate that applies through a company’s careers page is [3.5x more likely to be hired](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) than someone from a job board. ### 4. Respond to candidates early and often **25% of job seekers we surveyed said they ghosted an employer that took too long to respond to them.**In a labor market where candidates have more options than ever, if you wait too long to reach out to candidates, they will move on to the next opportunity. If you expect candidates to engage with you, it’s important to meet them where they are –and that’s via text messaging. **Text messages are opened 4.9x more than email and receive 7.5x more responses than email.** Employers who are relying on phone and email alone to engage candidates are putting themselves at a disadvantage in today’s job market. As a business owner, we know it’s unrealistic for you to be texting applicants on your phone all day long! That’s why CareerPlug’s applicant tracking system comes with built-in email and [text message recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) tools, so that you can text candidates instantly without ever leaving the software. And from the candidate’s perspective, they’ll see a potential employer who is communicative and easy to contact, making them more likely to remain engaged throughout the hiring process. Check out this video to see how savvy business owners use text recruiting to communicate with candidates more seamlessly: ### 5. Automate interview scheduling There’s an old rule in dating that says you should wait three days after a date to call someone so that you don’t seem too eager. The opposite is true in hiring. You want to reach out to candidates as quickly as possible. A candidate who doesn’t hear from a job they applied to after a few days could have easily found another opportunity, leaving you to play “catch-up” and compete for their attention. An employer that shows immediate interest in a candidate is an employer who _receives_ immediate interest _from_ a candidate. But we know that as a busy hiring manager, it takes so much time to reach out to applicants, wait to hear back, coordinate schedules, and to reach out again when they don’t respond. Our advice: **automate the communication in your hiring process wherever you can so you can be the first to reach your best candidates.** Autopilot is an [automated interview scheduler](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) available in [CareerPlug Premium](https://www.careerplug.com/premium-plan/). Autopilot instantly sends your qualified applicants a text (or email if they’ve opted out of texting) with a link to book an interview directly on your calendar. Candidates also receive automatic reminders if they haven’t scheduled their interview yet. Automatic interview scheduling keeps candidates engaged early and it’s more convenient for them to interact with too. From the candidate’s perspective, you’ve just made it even easier for them to move forward in your hiring process –it’s win-win! Plus, CareerPlug clients that use Autopilot have **cut their interview scheduling time by up to 91%** and scheduled **as many as 8 times more interviews!**Here’s what one Autopilot user had to say: ### 6. Keep candidates informed about the steps in your hiring process At CareerPlug, we send all candidates a video that explains exactly how our hiring process works. Setting expectations right away is really helpful for candidates and can keep them more engaged during what can sometimes be a long process. **41% of candidates want to hear about stages/next steps during the initial interview** (20% want to know before the interview!). Let candidates know up front what to expect so they can gauge where they are in your hiring process. **A candidate that is unsure of what’s next or where they stand will be much more likely to drop out of your process and pursue other opportunities.** Help candidates feel prepared for interviews by giving them all the information they need to succeed and letting them know who they’ll be interviewing with beforehand. ### 7. Conduct great interviews An easy interview scheduling process will take you far. Now it’s time to build excitement with candidates with a great interview experience. We found that**22% of job seekers have declined an offer because of a negative experience with people in the interview process**_and_ the majority of candidates that have ghosted an employer did so [after interviewing.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/interview-ghosting/) Imagine this: A candidate is interested enough in the role to speak with you about it, they show up, but are so discouraged by the experience the interviewer provided, that they drop out completely. This is a common, yet totally preventable scenario. As an employer, the interview experience is something you can control that can help you prevent ghosting and get more candidates to say yes to your job offers Make sure that all hiring managers at your business are trained to [conduct great interviews.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/) This involves being adequately prepared and asking appropriate questions. Interviewers should be present during interviews, create a warm, welcoming environment, and be respectful during all interactions with candidates. ### Summing it all up A well-run hiring process should help you make the right hiring decisions consistently. But it’s also important to remember that candidates are evaluating you during this time as well. And since more and more employers are struggling with candidate ghosting and increased competition for talent, keeping candidates engaged during recruitment is essential. Start your candidate engagement efforts early with a strong job description and easy application process. Showcase your employer brand online and stand out by sharing your company culture. Prioritize fast communication and automate interview scheduling. Finally, win candidates over by conducting great interviews. ### Keep Candidates Engaged with CareerPlug Premium Some things just go well together: peanut butter and jelly, french fries and ketchup, and… text recruiting and automated interview scheduling. Try CareerPlug Premium to see how our easy-to-use [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) can automate candidate communication and keep your most qualified applicants engaged. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## CareerPlug 2020 Year in Review **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-2020-year-in-review/ * Posted on December 30, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris There’s no sugarcoating it: 2020 was a hard year. When we face challenges as a business, we know we need to keep growing and adapting. This year, we helped our clients make the right hires, developed and shared our hiring expertise, improved our product, and innovated on our company’s processes and culture so that we can better serve our clients in the years to come. Below are some of our silver linings from a difficult 2020. ### Helped our clients make the right hires At the beginning of the COVID-19, many businesses shut their doors while they adjusted to running a business during a global pandemic. Hiring the right people went from being the number-one challenge business owners face to not even making the top ten list. Knowing this, we worked with clients who were most affected by the pandemic to freeze their billing while they got their businesses back up and running. Like our Founder & CEO, Clint Smith, said in an email to our team: It was the right thing to do. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, our clients found [creative ways to deal with setbacks](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/coronavirus-small-business-solutions/). Over the year, our clients accomplished the following: We want to give special thanks to our 2.6K clients who made their first hire with CareerPlug this year — we were able to plant as many trees in Brazil and Zambia in their honor through [our partnership with WeForest](https://www.weforest.org/partner/careerplug)! While some industries saw a reduction in staffing needs, [other industries increased their hiring.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2021-hiring-trends/)To help new clients hiring during the pandemic, we launched a [“Hire Up” initiative](https://techrseries.com/news/careerplug-announces-hire-up-initiative-to-help-employers-during-covid-19-crisis/), in which we offered a 60-day free trial of our [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) along with a 30-day free trial of ZipRecruiter sponsored jobs. ### Developed and shared our hiring expertise Uncertainty was undoubtedly a theme of 2020. To combat this uncertainty, we conducted original research to give our clients the necessary data to understand the workforce’s needs during COVID-19 and hiring trends that will continue into 2021. ### Delivered data-informed hiring best practices By keeping up with hiring trends and best practices, we were able to help our clients figure out how [remote hiring](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/remote-hiring/) and [remote onboarding](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/remote-onboarding-2020/) could work for them during unprecedented times. Here are more of our top achievements from 2020: ### Original Research Studies and Reports * **[2020 Recruiting Metrics: Benchmark Data by Industry](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/)** * **[COVID-19 Employment Report: Measuring the Impact on Workers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/covid-19-employment-report/)** * **[2020 Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/)** * **[2021 Hiring Trends Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2021-hiring-trends/)** Read all of our 2020 hiring insights on the [CareerPlug blog](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/). ### Trained our team of Hiring Experts This year, we invested internally in our team. All of our employees have completed our professional development curriculum and are now certified Hiring Experts. They’re now better equipped than ever to help our clients make the right hires. ### Improved our product We’re committed to providing our clients with [the most powerful technology to help them make the right hires](https://reviews.financesonline.com/p/careerplug/). The more we innovate, the more our system evolves. Here’s what we accomplished this year: ### Launched a redesigned user interface The bulk of our work was redesigning our software, with client feedback in mind, to make it more intuitive to use. As we do with all of our features, we met with stakeholders to figure out what they needed from us that we weren’t delivering, and we encouraged feedback from clients after features launched. We’ll keep innovating on our new interface, called Voyager, in the new year (and beyond!). ### Added new job board partners We helped our clients maximize their applicant volume in 2020 by adding two new job board partners: **Facebook Jobs**and **Monster.com.** > Facebook Jobs has quickly become a major player in the recruiting space and has been a significant source of applicants for our clients — they received more than 900,000 applications from Facebook Jobs this year. We also strengthened our partnerships with existing job board partners. In February, we became an [Indeed Star Partner](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careerplug-is-an-indeed-star-partner/). In June, we launched a [partnership with ZipRecruiter](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careerplug-and-ziprecruiter-announce-partnership/) — all [new clients get a free 30-day trial of ZipRecruiter](https://offers.careerplug.com/careerplug-ziprecruiter-trial) sponsoring when they post their first job with us. ### Made it easier and quicker to contact applicants with just one click Fun fact: 30% of job seeker respondents to [a CareerPlug survey](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) ranked responsiveness after they apply as most important to them when it comes to candidate experience. Candidates are looking for prompt and clear communication as they evaluate their interest in a position. CareerPlug’s hiring process automations allow our clients to do just that. **With CareerPlug automations, hiring managers can review and email their new applicants with professional, pre-written email templates with only one click.**This helps our clients get as many interviews as they can as quickly as possible. ### Helped prevent interview no-shows One of the biggest hiring challenges many of our clients face is interview no-shows. These no-shows waste time, which is especially valuable for our clients who are small business owners, responsible for both running their business _and_ hiring. For clients who use our [text messaging feature](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/), CareerPlug sends automatic interview reminders to applicants. This saves our clients time and allows them to focus on what matters most: running their business. ### Integrated with myCNAjobs.com In September, [we partnered with myCNAjobs.com](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careerplug-mycnajobs-announce-partnership/) to drive high volume recruiting for home care agencies across the nation. This is just one way we’ve been able to help clients with essential workers improve their recruiting and make the right hires. ### Innovated our company structure and culture Like many businesses, we were forced this year to grow and change in ways we’d never have imagined. We needed to focus on what matters most: being a great place to work for our employees and having the vision, values, and leaders in place to do right by our clients. ### Went remote-first After our team had been working remotely for months, we talked with them about what they still needed to feel supported, and it turned out that they had fully adapted to working remotely and were happy to continue doing so. So we decided to be a remote-first company, forever, in the summer of 2020. > We know the heart of our business is wherever our employees work — from our space in Austin, to a home office on Lake Michigan, to an outfitted van exploring the American West (true story!). We’re proud to share [our remote-first vision](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CareerPlug-Remote-First-Vision.pdf) and [tips for other companies to build their own](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-create-a-remote-work-policy/). ### Restructured and revitalized our core values This year we saw the opportunity to provide better education to our clients on how to use our software and hire with confidence! We re-evaluated our organizational structure to ensure we had the right people in the right roles, creating a new Client Engagement team and investing in our Hiring Expert Team so they can better serve our clients. As part of this change, we re-imagined our company vision and values. We’d had the same seven core values since 2007, but we realized that was too many! We boiled down [our core values](https://www.careerplug.com/company/#values) to the following four: These values embody who we are and guide how we hire, fire, review, reward, and recognize one another. They are in our language, in our decisions, and in the heart of our culture. ### Developed new leaders We’re welcoming Jenny Leman as the new President of CareerPlug starting in 2021! Jenny joined our Operations Team in 2017 and has stepped up to help us develop the processes that we need to continue to grow and evolve. CareerPlug’s Founder & CEO, Clint Smith, will continue to focus on the big picture, setting the vision for the business and developing new ideas to move us forward. Jenny will manage our day-to-day operations and processes — much like she has been doing for some time, if we’re honest. We want to leave you with this quote from Clint Smith: _“A big theme of 2020 — for all of us — was learning to cope with events and factors that we cannot control. It’s because of our clients, who found creative ways to deal with setbacks, that we were able to cope with changes as well, and even grow from them. We’re looking forward to continuing our work in 2021 to help our clients hire and empower people to reach their potential.”_ --- ## CareerPlug Announces “Hire Up” Initiative to Help Employers During COVID-19 Crisis **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplug-free-hiring-software-covid-19/ * Posted on April 13, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris PRESS RELEASE – CareerPlug is launching **Hire Up,** an initiative to help businesses rebuild and displaced job seekers find work in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The company is providing **two months of free access to its [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) for all new clients** to support their efforts to Hire Up. Additionally, the company has partnered with ZipRecruiter to give CareerPlug users**30 days of free sponsored jobs.** “Some of you have shut down your business or laid off your team. As a business owner, I cannot imagine how difficult that was for you. Once you start planning to reopen, we’ll be here to help you rebuild your team,” says Clint Smith, Founder and President of CareerPlug. “For some of you, there might be an opportunity to hire someone now. If that’s the case, I encourage you to do it. There are so many talented people on the market. Plus it would be an important contribution towards our country’s recovery.” Companies who sign up for CareerPlug will receive: * Hiring software built around a **proven process**that has helped thousands of companies make better hiring decisions * An **easy-to-use system**that automates many of the tedious, manual steps of the hiring process * Software that includes **built-in evaluation tools** so that you can confidently identify, interview, evaluate, and hire the right person * Automatic **job posting distribution** to all the major job boards, plus 30 days of free sponsored jobs through ZipRecruiter New users must sign up before May 31, 2020 to take advantage of the offer. Visit [careerplug.com/hireup](https://www.careerplug.com/hireup/) to learn more and get started. CareerPlug also has additional programs in place to support our current clients. Please contact CareerPlug for more information. **About CareerPlug**: CareerPlug is a software company on a mission to solve the #1 challenge of running a business: attracting and hiring the right people. Over 10,000 clients love working with us because we give them a proven playbook to make the right hires. Our software is easy enough for anyone to use, so you don’t need to be an HR professional to succeed. We’re so committed to making hiring easier that we require every one of our employees to become a certified Hiring Expert so that they can contribute to our mission. --- ## CareerPlug’s Annual Year in Review: A Recap of 2023 **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careerplugs-annual-year-in-review-a-recap-of-2023/ * Posted on January 4, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Another year in the books means another opportunity to look back on the journey of the last 12 months. 2023 was a year of both successes and lessons at CareerPlug, as we continued to grow, change, and strive to make our product and company better. We expect great things in 2024, but before moving full speed ahead into the next year, let’s first reflect on the wins and milestones that made up the previous year. ### The state of hiring in 2023 The job market has stabilized and recovered from pandemic shakeups, and the unemployment rate hit a [nearly 55 year low in 2023.](https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2023/02/news-unemployment-its-lowest-level-54-years) There are also still [more open jobs than unemployed workers](https://www.investopedia.com/how-easy-are-jobs-to-find-depends-on-the-industry-8399555#:~:text=Across%20the%20economy%2C%20there%20are,significantly%20above%20pre%2Dpandemic%20levels.) to fill them. This is favorable for employees, because it means there are a lot of options. However, for _employers_, it means that it’s still difficult to fill open roles. Just like the year before, 2023 saw tight competition for talent. Because of this, many employers had to get more creative with recruitment and retention efforts. Some trends we witnessed (and encouraged) include: [skills-first hiring](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/skills-first-hiring/) to increase the applicant pool, improving benefits and compensation, [writing better job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/effective-job-descriptions/), and building a strong [employer brand.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) Let’s take a closer look at how our clients fared with hiring in the last year, and the other ways that we supported them. ### How we helped our clients CareerPlug is proud to have partnered with 350 franchise brands and helped nearly **62,000** businesses this year, including the **13,845****new****clients**that came on board in 2023. Our team of hiring experts ensure that all of these clients feel supported by serving our clients through 39,142 interactions this year! We helped our clients streamline their hiring operations, so they could hire the best candidates more quickly than the competition. Our applicant tracking system helped employers in various industries [**post their open jobs**](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/)**, Fast-track their best applicants, schedule thousands of interviews**, and of course – make the right hires. ### Sharing our hiring expertise As part of CareerPlug’s mission to make hiring easier, we share our hiring expertise year round. This includes conducting original research, writing articles to educate our audience of small business employers, and hosting live webinars to help educate business owners and shed light on hiring trends. This year’s original research included two annual reports: [The Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) and our [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/), as well as a brand new [Applicant Expectations Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/applicant-expectations-report/). This research runs the full gamut of the hiring process from job posting to hire, and provides valuable insight for both us and our clients. We know that other thought leaders find our content useful as well, as it’s been **cited over 200 times** in the last year by many other websites, including [Forbes.](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/06/06/three-tips-for-strategically-running-a-global-recruitment-team/?sh=66c8de19658f) Another proud moment this year was when our CEO Clint Smith published his first book, [_How to Hire: The Essential Guide to Recruit and Retain the Right People._](https://howtohire.com/) This resource is the ultimate playbook for employers to help them create a great culture, attract talent, and build a winning team. ### Get a free copy of How to Hire Claim your copy of Clint Smith’s book for expert advice and actionable tips to transform your hiring and supercharge your team’s growth! GET MY E-BOOK We’re proud to be considered a leader in the space, and honored that our educational content helps so many business owners hire better. ### Product news We’re always making improvements to our [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/), and 2023 was a great year for product growth. As an innovative way to test out new product features, we proudly launched “Labs” – an early access testing ground where clients can try out and provide feedback on upcoming releases. This helps us refine our products and make improvements based on our clients’ needs. Some features we’re currently testing in Labs include **A.I. generated job descriptions, employee engagement and retention tools, and onboarding tools.** Another big project this year was a new integration with [ZipRecruiter](https://www.ziprecruiter.com/) that helps our clients increase visibility of their job postings. With this new sponsored jobs integration, our clients can easily promote their job on ZipRecruiter without ever leaving our software. We were excited to see more of our clients enjoying our new [automated interview scheduling tool, Autopilot,](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) this year. Autopilot makes it easier for candidates to self-schedule their own interviews, saves our clients time on tedious hiring tasks and allows them to make hires much faster than before. This year, we helped our clients experience **1623 “wow moments”** through Autopilot – that is, having their first candidate interview appear on their calendar automatically, like magic. Watch the video below to learn more about Autopilot’s “wow moments”! ### The CareerPlug team Our team continued to grow this year as well, as we brought on **15 new pluggies**. Our fully remote team is now spread across 32 states. One way we all stay in touch during the workday is with [Slack’s messaging platform](https://slack.com/). In 2023, we communicated by sending over **169,917 public channel messages**. We made sure to recognize teammates that exemplified our core values via [Assembly’s Employee Recognition software](https://www.joinassembly.com/solutions/employee-recognition-rewards). There were **517 public shout-outs** given by team members this year. We also connected through our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Our resource groups include: * PRIDE * Racial and Ethnic Diversity (REDi) * Give Back * CareerPlug Advancement of Women in the Workplace (CAWW) * Spicy Brain Society (a neurodivergent community) These groups provide training and resources to employees, and regularly host social and team opportunities to support each other and their missions. This year there were 39 ERG meetings and various events like book clubs, lunch and learns, happy hours, and more. As always, we made personal and professional growth a priority, and each employee worked with their managers to complete “skill” and “dream” goals throughout the year. This ranged from reading books, taking courses, beginning new hobbies, and more. ### Giving back Giving back is a big part of CareerPlug’s mission, and every year, we prioritize monetary donations as a company. Part of this comes from employee donation matches. Our employees donated over $20,000 to their favorite charities, and that was matched 100%. We gave back in other ways throughout the year as well. And as we do every Christmas, we sponsored and bought gifts for 13 teens in foster care through [Foster Angels of Central Texas](https://fosterangelsctx.org/). We also donated our time and resources through our annual Give Back Week initiative, where employees completed daily tasks like donating blood, picking up trash, and writing letters to children in the hospital. ### Looking ahead to 2024 At CareerPlug, we believe that with the right people in the right seats, there’s no limit to how much your company can grow. We’re excited to see what the future holds for the next year for both ourselves and our clients. As the hiring landscape continues to change, we’ll continue to evolve as well, so that we can serve our clients, and make growing their team easier. Here’s to the year ahead! --- ## The Essential Guide to Building a Compelling Careers Page **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/careers-page/ * Posted on April 15, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Your company’s careers page serves as the hub of your employer brand. Candidates use it to learn about your company and get a sense of what it’s like to work for you. A strong careers page helps to compel job seekers to apply. On the other hand, a weak careers page can deter high quality job seekers from applying. Put yourself in a job seeker’s shoes. What would you find if you researched your company online? Would you want to apply for a job at your company based on what you see? What story are you telling them? Are you even telling them a story at all? Job seekers can easily use job [search engines](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/make-job-descriptions-seo-friendly/) and job boards to apply to dozens of jobs per day. That increases the importance of a strong [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) as a differentiator between companies. In fact, [today’s job seeker ranks careers pages as the #1 aspect to learn about a company](https://www.thetalentboard.org//wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2018_Talent-Board-NA-CandE-Research-Report_FINAL_2619.pdf) when researching opportunities. Candidates are even saying they would be [more likely to apply for a job](https://www.glassdoor.com/employers//blog/the-5-most-responsive-employers-ceos-on-glassdoor/) if an employer actively maintains their employer brand. On top of that, [based on our research](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) an applicant that applies on a company careers page is **4 times more likely to be hired**than an applicant from a job board. Clearly, having a careers page is important for attracting job seekers and hiring the right people. Let’s talk about building a compelling careers page for your business. ### What do job seekers want to see on a careers page? Certain things have universal appeal to high performers. The ability to learn and grow. The opportunity to make an impact. Flexibility. Great benefits. These are a start, but you can do better. Focus on what makes your company special — more specifically, what your top performers have told you makes it special. You need to answer the questions that candidates are asking themselves, preferably with examples: * Culture: What’s it like to work here? What are we like? Why do we love it? * Benefits: What sort of perks do we offer? How do we take care of each other and show each member of our team that they are valued? * Growth: How do we invest in training and development? How can employees grow with us? ### Company culture A [study by Glassdoor](https://about-content.glassdoor.com/en-us/workplace-culture-over-salary/) revealed that 77% of people would consider a company’s culture before applying for a job there, and 56% ranked a strong workplace culture as more important than salary. Putting in the work to ensure your company culture is communicated loud and clear on your careers page will pay huge dividends in elevating the level of talent applying for your open roles. ### Show job seekers who you are The best way to find employees who will be a good [culture fit](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/) is to be authentic about your goals and values. Share your mission, vision, and [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) on your careers page. We’ve done this with [our careers page](https://cplugjobs.careerplug.com/account) at CareerPlug, and it’s been instrumental in attracting candidates who feel compelled to apply because their values match ours. Let job seekers identify with you. Or let them not and save you the time of pursuing a candidate who won’t be a good match for your culture. ### Add pictures and videos A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth even more. As part of showing job seekers who you are, make sure to literally show them. One important piece of advice: Avoid using stock photos and instead put up real pictures of your team and workspace on your careers page. > The more authentic your content, the more likely candidates are to connect with your employer brand. Photos help applicants visualize what their lives would be like if they worked for you — could they see themselves showing up to work every day at your business? Oftentimes, seeing this visual representation of the workspace will get the right candidates energized and more invested in the role you’re offering. ### Include employee testimonials You have employees who love working for you, let them help you recruit! Gather a few [employee testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/) to add to your careers page. When including testimonials, make sure you provide a variety of experiences and show real people — including their work location, photo, and most importantly, a name! People look for social proof when they buy: This is why reviews are so popular. When was the last time you decided to not buy something because you read a bad review or you couldn’t find any reviews at all? The same rules apply here. In fact, over [85% of job seekers and employees research](https://www.ceridian.com/ca//blog/important-employer-branding-statistics-to-know) company reviews and ratings when deciding to apply for a job. Don’t make candidates leave your website to look for reviews and ratings. Include them with other testimonials on your careers page. **Pro tip**: Remember when we talked about adding video? Employee testimonials are a great way to add this engaging type of content to your careers page. CareerPlug client [Hand & Stone](https://handandstone.com/) has seen great success with this. Below is an employee testimonial that is featured on their [careers page](https://handandstonecareers.com/). Managing your online reputation doesn’t end with your careers page. At CareerPlug, almost every candidate that we speak with says that they read reviews about us on [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/) before applying or interviewing. Are you aware of how employees are talking about your company online? You should manage this the same way that you manage customer reviews. Encourage happy employees to leave reviews for you. Respond to reviews that are negative in a caring, non-defensive way. ### Benefits [Competitive benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-benefits-post-pandemic/) can be your secret weapon when it comes to a compelling compensation package. Offering your team benefits says a lot about your commitment to being a great place to work. Certainly include the big three: healthcare, retirement accounts, and paid time off. But don’t limit your careers page to just the traditional benefits. These days, employers are using their careers pages to show off some of their more creative perks like: * Flexible schedule or remote options * Transportation stipend * Education stipend * Paid gym membership or fitness classes * Pet-friendly office * Unlimited free snacks * Weekly or monthly catered meals * Free PTO holiday on your birthday * Charitable donation matching * Student-loan debt reimbursement Think about how you could get creative with some new perks or improve the way you talk about the great stuff you already do. Remember that these benefits will help you [retain your current team](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/), too. Think about the value of being able to keep high performers on your team for the long run. That may create some room in the budget. ### Growth opportunities The best candidates are going to want to see how your company will help them grow professionally. They will often turn down a job that pays more if they see a path to growth at your company. Show them what they will learn by working with you and what a potential growth path could look like for them. This is what gets the top performers really excited. > **Use your careers page to highlight opportunities for professional development to attract growth-oriented people to your team.** If you don’t currently have a clear path for growth within your organization, now is the time to establish one. At CareerPlug, we’ve made [employee development](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) a priority by encouraging all employees to fill out a growth plan. This plan includes things like skill goals, personal goals, and professional goals and managers check in with employees weekly to see how they are progressing toward their growth. You might also consider offering an education stipend on a quarterly or annual basis to employees, or even offer to buy management or professional growth books for employees upon their request so that they can pursue development in their free time. Here at CareerPlug, we know from experience that hiring people who are genuinely excited to contribute to the growth of a company like ours is the most important indicator of success for new hires. We also know how important it is to return the favor and invest in the growth of our employees. ### Take action Ready to build a compelling careers page? Click the button below to download our free Careers Page Checklist that can help you make sure you’re including everything you need to attract applicants. [Careers Page Checklist](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Careers-Page-Checklist.pdf) Within our [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/), you can utilize a branded careers page that can be configured to show off your company culture and list open positions. One of our clients, [Nothing Bundt Cakes](https://www.nothingbundtcakes.com/), sees their [careers page](https://nothing-bundt-cakes-careers.careerplug.com/jobs) as a powerful recruiting tool. Here’s what Cat Santangelo, the San Diego Director of Operations had to say: “We are very fortunate to have many of our Team Members recommend potential candidates because they enjoy working for our brand and love our values. The partnership we have with CareerPlug strongly supports our focus, by allowing the voice of our Team to be heard on our Careers page. This is a great place for potential Team Members to hear personal testimonies that highlight why our Teams love being part of the Nothing Bundt Cakes family.” ### Need more help building a careers page that works for your business? CareerPlug can help! Click the button below to get a glimpse inside the software. [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/careers-page/lets-get-started/) --- ## Hiring Software Case Study – Kona Grill **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/case-study-hiring-software-kona-grill/ * Posted on July 9, 2018 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris In the competitive restaurant industry, having enough staff can make or break success. Even for restaurants with a popular menu and high potential like [our client Kona Grill](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/), a lack of management and hourly employees can slow growth. Systems like [CareerPlug’s hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) can help put your business back on track and even help you grow. Over the past few years, we have worked closely with Kona Grill to increase applicant flow and help facilitate staffing for new restaurants. ### Kona Grill and Their Hiring Background A quick background on Kona Grill. Kona Grill is an upscale casual restaurant serving American cuisine, sushi, and cocktails. Founded in 1998, the company has grown to 46 restaurants in 23 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Due to their quick growth, Kona Grill had a large hiring need. Their previous hiring software, PeopleMatter (now owned by Snag), however, failed to meet that need and Kona Grill struggled to make management and hourly hires. With their previous hiring platform, the company experienced a lack of applicant flow and had to pay to post to job boards, in addition to what they paid to PeopleMatter. ### Kona Grill’s Hiring Needs Kona Grill’s hiring needs boiled down to two essential items: increased applicant flow and reduced spending. The company needed to change their hiring strategy to get the management and hourly hires they needed. They knew they wanted to continue using a hiring software, but their future partner needed to show they could reach more potential applicants without Kona Grill having to dig deep into their budget. Kona Grill also knew the platform they used needed to have the hiring tools to reach their ideal candidates, tailor their job application to that group, and increase staffing across multiple locations. ### A Hiring Software Solution for Kona Grill With their rapid growth, we wanted to work with Kona Grill to give them the results they needed, fast. Within the first two years of the partnership, management hires have increased 45%. Kona Grill has enjoyed receiving 400% more applicants than their previous provider after switching to CareerPlug’s hiring software. Kona Grill attributes this to the customizable workflow and job templates, free job syndication, and personal account manager all offered by CareerPlug’s hiring system. They have found the mobile optimized platform and Spanish application option, a key edge in the restaurant industry, extremely useful as well. Through CareerPlug’s competitive pricing and offerings, Kona Grill was able to reduce spend while increasing applicant flow. In addition to offering a strong hiring solution to Kona Grill, we have worked with the company to create a path for future success through customized reporting, allowing them to track metrics to continue to make improvements. While this mostly involves the product, our process helps to ensure clients like Kona Grill are in the best position to succeed. Our hiring software is supported through a dedicated account manager to help clients maximize and optimize their experience and a support team focused on uncovering answers to questions. --- ## Case Study: How CareerPlug Helped a New House Doctors Franchisee Build His Team **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/case-study-house-doctors/ * Posted on April 1, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Joseph and his wife are brand-new [House Doctors franchise owners](https://www.housedoctors.com/buxmont/) preparing to launch their business this month. Juggling his regular job while opening a new business was already a challenge—the last thing he needed was a complicated hiring process. Fortunately, his [Premium Service Brands (PSB)](https://www.premiumservicebrands.com/) sales rep pointed him toward CareerPlug before everything was even finalized. This early introduction played a key role in his decision to become a franchisee and was instrumental in getting his business off the ground. ### The Challenge: Building a team from the ground up Joseph had never built a team from scratch before. Like many new franchise owners, hiring and workforce management wasn’t the first thing on his to-do list. However, he knew it was essential to get the right people in place quickly and efficiently. ### The Solution: CareerPlug’s all-in-one hiring platform Thanks to his PSB sales rep, Joseph connected with CareerPlug early in the process. Jason, a CareerPlug consultant, walked him through a comprehensive training call, offering helpful tips and tricks for utilizing the software effectively. The consultation covered everything from [creating job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/effective-job-descriptions/) to adding pre-screen questions to easily filter out the best candidates. “Jason showed us where to go in case we had any questions. [How to] create job descriptions and how to add pre-screen questions.” Even better, CareerPlug offered job description templates tailored specifically to the House Doctors brand. This allowed Joseph to quickly customize templates to fit his unique needs. “For our brand, there were already job description templates based on my needs. I was able to tweak it and get it posted quickly.” CareerPlug automatically [distributed his job postings to all the major job boards](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/), saving him even more time. “If I were hiring and having to go through Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and all that. It’s going to take too much time—CareerPlug is a one-stop shop. I’ve never seen anything like it.” Joseph also took advantage of [CareerPlug’s Fast Track feature](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/), where pre-screen questions can help identify your best applicants and automatically send them a text to schedule their first interview: “That really, really helped us.” ### The Results: Easy setup, fast hiring, and an applicant pipeline Joseph’s experience with CareerPlug has been nothing but positive. Thanks to the thorough training call, he hasn’t needed additional customer support—everything has been straightforward and easy to use. “It’s very user-friendly and they don’t waste time reaching out to help if you have a question.” Within a short time, Joseph had already conducted over five interviews and successfully hired his first Area Manager. What’s more, he’s now set up for scalable hiring as his business grows. “We are going to start with one area manager and scale. When we start scaling, I’m going to start pulling from some of the applications I’ve already received.” ### Why it matters for franchisors From a franchise perspective, offering CareerPlug as part of the onboarding process makes franchise development easier and shows prospective franchisees that you’re willing to support them with one of the hardest parts of running a business: finding and retaining great people. Joseph’s smooth hiring process is proof that with the right tools, new franchise owners can hit the ground running. ### Ready to make hiring easier for your franchisees? [Book a demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) with CareerPlug to see how our [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) can support your franchisees’ growth from day one. --- ## How to Attract Candidates in 2023? Change the Way You Hire **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/change-the-way-you-hire/ * Posted on July 7, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris The job market has rapidly changed over the last few years, and as an employer, it can be hard to keep up. Widespread resignation and [lower applicant counts](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/) have made hiring and retaining the right people for your team more challenging than ever. At CareerPlug, we want to make it easier for our clients to hire and develop the right people, and we know that the right hiring process can help employers through these unprecedented challenges. Let’s talk a little about the changes that you should make as an employer to get more applicants and turn those applicants into employees that are happy to be on your team. #### Table of Contents 1. [Practice pay transparency.](https://www.careerplug.com/change-the-way-you-hire/#pay-transparency) 2. [Offer a signing bonus.](https://www.careerplug.com/change-the-way-you-hire/#bonus) 3. [Show candidates that you are a great place to work.](https://www.careerplug.com/change-the-way-you-hire/#show-candidates) 4. [Be a a great place to work.](https://www.careerplug.com/change-the-way-you-hire/#great-place) ### Job seekers are expecting more Since the start of 2023, there has been plenty of buzz around layoffs, but most small businesses are actually still looking to increase their staff, and many are finding it difficult to hire enough people for their teams. For the last year, [job openings have outnumbered job seekers](https://www.statista.com/chart/28407/unemployed-persons-and-job-openings-in-the-united-states/) consistently. There are plenty of open roles and not enough people to fill them. Plus, many small businesses feel like instead of just competing with others in their industry for top talent, they are now competing with retail giants like Walmart, Amazon, and Target for workers. Simply put: **The competition for talent is high.** And job seekers and employees are aware that they have leverage. If they aren’t getting what they need from one company, they can easily go to another. As CareerPlug President, Jenny Leman explains: “Candidates have higher expectations from an employer than ever before. Their bar for things like compensation, culture, and benefits is higher than it ever has been. And candidates typically have a ton of choices and they have multiple factors at play. People have the option to switch employers if a better offer comes around.” ### Job seekers’ compensation expectations have changed Finally, there’s the elephant in the room: Some industries that have historically paid low wages now have a difficult time finding applicants to fill those roles. Consider restaurant workers, for example, who earn a large portion of their income through tips. [Many left the industry](https://www.wsj.com/articles/hospitality-workers-are-pushed-into-new-careers-as-pandemic-begins-second-year-11613999342) in the last few years and have been reluctant to return to food service since experiencing the drastic effect something like a pandemic can have on their take home pay and dealing with the stress of unpredictable and ever-changing wages. But restaurant workers aren’t the only ones. In a recent [compensation survey](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/), we found that **55% of all workers are seeking an opportunity to increase their pay**, and of those, **67% said they planned to explore new industries or fields.** As an employer, it can feel like there are less employees out there that actually want to work. But when we take a more nuanced look at what’s happening to the labor market, we find evidence that those job seekers actually do want to work — just for companies that promise increased pay and security, often in different industries altogether. ### Which businesses have seen hiring success in 2023? If you’re a business owner struggling to fill your roles this year, you’re not alone. It’s happening everywhere. But the businesses thriving in this moment are those who are getting creative, and shifting their focus to things like the **candidate experience, diversity, and competitive compensation and perks.** Take for example, the increasingly popular workplace communication app, [Slack](https://slack.com/), who’s gotten ahead in hiring by [outpacing other tech giants](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/04/how-slack-got-ahead-in-diversity/558806/) in **diversity initiatives.**The company stands out with recruitment practices like: * Seeking candidates [outside of traditional talent pipelines](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/) (like recruiting at an all women’s coding camp) * Working with [Textio](https://textio.com/) to analyze job descriptions to [avoid gender bias](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/removing-gender-bias-from-job-descriptions/) and appeal to a wider audience * Replacing traditional (and often biased) parts of a traditional tech hiring process with more fair practices – like allowing candidates to choose whether they want to take assessments home or complete them in office * Rigorously training interviewers by having them practice interviews with other employees and asking all candidates the same questions to avoid bias. Another example is fast-food chain [In-N-Out, who has been hiring and expanding](https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloesorvino/2020/11/20/despite-pandemic-in-n-out-burger-is-hiring-opening-new-locations/?sh=7c088ed02a24) since the pandemic, thanks in no small part to a [higher-than-average pay structure](https://www.businessinsider.com/in-n-out-employee-pay-2018-1) that they’ve used as a recruiting tool for years. The company believes **high wages translate to high productivity and low turnover** among fast-food workers. Other companies are taking notice and following suit. Nationwide chains like McDonald’s, have been open about [raising wages](https://www.axios.com/mcdonalds-raise-hourly-wages-restaurant-workers-39107790-3c32-4fcd-89ee-490d980ddbf2.html) to remain competitive and attract employees. Smaller businesses can put these same principles into practice for more hiring success. Let’s get into some tips for more successful hiring in 2023. ### How to attract more applicants in 2023 We certainly empathize with small business owners and franchisees who find these [job market shifts](https://recruitment.com/future/recruiting-post-pandemic) frustrating and difficult to navigate, especially since you may not have the budget to increase your payroll unexpectedly. So how do you attract applicants in this new world? Our advice is to lean into the things you can control. Here are a few tips that we hope will make it easier for your business to attract more applicants. ### 1. Practice pay transparency We’ve always recommended that employers practice [pay transparency](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/benefits-of-pay-transparency/) by [including the compensation range on job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/). In our [2023 Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we found that**job seekers would prefer to learn about compensation sooner rather than later**. This becomes even more relevant in a [candidate’s job market](https://www.bristolassoc.com//blog/candidate-driven-market/). As an employer, you have to be as enticing as possible at the beginning of the hiring process. Candidates will concentrate on opportunities that are upfront about the pay because they don’t want to waste their time trying to guess what an employer might pay. Make sure they don’t pass on your job opportunity simply because you didn’t advertise compensation in the [job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/). And if the compensation doesn’t meet their expectations, then you’re saving your own time by not pursuing a candidate that may not convert to a hire anyway. You could also go one step further and advertise your compensation and benefits the same way you might market a sale to customers. For example, beloved Texas gas station chain, [Buc-ee’s](https://buc-ees.com/), has long [advertised their competitive pay and benefits on signs outside their stores](https://www.dallasnews.com/business/economy/2018/06/20/what-this-buc-ee-s-help-wanted-sign-says-about-working-in-texas/) with great success. Source: Dallas Morning News ### 2. Offer a signing bonus. Most employers are familiar with [employee referral programs](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/), a recruiting tactic in which employees are incentivized to produce high-quality candidate leads in exchange for a cash bonus. Employee referrals are always going to be an excellent source of candidates who convert into hires at a [9 times higher rate](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) than applicants from job boards. But in such a competitive job market, you might want to also **consider offering a bonus to the applicants themselves.** If your objective is to make your job posting stand out from competitors — and it should be — then offering a cash signing bonus is a great recruiting tactic. This may be a new strategy for you as an employer, but you’re going to have to get creative to attract great employees to your roles. When you consider the [cost of the time you’d spend recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-reduce-recruitment-costs/), as well as job advertisements and other recruitment marketing costs, it’s actually not too far-fetched to instead divert some of that budget directly into your new hires’ pockets. It also serves as a signal to other job seekers that a company values talent. For employers who are nervous about implementing a cash bonus program, you can always add a stipulation that the signing bonus will be paid after a specified probationary period has passed. **Pro Tip:** Never include the compensation or the signing bonus in the **job title** on job boards. Major job boards remove jobs with title modifications. Instead, have a standard job title and attach compensation to the job posting in the appropriate spot. ### 3. Show candidates that your business is a great place to work. More than half of job seekers [abandon their pursuit of a job](https://www.inc.com/adam-robinson/more-than-half-of-job-seekers-say-they-wouldnt-apply-to-a-company-with-bad-online-reviews.html) after reading negative reviews about a company on [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/) like [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/how-it-works/) and [JobSage](https://www.jobsage.com/). If a business isn’t a great place to work, it can develop a reputation that costs them applicants. It’s really important to control the story you tell about your business and that you let job seekers know you care about your employees. You can use your [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) as a channel to market your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) and get candidates excited about working for your company. Ask your existing employees to write or record [employee testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/), which can be a compelling form of social proof for potential applicants. Add photos and videos of the workplace and the team along with a statement about your company culture, your commitment to their well-being, and any potential growth opportunities. Most importantly: be authentic about who you are as a company and as a manager. To learn more about building a compelling careers page, check out this video featuring CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan. ### 4. Actually be a great place to work. Creating a great place to work starts with supporting your existing team. Your number one recruiting strategy should be [retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) — especially when you consider that the [average cost of replacing one employee](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/247391/fixable-problem-costs-businesses-trillion.aspx) can range from one-half to two times that employee’s annual salary! Regardless of the job market, the best employees will always have the freedom to be picky about where to work. Make sure you don’t lose them to someone else. To build a retention strategy, make sure you’re doing the following: * Hire the right people who share your [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/). * Hire people who want to [grow with you](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/). * Give employees a sense of purpose in their work. * Provide [frequent feedback](https://www.franchise.org/franchise-information/operations-training/you-owe-them-feedback) to help employees improve and grow and give them the opportunity to provide feedback too. * Find out people’s big dreams and motivations and help them achieve what they want. (Start this as early as the hiring process with a “[lifeline interview](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/lifeline-interviews/)”.) * Develop [growth paths](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) or career tracks. * Find ways to nurture social relationships between employees. * Create [transparent and equitable policies](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-hiring/) around hiring, pay, promotions, and terminations. * [Communicate openly](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/), even during tough times. * Consider offering desirable benefits like work from home options and more PTO The most important thing to remember is that empathy for your candidates will go a long way. Consider their struggles. Recognize what they want and what they need — and do your best to give it to them. ### Hiring Data to Help You Hire Better Are job boards really the best source of applicants? When is the best time of year to post jobs? Learn this and more, plus compare your [hiring metrics](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-use-recruiting-metrics-to-hire-better/) with others in your industry in our annual Recruiting Metrics Report. DOWNLOAD MY REPORT --- ## Employee Referrals: Your Greatest Recruiting Source **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/employee-referrals/ * Posted on November 16, 2015 * by Natalie Morgan You know that your employees are just as valuable as your customers, if not moreso. Your team is the front-line of your business: executors of strategy, builders of customer relationships, and keepers of your employment brand. The latter also means your employees are an amazing source for recruiting new talent. Think of your personal networks. From your social media reach to your personal and professional circles, when you share a job opportunity with your network it probably reaches hundreds of people. This same reach can be multiplied by empowering your employees to share job opportunities in their own networks. Through a simple employee referral program you can quickly broadcast openings using your own internal recruiting force … all before spending a dime on job board postings! Employee referrals are one of the largest sources of hires – 39% according to a recent study – for companies who actively communicate opportunities to their current employees and encourage referrals. The impressive applicant-to-hire rate for referrals is largely due to the quality of candidates you’re likely to receive from a referral as opposed to a job board. There is [compelling evidence](https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions//blog/2015/05/data-referrals-strongly-impact-retention-and-depend-on-employee-performance) that shows A-Players refer fellow A-Players. After all, talented, motivated people usually surround themselves with talented, motivated peers. By empowering your high contributors to refer from within their network, you’re building a strong talent pipeline. Here are a few more benefits to employee referrals: * **Faster Time to Hire**– [A recent study](https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions//blog/2015/08/5-reasons-employee-referrals-are-the-best-way-to-hire) showed that it takes an average of 29 days to hire a referred candidate compared to 39 days to hire a candidate through a job site. * **Lower Cost per Hire** – No recruiter fees. No expensive sponsored job posts or advertising. And due to the faster time to hire, you cut internal costs as well. * **Smoother Onboarding**– A referred employee will usually have more insight into the company and its culture when they start than someone who applied through a job posting. And they have the person who referred them as a resource to ease their transition! * **Higher Retention Rate**– Referral employees stick around longer. As they have been pre-filtered by their referrer for cultural fit and performance, it’s no surprise that referrals have a lower turnover rate than other hires. **Getting Started with an Employee Referral Program:** 1. **Share Your Opportunities:** Communicate open positions to your employees and get them excited to share with their network. 2. **Track Referral Applicants:**Use unique job posting URLs and referral form fields so that you can track sources and provide invaluable insight into your hiring process. 3. **Keep Referers Informed:** Your employees are doing you a favor by sending talent; replay them by communicating openly as their referral moves through the hiring process. 4. **Reward Referral Hires:** Motivate employees to consistently refer great candidates by providing a referral bonus when you hire their referral. **At CareerPlug, we made it easy for our clients to take advantage of employee referrals by integrating employee referral communication and tracking into our [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/).** --- ## Should You Hire a Candidate with Gaps in Their Resume? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/gaps-in-resume/ * Posted on September 23, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris At some point, you’ve probably heard this advice passed down from hiring manager to hiring manager throughout the ages: _“Unexplained gaps on a resume are a red flag!”_ But is this actually true? We don’t think so! In fact, there are many reasons why gaps in a resume shouldn’t bother you. Better yet, breaks from work could say more positive things about a candidate than you might think. As Hiring Experts, we have a lot to say on this subject. We’re opening up the discussion to help you determine if gaps in a resume truly matter and how to put more focus on other parts of the hiring process. ### Do gaps in a resume matter? A long uninterrupted work history isn’t necessarily a sign that a candidate is the right person for a job. If everything else looks good on paper but a candidate has an unexplained gap on their resume, before you jump to conclusions, consider the following common reasons for employment gaps. The CareerPlug team shared some real life examples. Creative Design Manager, Kacie Sommers had this to say: “My mom’s friend Peggy quit the workforce to be a stay at home mom… until she got a divorce and found herself needing to work for the first time in 20+ years in order to pay her mortgage.” Senior Content Marketing Manager, Desiree Echevarria, shared: “Sometimes people only put _relevant_ work experience on resumes. One summer, I worked a customer service job that I left off my resume when I was applying to marketing jobs because it’s not relevant at all, but to a hiring manager, that might look like a ‘resume gap’ – even though I just left it off for the sake of keeping it relevant.” When you think about it, a gap in a resume says very little about a candidate’s professional trajectory. Life happens to all of us and as an employer, it’s important to cut candidates some slack and consider the various reasons someone might have to take off work for a bit. ### Tips for addressing gaps in a resume A little perspective shift can help you see that gaps in a resume are totally common and probably nothing to worry about! But if you’re still feeling a little concerned, let’s go over some other hiring practices that can help you evaluate candidates with employment history gaps. ### Think about what you are truly evaluating Before you begin [reviewing resumes](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/) or even [writing your job description](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf), create an [Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) that helps you flesh out the skills and experience your ideal candidate has for the role you’re filling. Reflect on what truly matters to you for this position. Ultimately, is the criteria you’re evaluating “a perfect work history” or is the criteria you’re evaluating more aimed at a demonstrable ability and a certain skillset? Evaluate for what matters. If a candidate has all the skills and qualifications you said you were looking for, does taking an extended period of time off work really matter when it comes to how they’ll perform in the role? ### Hire for growth potential Maybe you’d really like a candidate to have X amount of years in your industry. And sure, sometimes that’s possible to find. But when faced with a [limited applicant pool](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/), it may be worth [**hiring for growth potential**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/)instead. This means looking beyond the resume and recognizing emerging talent. And it can help you make great hires that stick around. As CareerPlug CEO, Clint Smith, shared: “Giving the right person a chance can help you earn employees for life. There’s something special about being the first organization to give someone a shot.” For more on hiring for growth potential, check out this video from our Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan: ### Be mindful of potential bias Everyone has conscious and unconscious biases that can negatively impact recruitment. Gaps in a resume may lead you to wrongly assume something about a candidate, and gaps should never be used to discriminate against someone for a job. Here are some tips for overcoming hiring bias: * [Check out our hiring bias blog](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/) to learn what types of biases might be affecting your recruitment. * Educate your staff (especially anyone that helps with hiring) to be aware of these biases. * Return to your Ideal Candidate Profile to objectively evaluate candidates. * Have criteria in place for evaluating resumes and run all resumes through the same process. Using [candidate evaluation software](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) like CareerPlug can take some of the guesswork out of this. ### Create great candidate experiences A few years back, hiring managers could afford to be super selective. These days, job seekers have more options than ever and [we found that application counts are down](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) in every industry. In a candidate’s market, being too picky could cause you to miss great candidates. In [a recent study](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we found that the majority of job seekers who turned down an offer did so because of **“a negative experience with people in the interview process.”**So grilling a candidate about the year they spent abroad may be enough to sour them on your company and push them toward a different company that values experiences outside of work. In a candidate’s market, it’s necessary for hiring managers to adapt to the current climate and disregard outdated ideas of what constitutes a “serious applicant.” By making it clear that you’re evaluating candidates based only on the things that matter for the role, you can leave candidates with a great impression of your company and make the right hires. ### To sum it up When you make a general rule like “no resume gaps” you could be missing out on star candidates. If you want to hire and retain a diverse workforce, you need to create more generous stories for resume gaps while you review them. At the resume review stage, a resume gap doesn’t mean much. Use later stages in the hiring process to get to know a candidate’s story and understand their career goals and motivations. Don’t make assumptions and keep an open mind. Focus on what really matters and determine if the candidate has the skills to be successful in your role in the future. Your next great hire may have taken a year or two off of work, and that’s nothing to be concerned about. ### Evaluate Candidates the Right Way with CareerPlug [CareerPlug’s hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) has easy-to-use applicant screening and evaluation tools that can help you make better hiring decisions. Try it out today to see for yourself. [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Grow Your Business with CareerPlug: Molly Maid Case Study **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/grow-your-business-molly-maid-case-study/ * Posted on September 27, 2018 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris At some point you may realize that you have maximized your business’ production based on your resources. You may even find yourself turning down business because you don’t have the resources to complete requests. If that’s the case, you probably know you need to hire people to grow your business. Recruiting and hiring is not the easiest task, however. For anyone who’s main job isn’t recruiting and hiring, you will realize this early on. There are many different job boards and software to help you hire. You might even be wondering what makes a good job post. If you struggle to hire, it’s time to turn to an applicant tracking system (ATS) to save you time and take back your work week. As a top choice for franchises and independent operators, we have helped numerous franchisees make better hiring decisions through our ATS. Below we will take a look at how a Molly Maid franchisee was able to grow their business with CareerPlug. You can follow this process as well to help grow your business. ### Is Recruiting Stopping Your Business from Growing? Kara Gobel is a Molly Maid franchisee serving areas around Indianapolis. She has been with the brand for 15 years. While her business has grown steadily over time, her staff has been able to handle all new requests. Recently, she found it increasingly difficult to complete requests with her current staff. Kara knew at this point that if she wanted to grow her business, she needed to hire more staff. Once Kara realized that she needed to hire, she set out to get her job openings posted wherever she could. Kara used a combination of recruiting platforms to try to find quality applicants. Even though Kara was putting in a strong effort to attract qualified candidates, she was constantly receiving unqualified applicants. The recruiting platforms she was using were not screening applicants for the requirements she needed. Kara also did not have the tools to target Spanish speakers, which make up a large portion of her applicant pool, properly. Finally, Kara also needed a better way of communicating with her candidates. Using phone calls as the only method to speak to candidates was proving unsuccessful as many candidates could not answer the phone if they were working another job. ### Using Hiring Software to Grow Your Business CareerPlug worked with Kara and other Molly Maid franchisees to fill their needs to receive more quality applicants and better hires. We quickly implemented our applicant tracking system which provided tools like prescreen questions, Spanish translation, and email templates. For Kara, this means that she can now weed out bad applicants before having to go through resumes or contacting applicants. She can also communicate to candidates over email and use email templates, which saves her a ton of time. The biggest feature for Kara, however, is the ability to refresh job posts. Most businesses post once or twice to job boards. If you aren’t actively monitoring your job posts, they could easily be buried on the last page of job boards and candidates will hardly find them. Using [CareerPlug’s hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/), Kara has been able to grow her team from 7 to 10 employees. This in turn, has allowed her to grow her business. To learn more about CareerPlug’s all-in-one hiring software, [Try a demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/)with a CareerPlug hiring expert. --- ## How to Hire and Retain Working Moms (And Why You Should) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hire-and-retain-working-moms/ * Posted on July 19, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris It’s hard to describe the challenges of balancing work and motherhood or to fully explain the difficulty of looking for a job after leaving the workforce to raise children. I personally didn’t understand the nuances of these types of experiences or the obstacles this demographic faces until I became a working mom myself a few months back, returning to work after the birth of my first son. As a breastfeeding mom, one of the first things I noticed right away was how lucky I was to work from home so that I could easily take breaks out of my work day to nurse him. I’ve heard far too many stories from other mothers that are delegated a tiny closet or a public bathroom at their workplace so that they can pump during the day – which in case you didn’t know, you have to do as often as every two hours. This is just one (albeit big) piece of the working mom puzzle, and something that many businesses are [beginning to improve their policies](https://www.npr.org/2023/05/12/1175444633/pump-act-helps-9-million-parents) on to retain more working moms and attempt to make an already difficult transition back to work just a little bit easier. Making an effort to cater to mothers in the workplace is beneficial for moms of course, but it can be beneficial to your business as well. In this article, we’ll cover some of the best reasons to have moms on your team, then get into some practical tips for hiring and retaining them. ### Benefits of hiring working moms There are some pretty [compelling reasons to hire moms](https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyschoenberger/2021/05/03/10-reasons-to-hire-a-mom-this-mothers-day/?sh=1246a9db2327). Working moms have a near superhuman-like ability to multitask, and bring some serious time management skills to the table. Moms often have good leadership skills and are adept at overcoming challenges and adjusting to change. Hiring mothers also creates a [**more diverse workforce**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-hiring/). Having a diverse team allows a business to tap into the value of its employees’ unique perspectives, resulting in more ways of thinking and fresh ideas, along with more productivity and creativity. Plus, moms often serve as a shining example to the rest of your team regarding work-life balance and setting boundaries. Sick baby? Count on a mom to prioritize what’s important and make it clear to teammates that it’s ok to do the same. ### How to attract working mothers to your open roles Looking for a job is difficult enough as it is. As an employer, you should aim to make it easy for busy mothers to learn about your company and move through your [hiring process.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) Here are some changes you can make during recruitment to appeal to more working moms. ### Lead with attractive benefits in job postings Moms aren’t the only job seekers that care about your benefits and compensation. You should always **lead with this information in your**[**job postings**](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/), so that applicants can see what you are offering and decide early on if you’re the right fit for them. Certain benefits will be more appealing to working mothers like: * Paid sick leave * Unlimited PTO * Paid parental leave * On-site daycare or stipend for child care expenses * Flexible spending accounts (FSAs) * Health insurance ### Make the application process easy We’ve all got the same 24 hours in a day, right? Ehh not exactly. Often (but not always) moms, in addition to raising children and working outside of the home, take on [more of the household workload](https://news.gallup.com/poll/286739/working-moms-little-reprieve-household-demands.aspx). All that to say: working moms are busy, so when they’re looking for a job, a quick and easy application and [streamlined hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-automate-the-hiring-and-interview-process/) will stand out to them. [**60% of job seekers**](https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/technology/pages/study-most-job-seekers-abandon-online-job-applications.aspx#:~:text=According%20to%20CareerBuilder%2C%2060%20percent,abandonment%20rate%20may%20be%20conservative.)**quit in the middle of filling out applications because of length and complexity**. No job seeker wants to spend 30+ minutes filling out an application, retyping information that’s included in their resume, or creating an account just to apply. Instead, working moms (and other job seekers) want to be able to apply to jobs from their phone in just a few clicks. Make your application mobile-friendly and easy to complete. Don’t ask for any sensitive information upfront and limit yourself to 2-3 [pre-screen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/). If you’re curious about how job seekers feel about your application, click the button below to download our **Application Grader** – a free resource that you can use to see how your application experience is perceived by candidates. [Grade my application experience](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Grade-Your-Application-Experience-1.pdf) ### Let moms schedule interviews on their own time And when it comes to scheduling interviews with working moms,**let them schedule on their own time when it’s most convenient for them**. You can do this with CareerPlug’s [automated interview scheduling tool](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/), Autopilot. Autopilot syncs to your calendar, then automatically sends candidates a link to schedule an interview. Candidates can select an interview time, based on your availability, whenever it’s convenient for them. Plus, it will send them automatic reminders leading up to the interview. Autopilot is a game changer for busy candidates _and_ busy employers. Watch the video below to see how working mom and CareerPlug President, Jenny Leman uses Autopilot to get time back in her day: ### Rethink your resume requirements No one should be judged unfairly for having [gaps in their resume](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/gaps-in-resume/), including people that have taken off to raise children. And when it comes to college degrees, many employers are [ditching these requirements](https://www.restaurant365.com/blog/dropping-degree-requirements-is-a-growing-trend/?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=katie-social&utm_campaign=byl-2023-06-26-dropping-degree-requirements&utm_content=social-post&utm_term=read-more) altogether, in favor of more “skills-based” candidate evaluation. A proven work history or educational experience is valuable of course, but so is a proven track record of learning, growing, and taking on new responsibilities – and take it from me, this describes the skills you learn raising tiny humans perfectly. ### How to retain working moms To both hire and retain working moms, you need to focus on making your workplace more inclusive. This starts by learning more about the challenges moms face at work, and using that perspective to make positive changes to your work environment. Here are some ideas to help address what’s important to working moms. ### Offer the right accommodations to make nursing moms more comfortable To keep the mothers you have on your team, consider offering the right accommodations to make their lives a little easier. One big area for improvement at many workplaces is having dedicated breastfeeding areas for moms. A lot of moms may choose to continue breastfeeding for several months (or even years) after returning to work – but unfortunately, many moms often give up breastfeeding earlier than they’d like to because of less than desirable pumping conditions at work. In one survey, a [third of mothers](https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/working-moms-say-job-pressure-caused-them-to-stop-breastfeeding) reported that they**stopped breastfeeding after returning to work**, with **19% even saying they received pressure from work to stop.** Dedicated pumping areas can make an already difficult transition back to work a little easier and go a long way in showing the moms on your team that you support them. ### Offer flexible working options As you might imagine, a **flexible work schedule**is huge for working mothers. [48% of moms reported](https://www.mother.ly/life/motherly-stories/parents-workplace-flexibility/) a desire for their employer to better support them with increased flexibility and remote working options. Along with offering flexibility, extend trust to your employees that they will do their job even with unconventional hours or varying schedules. As CareerPlug’s Growth and Development Manager, Amy Campero shares: “I think the most important thing is **flexibility and trust** from the employer. I appreciate that I can be honest about doctors appointments, school pick-up, a sick kid at home and how summer is a bit nutty because of camp schedules. I feel trusted by my manager and the company that I will get my work done no matter what – even if it means my days look different than an employee with no kids.” ### Show them a clear path for growth Employee development is an important part of any retention strategy. In our [Toxic Work Environment Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/), we found that “**more opportunities for growth**” was the **number one change employees wanted to see at work.** But working moms in particular, often find it more challenging to progress at work. [41% of working mothers](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2015/11/04/raising-kids-and-running-a-household-how-working-parents-share-the-load/#:~:text=In%20fact%2C%20more%20than%20half,20%25)%20say%20the%20same.) said that being a parent has made it more difficult for them to advance in their career (just 20% of working fathers said the same). Here are some ways to connect working moms with more opportunities and support their growth: * Promote from within. * Provide ongoing feedback on [employee performance](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/performance-improvement-plan/). * Pay for educational opportunities like seminars, books, and online classes. * Help employees set and reach goals with a [Growth Plan](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/). ### Provide recognition and feedback Recognition is an important part of [employee feedback](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/) that can help you retain your employees. Finding ways to recognize employees leads to a more engaged workforce. And an engaged workforce is more satisfied, productive, creative, and collaborative. However, many employers aren’t committing to employee recognition and are missing out on these benefits. [**50% of employees**](https://www.quantumworkplace.com/future-of-work/importance-of-employee-recognition)**want more recognition for their work.** Being a mom can sometimes be thankless work, so it can be gratifying to receive recognition for a job well done. Consider implementing formal employee recognition programs where achievements can be publicly acknowledged within the company and employees can easily be recognized by both supervisors and coworkers. Recognition doesn’t always have to go through this formal process though. If you see a working mom (or anyone else) going above and beyond, be sure to let them know in the moment. Only good can come from making your employees feel valued and appreciated. ### Listen to what the working moms on your team have to say I’m only six months into motherhood, but I can already tell you that every day is a different challenge. On any given day, the moms that work for you may be running on just a couple of hours of sleep, stressed out over a sick child, overwhelmed with household responsibilities, or a combination of all these things and more! One of the easiest and kindest ways to support the moms in your workforce is to **maintain an open line of communication** and be willing to discuss their ever-changing needs. Moms need compassion, empathy, and understanding. They need supervisors that acknowledge their challenges, coworkers that ask how they are feeling, and a workplace that supports them. Getting insight from your employees will help you understand what changes you need to make to become a great place to work – which is what all of us (moms and otherwise) are looking for! ### Attract and hire more easily with CareerPlug [](https://www.careerplug.com/%3ECareerPlug%E2%80%99s%20hiring%20software%3C/a%3E%20can%20help%20you%20attract%20more%20great%20candidates%20to%20your%20open%20roles%20and%20move%20them%20through%20your%20hiring%20process%20more%20quickly!%20This%20creates%20a%20great%20candidate%20experience%20and%20improves%20your%20ability%20to%20make%20more%20of%20the%20right%20hires.%20Try%20it%20out%20today!%20%3C/p%3E%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%3Cspan%20class=)[GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## 8 Essential Recruitment Tools to Help You Hire Better **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-tools/ * Posted on August 3, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris With ongoing shifts in the labor market and ever-evolving technology to make running a business easier, it’s no surprise that hiring practices have had to adapt. Employers in every industry are using hiring tools to find and hire the right people more effectively. So, if you’re struggling to make the right hires for your business, it might be time to reinvent the way you hire instead of sticking to the traditional, old-school methods that used to work in the past. To help, we compiled a list of the **eight most essential hiring tools** that can help you optimize your hiring process. #### Table of Contents 1. [Virtual interview software](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-tools/#h-1-virtual-interview-software) 2. [A.I.](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-tools/#h-2-a-i) 3. [Automated interview schedulers](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-tools/#h-3-automated-interview-schedulers) 4. [Text recruiting software](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-tools/#h-4-text-recruiting-software) 5. [Social media](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-tools/#h-5-social-media) 6. [Candidate screening tools](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-tools/#h-6-candidate-screening-tools) 7. [Candidate experience surveys](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-tools/#h-7-candidate-experience-surveys) 8. [Job boards](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-tools/#h-8-job-boards) ### Benefits of using hiring tools In the last year, we’ve heard a similar sentiment from several of our clients again and again. Many small business owners feel like in addition to competing with others in their industry for employees, they are also now competing with industry giants like Walmart, Uber, and Amazon. These big companies are always hiring and typically have attractive offers with guaranteed hours and benefits. They seem to be a “sure thing” for job seekers, and can convert applicants to working team members relatively quickly. So in order to compete with these giants and everyone else, **employers have had to make adjustments to their hiring processes**, like engaging with candidates sooner than the competition and moving them through the process more quickly. Savvy employers also know not to sacrifice [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) for speed and use the hiring process to showcase their [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding) and make prospects excited about the idea of working for them – instead of someone else. This is the main benefit of hiring tools: they can help employers find and contact applicants before the competition and evaluate candidates quickly and effectively, all while providing a great candidate experience. ### Top 8 hiring tools to add to your hiring process ### 1. Virtual interview software Whether your business operates remotely or not, **conducting some parts of your hiring process virtually can help you save time and increase efficiency.**Video interviewing can be particularly beneficial if you’re trying to hire a lot of people at once. [Video conferencing](https://www.cloudtalk.io//blog/how-to-create-a-top-notch-wfh-video-conferencing-setup) platforms such as [Zoom](https://zoom.us/) and [Google Hangouts](https://hangouts.google.com/) have had a huge increase in their user base in recent years and can be great hiring tools to include in your toolkit. In fact, [86% of companies](https://getvoip.com//blog/2020/07/07/video-conferencing-stats/) now perform candidate interviews over video conferencing. In addition to these behemoths that dominate the video calling space, there are several smaller companies you can consider, such as [GoToMeeting](https://www.gotomeeting.com/), [RingCentral Video](https://www.ringcentral.com/office/features/video-conference/overview.html), and [Webex](https://www.webex.com/). There are several advantages to virtual interviews, like: * Cuts down on transport time and costs for candidates * Shortens the time it takes to make a new hire * [Scheduling the interview](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) is much more flexible and hassle-free * Makes the candidate more comfortable * Allows your business to stay up-to-date on all the latest technology trends ### 2. A.I. It’s hard to get online these days without seeing someone talking about A.I. and what it means for the future of work. If you didn’t know, artificial intelligence software (A.I.) is simply a kind of computer program that can be taught to mimic human capabilities like reasoning and problem solving. Since the introduction of the popular A.I. tool ChatGPT, which is an advanced chatbot that can respond to user’s questions in a conversational way, A.I. has become a bit of a buzzword in many industries, but it can be hard to know which A.I. recruitment tools are actually useful, and which may be providing a poor experience to your candidates. A.I.’s strength right now is its ability to help us communicate more effectively. Many people struggle with writing things like job descriptions and emails to candidates, and A.I. can be a great solution for them.Employers can look for [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) that comes with A.I. content writing abilities built into it to make the best use out of A.I. functionality. For example,**CareerPlug is currently developing an A.I. job posting tool in our applicant tracking system in which users can simply hit a button to generate a job description.**The tool is powered by OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT. Look for that feature to be available in CareerPlug soon. However, some A.I. hiring tools, like recruitment chatbots, still have a long way to go. We put one of these chatbots to the test, only to have a frustrating and odd experience. This particular chatbot kept changing our response of “yes” to the word, “forks”. Though we can laugh at this weird experience, it’s worth pointing out that this could be the first impression an applicant has with your company! Requiring the candidate to interact with a chatbot could frustrate them, and ultimately, turn them off of your open role. ### What impact will A.I. have on hiring and recruiting? We took a closer look at the latest A.I. technology and how businesses are using it to make hiring easier. Click the button below to download your free copy of this helpful resource. [DOWNLOAD MY COPY](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/What-Does-A.I.-Mean-for-Hiring-Recruiting.pdf) ### 3. Automated interview schedulers Not to be confused with A.I. tools, **hiring automations**can streamline your hiring process by automating some of the more tedious and time-consuming tasks, like scheduling interviews. In fact, an [automated interview scheduling tool](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) can be one of the biggest game changers for business owners that want to speed up their time to hire and create a candidate experience that’s convenient and easy. Automated interview schedulers link with your calendar and allow candidates to schedule interviews based on your availability. This type of tool will typically allow you to set parameters around when candidates can schedule and send you a notification when a new interview shows up on your calendar. This eliminates the lengthy back-and-forth with candidates trying to find a time that works for both of you, freeing up time in your day to focus on other parts of your hiring process. CareerPlug’s new [automated interview scheduler](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/), Autopilot has already made a huge impact on both clients – and the CareerPlug team! Watch the video below to see what CareerPlug President, Jenny Leman, has to say about using this tool for hiring: ### 4. Text recruiting software As we mentioned, many businesses are struggling to hire the right people before their competition. Contacting a candidate first and staying in communication with them throughout can make a big difference when it comes to hiring them before someone else does. Instead of your messages or interview invitations getting lost in someone’s inbox, you can use [text recruiting software](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) to reach more candidates right on their phones – you know, that thing most of us have in our hands all day long. Research shows that [email has only a 20% open rate](https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2017/33045/email-vs-sms-battle-of-the-heavyweights-infographic) – compared to text messages, which have a 98% open rate. The average email gets a response about 6% of the time compared with the average text message, which has a 45% response rate. A text recruiting platform can help you send candidates text messages throughout the hiring process while staying compliant and safe. Many platforms will even let you automate messages based on where candidates are in the hiring process. These tools give you the ability to reach more candidates, faster, and keep them engaged throughout the screening and interview process. Want to see this in action? Watch the video below to see how text recruiting can help employers and hiring managers modernize their recruitment: ### 5. Social media [Social media recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-on-social-media/) can also be a powerful tool. [70% of hiring managers](https://everyonesocial.com//blog/social-recruiting-statistics/)have made successful hires with social media and [half of all working professionals](https://www.talentlyft.com/en//blog/article/260/how-to-find-candidates-using-instagram) follow companies on social media to keep up with their job openings, making it an excellent way to invest in your search for talented candidates. Establishing your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) is the first step – develop a well-designed page for your company with personalized graphics and photos. Include a careers section for the convenience of job seekers. Share content; this could be a blog post, a news article, product page, or simply an update about a successful quarter for your team. Tell a story that shows what you’re all about and demonstrates your accomplishments! If possible, have your hiring managers use individual profiles with their names, job titles, and bios to communicate with candidates on social media platforms. A corporate account is great, but having professional individual accounts adds authenticity and a personal touch when recruiting on social media. In addition to direct messaging, get involved on a broader scale. Join [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/) groups to connect and network with like-minded professionals and candidates. Be sure to promote your company’s culture, too. [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/) stories and [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/) posts are a wonderful way to do so. Put your vision and values on display. Get the message out there: it’s enjoyable to work for you! While it’s important to showcase your company in a professional light, don’t forget to have fun and be creative. Give candidates a window into what it’s like to be a part of the team. In modern recruiting, social media is a great tool for finding the right candidates to achieve your company’s goals. Learn more about recruiting on social media by watching the video below: ### 6. Candidate screening tools At last! It seems you’ve finally found the best candidate for the job. There’s just one final step in the hiring process before they can officially join your team. And it’s a critical one at that. Integrating a software into your business that’s used exclusively for [reference and background checking](https://www.careerplug.com/reference-check-questions/) is essential. It ensures the candidates that have made it to later stages of the hiring process are the real deal. With options ranging from [XREF](https://www.xref.com/?_bt=437347466620&_bk=&_bm=b&_bn=g&_bg=103221989682&gclid=Cj0KCQiAv6yCBhCLARIsABqJTjY9FwrOVNI1FMXU_5hZ71xaOX6RMtEFtI8D4Wi-Ngok7qhAP6XkcokaAmrXEALw_wcB) to [SkillSurvey](https://www.skillsurvey.com/) and [RefLynk](https://www.reflynk.com/) as well as CareerPlug’s own [partners](https://support.careerplug.com/article/245-background-checks), [Verified First](https://verifiedfirst.com/) and [Universal Background Screening](https://universalbackground.com/), there is no shortage of brands to choose from for your company’s individual screening needs. Our philosophy when it comes to references is “trust, but verify.” Validate your candidate’s skills, expertise, and capability, as well as how they work alongside others and what unique contributions they can make to your team – all of which can be discovered by a deep dive into their previous roles. As tempted as you might be to make an offer and get your new hire on your payroll quickly, just remember: The hiring process doesn’t end at the interview. Never underestimate the importance of screening tools. ### 7. Candidate experience surveys Ok, we’ll say it again: Whether or not an applicant ultimately goes on to join your team, guaranteeing an excellent candidate experience is key! But how do you know what kind of candidate experience you’ve created? You ask your candidates, of course! Consider sending a candidate experience survey to all the people you’ve interviewed, regardless of whether or not you made them an offer. We’ve created a [free candidate experience survey template you can download](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-survey/) to get you started. [Candidate Experience Survey template](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-tools/) Presenting a survey at the end of the hiring process allows candidates to give their feedback directly to your hiring managers and business, which, in return, impacts your brand and reputation as an employer. Look at this as an opportunity to learn firsthand about your company’s strong points and drawbacks as well as how your hiring process is truly perceived by candidates. The data doesn’t lie: **48% of candidates who were given a job offer declined due to a negative experience** amid the hiring process. So, learning about your business from the “outside in” can only help, not harm, and even suggest worthwhile recommendations to improve the overall workflow and efforts of your team. Be open to both positive and negative feedback. The goal is to surface any weak points in your hiring process. Don’t take negative feedback personally! You’re working to improve your chances of attracting high-quality applicants in the future. ### 8. Job boards As a business owner on the lookout for top talent, chances are you’ve heard of the major job board sites: [Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/), [ZipRecruiter](https://www.ziprecruiter.com/), [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm), [Monster](https://www.monster.com/), [CareerBuilder](https://www.careerbuilder.com/) – the list goes on! Since [58% of job seekers](https://zety.com//blog/hr-statistics) use job sites in their search for new opportunities, these platforms are an outstanding way to maximize your recruiting efforts and get your roles in front of candidates. But just going through the motions might not be enough. You want your job postings to be successful in attracting the right people. To start, be transparent in your [job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf). Include any and all details of the position: qualifications, responsibilities, [compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/), and [benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/impact-of-benefits-on-retention/) as well as your company’s mission. Candidates want to feel valued and that they’re contributing to something in a meaningful way. Ask yourself what the position’s purpose is and how it impacts your team and clients. Be sure to address your answers to these questions in your description. Also, have your current employees write [reviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/the-power-of-employee-reviews/) on the major job board sites. Let them tell applicants directly about their work experience. Build up your online presence and sell candidates on why it’s great to work for you! Expand your reach into niche sources as well. These could be [industry-specific boards](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/three-sources-great-hires-youre-not-using/), a local job board (for example, [HIREDTexas](https://hiredtexas.org/) for jobs in Texas), or even a newspaper or message board. Want to hire new graduates or student interns? Use a university job board, such as [Ha](https://www.joinhandshake.com/)[n](https://www.joinhandshake.com/)[dshake](https://www.joinhandshake.com/). Post anywhere and everywhere. Spread the word and attract the right people for your team. ### Conclusion The number one challenge facing business owners is the same as it’s always been: attracting and hiring the right people. Having the right hiring tools for your business can help you overcome this challenge. An [ATS software, like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) combines the most essential hiring tools into one platform, helping you streamline your hiring process. Here are some [key benefits that an ATS can offer](https://www.careerplug.com/what-is-ats/): * Allows candidates to easily apply to your jobs on any device * Seamlessly organize and manage candidates * Upload and promote your [job postings](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) to major job boards and other sites * Create an attractive [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) * Communicate with candidates faster with [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) * Schedule interviews automatically * Screen and evaluate candidates through [personalized assessments](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) * Make faster hiring decisions * Complete [new hire forms](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-forms/) digitally * Create a great overall [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) ### Ready to add an ATS to your hiring toolkit? CareerPlug’s hiring software is an essential tool for a great recruitment process. Click the button below to get a personalized demo today! [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## 6 Ways to Automate the Hiring & Interview Process **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-automate-the-hiring-and-interview-process/ * Posted on May 18, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris What really matters in hiring is meeting the right person and getting them excited to join your team. But, in today’s job market, it’s a race against the clock and your competitors for the best candidates. The [quicker you can move through a hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/), the better chance you have of making the best hires for your business. From distributing your [job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) to [reviewing resumes](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/), communicating with several candidates all in different stages of your hiring process and trying to coordinate schedules between busy managers and busy job seekers – there are many time consuming tasks within the hiring process that can and should be automated. [Hiring automations](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) can be a game changer for businesses of all sizes. Here are six ways to start automating your hiring process so that you can hire more efficiently. #### Table of Contents 1. [Job board distribution](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-automate-the-hiring-and-interview-process/#job-board) 2. [Pre-screen questions on your application](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-automate-the-hiring-and-interview-process/#pre-screen-questions-on-your-application) 3. [Automatically reject applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-automate-the-hiring-and-interview-process/#automatically-reject-applicants-that-don-t-have-the-right-qualifications) 4. [Fast track top candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-automate-the-hiring-and-interview-process/#fast-track-top-candidates-early-in-the-hiring-process) 5. [Candidate communication](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-automate-the-hiring-and-interview-process/#candidate-communication) 6. [Automated interview scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-automate-the-hiring-and-interview-process/#automated-interview-scheduling) ### How to automate the hiring and interview process ### 1. Job board distribution A great recruitment process starts with a [strong job description.](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) But a great job posting is useless if it doesn’t get in front of the right eyes. You _could_ manually post your job on different job boards, but why not automate this first and highly important step toward making the right hire A great applicant tracking system (like CareerPlug) takes your job posting and automatically sends it to all the major job boards like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, Simply Hired, and others. This automatic distribution saves you time and ensures that more job seekers will be aware of your open role. Better job posting distribution gives you a larger applicant pool to choose from – which means you’re going to need some more hiring automations to make sure you reach the best candidates before the competition! ### 2. Pre-screen questions on your application On the one hand, it can be pretty exciting when applications start rolling in, but sifting through dozens of unqualified applicants for one right person can feel like looking for a needle in a haystack. Save yourself some time and include a few [pre-screen questions in your application](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) to quickly weed out unqualified applicants. CareerPlug offers pre-screening questions to ensure job applicants have the skills, availability, and work authorization to be eligible for your roles. Pre-screen questions allow you to collect critical candidate information easily, whether they’re applying on a top job board or directly on your website. Here are some prescreen questions you might use to narrow down your applicant pool: * Are you legally authorized to work in the US? * Are you available to work Monday through Friday? * How many years of experience do you have in X industry? * Describe your experience with X software. ### 3. Automatically reject applicants that don’t have the right qualifications In our [2023 Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), **45% of candidates said that they have been ghosted by an employer**– i.e., never heard anything back after taking the time to apply or interview.This isn’t a good look! Employer ghosting creates a negative candidate experience and could do damage to your [employer brand.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) Even if you don’t want to hire someone, the experience you create for them could impact your ability to hire other top candidates in the future. For those applicants that don’t meet your bare minimum requirements, you can use an ATS like CareerPlug to automatically send a [polite rejection email.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/rejection-letter-template/)Automating your rejections can be one small thing that saves you time while maintaining your business’s reputation. ### 4. Fast-track top candidates early in the hiring process You can’t automate every part of the hiring process –nor should you! For example, when it comes to [candidate evaluation](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/), you’ll want to have a real human hiring manager making decisions about a candidate’s fitness for a role at your company. However, you _can_ use software to **automatically identify the most qualified candidates as soon as they apply.** This way, you can find out early in the hiring process which candidates you should focus your time and attention on and spend less time on less-qualified applicants. CareerPlug’s applicant tracking system has a built-in _Fast Track_ feature that lets you specify your most important criteria for a role, and the software will **automatically contact new applicants** who meet that criteria, so that you never miss out on the best candidates again. ### 5. Candidate communication There are plenty of reasons why employers should automate communication with candidates: * It saves time for busy hiring managers. * It[keeps candidates engaged](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-engagement/) throughout the hiring process. * It creates a better candidate experience. * It allows you to move fast with top candidates before your competition does. * It reduces [candidate ghosting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-ghosting/) and interview no-shows. So why is it that employers still insist on communicating with candidates the old fashioned way? Automating communication allows you to have the prompt and frequent communication candidates are looking for. Stop juggling multiple programs for email, texting, candidate contact information, calendar scheduling, etc. Instead, [use a hiring software like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/) that includes built-in email and texting tools so you can contact your applicants directly within a single app. Create email and text message templates you can use over and over again with just a single-click. **Pro tip:** Data shows that texting is the preferred method of communication for candidates, with a response rate **8x higher than email**. If you’re consistently being ghosted by candidates, texting may be the strategy missing from your recruiting efforts. Learn more about how text recruiting works in the video below. ### 6. Automated interview scheduling Most automations will save you time – but they can also be the difference between engaging a great candidate and losing them to another potential employer. Top talent always has their choice of where to work, and great applicants are rarely on the market for long. The sooner you can get a candidate to the next stage of your hiring process, the better. Enter[**automated interview scheduling**](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/)– a solution that’s more convenient for both busy employers and busy candidates. Automated interview scheduling allows candidates to schedule an interview with you based on your availability. Applicants can schedule the interview when it’s convenient for them, so your calendar is working for you 24/7, without you having to manage it. Say goodbye to endless scheduling back-and-forth with your best candidates. Plus, automatic interview reminders can help reduce the annoying problem of interview no-shows, freeing up even more time in your hiring process. CareerPlug clients that use Autopilot, our automated interview scheduling tool,**spend up to 91% less time scheduling interviews** and **schedule up to 8x more interviews**than those that don’t**.**This is what one Autopilot user had to say: ### Automate the worst parts of your hiring process so you can focus on the rest When it comes to hiring, you’re probably most excited about meeting a great new employee to join your team and bring fresh new energy to help grow your business – not all the tedious administrative work that goes into it. By taking advantage of the latest automated hiring technology, you can spend less time hiring and more time focusing on getting your next great team member in front of your customers. ### Game Changing Hiring Automations for Your Business Automate the tedious parts of your hiring process, including applicant screening, candidate communication, interview scheduling, and more with CareerPlug. See it all in action by taking a tour of the software. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## How to Find Employees: Office Pride Case Study **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-find-employees-case-study/ * Posted on September 20, 2018 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Hiring is a full-time job. Most franchise owners are busy running their business and don’t have much time to spend on recruiting and hiring. Although recruiting and hiring takes time, there are tools out there to save you time and let you work on what you do best, your business. Recently, we started working with Office Pride, a growing franchise system, to get them the candidates they needed to help grow their business. We implemented [our hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) for Office Pride franchisees to not only help them make better hiring decisions, but also to save time. Below we will look at how we helped one Office Pride franchisee find employees to build his business. ### Missing Employees: Is it time to grow your staff? Mark Eckels has been an Office Pride franchise owner for 4 years. Prior to using CareerPlug, Eckels was not using an applicant tracking to system (ATS) to recruit and hire. As a franchise owner for 4 years, Eckels realized that if he wanted his business to grow, he needed to add to his staff. Recruiting and hiring is a time intensive process. You have to put in effort into the process in order to get the best candidates. Many franchisees struggle to maximize their efficiency in regard to recruiting and hiring. Eckels himself was spending far too much time going through resumes to find candidates. He was also not evaluating candidates on a proven method. When recruiting and hiring take up a large portion of your day and you can’t seem to find the right employees, it can be easy to give up. ### Finding the Right Employees is Possible If it is time to build your staff to grow your business and you struggle with hiring, you may want to consider using an ATS. An ATS can help maximize the number of people who view your jobs and help you filter through applicants to find the right candidate. CareerPlug worked fast to implement our hiring software for Office Pride franchisees, like Mark Eckels. We built out customized careers pages, easy-to-use job templates, personality assessments, and one-click job posting to major job boards for Office Pride franchisees to utilize. Using these tools can help to make hiring easier. In fact, Eckels says he saves over 10 hours a week in recruiting and hiring and receives five times as many applicants with CareerPlug. The prescreen questions have especially been a huge help for him as they narrow the applicant pool so Eckels can easily find the most qualified candidates. ### Keep Searching for Employees, Even When You Don’t Need Them Recruiting and evaluating applicants should not just be something that is done when you need to find employees though. It’s important to be constantly recruiting; you never know when an employee might leave. Using an ATS can create a consistent process to make better hiring decisions by building a talent pipeline. Thanks to CareerPlug, Eckels now has a consistent process for future success. Our system has already helped him build a talent pipeline from scratch within the first two months. By keeping his job postings open all year, people continue to apply to his franchise. This means that whenever Eckels is ready to hire, he has a pool of candidates ready to go. --- ## 4 Tips to Schedule Interviews Like a Pro **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-schedule-job-interviews/ * Posted on October 11, 2023 * by Clint Smith _Note: The following is an excerpt from [How to Hire](https://howtohire.com/)_, _the new book by CareerPlug CEO, Clint Smith._ * * * ### **Interviews, Not Applicants** Sometimes clients come to us saying they have an applicant problem. They think that increasing the number of qualified applicants they get will solve the problem. Having more qualified applicants coming in always helps, but it’s often not the root of the issue. Here’s the reality: Most companies stink at converting their applicants to interviews. When I take a look at a client’s applicant pool, I usually see some qualified candidates there. But then I see that it took the client over a week to contact them about next steps. And often that came in the form of a generic email. They think they have an applicant problem. But they really have an interview problem. An interview conversion problem to be more precise. Let’s say that you need to interview three candidates to make the right hire. You could get there by receiving five qualified applicants and converting 60% of them to interviews. Or you could find a way to get 20 qualified applicants and convert 15% of them to interviews. These two scenarios produced the same outcome (three interviews), but one got there much more efficiently. And you may not have the luxury of being able to attract 20 qualified applicants for your position—at least not without having to spend a bunch of money to advertise it. Here’s the good news: There’s a straightforward way to improve your interview conversion rate. It just takes a little more planning and a lot more urgency. You cannot have a successful interview unless you get it scheduled. Don’t take this for granted. In a competitive job market, qualified applicants do not last long (just like good sales leads). Here’s how the best recruiters beat the competition and convert qualified applicants into interviews. ### How to schedule job interviews ### 1. Personalize it Show the candidate that you are excited to speak with them, and try to **make the message as personalized as possible.**One little note about their most recent job or where they went to school can go a long way in creating a connection (and getting an enthusiastic response from them). You can also personalize it by making it stand out from the other messages they receive. Every applicant who applies for a position at CareerPlug gets to watch a video from Natalie, our People leader, introducing herself and our company. She spends a minute talking about our [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) and what to expect. Candidates have told us that they love this! It’s a little thing, but it goes a long way to create a connection with candidates. **Editor’s Note:**If you’re a CareerPlug client, you can personalize an automated reply to applicants in your system settings. For example, when an applicant applies to one of our jobs, we automatically send them a message that looks like this: ### 2. Send a text Don’t rely on email to get the job done. Most people don’t check their email regularly, and it will end up in a pile with a bunch of unimportant emails. [**Text messaging**](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/)**has become the most effective channel for candidate communication,** particularly for entry-level and hourly roles. If you are looking for a quick response, nothing beats a text message. Don’t want to text from your personal cell phone? You can use an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-is-ats/), like CareerPlug, to send texts directly to candidates. Texting candidates is not appropriate for all roles and situations. It’s important to consider your audience and the type of message that you need to communicate. Sometimes it makes more sense to email or call a candidate. ### 3. Make it easy If you know that you want to interview someone, **make it as easy as possible to schedule it.**The best recruiters share their availability with candidates upfront and allow them to book the time that works best for them (without any of the typical back and forth coordination). This could be as simple as including some time slots in your message or using [automated interview scheduling software](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) to display your availability, and let candidates book interviews on their own. ### 4. Be first **Be decisive and take action quickly.**Some clients say that the shelf life of a good applicant in their field is 48 hours—meaning if you have not spoken with them by that time, you probably never will. **At CareerPlug, we recommend contacting candidates within 24 hours, scheduling your interview within 48, and hiring within 5 days.** Many job seekers will take the first job they are offered, so you really don’t have time to wait — even if your job opportunity would be perfect for them. Al Ries and Jack Trout put it best in The [22 Immutable Laws of Marketing](https://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp/0887306667): “It’s better to be first than it is to be better.” If you don’t think that you can get back to candidates quickly enough, consider [automating the initial contact.](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) While an automated text/email message won’t give you the same personalized touch, it could be the difference between you scheduling an interview (or not). Learn more about how to automate your interview scheduling with CareerPlug in the video below. * * * _**About the Author:**Clint Smith is the founder and CEO of CareerPlug, [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) that powers the growth for over 16,000 companies. Clint resides in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Sarah, and their family._ ### Get Your Free Copy of How to Hire How to Hire is the essential playbook for optimizing one of the most essential business functions: attracting and hiring the right people for your team. DOWNLOAD THE E-BOOK --- ## How to Turn Your Company Culture into a Talent Magnet — A Conversation with Clint Smith and Ben Siegel **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-turn-your-company-culture-into-a-talent-magnet/ * Posted on September 18, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Hiring starts with culture. Culture, more than anything else, is what attracts people to a company – and what keeps them there. It’s also what makes them leave. Your culture is a magnet: you attract the people you deserve. After the release of his new book [_How to Hire_](https://howtohire.com/), CareerPlug’s Founder and CEO Clint Smith sat down with Ben Siegel, Owner of [Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden](https://www.bangersaustin.com/), for a conversation about attracting the right people to your team through excellent company culture. In this webinar, you’ll learn about the importance of company culture and core values, how to bring those values to life in the hiring process, and how you can create a company vision that brings your team together. ### Full Webinar Video: #### Table of Contents 1. [How to create core values](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-turn-your-company-culture-into-a-talent-magnet/#create-core-values) 2. [Creating your company vision](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-turn-your-company-culture-into-a-talent-magnet/#create-company-vision) 3. [Using core values in the hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-turn-your-company-culture-into-a-talent-magnet/#using-core-values) 4. [The cost of misaligned values](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-turn-your-company-culture-into-a-talent-magnet/#cost-of-misaligned-values) 5. [Core values in day-to-day work](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-turn-your-company-culture-into-a-talent-magnet/#core-values-day-to-day) 6. [The importance of trust](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-turn-your-company-culture-into-a-talent-magnet/#importance-of-trust) 7. [Developing an employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-turn-your-company-culture-into-a-talent-magnet/#employer-brand) 8. [Culture leads to quality of applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-turn-your-company-culture-into-a-talent-magnet/#culture-leads-to-quality-of-applicants) 9. [To sum it up](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-turn-your-company-culture-into-a-talent-magnet/#sum-it-up) ### How to create core values [Creating core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) is one of the most important things you can do to strengthen your company culture and attract [high quality candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/attract-high-quality-candidates/). Smith outlines his core value building process in the first chapter of _How to Hire_. He shares, “We got together as a leadership team and asked ourselves ‘who at our company exemplifies our culture? Who do we want to be as an organization? What is it about that person that we love so much?’ The CareerPlug leadership team was able to create a prospect list of core values based on the qualities of their best employees. After consolidating and eliminating some of those values to narrow down the list, Smith continues, “We ended up with four values, and we spent a lot of time defining those – I think we even attached a quote to each value. From there we incorporate it into daily work.” Siegel noted that it’s important to be open with your team about this process, especially at the beginning. Be clear on whether or not employees get to vote, or if authority is making the final calls. He explains, “I don’t think there’s any right or wrong answer to it – what’s crucial is that you explain up front how it’s going to work so no one feels disenfranchised.” Finally, Smith gave some tips for drafting values: “I would really encourage you to not draft up the values by yourself and give them to your team saying, ‘hey what do you think?’ because they are all going to agree with you. **You have the loudest voice in the room, and it’s wise to stay quiet in the beginning and listen to what employees have to say.** Naturally, everyone has blind spots to what you’re not seeing – how do they see your culture and organization? Let it develop organically!” ### Creating your company vision Both Smith and Siegel have successfully developed their company’s vision and culture, yet their journey was not without setbacks that ultimately contributed to their growth and learning along the way. Smith recalls building CareerPlug’s mission, vision, and values in the early days: “I understood where we wanted to go but it wasn’t documented – so it was all me! Eventually we had other people on the team doing the hiring, but they didn’t know what to look for, and they didn’t know how to promote the company. We should have had everything documented, and I should have empowered my team to help me get there sooner.” It’s never too early to get started with creating your [company culture](https://www.bangersaustin.com/) and core values! Siegel shares a lesson he learned about following through with your values. He says, “It’s not a ‘set it and forget it’ thing. You can define all the things that Clint’s talking about, but if you’re not continuing to discuss it, it can fall to the wayside.” If you want to build a strong company culture, you need to make sure everyone on your team is on the same page. ### Using core values in the hiring process Smith and Siegel agreed that core values should be the filter through which people come into your organization, and also by which they leave the organization. Siegel explains, “I think a lot of it has to do with crafting [interview questions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/interview-questions-for-candidates/) that speak to the values. That is rooted in the understanding of your team – the better your team gets it, the better they can go out and get other people that _are_ it. If you do a good enough job of having value-aligned people in the organization, and are ensuring that your most value-aligned people are the ones that are conducting the interview, it really is as simple as saying ‘go hire somebody like yourself.’” For the interview process, Smith says, “In my experience the candidates, the ones that are most aligned with their values, you don’t have to ask him a question about it. You don’t have to say, ‘tell me about how you live out X, Y, and Z values’ — it just comes out in the interview when they talk. You don’t even need to screen for it.” ### The cost of misaligned values At the end of the day, nobody is a perfect hiring manager. Bad hires happen, especially if you don’t know how to hire for company culture! Siegel and Smith share their experiences when hiring someone with misaligned values, and what it cost their organizations. Siege says, “I can tell you, not proudly, I’ve wrecked my entire organization through well-intentioned leadership hires that ended up not being value-aligned. I failed as the owner by allowing them to stay and continue on.” All hires should strive to be value-aligned, but if your leadership roles are misaligned, it can cause a ripple effect of disorder affecting everyone under their supervision. Smith shares a poor hiring experience that led to company confusion: “I had a leader that I hired – he was great at his job but not a [culture fit.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/)**What ended up happening was he created his own silo of a culture within his team that more matched his values. We ended up having the company values and then his team’s values.** The whole idea of working together between teams, which is really important for us in particular, was just a mess.” Smith wishes he took more time to evaluate the candidate on the front end of the hiring process, where it can make all the difference. ### Core values in day-to-day work Your core values shape the way your organization operates, guiding your team’s actions and providing a sense of purpose. With this in mind, it’s important to know how to incorporate your values into day-to-day life. Siegel shares how Bangers operates: “In our restaurant, every week or two we’ll highlight and talk about our values. We’ll reinforce our values every month with ‘employee of the month’ or ‘employee of the year.’ A lot of business owners will write values out of guilt and obligation. But unless you find your own way to weave that into your day to day practices, then you really just have words on a page.” Drawing from _How to Hire_, Smith shares, “**Culture is not a sign hanging on the wall.** It’s much more important to live the values and for employees to feel that this is who they are. Let’s say you’re all about making money – be real with that! Put that out there and you’re going to attract people like you that can help you do that. You’ve got to be real with yourself because you’re going to attract the people who match up with your values.” Smith explains how CareerPlug uses their core values throughout the entire hiring process: “We use our [4 values](https://www.careerplug.com/company/) from the entire life cycle – when we promote a job we advertise our values, they’re on the hiring scorecard, we talk about them during orientation, we talk about them in reviews, we tie specific values to gratitude and employee recognition shoutouts, and then we also use it for discipline with something called the people analyzer which is tied to [EOS operating system](https://www.eosworldwide.com/what-is-eos).” ### The importance of trust Both Smith and Siegel agreed that having an intrinsically inspired team is key in building a successful company culture. Smith draws from one of his personal favorite sources, Daniel Pink, who explains the important of trust in hiring and retaining employees: There are three key drivers of intrinsic motivation in the workplace: 1. Autonomy: “I trust you and know that you will do the right thing” 2. Mastery: “I care about you and want to see you grow” 3. Purpose: “I need you and want us to accomplish our mission together” Siegel puts it simply: **“We want our people to feel: ‘you’re smart and we trust you.’”** Smith and Siegel talked about how A-players thrive in an environment that says ‘don’t tell me exactly what to do – just tell me where we need to go, some of the guidelines, and let me run with it.’ That mindset builds [employee empowerment](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/). You want your team to feel like [they have careers, not just jobs](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-careers/). Smith explains, “If you just have a bunch of rules in your organization, all you’re going to create is a team of rule followers. You’re going to encourage that type of culture. But if you want a culture of innovators, and a culture of people that want a challenge, that’s not the culture you’re going to have by creating a bunch of company policies.” ### Developing a employer brand Some organizations are still in the process of ironing out their [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). Still, there are ways that you can begin to build your brand and strengthen your image. Smith shares, “If you’re not in the position to define an employer brand – my biggest thing is authenticity. You don’t need to go hire a video crew to do some big montage of your company. Some of the most effective things I’ve seen are ‘a message from the hiring manager’ or ‘a message from the owner.’ Smith also discusses giving your employees a voice. He explains, “CareerPlug has a lot of [employee testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/), photos, videos – that’s the stuff that really makes a difference. This works if you’re part of a bigger organization like a franchise where you already have a set culture and brand, but you need to establish your own personal context of who you are and where you’re trying to go.” ### Culture leads to quality of applicants Siegel discusses a strong correlation: when you focus on your company culture, you start to attract high quality candidates. He explains, “It’s almost like a chicken and the egg situation – I think that there is a practical way that it happens. A-players attract A-players. Psychologically, it used to be ‘we’re not good enough to hire this person’ and that was true. When you start to attract higher talent as you bring company culture in, the mindset shifts to, ‘absolutely we’re ready for this, and we’ve leveled up to a place where we can hire this kind of talent.’ So **there is a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy to it.**” ### To sum it up Siegel shares some final thoughts about _How to Hire_: “It’s a great synthesis of wonderful knowledge and some new ideas that are out there…but I think **what sets it apart from other books I’ve read is that what feels like a genuine desire to help people, and then you get real resources past the book to help you do that.**” Clint Smith’s new book, [_How to Hire_](https://howtohire.com/) is a valuable resource that breaks down the importance of having a company culture and core values. Whether you’re in the beginning process of defining your core values, shaping your company vision, or you simply want to make your company culture stronger, this book can help you succeed. To dive deeper into these concepts and gain practical guidance, be sure to check out _How to Hire_ to help you build a strong, value-driven organization. ### Hire and Retain More Quality Applicants with CareerPlug [CareerPlug’s hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) is an essential tool for a great recruitment process. Click the button below to get a personalized demo today! [Get Started](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Make Hiring Easier: Our Value, Our Culture **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/make-hiring-easier-value-culture/ * Posted on September 10, 2014 * by Natalie Morgan _**Clint Smith is the founder & president of CareerPlug**. This month we’ve asked him to share his thoughts about one of our core values._ The CareerPlug team recently decided to make some important changes to our Core Values. While we were all pleased with the growth that CareerPlug has experienced as a company over the past few years, we also felt that we were not doing enough to incorporate these values into our everyday work. Many of our newer team members did not see our values as much more than a sign on the wall at our office. I wanted to change that. One common theme among successful companies is that every team member has a clear sense of the organization’s goals and values – and they live and breathe them every day. I realized that we needed to update our values to more clearly define our mission and culture. > _Our whole belief is that if you get the culture right, most of the other stuff like delivering great customer service or building a long-term enduring brand will just happen naturally on its own._ > > > – Tony Hseih, CEO of Zappos.com Through conversations with our clients and team members, we were reminded of something special – [our hiring software is really easy to use](https://www.careerplug.com/). Our clients come to us looking for an easier way to hire high-quality team members. Some of them are still stuck using emails or spreadsheets to recruit, while others are looking for relief from another applicant tracking system (ATS) that is too difficult for their managers to use. These clients consistently tell us that our system is easy to use: a big compliment considering that some of these clients are, by their own admission, not exactly computer experts! We decided that **Make Hiring Easier** should top our updated list of Core Values. This process has given us a clear understanding of who we are and, perhaps more importantly, who we are not. **We make hiring software for non-software people**. This means that it needs to be easy enough to use for any owner, manager or team member – not just HR professionals. It also means that we may need to pass on implementing features that will add complexity to our system. Now whenever we have an important decision to make, we are asking ourselves: _Will this make hiring easier?_ > _“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.”_ > > > – Roy E. Disney I knew that we got the Make Hiring Easier core value right within about 15 minutes of formally introducing it to the entire team. After the meeting, I heard the phrase “Make Hiring Easier” used multiple times by our Dedicated Account Managers during calls with their clients. When I thanked one of them for including it in a conversation, he said “It just came naturally – that’s who we are.” --- ## Why Do Candidates Turn Down Job Offers? And What You Can Do About It **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/reasons-candidates-turn-down-job-offers/ * Posted on February 9, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris You know that having open roles within your business can be stressful. And when you find that perfect candidate to fill a position, you want to be sure to lock them in! Have you ever felt really good about a candidate? You thought it was a perfect match and couldn’t wait to have them on your team. You made your absolute best offer… only to have them turn it down. This may have led you to settling for your second, third, or even fourth choice candidate. You might find yourself wondering, _what makes someone go through the trouble of applying, interviewing, etc., only to say no once the job is offered?_[_What is it that job seekers want_](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/)_?_ At CareerPlug, we wonder the same thing, which is why every year [we conduct research](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) to determine what active job seekers want to see from potential employers during the hiring process. **Our latest survey shows that over half of candidates turn down job offers due to poor candidate experience. This means the solution for hiring more of those “got to have” candidates, is improving their experience with you from the job posting to the initial offer.** Let’s dive into the specific problems that occur during the hiring process that keep candidates from accepting an offer and how you as a business owner or hiring manager can address these problems and make the right hires. ### Reasons candidates turn down job offers We [define the **candidate experience**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-is-candidate-experience/) as the experience a candidate has with an employer throughout the hiring process, from job posting to offer. We found that a whopping **52% of job seekers said they’ve declined a job offer because of a poor experience with a potential employer during the hiring process**. The best candidates will always have the benefit of being picky about where they work. Plus, recent changes in the labor market have been favorable for job seekers, giving them more leverage than ever before. Many factors will influence a job seeker’s final choice. So what are those specific factors of the candidate experience that make or break a job seekers decision? ### “The compensation and benefits didn’t meet my expectations.” One of the biggest reasons that candidates reported turning down a job offer was because of the compensation and benefits not meeting their expectations. This can be frustrating for both parties, but is definitely something that you, as a business owner, can address and avoid. **The solution:**At CareerPlug, we encourage transparency from the start. Candidate experience starts with an [effective job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf)**.**We suggest [putting compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/) and benefits into the job posting so that job seekers know before applying whether it is a match. Ultimately this will save you time and help you avoid interviewing applicants that are looking for something different from what you can offer. ### “The role and responsibilities were different from what I expected.” Another top reason that candidates turned down a job is that the role and responsibilities weren’t quite what they expected. An interested candidate that finds out late in the interview process that the job isn’t what they thought will feel like you wasted their time. **The solution:** Once again this solution lies within a good job posting. Take the time to think about the role and write a job posting that describes it accurately. Job seekers use the job posting a guidepost when trying to decide whether or not they want to work for your company. Laying out both the compensation and expectations for the role from the beginning might decrease your number of applicants, but it will weed through candidates that aren’t a good fit. You can be assured that someone that makes it to the interview process is already aware and satisfied with what you have to offer and the responsibilities of the role. For more guidance on how to create a good job posting, check out this video where our Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan, outlines the blueprint we use at CareerPlug. ### “I had a negative experience with people in the interview process.” Just as many**candidates reported that they have declined a job offer because of a negative experience with people in the interview process.** Interviews are your chance to get to know a candidate, but it’s important for employers to keep in mind that candidates are evaluating them too. The people conducting interviews need to leave candidates with a great impression of the company. If not, there’s a good chance that an offer later on in the hiring process will be declined. **The solution:** Creating a positive experience for all candidates is attainable for any business. Train hiring managers and interviewees to [conduct great interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/)and hold them accountable for it. [Schedule interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) in a timely manner and prepare for interviews thoroughly. Have a ​​standardized list of questions ready and stay present throughout the interview. We suggest handling virtual interviews the same way you would an in-person interview. Give candidates clear instructions, respect their time, and avoid asking candidates to participate in [one-way video interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/one-way-video-interview/). ### “I disliked the work environment.” We like to remind employers that even though the hiring process is for evaluating candidates, candidates are doing their own evaluations as well. Candidates are trying to judge if you’re a good place to work, and will use interviews and other interactions with you to determine if they like your work environment and company culture. **The solution:**To show candidates that you’re a great place to work, be sure to lead with your best foot forward. Highlight your company culture on your job postings and discuss it during interviews. Use employer review sites to build your employer brand, and encourage existing employees to leave positive reviews regarding what it’s like to work for you. Leave all candidates with a positive impression of your company. By the way, if you’re not sure if your work environment _is_ positive, maybe a turned down job offer is the wake up call you need to start making some changes to the workplace. Our [Toxic Work Environment Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/) can give you some insight into what makes up a negative workplace according to employees. ### “The hiring process took too long.” In today’s competitive labor market, to get candidates to say yes to your job offers, you have to move them through your hiring process quickly. If your hiring process takes too long, your candidate may take an opportunity somewhere else. A couple of job seekers we spoke to put it this way: **The solution:**[The right hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/), like CareerPlug, can help you speed up your hiring process and provide a better candidate experience. Tools like [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) and [automated interview scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) help you connect with candidates sooner than the competition. Plus, applicant tracking and other hiring automations make it easier to stay organized and keep up with where everyone is in your hiring process. ### More things to consider The importance of the candidate experience may vary from industry to industry. 71% of job seekers in the **fitness industry and**64% of job seekers in **home and commercial services**reported that they have declined a job offer due to a poor experience in the hiring process. Job seekers in retail reported the lowest rates of poor candidate experiences. 71% said they have not had a negative candidate experience in the last year. And only 35% have declined an offer due to a poor experience. Clearly, there are variations across different industries, and plenty of other factors that might affect a candidate’s decision, including a better offer elsewhere or the job not aligning with the [candidate’s career goals](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/28/half-of-job-seekers-rejected-a-job-offer-after-an-interviewheres-why.html). However, it’s worth restating that based on our research, no matter how many hours you put into the hiring process or how good your final offer is, **if you are creating a negative candidate experience, then****half of your offers will be rejected.** ### The impact of a positive candidate experience The answer is clear. To get more candidates hired, you have to [improve your candidate experience.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-candidate-experience-thats-exceptional/) The good news is that this effort will pay off! Based on our research,**76% of candidates said a positive candidate experience influenced their decision to accept an offer.** You know that hiring can be stressful. Looking for a job can be stressful as well. Have empathy for your candidates and show them that you value and appreciate their time and effort. Take action to improve your overall candidate experience to ensure more candidates are excited to say _yes_ to your job offer. ### Want to know more about what job seekers are looking for? Download our 2024 Candidate Experience Report to learn how to improve your hiring process and get more candidates to say yes to your job offers! DOWNLOAD THE REPORT --- ## 2025 Recruiting Metrics Report: Benchmark Data & by Industry **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/ * Posted on April 3, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris In CareerPlug’s sixth annual Recruiting Metrics Report, we continue to analyze our hiring data to shed light on [hiring metrics](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-use-recruiting-metrics-to-hire-better/) and trends for [small businesses](https://www.careerplug.com/small-business-hiring-software/) across various industries. Our team analyzed hiring activity in 2024 from more than 60,000 small business owners — covering more than 10 million job applications. In this report, you will find analysis of data covering the hiring funnel from initial job posting through hire, organized by industry. This report will establish industry-level benchmarks for key hiring metrics, including: * Average click and application rates * Conversion rates from click to application, from application to interview, and from interview to hire * The number of applicants typically needed to make one hire * The average time it takes to contact applicants — and how long it typically takes to contact a hire * The top sources for applicants and hires * The times of the year that are most likely to produce the highest application rates Take an in-depth look at the results of our study by downloading the free 2025 Recruiting Metrics Report. ### 2025 Recruiting Metrics: Benchmark Data by Industry See how your company’s hiring and recruiting stats compare to others in your industry and learn tips for what you can do to make the right hires. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT #### Table of Contents 1. [The Labor Market of 2024](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/#h-the-labor-market-of-2024) 2. [Key Recruiting Metrics](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/#h-key-recruiting-metrics) 3. [What are the best times of year to post jobs?](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/#h-what-are-the-best-times-of-year-to-post-jobs) 4. [Where are the best places to post jobs?](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/#h-where-are-the-best-places-to-post-jobs) 5. [How to Improve Your Hiring in 2025](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/#h-how-to-improve-your-hiring-in-2025) ### The Labor Market of 2024 The 2024 hiring and labor market was marked by economic uncertainty, persistent labor shortages in key industries, and evolving workplace expectations. While job growth has slowed compared to the rapid post-pandemic recovery, unemployment has remained relatively low. **Employers continue to struggle with retention,** particularly in sectors like healthcare, hospitality, and skilled trades, leading to a stronger emphasis on onboarding and employee engagement. AI-driven hiring solutions have gained traction, streamlining recruitment while raising concerns about bias and fairness. Additionally, a shift toward skills-based hiring has helped companies expand talent pools, reducing reliance on traditional degree requirements. Employee retention starts with a strong hiring process. We hope that the hiring data in our latest Recruiting Metrics Report empowers small businesses with insights and advice on how they can better shape their hiring practices to make the right hires. ### Key Recruiting Metrics In analyzing the data, we found that the following metrics revealed the most significant takeaways. ### Clicks-to-apply rate In 2024, the**click-to-apply conversion rate averaged 6% across all industries**, dropping just slightly from last year. Even though many businesses slowed down hiring, this suggests there were still quite a lot of opportunities for job seekers to choose from. ### Applicant-to-interview ratio **The applicant-to-interview ratio in 2024 was 3%.**This means that on average, for every 100 applicants a job posting received, 3 of those applicants were invited to interview for the role. This is a lower number than employers would like to see, and oftentimes can be a sign of unqualified candidates or [interview ghosting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/interview-ghosting/) plaguing the hiring process. ### Interview-to-hire ratio **The interview-to-hire ratio in 2024 was 27%.** This is down slightly from last year, but when you consider that just 2% of applicants were invited to interview in the first place, having an interview-to-hire conversion rate of 26% means that employers are far more efficient later in the hiring process. ### Applicant-to-hire ratio **In 2024, employers received an average of 180 applicants for every hire they made.**However, this figure varied widely across industries, with employers in the automotive industry seeing around 234 applicants per hire, while employers in education & childcare saw 57. ### What are the best times of year to post jobs? We saw a fairly steady rate of applicants month over month. There was a spike in applicant counts in June. With the end of the year, also seeing an increase in the number of applicants. ### Where are the best places to post jobs? Job boards are the most common source for applicants, producing an average of 60% of applications across all industries in our analysis. If absolute volume is your goal, [posting your job](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) to job boards is your best bet. But despite being the source of most applicants, job boards do not produce hires at nearly the same rate as other sources. ### Job boards produce quantity, but not always quality The reasons for these stark differences in applicant-to-hire ratios based on source may vary, but our experience shows us that applicants who apply from job boards are more likely to be sending out dozens applications in short order, with less consideration for their qualifications for the role or their interest in the specific job. An applicant who takes the time to research a role and apply directly through a [company careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/5-company-culture-elements-you-need-on-a-careers-page/) is more likely to have spent time considering their own fit for the role and the company, and an applicant who is [referred to a job by an employee](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/) is much more likely to be familiar and engaged with your employer brand. And while [custom sources](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/) vary among industries, employers that use them consistently find high-quality candidates they may not have found on the major job boards. ### How to Improve Your Hiring in 2025 ### 1. Build your employer brand and showcase it on your careers page. Company careers pages are a hugely successful source of hires, but an underutilized source of applicants overall. Candidates who take the time to research a company tend to be high-quality candidates who are more selective about where they choose to apply. Invest in creating an engaging and attractive [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/5-company-culture-elements-you-need-on-a-careers-page/) that showcases [employee testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/), aspects of your company culture, and your [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/). ### 2. Create a job marketing strategy that doesn’t rely on job boards. Compile a list of custom sources like industry-specific job boards, community message boards, local and university job boards, and email campaigns to customers. Compile another list of employees, friends, and colleagues in your personal network to reach out for referrals. Our data shows these sources produce the highest-quality candidates, yet the lowest percentage of applicants. Plan on targeting them before your next round of hiring. ### 3. Develop a passive recruiting strategy so you don’t miss out on great candidates. Many industries missed out on the highest applicant volume. At CareerPlug, we have a saying, “Always be hiring.” This refers to creating a passive recruiting strategy, where you have a pipeline of ideal candidates waiting in the wings. This can look like storing the contact information of candidates you were impressed by but didn’t hire and posting a job to your careers page or website that’s labeled as a “future opening” so you can accept applications all year long. ### 4. Communicate with candidates faster. Our data shows that over the last 3 years, small businesses have been speeding up their hiring processes as competition in the labor market increases. In 2025, you’ll want to move fast before your competition scoops up quality candidates. **Try**[**text recruiting**](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/)**to communicate with candidates faster.** Text messages receive an 8 times higher response rate than email, along with a much faster response time. An applicant tracking system like CareerPlug can also help you [quickly evaluate candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) using a proven hiring process, allowing you to accelerate your hiring decisions without sacrificing quality. ### 5. Use hiring software with automations to reduce candidate ghosting. One major pain point that employers report year after year is an increase in [candidate ghosting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-ghosting/) – when candidates stop responding to businesses after submitting an application and drop out of the hiring process without explanation. Candidate ghosting can lead to low applicant-to-interview conversion rates. **Consider using**[**automated interview scheduling software**](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) to instantly engage high-quality candidates early in the hiring process, while also identifying unengaged applicants you shouldn’t waste your time on. ### 6. Onboard better to improve new hire retention A strong onboarding process sets the tone for employee success and long-term retention. New hires who feel welcomed, supported, and prepared are more likely to stay with your company. [**Streamline onboarding**](https://www.careerplug.com/onboarding-team-management/) by providing clear expectations, structured training, and early engagement opportunities. Automate paperwork and task reminders to reduce administrative burden and focus on building connections. Investing in a great onboarding experience not only boosts retention but also accelerates productivity — ensuring new hires contribute to your business faster. ### Simplify Hiring with CareerPlug Need to improve your own recruiting metrics? CareerPlug makes it easy. Our hiring and retention software comes with the tools you need to attract applicants, make better hiring decisions, and engage your team. Take a tour of our software to learn more! [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## The Hiring Metrics Every Fitness Franchisor Should Be Tracking **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-metrics-fitness-franchisors/ * Posted on July 15, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Hiring the right people across multiple franchise locations can be a challenge for any franchisor. For growing fitness brands, hiring and retention directly impact day-to-day operations, client experience, and long-term growth. Whether you’re working with five franchisees or five hundred, the ability to measure your hiring process is essential. **Recruiting metrics** give franchisors the clarity they need to support owners, improve results, and identify where the hiring funnel may be leaking. This blog outlines the most important [hiring metrics](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-use-recruiting-metrics-to-hire-better/) for fitness franchisors and how to use them to improve performance. ### First off, what are recruiting metrics? Recruiting metrics are key data points that help you evaluate how well your hiring process is working. These numbers highlight areas of strength and areas that need improvement across your funnel from job posting through final hire. At CareerPlug, we analyze data from thousands of franchise locations across multiple industries, including the health and fitness industry. Each year, we publish an industry-specific [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) to help franchisors benchmark their performance and identify opportunities for improvement. ### Which reporting metrics should you track? When you’re managing hiring across multiple locations, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s working and where franchisees may need more support. A solid hiring process starts with understanding the numbers. The following metrics give franchisors a practical way to identify where to focus, what to optimize, and how to deliver real value to the operators in your network. ### Applicant and hire sources Applicant source data shows [where your candidates are coming from](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/). This includes job boards like Indeed, niche fitness job sites, your own careers page, and local recruiting efforts. According to our latest data: * Applicants from a company careers page are four times more likely to be hired than those from generic job boards. * Applicants from niche, local, or custom job sources are fourteen times more likely to be hired. For fitness brands, this insight is especially valuable. This industry has more success with careers pages than any other in our report! Directing traffic to your branded careers page or using fitness-specific job platforms can help your franchisees connect with more qualified candidates. ### Conversion rates at each funnel stage Tracking conversion rates between key hiring stages shows you how many job seekers are applying to open roles, making it to interviews, and getting hired. There are three stages to monitor closely: * Click-to-Apply Rate: How often people who view a job post actually complete an application. * Application-to-Interview Rate: How many applicants meet basic qualifications and move forward. * Interview-to-Hire Rate: How many interviews result in a final hire. In our latest report, employers received an average of 180 applicants for every hire. However, only 3% of those applicants were invited to interview. Of those interviewed, 27% were hired. This suggests that many employers could make better use of existing applicants by [refining their screening](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) and advancement processes for qualified candidates, rather than focusing on attracting larger volumes. ### Average time to contact applicants Speed matters when hiring fitness staff. [37% of entry-level and hourly workers](https://workforceinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/kleiman-recruit-the-best-hourly-06.pdf) listed being hired quickly as the most important factor when job seeking. The two time-based metrics to watch are: * Average days to contact all applicants * Average days to contact applicants that turn into hires The fitness industry has a slower to average time-to-contact than other industries in our study. Using [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) can make a big difference here. Clients who use CareerPlug’s text recruiting feature reduce time to hire by 32% on average. ### Time to hire Time to hire reflects how long it takes from the moment a job is posted to when the offer is accepted. In 2024, the average was about 20 days. We recommend aiming for a time-to-hire of five days or less, especially for hourly fitness roles. You can improve efficiency by using screening questions, scheduling automation, and pre-built templates for offer letters and rejections. ### Tracking hires and retention across locations Once a hire is made, franchisors still need visibility into outcomes. Monitoring retention and turnover helps identify where additional support is needed and where teams may be struggling to keep staff. By tracking these metrics regularly, franchisors can create consistency across locations, set clear expectations for operators, and equip field support teams with real insights to drive improvement. These data points also build the foundation for better coaching conversations and smarter decisions about how to allocate resources or adjust hiring strategies in high-priority markets. ### Why It’s just as important to track hires and terminations Recruiting metrics don’t stop once the offer is accepted. For fitness franchisors, visibility into who is being hired, and how long they’re staying, is essential to maintaining a strong member experience across all locations. Suppose your franchisees aren’t consistently marking when someone is hired (or when they leave). In that case, you lose the ability to understand turnover trends, identify high-performing locations, or offer meaningful support to underperforming ones. Tracking hires and terminations helps you answer questions like: * Are certain locations seeing more turnover than others? * Is our average retention improving year over year? * Are our staffing issues isolated or systemic? Fitness brands can’t afford to guess on turnover. Every lost team member means added hiring costs, lost training time, and inconsistent service. When you track these trends, you empower yourself to enhance retention, lower costs, and support franchisees more effectively. ### How to take action on your metrics Once you’ve reviewed your hiring data, it’s time to take action. Use your recruiting metrics to identify what’s working and build a consistent, repeatable process that franchisees can rely on. 1. Create hiring benchmarks by location to spot high or low performers. 2. Equip franchisees with resources when their time-to-hire or applicant conversion rates lag. 3. Automate early steps in the hiring funnel to help speed up responses and improve candidate quality. 4. Build consistency across the brand by standardizing the job post format, interview process, and onboarding flow. Even small changes, such as adding prescreen questions or using text recruiting, can have a measurable impact on quality and speed. You don’t need a large HR team to start making better hiring decisions. All you need is visibility, the right tools, and the willingness to look at the data. ### How to build a stronger hiring process Fitness brands that want to grow need hiring processes that are fast, consistent, and easy to manage at scale. Tracking recruiting metrics provides franchisors and their operators with the insight to hire more efficiently and reduce turnover across all locations. With CareerPlug, you can: * Empower franchisees with tools to hire, onboard, and retain their teams * Monitor performance across locations * Create a consistent, scalable experience across your entire network Ready to see how your brand compares? [Download the Fitness Recruiting Metrics Report.](https://hubs.ly/Q03w2KpY0) --- ## Restaurant Hiring: Workflows for Each Team - CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/restaurant-hiring-workflows/ * Posted on June 23, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### **Separate Workflows for Hiring Restaurant Managers and Recruiting Team Members** Restaurateurs take various approaches to recruiting great talent, but what some may not realize is that effective tactics for attracting hourly labor may not be practical for hiring restaurant managers. It is helpful to view the two needs separately and evaluate the right applicant channels and screening techniques for each. Furthermore, depending on the level of skill and experience desired for kitchen staff, some restaurant owners may opt to hire chefs, cooks, or kitchen staff through a different process than they would use to recruit the front of house team. Likewise, savvy restaurateurs who have collected benchmark assessments from their current top team members on personality traits, such as integrity & math aptitude (quick-serve cashiers), empathy & and leadership (managers), work ethic & consistency(kitchen staff), and friendliness & sales aptitude (full-service waitstaff), can leverage that information to make new hires confidently. ### **Designing Restaurant Hiring Workflows by Team** To begin designing or conceptualizing a new workflow for recruiting, it is helpful to think about the process in steps, from start to finish. At CareerPlug we see the following stages as the logical progression of a basic hiring process: ### **Attract** When it comes to attracting talent for various restaurant roles, consider where your ideal talent will find information about your open position. In the food-service industry, some of the best hourly hires are already your customers– showcasing your openings in-store, detailing an easy way to apply online, and encouraging your employees to refer their friends are all great tactics for building your talent pool. For attracting experienced managers or cooks, posting free to Indeed.com or even considering a sponsored posting on Indeed will put your job in front of qualified job-seekers immediately. ### **Prequalify** Once you’ve received applications, gauge the interest and skill level of the applicants by reviewing resumes and and filtering by responses to prescreen questions. One customization that may apply here is to rely on prescreen questions to filter out many applicants to a low level position, while reviewing most applicants to the management positions to identify if there are any good candidates for other roles at your restaurant, even if they aren’t a perfect fit for the one they applied for. Another key customization at this step would be to fast track the clearly qualified candidates to an immediate interview to get ahead of any competitors the candidate may have also applied to. ### **Assess** When it comes to evaluating applicants, we encourage our restaurant partners to send applicants personality and cognitive assessments to measure candidates on the criteria that is most important to their success in the role and their fit in your restaurant’s culture. Using candidate assessments will reveal insights beyond the resume and empower you to continue into the interview process with data and confidence. Savvy restateurs will evaluate candidate assessment scores against assessment scores of their current top performers, by role, to identify clear matches on culture fit, work ethic, and integrity. For instance, if you are hiring an additional front of house manager, and you already employ a stellar front of house manager, ask her to take the assessment so you can benchmark her leadership traits and have a basis for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the new hire candidates. Obviously, no two employees are the same, so identifying the personality and cognitive traits that are _most_ important to success in the role will be critical for clear evaluation. ### **Interview** After you’ve received assessment scores back from your applicants, scheduling an initial phone screen is the next step in a lean hiring process. A quick phone screen can reveal many of the intangible and less quantifiable insights about the applicant, and it saves time for both parties. Assuming that the candidate passes the phone screen, it’s time to arrange the first face to face interview – for lower level staff, an assessment, phone screen, and interview may be all you need to make a confident, informed hire. However, if you are hiring a manager, you’ll probably want to setup additional interview rounds with other team members to meet and evaluate the candidate, so this process, while customizable, should be consistent every time you hire _for that role_. Likewise, there may be interview steps that some roles require – for instance, if you want to role play with a waitstaff candidate, build that step into your waitstaff hiring workflow and leave it out of your workflow for kitchen staff. This way, you can ensure that you are building a consistent, repeatable process that leads to predictable hires, every time. ### **Verify** You have an outstanding, qualified candidate who scored well on the assessments, nailed the interviews, and is available to start immediately – so it’s time to extend an offer, right? Wrong. Too many recruiting horror stories are a result of skipping the verification step, and while it may seem like just a formality, it’s absolutely in the best interest of your restaurant. At a minimum dedicating a step in your restaurant’s hiring process for calling candidate references will help you validate the candidate’s claims about their experience and work history. Sometimes, it yields no surprises, and other times it can be the single most insightful step of your hiring process. Lastly, for some roles, a background check or drug screen may be required, while for others it is not necessary. A fully customizeable process allows you to set protocol by role and even facilitates reference checks with consistent guides, in case you want to delegate that task to hiring managers. ### **Offer** After you feel confident in a new hire and have verified that they are the right person for the role, extending an offer is the next step. A restaurant owner may want to configure standardized compensation for entry-level positions while leaving pay for management roles a bit more open. This is part of creating a repeatable process and equipping hiring managers with standard offer letter templates not only ensures consistency, it saves overhead time and costs. Taking a few minutes to configure templates for each hiring workflow can empower managers to extend offers to top candidates with ease and confidence. ### **Hire & Onboard** Pending offer acceptance, the final step is hiring and onboarding the new employee, and having an approved document checklist is the part of any onboarding process. With a truly paperless onboarding process, a restaurant owner can ensure compliance and streamline employee onboarding by configuring which forms need to be completed for part-time, full-time, and management(I-9, W-4, direct deposit, benefits, any custom forms, etc).This is typically a clunky, time-consuming, and error-prone process, but with a small time investment from the restaurant owner or HR manager, it can actually set a precedent of professionalism and consistency for all new employees. ### **Building Custom Hiring Workflows With CareerPlug** CareerPlug is a dedicated partner to restaurant franchise systems and restaurant owners, providing powerful, easy to use [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) that empowers users who consider themselves “non-software people” to hire effectively and build great teams. If you’d like to learn more about our software, services, or approach to hiring, please [reach out to our restaurant hiring experts](https://www.careerplug.com/request-a-demo/)for more information. You can also download our free ebook, [How to Build a Talent Magnet.](https://www.careerplug.com/talent-magnet/) --- ## Skills-First Hiring: What It Is and Why You Should Try It **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/skills-first-hiring/ * Posted on September 7, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris A cornerstone of CareerPlug’s hiring philosophy is hiring for growth potential. This means hiring someone not based on what jobs they’ve held in the past or a particular college degree, but hiring them based on the potential that they will be a long-term fit on your team, even if it means a little extra ramp-up time. Now, in the hiring and recruitment world, a similar approach, **skills-first hiring**has gained steam, and employers everywhere are realizing that sometimes the best candidates may not need a specific education or previous job title to be highly qualified to succeed in a role. Skills-first hiring flips traditional candidate evaluation methods on their heads, and can actually be a beneficial way to approach hiring that leads to great employees and increased productivity and retention. In this article, we’re taking a closer look at what skills-first hiring is, plus why (and how) you should implement it in your hiring process. ### What is “skills-first” hiring? Skills-first hiring, as the name implies, is a method of hiring where you**focus on someone’s skills and abilities**to do a job, instead of only focusing on educational requirements or prior experience in a similar role. Now to be clear, some jobs will always have degree requirements for good reason – you wouldn’t hire a nurse that hasn’t gone through the appropriate college education and licensing exams. However, for many industries,[degree requirements](https://www.restaurant365.com/blog/dropping-degree-requirements-is-a-growing-trend/?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=katie-social&utm_campaign=byl-2023-06-26-dropping-degree-requirements&utm_content=social-post&utm_term=read-more) may be superfluous, especially if the candidate has real-world experience working and gaining knowledge in nontraditional ways. Plus, requiring a college degree causes employers to overlook large populations of workers that don’t always have access to higher education. _Source: [Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/04/12/10-facts-about-todays-college-graduates/)_ It’s estimated that about**70% of job postings list degree requirements**, while only about [42% of white adults have one.](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/04/12/10-facts-about-todays-college-graduates/) That number is lower for black and hispanic adults, – 28% and 21% respectively. In addition to reconsidering degree requirements, skills-first hiring tackles another missed opportunity in traditional hiring – requiring workers to have specific job titles or years of experience in the same role as the one you’re hiring for. A skills-first hiring approach acknowledges that **employees may have skills that transfer across industries, and a proven track record of being a great employee, in a variety of different roles.** For example, a retail sales associate may be able to demonstrate the interpersonal skills that would make them an outstanding hotel concierge, or the persuasive communication skills that would make them great at marketing. The goal is to identify high-performers in any role and dig deeper to find ways they can use their skills to excel on your team in a new way. ### Soft skills vs hard skills When approaching skills-first hiring, it’s important to differentiate between the different types of skills that candidates bring to the table. **Hard skills**are more in line with someone’s experience. These are teachable skills, like changing the oil in a car, managing inventory, and operating a point-of-sale system. **Soft skills**are harder to teach, and are inherent qualities in a person like patience, self-motivation, and being good at conflict resolution. CareerPlug President Jenny Leman recommends, “Employers should look for soft skills when hiring and be willing to teach the hard skills on the job.” Leman shares an example: “With a customer facing role, I’d rather hire someone who naturally builds warm rapport and trust with customers and demonstrates strong self-motivation and teach them how to do the job vs. hiring someone who could do that job with their eyes closed on day one, but isn’t naturally warm and engaging with customers or motivated to really bring the ‘wow factor’ to the customer interaction.” ### Why should you take a skills-first approach? Skills-first hiring is gaining popularity. According to LinkedIn, [**40% of companies**](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/skills-new-currency-ryan-roslansky/)**took a skills-first approach to source and identify candidates** last year, and 75% of recruiters say they are prioritizing skills when looking for talent. But if you’re used to evaluating candidates in a certain way, it can be hard to shift your focus to skills based hiring, and you may worry that it would lead to hiring under-qualified candidates. Well, we’re here to bust that myth and to show you several great reasons why a skills-first approach can actually [improve your hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/product/), broaden your applicant pool, and create a stronger workforce. ### Increase your applicant pool The competition for talent is tighter than it’s ever been before: [77% of employers](https://go.manpowergroup.com/talent-shortage) report having difficulty filling open roles. Hiring is even harder when you [don’t have many applicants to choose from](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/). But skills-first hiring can actually expand your applicant pool and give you more choices. Consider this: if you’re looking for a new customer service representative for your business, and you’re only considering applicants that have worked in customer service or in your specific industry before, you will have a fairly limited pool made up of only people with that specific background. However, applicants that have worked in restaurants or in retail are just as likely to have the skills you need to perform well in your role. If you expand your search to include applicants that have a broader range of work experience, you may double, triple, or even quadruple your applicant pool! When you’ve minimized requirements for the exact number of years or experience, certain degrees or experience in a specific role, you are encouraging more people with diverse backgrounds to apply. This gives you more options, and can help you find the right person sooner. ### Reduce hiring bias and increase diversity As mentioned, unnecessary degree requirements can discriminate against groups of people that typically have less access to higher education. Historically marginalized groups don’t always have the resources they need to obtain a four year degree and are often excluded from certain industries. A skills-first hiring process is a **more objective hiring process.**With skills-first hiring, you are more likely to consider often overlooked candidates. It can also help you reduce [unconscious bias](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/#:~:text=In%20a%20hiring%20setting%2C%20unconscious,bringing%20in%20a%20bad%20one.), which are flawed shortcuts your brain might make when meeting candidates. (An example would be giving a candidate preferential treatment because you went to the same university.) Reducing [hiring bias](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/7-ways-to-avoid-hiring-bias/) with skills-based candidate evaluation will help you create a more diverse workforce. A diverse workforce is beneficial for many reasons. A group of employees with many different backgrounds keeps fresh ideas coming to the table, and is often a workforce that is more [creative, productive, and innovative.](https://www.indeed.com/hire/c/info/benefits-of-diversity?gclid=CjwKCAjwrranBhAEEiwAzbhNtb1_xv8C6Hrd2jnqtipJ3Y240QF0Ow83vqgt0K9l4weD-KD1UtP45RoCaQkQAvD_BwE&aceid=&gclsrc=aw.ds) ### Improve retention When you hire someone based on the skills they have, and the track record of performing well in other roles, you’re taking a chance on their [growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/) – or their ability to succeed in a role, even if they haven’t worked a similar one specifically. At CareerPlug, we believe that hiring for growth potential is one the best ways to build a loyal and happy workforce. It’s also an indication to your employees that you’re [hiring them for careers, not just jobs.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-careers/) Giving employees a chance, and showing them they have a path for growth at your company leads to better retention of your team. It creates a workforce that’s excited to work for your company and more likely to stick around. CareerPlug founder and CEO, Clint Smith, sums up this sentiment: “**Giving the right person a chance can help you earn employees for life.**There’s something special about being the first organization to give someone a shot and make them feel like they have a career. Over the years, the people that have been the most loyal are the ones that I gave a shot early on. Maybe on paper they didn’t have the right qualifications but I hired them for their potential.” ### How to create a skills-first hiring process Skills-first hiring may feel risky, but you can take this approach and still get high quality applicants and great results. Let’s cover some changes you can make to implement this in your hiring process. ### Include soft skills in your job descriptions According to LinkedIn data, **job posts that list skills**[**attract more applicants**](https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-acquisition/job-posts-that-feature-skills-attract-more-applicants)**and have a higher view-to-apply rate.** When you’re not only listing specific job titles, job seekers are more likely to align themselves with your position and more easily determine if it’s a good opportunity. Job seekers may see themselves as having the skills you are looking for even if they haven’t held a similar role before. One job seeker we spoke to had this to say, regarding [what attracts them to apply to a job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/): **“I like finding postings that align with my skill set… I get pumped to apply when they say things like they’ll accept experience in place of degrees.”** When listing the qualifications for your role, of course, you’ll include the “must-have” requirements (hard skills), like a certain license or experience with X software. But also think about the _soft skills_ that would make someone a great fit for your role. Some examples: * Creativity * Adaptability * Teamwork * Problem-solving * Time management ### Recruit from more applicant sources At CareerPlug, if there’s one thing we’re constantly shouting from the rooftops it’s this: **Job boards aren’t always the best source of highly qualified candidates.**Every year, in our [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) we find that custom sources are also a great source of top talent. Applicants from custom sources are**4.5 times more likely to be hired** than those from job boards. And since there are a variety of ways people gain skills (outside of the traditional routes), looking for talent in diverse channels can help prioritize skills in your hiring process. For example, Slack, the workplace messaging app, [seeks talent outside of traditional pipelines](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/04/how-slack-got-ahead-in-diversity/558806/), like recruiting at an all women’s coding camp, and as a result, increases representation of women and minorities in an underrepresented industry. You can follow suit. Consider recruiting from skills-based educational programs and source candidates that have completed “boot camps” or online skills certifications. You can also meet great candidates at networking events or conferences – both in and out of your industry. Our clients have also seen success recruiting from [underutilized applicant sources](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/) such as local and community job boards and Facebook job groups, chamber of commerce websites, and customer referral emails. ### Rethink how you do candidate assessments Skills-based assessments can help you test whether a candidate has the qualities you’re looking for and that they can demonstrate the skills they’ve listed on their resume or in their application. If you’re using an applicant tracking system like CareerPlug that comes with built-in candidate[evaluation assessments](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/), you can quickly test their math and verbal skills, as well as personality traits. Once a candidate completes an assessment, you can see how their skills break down into different areas: **Pro tip:** To [keep your candidates engaged](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-engagement/), we recommend doing a quick **phone screen interview as the first part** of your candidate evaluation process. This gives you a way to touch base with potential candidates, tell them about the role, and ensure they are ok with the responsibilities and compensation. A great candidate may be thrown off by having to complete assessments before ever talking to someone about the role. ### Create a structured interview process Structured interviews help you measure candidates using the same objective criteria, reduce hiring bias, create a [better candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) and make better hiring decisions. When focusing on skills in your hiring process, a structured interview can really help you dig in and understand someone’s **ability, motivation, and trajectory.** Instead of looking for the exact experience as the role you’re filling, get curious about what makes your candidate tick and how they’ve approached their other jobs in the past. **Behavioral questions**ask candidates to talk about times when they’ve exhibited certain skills: * Tell me about a time when you knew less than others about a topic or task. What did you do to get up to speed? * Tell me about a time when you went beyond your manager’s expectations to get the job done. * Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult customer. How did you handle the situation? And **motivational questions** can help you learn more about a candidate’s mindset: * When did you take on new responsibilities in your role? What or who initiated this change? * Tell me about a time you failed at something. How did you deal with that? * When was the last time you received feedback? How did you respond to it? ### Skills-based hiring – Ready to try it? Skills-first hiring is gaining traction and for good reason. Taking a skill-first approach helps businesses attract more applicants, evaluate candidates better, reduce hiring bias, and improve retention. Making changes to your hiring process can help you focus on the skills a candidate has, instead of a certain educational or professional background. When you begin considering often overlooked candidates for your open roles, you are creating new opportunities for both them and your business. ### Improve Candidate Evaluation with CareerPlug Make better hiring decisions with our candidate evaluation tools like pre-screen application questions, a built-in assessment library, and interview scorecards. Click the button below to learn more about our [easy-to-use hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/)! [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## The State of Hiring in Home & Commercial Services (Webinar) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/state-of-hiring-home-services-webinar/ * Posted on June 16, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris In this webinar, CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan, sat down with an expert panel from the home and commercial services industry: * **Ryan Englin** – CEO, [Core Matters](https://thecorematters.com/) * **Lori DeSousa** – Director of Talent Acquisition, [Authority Brands](https://www.authoritybrands.com/) * **Kristin Selmeczy** – President, [Molly Maid of Bloomingdale and Mt Prospect, IL](https://www.mollymaid.com/bloomingdale/)& CEO, [Pillars of Franchising](https://www.pillarsoffranchising.com/) During the hour-long webinar, they discuss hiring trends in the home and commercial services industry and what employers can do to adjust to the ever-changing tides of the labor market. Watch the full video below. ### Webinar highlights Let’s take a look at the topics that were discussed by this expert panel and the actionable advice that you can use to improve your hiring process and make better hires. #### Table of Contents 1. [It’s a job seeker’s market](https://www.careerplug.com/state-of-hiring-home-services-webinar/#job-seekers-market) 2. [Diversify your applicant sources](https://www.careerplug.com/state-of-hiring-home-services-webinar/#diversify-your-applicant-sources) 3. [Recruit locally](https://www.careerplug.com/state-of-hiring-home-services-webinar/#recruit-locally) 4. [Solicit employee referrals](https://www.careerplug.com/state-of-hiring-home-services-webinar/#solicit-employee-referrals) 5. [How to shift the narrative about trade professions](https://www.careerplug.com/state-of-hiring-home-services-webinar/#shift-the-narrative-about-trade-professions) 6. [Retention: the number one recruiting strategy](https://www.careerplug.com/state-of-hiring-home-services-webinar/#retention) ### It’s a job seeker’s market Employers in every industry have faced similar challenges in the last few years when it comes to staffing their teams. The expert panel reminds us that**it’s a job seeker’s market**. Open jobs are exceeding the number of people looking for jobs, so if you want to compete, your hiring process needs to be quick and efficient. One problem on a lot of employers’ minds is “[Candidate Ghosting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-ghosting/)”, where someone sends in an application or even [schedules an interview](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) then seemingly disappears, ceasing all communication with an employer. According to [one study by Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/lead/impact-of-covid-19-on-job-seeker-employer-ghosting), up to **76% of employers have been ghosted by a candidate**, and as Ryan Englin points out, “Sometimes it can feel like much more than that!” One way to combat ghosting is by being quick to respond once an application comes in. Our recent [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) found that the **average time to first contact applicants in the home and commercial services industry was 5.9 days**! Englin says, “If you’re 2-3 days after they applied, they have probably already started a job somewhere else. This is because large companies and big-box retailers often hire every applicant that applies and weed them out in the onboarding process.” That means that if you don’t move quickly, you could be beaten out by your competitors. Some tips for [speeding up your hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/) and reducing candidate ghosting? * Use various methods of contacting candidates like phone calls, emails, and [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/). * Use an[ATS like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) to notify you when someone applies and even “fast track” qualified candidates to the next stage of your hiring process. * When speaking with candidates for the first time, aim to have them remember you as someone that’s invested in their success. As Englin explains: “When you get them on the phone, create a connection with them. If they like you, felt there was a connection, and that you were going to invest in them and help them achieve their career goals, they are going to be much more likely to show up.” ### Diversify your applicant sources The graph below shows where employers in the home and commercial services industry are getting most of their applicants and the rate at which those applicants turn into hires. As you can see, **major job boards like Indeed produce the most _quantity_ of candidates but not the best _quality_.** Because of this, it’s important for home & commercial services employers to utilize custom sources and employee referrals. Our expert panel had great tips on how to do just that. Because of this, it’s important for home & commercial services employers to utilize custom sources and employee referrals. Our expert panel had great tips on how to do just that. ### Recruit locally Local recruitment can go a long way in this industry. Know where your audience is and target them there. Some suggestions from the panel include local unemployment offices, community events, and state workforce agencies. Old school methods of recruiting may still work, like networking with local fast food and retail workers or hanging flyers in churches, grocery stores, and laundromats. Kristin Selmezcy said that she put “Now Hiring” signs on all her Molly Maid vehicles for free [recruitment marketing.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruitment-marketing-strategies/) And of course, technology can be your friend as well. DeSousa shares that she’s had great success utilizing local Facebook groups and community apps like [NextDoor](https://nextdoor.com/). ### Solicit employee referrals In general,**employee referrals are eighteen times more likely to turn into hires** than applicants from job boards. So how can you get current employees involved in the recruitment process? The first and most important step in getting employee referrals is to simply be a great place to work. If your current employees feel valued and enjoy working for you, they’ll be more than happy to recruit for you. Encourage happy employees to hype your company up on [employee review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/) like [JobSage](https://www.jobsage.com/)and [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/index.htm). Ask employees to record a video of their testimonials that you can share on your careers page and social channels. You can even start an [employee referral program](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/) that rewards employees who bring you great hires. Selmeczy motivates her employees with a referral bonus that they receive after a new hire passes the 90-day mark, but rewards don’t always have to be monetary. When thinking about your incentives for referrals, Englin recommends,**“Think about what you can offer people as an incentive that’s aligned with your values. Get creative on how you can incentivize employees; one we see that works really well is PTO.”** Selmeczy also points out that your employees can be a great help when it comes to accessing talent. In the home and commercial service sector where the labor is often manual, your employees want to work next to other hard workers. **“Your employees know that they will be working next to someone, so they’ll be looking for someone with integrity. They want to work with people that are actually going to work.”** ### How to shift the narrative about trade professions Our expert panel acknowledged that a stigma around trade professions could still be preventing people from applying to these types of roles. It’s up to employers in this industry to help shift this narrative in a more positive direction. This often involves **community outreach and relationship building.**Establish connections with local high schools and community colleges where you can have opportunities like job fairs and career days to generate interest in your company. **Think about how to better sell job opportunities to applicants.** There are a lot of great benefits in going into a trade position like not taking on student loan debt and the growth opportunities. It can also be helpful to offer your own training or apprenticeship programs that are open to entry-level applicants and give people the chance to learn on the job. If you want to attract the younger generation, our panel says to keep in mind that you may need to “recruit” the parents as well. Often, parents may pressure their kids away from trade because of the stigma around certain professions. It’s important to challenge that and help parents see the benefits of a job at your company. Be sure to practice what you preach and [hire for careers, not just jobs.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-careers/) ### Retention: the number one recruiting strategy You can’t talk about the state of hiring without also talking about retention. You’re hiring for the long term, after all, and as Englin reminds us, **“Employee retention starts the day they apply.”** So what tactics have brought our panel success when it comes to keeping their team members around? “One thing I learned when managing people is to always do what you say you are going to do,” shares Selmeczy. She also talks about the importance of getting to know your employees and showing them that you care: “Not all the people that work for you are like you, get to know their needs, their culture – in a mostly [Hispanic workforce](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-spanish-speaking-job-applicants/) (like ours), your workers may observe different holidays than you. Acknowledge and celebrate the differences of your employees.” DeSousa recommends the mirror test, **“Would****_you_****want to work****_for_****_you_****?”.** [Employee engagement](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/) is also an important part of retention. Create a culture where employees support each other and get along well. Host after hours employee events regularly to engage employees and help build friendships. Natalie Morgan recommends, “Incorporate opportunities to get together within the work day as well so that people are more likely to attend the after work activities.” **Use an employee engagement survey to check in with employees on a regular basis.** Don’t just sit on their feedback – use it to make positive change in the workplace. ### To sum it up Like many other industries, the home and commercial services sector is facing a shortage of applicants and an increase in candidate ghosting. Speeding up your hiring process and diversifying your applicant sources can make a big impact. Community outreach and employee referrals tend to be the biggest source of hiring success in this industry. Unfortunately, some stigma around this type of labor still exists, so it’s up to employers to help shift the narrative and help the public see the opportunities that exist within the industry. Being a great place to work will not only bring you employee referrals, it will also help you keep your existing team around. Offer social events for current employees and show them that you care. Ask for feedback often, listen to their needs, and act on them. ### Hiring software built for home and commercial services We know that hiring high-quality professionals is crucial in this reputation-driven industry. Learn how [CareerPlug’s hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) can help you make the right hires for your business. [GET A FREE DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Are You Hiring Fast Enough? Here’s How to Reduce Your Time to Hire **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/time-to-hire/ * Posted on August 25, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Businesses are feeling the pressure of an ongoing struggle for top talent. In a tight labor market, there’s a lot you can do to win over the best candidates, like offering good benefits and competitive compensation and building your employer brand. But those things will only get you so far, if you’re not also focusing on reducing your time to hire. Moving slowly in a hiring process means that you won’t get the opportunity to engage your best candidates and get them excited about working for you . They’ll move on to other opportunities with companies that contacted them first, got them into interviews sooner, and made them an offer. Are you hiring fast enough to secure the best talent for your team? In this article, we’re looking at how quickly businesses are hiring so that you can see how you compare. We’ll also share some of our best tips for reducing your time to hire. ### Key takeaways: * **Time to hire** is an overall metric for how long it takes to complete a hiring process from the initial job post to an accepted offer. * In 2022, employers in our study took an average of 16 days to hire, but we believe that shaving this number down to 5 is crucial for beating the competition for top talent. * You can improve your time to hire by automating candidate communication, utilizing text recruiting, and letting candidates self-schedule interviews. ### How fast should you be hiring? We define “time to hire” as the **amount of time it takes you to fully complete a hiring process – from initial job posting to accepted offer.** When thinking about hiring faster, you might be wondering how quickly other companies are hiring. In our [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/), we’ve found that employers are shaving down their time to hire a little each year. In 2020, the average time to hire was 24.7 days, and in 2021, that number dropped to 18.4 days. This means that employers were hiring 6.3 days (nearly a week!) faster than they were the previous year. And in 2022? Employers took just 16.3 days. Employers have made great progress speeding up their time to hire over the years. But is it enough in today’s labor market? Or should you be trying to hire even faster to lock down the best candidates? ### The 24-48-5 Rule We’d like to challenge you to **speed up your process even more.** We recommend following the 24-48-5 Rule: **Contact applicants within 24 hours. Schedule an interview within 48 hours, and hire within 5 days.**You can put your business at a significant advantage if you contact them fast, before the competition scoops them up. CareerPlug President, Jenny Leman advises that “taking more than 5 days to hire causes a dramatic drop off in an employer’s ability to close the hire with the right applicant.” Taking longer than 5 days limits your options for great employees. It could also be costing you money in lost revenue. It’s estimated that a job vacancy costs companies an [average of $95 per day](https://www.zippia.com/advice/recruitment-statistics/)! ### How to reduce your time to hire Hiring in 5 days? Depending on your current hiring process, that might sound like a bit of a stretch. But unprecedented competition for talent means you might have to do things differently than you’ve done before. Here are some ways you can try to hit those goals of contacting and hiring candidates. ### Speed up candidate communication Contacting candidates within 24 hours is a great goal for employers, and candidates appreciate it, too! In a [recent survey of job seekers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we found that applicants consider **prompt and frequent communication** to be a major factor in a [great candidate experience.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) So how do you reach out to candidates within 24 hours without being glued to your phone or computer all day? An [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) can help. With an ATS, you can set certain parameters around your application, and get notified when someone that checks all your boxes applies. Once you’re notified, you can reach out to that candidate right away. You can even automate some of your [candidate communication](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) for more instant results. With CareerPlug, you can automatically send interview invitations to candidates that meet your criteria, and automate sending polite rejection emails to those that don’t, saving you even more time. ### Use text recruiting Another way to streamline candidate communication is with [text recruiting.](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) Even if you are reaching out to candidates within 24 hours, if you’re using email, they may not see it. Sending candidates a text is a faster way to get a response and engage them early. The proof is in the data: * [Email has only a 20% open rate](https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2017/33045/email-vs-sms-battle-of-the-heavyweights-infographic) – compared to text messages, which have a 98% open rate. * The average email gets a response about 6% of the time. The average **text message has a****45% response rate.** * 68% of recent job seekers told us that they’ve been contacted by an employer via text message during the hiring process. 84% of those job seekers said their experience with text recruiting was positive. The video below shows text recruiting in action, and is a great example of how it can improve your time to hire: ### Automate interview scheduling If you’ve ever experienced the countless back and forth emails with candidates trying to figure out a time that works for both of you to meet, or played endless games of phone tag, then scheduling an interview within 48 hours may sound like an impossible task. That’s why [**automated interview scheduling**](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) is a game changer for businesses, and the best way to hit the goal of getting interviews scheduled instantly after someone applies. Automated interview scheduling eliminates the back and forth with candidates, by simply sending them a link so that they can self-schedule an interview. You sync your calendar, candidates see your open time slots, and choose a time to interview that works for them. The interview automatically shows up on your calendar. CareerPlug clients that use Autopilot, our [automated interview scheduler](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/), have **cut their interview scheduling time by up to 91%.**Less time scheduling interviews means a quicker time to hire, and better chance of making those right hires for your team. ### Automated Interview Scheduling: The Complete Guide to Hassle Free Interviews How much of an impact can automated interview scheduling have on the way you hire? And how does it all work? We’re covering everything you need to know in our ultimate guide. Click the button below to claim your copy! [DOWNLOAD MY GUIDE](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Automated-Interview-Scheduling-Guide.pdf) ### Conclusion Being a great place to work will help you attract job seekers to your open roles, but in order to turn them into hires, you have to move quickly. For the past three years, CareerPlug clients have hired a little faster than the year before, shaving their time to hire down to around 16 days in 2022. This is great, but to really beat the competition, we recommend aiming to turn an applicant into a hire within 5 days. You can do this more easily by improving your communication with automations and text recruiting and letting candidates self-schedule their interviews. ### Improve Your Time to Hire with CareerPlug Streamlined communication tools and hiring automations can help you hire faster than you ever have before, but don’t just take our word for it! Click the button below to take a tour of our hiring software. [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## How Upskilling and Reskilling Can Help Your Business **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/upskilling-and-reskilling/ * Posted on October 27, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Throughout 2021, businesses across the country have been reopening at a steady pace, but it’s clear the pandemic has changed the job market as we once knew it. Industries that once had a surplus of candidates now face scarce talent pools with fewer applicants to fill their roles. Huge shifts in the labor landscape may be beyond your control as a small business owner, but luckily there are steps you can take to strengthen your current team. We always say **the number one recruiting strategy is retention** –so consider turning your focus to the professional development of your existing employees by offering them opportunities to upskill or reskill. In this article, we’ll show you how upskilling and reskilling can help fill the gaps on your team caused by applicant shortages, as well as protect your business against the future risk of unexpected turnover. ### What is upskilling and reskilling? While the definitions of these terms may differ slightly in their meaning, both can be useful in lending a helping hand to your business during hiring difficulties. * **Upskilling** teaches your employees an advanced skill set relevant to their job-specific duties, allowing them to improve in their current roles. * **Reskilling** prepares your employees for an entirely new position unrelated to their current job and helps translate skills they already have. To differentiate the two, let’s look at an example: Stacey, a hotel manager, takes an online [leadership](https://insights.ehotelier.com/insights/2021/04/09/upskilling-in-2021-for-a-post-covid-19-hospitality-career/) course to improve her hospitality skills. This is an example of upskilling. Now, say the same hotel manager attends a workshop or bootcamp to learn skills for a new back-end developer role at the company. This is an example of reskilling. ### How upskilling and reskilling can help According to researchers at the World Economic Fund, [at least 54% of all professionals will need to upskill or reskill by 2022.](https://velocityglobal.com//blog/pros-and-cons-of-employee-upskilling/) That’s over half the workforce! Depending on your industry, upskilling and reskilling can help close skill gaps in your team by [teaching hard or soft skills to employees.](https://amesite.com/blogs/skill-gap-2021-top-5-soft-hard-skills-companies-need-now/) For example, let’s say your sales representative needs to be more concise during conversations with clients. They would likely have more of an impact on your business by upskilling their communication strategies. More effective communication skills could close more deals and make more efficient use of your employee’s time so they can service more clients. Or imagine you’re a restaurant owner and a server expresses an interest in building their skills in online marketing. You can help foster their professional development by inviting them to take courses in social media marketing and allowing them to use what they’ve learned to manage your restaurant’s social media outreach. In this way, you’re helping an employee reskill into a role that interests them more, while also potentially increasing their impact on your business. If you’re a hiring manager, you know that the [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) can be time consuming. After all, attracting new applicants, screening, interviewing, and onboarding the right hires takes time. But what if you could streamline this process? By upskilling your team, you can leverage an internal recruitment strategy, making it easier and [quicker to bring new hires on board](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/). ### Upskilling and reskilling during COVID-19 Let’s face it: the pandemic has been hard on everybody. With COVID-19 forcing layoffs and furloughs, employees have found themselves relying heavily on their co-workers. Luckily, upskilling and reskilling gives workers the opportunity to take on[new tasks and responsibilities as well as provide support](https://www.docebo.com/learning-network//blog/upskill-reskill-employees-covid-19/) to their team. All of these can offer tremendous relief to your staff and help your business bounce back from an unprecedented year. In fact, many workers have found the pandemic [accelerated the need for new skills](https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/may-jun-2021/make-2021-the-year-you-upskill-your-people/). Of course, this makes upskilling and reskilling more relevant than ever. According to Training Industry: _“_[_Six in 10 workers_](https://stateofskills.degreed.com/)_say the pandemic and resulting economic crisis have accelerated the need for new skills. At the same time, nearly half say their current skills are becoming obsolete. Many are likely to leave their current jobs if their employers don’t invest in their development. Yet, 46% of workers surveyed say their workplaces have reduced upskilling opportunities during the pandemic.”_ ### The benefits of investing in your employees Employees feel valued when businesses invest in their [growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/). After all, doesn’t everybody have career goals and aspirations? Ultimately, doing so [**reduces turnover, attracts new talent, and boosts collaboration as well as employee engagement**](https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/12/21/why-employee-upskilling-and-reskilling-is-so-important-right-now/?sh=4f9473da3302)**and**[**productivity**](https://www.insurance-relief.com//blog/benefits-of-upskilling-insurance-agents/)**.** Creating a plan for employee development will be crucial for attracting and retaining employees entering their prime career growth years. According to a 2021 [Gallup survey](https://velocityglobal.com//blog/pros-and-cons-of-employee-upskilling/), 87% of millennials prioritize professional growth as well as development opportunities in the workplace. After a tough 2020, having an upward trajectory is important to many job seekers. Plus, upskilling and reskilling is an effective solution for saving money. Remember, losing an employee can cost a business up to **33% of that employee’s annual salary.** Investing back into your business to boost [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) should be a top priority. ### How to implement upskilling and reskilling If you’re a business owner considering how best to start a program of your own, we’re here to break it down for you. Programs can be structured in several different formats, including: * Internal development program (curriculum created by your business) * [Courses or training sessions](https://clutch.co/hr/resources/importance-of-upskilling-employees) * [Self-paced courses](https://trainingindustry.com/magazine/may-jun-2021/make-2021-the-year-you-upskill-your-people/) * Webinars * Workshops * On the job training Businesses have seen outstanding results among employees from these programs – in fact, many big names have even jumped on the bandwagon. Nationwide Insurance started their “[Future of Work](https://www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/insurance-company-investing-millions-to-upskill-and-reskill-workers)” program, investing in their employees’ skill sets to make sure they’re future-ready. [Amazon has also announced an initiative](https://www.itresourcescorp.com/the-need-for-upskilling-and-reskilling-your-workforce-in-2021/) to develop its employees over a six-year period. Their program includes tuition and curriculum redevelopment, technical programs, and e-learning certificates. After discovering that only half of their employees had STEM skills, AT&T developed [an online learning platform](https://eightfold.ai//blog/reskilling-and-upskilling/) to help workers identify needed skills and plan ahead for the future. Luckily, [42% of companies](https://www.talentlms.com//blog/reskilling-upskilling-training-statistics/) have strengthened their efforts to upskill and reskill employees amid the coronavirus pandemic, boosting confidence among workers and paving the way for a bright future ahead. Finally, if your employees are interested in gaining insights into their natural talents but don’t know where to begin, you could consider giving them aptitude tests such as a [DISC personality assessment](https://gettingpeopleright.com/disc-personalities-assessment/) to get them started on an upskilling or reskilling path. As the labor market continues to give job seekers the advantage, take a breath and think strategically about what you can do for the people you already have on your team. While it may take some upfront investment to get started, upskilling and reskilling can offer worthwhile rewards and benefits to all involved. Remember, many industries continue to struggle with an applicant shortage, but embracing this trend could mean swift recovery for your business and team in this post-pandemic era. ### Does Your Team Have the Right People? Every hire you make is an investment in your business, so make sure you get it right the first time. CareerPlug is an [easy-to-use hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) built on a proven process to help you make quality hires consistently and quickly. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) --- ## What New Hires Want to See in an Onboarding Process **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/what-new-hire-want-onboarding-process/ * Posted on March 5, 2025 * by Tatiana Diaz #### Table of Contents 1. [Establish clear goals and expectations](https://www.careerplug.com/what-new-hire-want-onboarding-process/#h-1-establish-clear-goals-and-expectations) 2. [Create a more structured plan and explain the steps beforehand](https://www.careerplug.com/what-new-hire-want-onboarding-process/#h-2-create-a-more-structured-plan-and-explain-the-steps-beforehand-nbsp) 3. [Introduce new hires to members of the team and pair them with a mentor](https://www.careerplug.com/what-new-hire-want-onboarding-process/#h-3-introduce-new-hires-to-members-of-the-team-and-pair-them-with-a-mentor-nbsp) 4. [Use onboarding software to make new hire paperwork easy to complete digitally](https://www.careerplug.com/what-new-hire-want-onboarding-process/#h-4-use-onboarding-software-to-make-new-hire-paperwork-easy-to-complete-digitally-nbsp) 5. [Ask new hires for feedback](https://www.careerplug.com/what-new-hire-want-onboarding-process/#h-5-ask-new-hires-for-feedback) So you’ve hired a new employee and feel excited, accomplished, and probably a bit relieved that the process is over. You may feel like you just crossed the finish line and your marathon of hiring a new employee is finally done! Although you may feel excited about your new hire, the work isn’t done just yet. To ensure both you and your new hire’s success, it’s essential that they have a smooth onboarding process that includes a clear plan and conveys job expectations. You may be thinking: is it really that important? And the answer is YES! An effective onboarding process [boosts retention of new hires by 82%.](https://www.strongdm.com/blog/employee-onboarding-statistics) In this article, we’ll go over exactly what new hires want to see in their onboarding process so you can make an onboarding plan that will keep your new hires motivated, happy, and prepared. ### Why is onboarding so important? A successful onboarding process **increases employee retention**, so if you don’t have a good plan, you are at risk of losing your new employee. Employee turnover can be as much as [50% in the first 18 months of employment](https://www.shrm.org/foundation/ourwork/initiatives/resources-from-past-initiatives/Documents/Onboarding%20New%20Employees.pdf?utm_source=link_wwwv9&utm_campaign=item_235121&utm_medium=copy). Not only can a poor onboarding process put you at risk of high turnover, it can also cost you a ton of money. The total cost of losing an employee is estimated to range from [90-200% of the employee’s annual salary.](https://enboarder.com/blog/cost-of-employee-turnover/) By implementing a structured onboarding process, you will have happy employees who will feel prepared for their new roles, smoothly transition into them, and want to stay with you long-term.This will save you money, too! ### What do new hires want during onboarding? This year in our annual [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we wanted to dig a little deeper, past the offer stage into the onboarding experience. **75% of job seekers agreed onboarding is important**, and they shared their recommendations for improving that experience for new hires. Let’s take a closer look at each of these answers and how you can implement some of these positive changes into your own [onboarding process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-onboarding-preparing-for-the-first-day/). ### 1. Establish clear goals and expectations Let’s face it: no one wants to be confused when starting a new job. So, it’s not surprising that the number one factor people want employers to focus on is**establishing clear goals and expectations.** Doing this doesn’t have to be complicated. It starts with a well-crafted [job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) that clearly outlines the responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations of the role. Candidates should walk away from the job description with a solid understanding of what will be expected of them. This helps prevent misunderstandings later on. Once a new hire joins the team, setting them up for success means ensuring they know exactly what they are being measured on and how they can excel in their position. Providing clear performance metrics, outlining key objectives, and offering regular feedback can make all the difference in helping employees feel confident and motivated in their new role. ### 2. Create a more structured plan and explain the steps beforehand More than half of new hires responded that they want employers to**create a more structured onboarding plan and explain the steps beforehand**. As a new hire, starting a new role can be overwhelming with so much information to process. So, creating a structured plan that has detailed steps can help them better understand how their onboarding period will look and what they can expect to learn. An outlined plan will also play a role in your new hires productivity. In fact, [a formal onboarding program](https://eddy.com/article/onboarding-statistics/) can lead to **62% greater productivity**. Knowing what to do = more work getting done! So, how can you implement a more structured onboarding plan? Use the [30-60-90 day plan](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/master-new-hire-onboarding-30-60-90-day-plan/) approach. This plan outlines key goals and milestones for the first three months. This structured approach helps employees gradually build confidence, track progress, and understand expectations, allowing them to excel in their new role. ### Create a more structured plan with our 90 day onboarding checklist Creating a structured plan for your new hire means having a detailed to-do list for yourself! We did the work for you. Download this checklist to make sure you don’t miss any important steps in the first 90 days. Download the 90 Day Checklist ### 3. Introduce new hires to members of the team and pair them with a mentor **Creating a sense of connection** from day one is crucial for new hires, as workplace culture and a feeling of belonging are top factors influencing job seekers. Some new hires may be nervous meeting new people, so don’t just assume they will introduce themselves to their teammates. Instead, make it more comfortable for them with some introductions! This can be done through short meetings with other team members where new hires can introduce themselves and learn more about their new colleagues. Another helpful resource for new hires is a mentor/mentee program. A mentor can guide a new hire by answering their questions and providing insight into the company’s culture. This would be the new hires “go-to person” during their onboarding process. This can greatly impact your new hires satisfaction with their new role in your company, as [50% of young professionals](https://www.pushfar.com/article/mentoring-statistics-everything-you-need-to-know/) say that a workplace mentorship program would make them more likely to stay at a company. ### 4. Use onboarding software to make new hire paperwork easy to complete digitally Starting a new job is stressful, so it’s essential to make the transition as easy as possible for your new hire. One way to do this is by using onboarding software to make paperwork easier to complete digitally. Switching to digital [new hire paperwork](https://www.careerplug.com/new-hire-forms/) can make the onboarding process faster, easier, and more efficient for both employers and employees. Instead of sorting through stacks of paperwork, new hires can complete necessary forms online before their first day, allowing them to focus on getting acclimated to their role. Digital onboarding also reduces errors, ensures compliance, and provides a more organized way to track important documents. Looking for an easier way to streamline your onboarding process? [CareerPlug’s onboarding and team management software](https://www.careerplug.com/onboarding-team-management/) helps automate paperwork, improve efficiency, and create a seamless experience for new hires. With digital forms, automated reminders, and secure document storage, you can ensure that every step of the onboarding process is completed accurately and on time. ### 5. Ask new hires for feedback Lastly, all of your employees, including new hires, **want you to ask them for feedback.** Consider taking a step back from the onboarding process and ask your new hire how they’re feeling, what you can do for them, and if they need any additional support to ensure their success. New hires want their opinion to be heard and valued. An easy way to do this is by having brief meetings throughout different stages of the onboarding process. This is a great way to hear what you can do better in your onboarding process and consider what can be improved for future hires. Employee surveys can also be given to new hires to record their feedback quickly and efficiently. This can be done through a simple google form, asking questions like “On a scale from one to ten, how satisfied have you been with the onboarding process?” Past the initial onboarding period, you can continue to check in with employees weekly with shorter, [pulse surveys.](https://www.careerplug.com/pulse/) This provides a consistent way for employees to express their opinions, concerns, and suggestions, giving them a voice and fostering a sense of engagement ### Improve employee retention with better onboarding A well-structured onboarding process is more than just a formality—it’s the foundation for long-term employee success and retention. By setting clear expectations, providing a structured plan, fostering connections, streamlining paperwork, and actively seeking feedback, you can create an experience that makes new hires feel valued and prepared from day one. Investing in a thoughtful onboarding process not only leads to higher productivity and engagement but also helps build a stronger, more connected team. When employees feel supported from the start, they’re more likely to stay, thrive, and contribute to your company’s success. --- ## Clint’s Notes: 3 things I learned at IFA 2026 **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-3-things-i-learned-at-ifa-2026/ * Posted on March 2, 2026 * by Clint Smith I just got back from Las Vegas, where I spent three days at the IFA Annual Convention surrounded by franchisors and everyone who supports them. I go every year, but this one felt different. CareerPlug was there as an exhibitor, and one of the highlights was sharing printed copies of my new book, _The Franchise People Playbook_. The feedback we got on the floor was genuinely encouraging. It felt like the ideas in the book landed at exactly the right moment for a lot of people. (If you weren’t able to attend, you can [download a copy free here](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/).) The energy around AI and technology was everywhere. And yet, almost every meaningful conversation I had kept coming back to the same thing: people. I’ve been saying this for years, and I believe it more now than ever. The brands that are winning in franchising are the ones where the right people are in the right roles, supported by the right systems. Everything else (the brand, the model, the marketing) is table stakes. People are the differentiator. Here’s my three big takeaways from IFA. ### Franchising runs on relationships and AI won’t change that The AI and robotics sessions at IFA were genuinely fascinating. There is a lot of change coming, and it will create both big opportunities and real risks for franchise operators. I don’t think anyone should look away from that. What I kept thinking as I sat in those sessions was that franchising is a relationship business. There are three relationships that make or break a franchise system. First, the relationship between the franchisor and franchisee, which is built on an enormous amount of trust that goes in both directions. Second, the relationship between the franchisee and their employees. People come to work for other people, their leaders, their teammates, the people they serve. And when they leave, it’s usually for the same reasons they came. Third, for service-based franchises especially, the relationship between employees and customers. These are people in someone’s home, caring for a loved one, making physical contact with a customer. That relationship is the brand. AI should make all of these relationships stronger. It should help franchisors support franchisees more effectively, help franchisees hire and retain better employees, and help those employees deliver on the brand promise more consistently. The right use of these tools amplifies what’s already working. What AI cannot do — and should not try to do — is replace the human judgment, care, and connection that these relationships require. ### The people-support gap needs to close now I had a version of the same conversation at least a dozen times at IFA. That gap between what franchisees need with hiring and retention, and the support they actually get, came up in conversation after conversation. Franchisors who used to be very hands-on with their franchisees on the people side — sharing who to look for, how to evaluate candidates, what good looks like in their system — and then pulled back when joint employer concerns took hold. Most said some version of the same thing: “Lawyers told us to stay out of it.” I get it. Nobody wants to get on the wrong side of the lawyers. But while franchisors have a meticulously defined playbook for everything else, operators feel left in the cold on people issues. Honestly, I think for some franchisees it feels like a cop-out. The 2020 NLRB ruling is still the current standard, and it already gives franchisors meaningful room to act. Job posting templates, interview guides, onboarding checklists, training materials, staffing guidance are all permissible today. The legal line is “substantial direct and immediate countrol” over individual employment decisions. Sharing best practices across your system is nowhere near that line. The rules have changed four times (really!) in the past decade as administrations have shifted, which is exactly why franchisors have been reluctant to invest in people support infrastructure. What I heard over and over at IFA is that people know there is a real cost to inaction. Many franchisors are ready to stop letting a fear of the legal worst-case scenario keep them from acting and to instead start investing in the people support their franchisees need to thrive. The [American Franchise Act](https://www.careerplug.com/american-franchise-act-framework/) cannot pass soon enough. And with bipartisan support behind it, I think it will. ### More is expected of Franchise Business Coaches The FBC role has always been largely oriented around compliance and relationship maintenance. It’s about making sure franchisees are following the model, keeping things on track. What I heard at IFA is that there’s growing recognition that this role needs to shift toward growth and performance. And you cannot have a real conversation about growth and performance without talking about the people on the ground at every location. That shift is harder to make when the FBC feels like they can’t touch the people side of the business. But as I mentioned above, the current rules actually allow for more support than many franchisors realize. FBCs at high-performing organizations are making people issues a core part of every coaching relationship. And that investment compounds. Better hiring leads to stronger teams, stronger teams drive better unit performance, and better unit performance gives the whole system more momentum. That’s the flywheel effect and every turn makes the next one easier. The brands that equip their FBCs to coach on people and performance — not just compliance — are going to have a significant advantage as the industry evolves. The ones who never made people issues a priority will need to catch up fast. More soon, Clint --- ## Clint’s Notes: The DIY trap for franchise owners **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-the-diy-trap-for-franchise-owners/ * Posted on March 9, 2026 * by Clint Smith I’ve been thinking about something since [my last post about hiring in this market](https://www.careerplug.com/january-jobs-report-franchising/). A few people reached out and said basically the same thing: “Clint, that sounds great, but I can’t afford those kinds of strategic hires right now.” I get it. When I wrote “strategic hire,” a lot of you read that as “expensive senior position.” ### Strategic ≠ expensive A strategic hire is just someone who helps you get time back to focus on what matters most. That’s it. For a lot of franchise operators, a strategic hire might be a part-time bookkeeper. Or someone to handle scheduling and customer service so you can actually focus on growing the business. Those aren’t necessarily expensive hires. But they _are_ strategic hires because they get you unstuck. ### The DIY trap I’ll use myself as an example. I have an accounting degree, so when I [started CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/company/) I convinced myself I needed to manage the books myself. I was “saving money.” Except I wasn’t. I was spending hours every week on reconciliations and reports when I should have been building the business. Hiring someone to handle the books, even part time, made me money in the long run because I could finally focus on work that actually mattered. This is the type of leap every franchise owner needs to make if you want to get to the next level. ### The four levels In _The Franchise People Playbook_, I wrote about franchise growth as four levels: **Level 1:**You do almost everything yourself **Level 2:**You manage everyone directly while still working in the business **Level 3:** You manage managers and have systems running daily operations **Level 4:**The business runs without your day-to-day involvement You can’t skip levels. I wish you could, but you can’t. A franchisee can’t hire a GM or an operations director when there aren’t any managers on the team yet. And you can’t hire managers when you’re still spending 30 hours a week doing bookkeeping and answering phones. ### So what’s keeping you stuck? Look at last week’s calendar. How many hours did you spend on tasks someone else could do? Not strategic decisions or relationship building. I’m talking about data entry, [scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/), routine customer calls, processing payroll. Maybe you’re even still providing services directly to clients yourself. Pick one thing you could hand off tomorrow. For me, it was bookkeeping. For you, it might be something different that helps you get some time back. ### Do the math differently Your strategic hire might work 15 hours a week, a few afternoons handling your administrative backlog. We’re talking $1,500 to $2,000 a month to buy back 20 hours of your time every month. Maybe that’s not a comfortable cost. But can you afford to keep doing everything yourself while your business stays stuck at its current size? It’s never going to feel completely safe, but you didn’t jump into the entrepreneurial life to play it safe. And staying stuck is almost always more expensive than moving forward. More next Monday, Clint P.S. You can download a [free copy of _The Franchise People Playbook_ here](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/). --- ## What is an ATS? 12 Benefits of Applicant Tracking Systems **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/what-is-ats/ * Posted on September 27, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris The number one challenge facing business owners is the same as it’s always been: attracting and hiring the right people. But today, technology exists to make this process a whole lot easier. And, even better, you don’t need to be a seasoned HR professional to enjoy the benefits of these tools. If you’re looking to make your hiring process more efficient and organized, you need an [applicant tracking system (ATS)](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) — a software that helps you recruit, hire, and onboard candidates quickly and easily. Let’s learn more about what an ATS is and what your hiring process could look like with an ATS. ### What is an ATS? An applicant tracking system is a type of software that organizes and automates one of the most crucial business functions: **finding and hiring the right people.** An ATS helps you distribute your job postings and serves as a centralized hub that automatically collects and stores everything applicants send you, such as resumes, cover letters, or samples of work. Submissions come with assessment scores and answers to pre-qualifying questions attached to help you evaluate candidates efficiently. Plus, you can schedule interviews and manage your communication with applicants all in the same place. **An ATS streamlines hiring from start to finish – from job description to job offer.** ### Applicant tracking system benefits ### 1. Save time on repetitive hiring tasks Gone are the days when you have to manually distribute your open jobs online, print out PDFs of resumes to store at your desk, play phone tag with potential candidates, and scramble to get the proper documents in order when you finally make a hire. With an ATS, you can just log in to your dashboard, sit back, and watch the applicants come through — with all their information automatically laid out in front of you, neatly organized in their individual hiring workflows. An ATS enables fast and easy electronic handling of a business’s recruitment and hiring needs and automates the tedious parts of hiring like [candidate evaluation](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) and [communication.](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/) Less time spent on the administrative tasks that come with hiring equals more time to focus on other parts of your business. ### 2. Host an attractive careers page Every year, CareerPlug analyzes hiring activity from more than 16,000 companies as part of our [Recruiting Metrics Report.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) Our data shows that company**careers pages are an underutilized, but high quality source of applicants.** In the most recent report, we found that an applicant who applied directly from a company careers page was**3.5 times more likely to be hired** than an applicant from a job board. [Careers pages](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) allow you to showcase your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) better than you could on a generic job board. And they help job seekers to learn more about your business, culture, and values before they decide to apply to your role. A good applicant tracking system should give you the ability to create an attractive careers page like the one below for CareerPlug client, Pizza Inn: ### 3. Make it easy to apply from any device Job seekers are busy, and they want looking for their next opportunity to be just as convenient as shopping online for a new pair of shoes. It’s estimated that nearly [90% of job seekers](https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7155-startup-hiring-tips.html) use a mobile device during their job search, so making sure that your **application is mobile friendly** is pretty important. An ATS can provide you with the functionality and integrations you need to present job seekers with a fast, easy application — even from their mobile devices. Keep this in mind: the best candidates can afford to be picky about which jobs they apply to. If a job application is inconvenient, they will have no qualms about moving on. ### 4. Communicate with candidates more efficiently We mentioned how an ATS helps eliminate the administrative tasks involved in the hiring process, and that extends to communication. With an ATS, you **email or text candidates directly without leaving the software.** One pain point we hear from hiring managers is the time they waste trying to get in touch with applicants who never get back to them. Luckily, [research shows](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/using-text-recruiting-hire-faster/) that **text messages have a 98% open rate compared with email, which has a 20% open rate**. Plus, 81% of job seekers we surveyed said that text recruiting is equally as professional as email. [Text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) can help you stay top of mind and keep more candidates engaged in your hiring process. Watch the video below for a fun example of text recruiting in action: ### 5. Automate interview scheduling to hire faster Another big way that an ATS can save you time is with [**automated interview scheduling.**](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/)With automated interview scheduling, you sync your calendar to your ATS; candidates receive a link to schedule an interview at a time that works for them based on your availability. Automated interview scheduling is a game changer for both busy candidates and busy managers as it eliminates the endless back and forth of playing phone tag or sending emails to find a time that works for both of you. CareerPlug’s President, Jenny Leman uses our automated interview scheduling tool, Autopilot to save time in her own work day. In the video below, she explains how much of an impact it’s made: ### 6. Post your job to all the major job boards at once Job seekers don’t search for jobs in just one place and there’s no shortage of job boards out there. But as an employer, do you really want to spend all day managing your job postings on all these sites? Of course not. A good ATS will allow you to, with a single click, **post your jobs to all of the major job boards** like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, and more, as well as your own company careers page and any other custom sources you’ve defined. ATS users often report seeing an immediate boost to their applicant pipelines. ### 7. Track your applicant sources There’s no question which sources produce the most applicants: major job boards like Indeed and ZipRecruiter. But when it comes to hiring,**quality matters more than quantity.** Our research finds that while job boards produce [**63% of all applications**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/)**, they produce only 36% of hires.** Companies that rely solely on job boards are likely to find that the applicants they receive are less responsive and not as high-quality as applicants generated through other means. An applicant tracking system will aggregate all your applicants into one place (your dashboard), but it can also allow you to**track your applicant sources so you can identify which are the most effective for your business.** That way you can focus your energy (and potential advertising spend) on the sources that produce quality hires. ### 8. Fast track your best candidates instantly When you begin using an applicant tracking system, you’ll likely start to see your [applicant pipeline increase](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) — which means you’ll now find yourself sorting through more candidates than ever before. Sounds great, right? Well, there’s a downside to this – now you have more applicants to evaluate in your search for the perfect person for your role. An applicant tracking system should save you time while also **helping you make better decisions**about which applicants to move forward. With CareerPlug, you can add [pre-screen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/evaluate/) to your application to **automatically fast-track applicants who meet your most important requirements and remove unqualified applicants from your pipeline.**By identifying top candidates quickly, you can contact them sooner, keep them engaged, and turn them into hires. ### 9. Evaluate candidates using the same measurable, objective criteria An ATS discourages hiring based on “gut feelings” by **providing the rubric to evaluate all candidates fairly and consistently.**An applicant tracking system can help you measure objective criteria using tools like **role-specific scorecards and candidate assessments.** Assessments can help you test whether a candidate has the qualities you’re looking for and that they can demonstrate the skills they’ve listed on their resume or in their application. With CareerPlug’s built-in assessments, you can test a candidate’s math and verbal skills, as well as personality traits. Once a candidate completes an assessment, you can see how their skills break down into different areas: One major bonus: by sticking to data-driven decisions with the help of an ATS, you can begin to reduce [unconscious bias in hiring](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/). Evaluating all candidates fairly is a great first step toward increasing your organization’s diversity — and there’s [plenty of evidence](https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2018/01/25/more-evidence-that-company-diversity-leads-to-better-profits/#cd0d18c1bc7d) that proves diverse companies perform better. ### 10. Create an easily repeatable hiring process for your business You want to be able to make great hires consistently to keep your business running smoothly. Another huge benefit of using an ATS, is that it makes it easy to build and follow a consistent [hiring process.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) A consistent hiring process empowers anyone on your team to make better hires by following a proven playbook of best practices. It makes it easy to stay compliant with no missed steps, and creates a better experience for candidates. ### 11. Create a great candidate experience Many of the things we’ve already covered are about how an ATS makes your life easier as a hiring manager or business owner. But, guess what – those same things make candidates’ lives easier, too! [Candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) matters. We found that **49% of job seekers had declined a job offer due to poor experience.**This proves that the impression you make on candidates during a hiring process is important. Job seekers are busy, too. They want an easy application, prompt and frequent communication, and transparency and respect throughout the process. An ATS allows candidates to hear from you sooner, schedule interviews on their own time, and stay informed regarding where they stand in your hiring process. Creating a positive candidate experience is a good look, that shows your company is organized, thoughtful, and respectful of job seeker’s time. This builds a strong [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) and makes it much more likely that candidates will say yes to your job offers. ### 12. Complete onboarding paperwork digitally using a compliant system. Did you know businesses can be subject to potential fines for filling out employment forms incorrectly? An ATS takes the pain out of [new hire forms](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/still-using-paper-forms-new-hire-onboarding/) by going completely paperless. CareerPlug’s software gives you the tools to be compliant with your onboarding paperwork. It provides you with a digitized W-4, and any state-specific tax forms. Digitized forms require that candidates fill out and sign all the necessary fields before they can proceed. When combined with a review by the hiring manager, this can reduce your risk of submitting incorrect or incomplete forms. Lastly, all completed forms are stored electronically in a secure and compliant environment. Your new hire can hit the ground running after a seamless, worry-free onboarding. ### Ready to see an ATS in action? Our software is easy to use, but powerful. It’s built on a proven process that’s helped 16,000 small businesses make the right hires. Click the button below to get a demo of CareerPlug and see for yourself how we make hiring easier. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Streamline Your Hiring with the CareerPlug + Toolbelt Integration **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/streamline-your-hiring-with-the-careerplug-toolbelt-integration/ * Posted on March 19, 2026 * by Darian Bordon Hiring in the home and commercial services industry is a unique challenge. Whether you run a painting franchise, a plumbing service, or a restoration crew, you’ve probably faced the same problem: you sell the work, but you need the right people to get it done and you need them fast. If you’ve ever juggled job postings, applications, and follow-ups across multiple platforms, you know hiring can feel like a full-time job in itself. That’s where the new [CareerPlug + Toolbelt](https://support.careerplug.com/careerplug-partner-toolbelt) integration steps in by giving you a simple, seamless way to connect your recruiting process to your day-to-day workflow. ### The Challenge: Staffing Fast Enough to Win the Job You already know the hardest part isn’t selling the work, it’s finding the crew to get it done on time. When a flood hits, paint is needed, or a remodel gets greenlit, you need skilled labor yesterday. The reality is, most subcontractors aren’t hanging out on job boards. They’re busy working, relying on word-of-mouth, and are nearly impossible to find at the moment you need them most. That delay costs you revenue, frustrates customers, and can damage your reputation. We’re changing that by teaming up with ToolBelt, putting a verified network of 100,000+ tradespeople at your fingertips so you can line up crews in hours, not weeks. ### What is Toolbelt? Toolbelt is a platform designed for skilled trades, connecting contractors and businesses with qualified talent. Think of it as your digital hiring toolkit where posting jobs, reviewing applicants, and managing candidates is made quick and easy. Toolbelt solves this by creating a dual marketplace: 1. Contractors looking for work can browse projects and bid on them. 2. Businesses looking for crews can post jobs and find qualified tradespeople. These aren’t just generic resumes. Toolbelt profiles include: * Verified licenses and certifications * Photos of past work * Trades and specialties (painting, carpentry, light plumbing) * Business credentials It’s a visual, trust-building portfolio system designed specifically for skilled trades, a far better fit than a traditional resume. ### How CareerPlug Fits In On its own, Toolbelt is powerful, but CareerPlug’s integration takes it further. Instead of managing two platforms, everything happens in one place. CareerPlug is all about helping businesses make hiring easier. With its applicant tracking system (ATS), you can: * Post jobs to multiple boards, including ToolBelt * Schedule interviews automatically * Evaluate candidates consistently When you connect CareerPlug to Toolbelt, you’re essentially creating a direct hiring pipeline. Here’s what happens when these two tools team up: * **Automatic job syncing** – Post a job in CareerPlug, and it’s instantly visible to Toolbelt’s network of trade professionals. * **Centralized candidate management**– No more switching between platforms all applications land in CareerPlug. * **Better visibility for your open roles** – Toolbelt connects you directly with skilled workers who are actively looking. ### The Cost & Time Advantage Large contractors using Toolbelt directly often pay thousands per month for access. That works for companies with dozens of trucks and hundreds of employees, but it’s not realistic for most franchise owners. Through CareerPlug, you get the same access for $149/month. That includes unlimited job postings and unlimited candidates, so you can scale your workforce up during busy seasons and scale back when things slow down. In home services, time kills deals. If a customer’s basement floods, they won’t wait three days for a quote; they’ll hire whoever can start tonight. The [CareerPlug + Toolbelt](https://support.careerplug.com/careerplug-partner-toolbelt) integration gives you instant access to the crews you need so you can keep your project pipeline moving, maintain your reputation for responsiveness, and protect your revenue. **Here’s how it works:** 1. Post a job in CareerPlug using the pre-loaded ToolBelt job templates; post jobs for employees or independent contractors. 2. That job is instantly shared to Toolbelt’s network of 100,000+ skilled tradespeople. 3. Applications (including Toolbelt’s detailed profiles) come right back into CareerPlug. This means you can manage all applicants, W2 hires and subcontractors alike, from a single dashboard, without toggling between tools. ### Getting Started is Simple The CareerPlug + Toolbelt partnership is more than a new feature; it’s a competitive advantage for home and commercial service businesses. Whether you’re filling a last-minute job or building out your seasonal crew, this integration puts the right people at your fingertips, fast. 1. Log in to CareerPlug. 2. Go to the integrations section. 3. Connect Toolbelt. 4. Start posting jobs to reach Toolbelt’s skilled trades network. You can turn it on or off anytime, making it easy to match your hiring needs to your workload. --- ## Clint’s Notes: The fifth P **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-the-fifth-p/ * Posted on March 23, 2026 * by Clint Smith [The American Franchise Act](https://www.careerplug.com/american-franchise-act-framework/) is probably going to pass this year. If you’re a franchisor, this will mean a lot more clarity on what you can and can’t do when it comes to helping your franchisees with hiring. The joint employer fog that’s kept you on the sidelines is about to lift. When you can finally help your franchisees build better teams, what are you actually going to tell them? ### **Playbooks for (almost) everything** You’ve built playbooks for everything. Product, pricing, location strategy, marketing. Your franchisees know exactly what to do. But the thing that actually separates your top performers from your struggling ones? That’s the people they hire. And most franchisors don’t have a playbook to hand off to franchisees for that, not because you don’t want to help, but because you’ve unsure of what you can and can’t legally do to support because of joint employer issues. ### **What you told me** I handed out a lot of copies of [_The Franchise People Playbook_](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/) at [IFA last month](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-3-things-i-learned-at-ifa-2026/). And it’s been really fun hearing your reactions now that you’ve had a chance to read it. The part that keeps coming up in the emails I’m getting is this idea of the “fifth P.” If you haven’t read it yet… what are you waiting for?! Kidding. (Mostly.) I’ll cover the concept briefly, but _The Franchise People Playbook_ is [free to download here](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/). You’ve probably heard of the four Ps of marketing: Product, Price, Place, Promotion. These fundamentals haven’t changed in decades because they work. And in franchising, you provide it all to franchisees. That’s the big benefit of joining the system. At CareerPlug, we talk about a fifth P: **People.** Who you hire, how you train them, and the path you create for employee growth is what establishes your identity within your franchise brand. Your people are how you stand out. When a customer walks into one of your locations, the product is standardized, pricing is consistent, marketing is there. But the experience they have is determined by whoever’s working that day. Right now, most franchisees don’t know how to get the fifth P right. They’re winging it, which isn’t a way to win. ### **AFA + the fifth P** If the AFA passes, franchisors are going to have even more room to move. You’ll be able to provide real guidance on hiring and retention without risking your entire business model. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait. And really, there is no time to wait. You can set yourself up for success. According to the 2020 National Labor Relations Board ruling, franchisors can set brand standards, offer training materials, establish minimum staffing requirements, and provide helpful resources. The franchisors who figure out how to support the people side of their business — systematically, the same way you support operations — are going to pull way ahead of everyone else. More next week, Clint --- ## Closing the Care Gap: Streamline Home Care Hiring with the myCNAjobs Integration **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/closing-the-care-gap-streamline-home-care-hiring-with-the-mycnajobs-integration/ * Posted on March 24, 2026 * by Darian Bordon ### **A Partnership to Strengthen the Caregiver Workforce** At CareerPlug, we know that hiring caregivers has never been more challenging. With 5 million caregivers currently in the workforce and 4.6 million unfilled care jobs projected by 2032, the demand for qualified, dependable care professionals continues to grow faster than supply. Across the industry, providers are facing a 12% applicant-to-hire rate and 79% turnover in the first 90 days — a reality that makes workforce stability one of the biggest challenges in post-acute care. That’s why we’re thrilled for our integration and deeper partnership with myCNAjobs, the nation’s largest caregiver recruitment network. This partnership connects CareerPlug customers directly to myCNAjobs’ exclusive caregiver network, helping home care and senior care organizations fill critical roles faster — and with candidates more likely to stay. [Watch the recent live webinar](https://careerplug.zoom.us/rec/play/MSHzZTvjdsETSm0T-T7TRIlWPiEaKuprJFR1KZVXDI-YmkN4n3dH0prfHjE8QjwXUaregejvA8LbeGo6.C70lyHLV6RwPhRAz?eagerLoadZvaPages=sidemenu.billing.plan_management&accessLevel=meeting&canPlayFromShare=true&from=share_recording_detail&continueMode=true&oldStyle=true&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fcareerplug.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2FW3v6awn3StsElqTqVMP5i2Wq_SaOqmp-_vOzB6uNYnGHt-C9v0JLmpc6A0liVJgE.ffVeObXPcqEMnhCT) hosted by CareerPlug & myCNAjobs: Recruit Smarter, Not Harder: Maximizing Recruitment ROI in Today’s Home Care Market. ### **A Smarter Way to Recruit in Home Care** By combining CareerPlug’s applicant tracking technology with myCNAjobs’ specialized candidate pool, providers can: * Reach caregivers who aren’t on general job boards like Indeed. * Hire faster by automating the flow of applicants directly into CareerPlug. * Improve retention and consistency of care by hiring mission-driven caregivers. * Get more traffic through the integration through prioritization, workflows, and even instant candidate matching. Looking for even more resources? [Download the myCNAjobs Job Post Expansion Guide](https://www.missioncare.com/persona-based-job-post-templates-for-caregivers) for free! ### **Complementary to Indeed — Not Competitive** We recognize that Indeed plays a critical role in the recruitment ecosystem — and this partnership is designed to work alongside it. While Indeed excels at delivering broad reach and free traffic, especially in urban markets, myCNAjobs brings access to a distinct caregiver audience that focuses exclusively on care-related careers. The data shows that only 18% of caregiver applicants overlap between the two platforms, meaning myCNAjobs expands an employer’s reach into an entirely new segment of the caregiving workforce. For any agency that is turning away cases, has unfulfilled shifts, or is unsatisfied with your current retention rates, this new partnership offers you flexibility and turnkey access to come and go as needed to build a team that delivers quality care. In fact, caregivers hired through myCNAjobs are 24% more likely to stay beyond 90 days compared to hires from other sources. It’s not about replacing Indeed — it’s about maximizing your reach while improving quality and retention. * * * ### **Reaching Candidates Other Platforms Miss** myCNAjobs delivers candidates in five times more areas nationwide, particularly in rural and suburban markets where free traffic tends to be lower. Caregivers visit myCNAjobs for a variety of career-related resources — from training and test prep to healthcare scholarships and caregiver-specific hiring events — making it a natural hub for professionals committed to growing in the field. Together, CareerPlug and myCNAjobs give employers a competitive edge by connecting them with more of the right people in more of the right places. * * * ### **What This Means for CareerPlug Customers** Through this integration, CareerPlug users can now: * Post caregiver jobs directly to myCNAjobs through their CareerPlug account. * Capture and manage applicants automatically within their ATS. * Leverage a broader recruiting mix that includes both Indeed and myCNAjobs. * Manage come and go subscriptions and access exclusive pricing The result: a more efficient process, less manual work, and a stronger pipeline of qualified, long-term caregivers. * * * ### **Building a More Stable Workforce Together** Recruitment in home care is only getting more complex — but with the right tools, it doesn’t have to be harder. The CareerPlug + myCNAjobs deeper integration helps providers not only fill open roles, but also build a workforce built to last. [Visit the CareerPlug Help Center to learn more.](https://support.careerplug.com/mycnajobs-integration) --- ## Clint’s Notes: Why your best franchisees are also your best recruiters **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-why-your-best-franchisees-are-also-your-best-recruiters/ * Posted on March 30, 2026 * by Clint Smith “The biggest difference between your top and bottom performing franchisees is the quality of their teams.” I said this probably a dozen times at [IFA in February](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-3-things-i-learned-at-ifa-2026/), and every time the person I was talking to would kind of pause and nod. It’s not because it’s some groundbreaking idea. Franchisors see it in system data and Franchise Business Coaches hear it when they visit locations. We all know it’s true: People are the biggest differentiator. I think the pause was mostly coming from a place of unease because “the people” issue seems like a hard variable to measure and solve for. (It isn’t necessarily as hard as it seems and there are a ton of reasons why you should, which I’ll save for another post.) A lot of you picked up my new book, [_The Franchise People Playbook_](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/), at IFA.The central argument is that franchisors have built world-class infrastructure around four of the five “P’s”: product, price, place, and promotion. Operators get a detailed playbook for all of it, but there is one P missing. That’s the fifth P —”people.” Just like those conference convos, it’s where most systems go quiet. So what does it look like when a franchisee [gets the fifth P right](https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-the-fifth-p/)? In my experience, it starts with hiring. The best franchisees recruit like they sell. Here are the questions I’d ask any operator to find out whether they’ve figured this out or still have work to do. ### Do you know your candidate like you know your customer? The best operators have a candidate profile the same way they have a customer profile. They’ve thought through exactly who thrives in their environment, so they’re not starting from zero when it’s time to hire because they already know who they’re looking for. ### Can you answer: _“Why should I work here?”_ To win on hiring, you have to think about the employee value proposition the same way you do the customer value proposition. What does it actually feel like to work here? What can someone build towards? Why would a person with options choose this location over the one down the street? ### How easy (or hard) is it to apply? Most job applicants start their job search online. A clunky form that requires a resume upload for a frontline role is the hiring equivalent of faxing a customer their receipt. Applying needs to be frictionless — short, mobile-friendly, no unnecessary steps. Candidates have options and they’ll abandon the process if it’s cumbersome. ### Is your lack of process losing leads? You would never ignore a customer when they walk in the door. Remember that candidates are off the market fast and are often applying to many jobs at once, so you have to be ready to move. Get systems in place —prescreen questions that filter applicants automatically, [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) that gets a response out same day — so operators are talking with right people before a competitor does. ### Are you building a relationship or filling a shift? Candidates can tell the difference between an operator who sees them as a warm body and one who sees them as someone worth investing in. The tone is set with onboarding so it’s crucial to get those [first 90 days right](https://www.careerplug.com/30-60-90-day-onboarding-checklist/). ### Are you getting referrals? Loyal customers refer new customers. Engaged employees refer good candidates. In high-staffing franchise environments, word travels fast about which locations are good to work at. [Retention](https://www.careerplug.com/retain/) is a growth strategy. A tenured employee performs better. And a happy employee telling their friends “this is a good place to work” is worth more than any job board posting. More next week, Clint P.S. _The Franchise People Playbook_ lays out the building blocks in a format you can use yourself and share with your franchisees. [It’s free to download here](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/). --- ## Clint’s Notes: Does AI belong in hiring software? Yes. (And no.) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-does-ai-belong-in-hiring-software-yes-and-no/ * Posted on March 16, 2026 * by Clint Smith A bunch of people forwarded me the [_New York Times article_](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/business/ai-hiring-tools-lawsuit-eightfold-fcra.html) about the lawsuit against Eightfold AI. In case you didn’t read it, the claim is that the AI-driven hiring software discriminated against older workers by screening them out before any human ever saw their applications. The essence is that someone with years of experience wouldn’t stand a chance once the algorithm decided they didn’t fit the pattern. The hiring managers just saw a ranked list of candidates and trusted that the AI surfaced the “best” ones. This is exactly the kind of thing that keeps me up at night. Not just because I run a hiring software company, but because it’s solving the wrong problem in the worst possible way. ### Automate the right problems When I talk with franchisors about AI in hiring, I always ask: What’s the actual problem you’re trying to solve? Usually it’s that franchisees are drowning in the administrative work of hiring like getting job postings live, screening for basic requirements like licenses or certifications, the endless back-and-forth emails to [schedule interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/). All of that can and should be automated. But evaluating whether someone should be hired? That isn’t something you want to hand off to an algorithm. ### Dallas vs. Boston We’ve worked with thousands of franchise locations over the years and developed some best practices that help ensure consistency across a system. [Prescreen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) to identify whether candidates meet the minimum requirement, for example. But there are nuances only a human can discern. The profile of the best hire in Dallas is different from the best hire in Boston. Different markets, different challenges, different team dynamics. An algorithm trained on patterns can’t evaluate that context. It can flag keywords on an application, but it can’t understand whether this specific person can handle what this specific location needs right now. ### Interviews are conversations An interview is where you figure out if someone can do the job, will do the job, and how they’ll fit with your team. You’re asking follow-up questions, listening for specific examples, imagining how they’d interact with your customers, gauging whether they actually want to work for you or just need any job. Even if a franchise brand takes advantage of one-way audio interviews to expedite the phone screening process — which allows managers to easily review 20+ candidates in one go — those managers are still listening to the responses to decide who to move forward to an actual interview. You can’t outsource that kind discernment that to a bot. Some companies are experimenting with video interviews where candidates record answers and AI then analyzes their responses to predict job performance. For frontline workers especially, this absolutely doesn’t work. Great hires don’t come solely from algorithmic pattern matching. They come from a real human having a conversation with another real human. More soon, Clint --- ## Chick-fil-A Case Study: A Recipe for Hiring Success **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/chick-fil-a-case-study-a-recipe-for-hiring-success/ * Posted on June 8, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Walk into any Chick-fil-A location and you will enjoy not only a delicious chicken sandwich, but an unrivaled customer service experience. How has Chick-fil-A created such an enduring culture of service?**By focusing on their people.** With this philosophy in mind, it’s not surprising that operators across the country utilize an ATS to help them develop a successful hiring process. CareerPlug’s partnership with Chick-fil-A began with a single operator: Rally DeLeon of Chick-fil-A North Hills. DeLeon’s location received plenty of applications from walk-ins and employee referrals, but **he was looking for a way to cast a larger net into the applicant pool and find quality applicants faster**. CareerPlug would provide a single system for all applicants – no matter the source – and a consistent process that would lead to better hiring decisions. **Partnership Goal:** to make long-term hires by building an employment brand and a consistent process for attracting, screening, and identifying the highest quality applicants. * Build an employment brand * Quickly identify top applicants * Create a consistent process ### The Ingredient List for Making Better Hires Our relationship started with the creation of a consistent employment brand. Without a centralized application and tracking system, creating a uniform experience for multiple sources of applicants is difficult. **With CareerPlug, Chick-fil-A North Hills is now able to showcase their career opportunities and highlight core values, benefits, and their location’s culture on a customizable Careers Page. This allows them to automatically make a great first impression for potential applicants.** And whether an applicant is coming from the job boards or accessing the link from a sign at the store, they land on the same application. As stated previously, finding applicants isn’t difficult for Chick-fil-A North Hills. They have a great reputation in the community and a successful employee referral program. **CareerPlug gives them a way to efficiently screen the large applicant pool and narrow it down to the quality applicants worth interviewing.** They screen applicants by asking questions about previous experience, availability, and personality and then Fast Track these quality applicants to contact them before competitors. Once applicants are in the interview stage, DeLeon uses the Chick-fil-A core values to develop interview standards and guides to evaluate not only a candidate’s ability to complete the day-to-day tasks of the position but to evaluate their culture fit. He is an avid user of the personality and intellect assessments CareerPlug provides to let you benchmark your top performers and evaluate candidates consistently. As an operator, DeLeon has an investment in the hiring process. He knows what it takes to be in each position and because of this, has developed an intense recruitment and training program for team members. These are the people who interact with your customers on a daily basis and are the ambassadors of your brand. Making a bad hire can affect your business’ reputation taking the time to build a consistent process for attracting, and screening applicants is worth it. Since partnering with CareerPlug, DeLeon has interviewed hundreds of applicants and grown his team. With a centralized platform, he is able to scale consistently and continuously make better hires. More and more Chick-fil-A operators and managers began to work with us to improve their hiring process. They’ve quickly realized that advertising openings with “Now Hiring” signs and utilizing open interviews as the only step in the hiring process resulted in poor hiring decisions. Building a strong employment brand and instituting an effective hiring practice is a true investment in the long term growth of your restaurant. To see for yourself how CareerPlug makes hiring easier, [get a free demo](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) from a hiring expert today. --- ## Case Study: The Search for Mad Scientists **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/case-study-the-search-for-mad-scientists/ * Posted on April 1, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris CareerPlug has found me more applicants and applicants of higher quality than I have found through any other medium. Atomic Allen Mad Science of Southern MA & RI As young students, many of us thought the school days lasted forever and would crave anything that would break up the routine. Remember looking forward to school assemblies and presentations that provided time away from class? The best assemblies were interactive, fun, and included animated presenters and demonstrations. With explosive experiments and theatrical presenters, Mad Science provides exactly that type of experience. Founded 30 years ago by brothers Ariel and Ron Shlien, Mad Science is now a leading science enrichment provider to children in schools, after-school workshops, birthday parties, and other events. Their worldwide franchise network operates over 150 locations in 28 countries across the world. They are an integral part of the education service industry, one of the fastest growing segments in the franchise market due to the rise in popularity of parents who want to enrich their children’s science learning. CareerPlug’s relationship with Mad Science started with a single franchise group that was looking to hire part-time instructors for their after-school programs. The group’s process included posting jobs on Craigslist, reaching out to applicants via email, and asking them to complete a separate application with screening questions. CareerPlug could offer job posting syndication to over eight job boards including Indeed and a streamlined process for prospective candidates. All of this would allow Mad Science to accelerate their process and make better hiring decisions. In addition to having a disjointed hiring process, Mad Science had a variety of other issues: * Their ideal candidate is a unique type and can’t be put into a one-size fits all model. * Their job titles and descriptions were not structured in a way that would attract the many different types of applicants they needed. * Requiring multiple steps and platforms, their process was overwhelming from the perspective of an applicant. * Posting on multiple job boards proved to be a costly expense. * The franchise group didn’t passively recruit and would have to start from scratch each time an employee moved on. **Partnership Goal:** to develop a streamlined hiring process with a focus on attracting unique and qualified applicants to allow Mad Science franchise owners to make better hiring decisions and build a talent pipeline. ### Creating a Streamlined Process The partnership started with an in-depth look at the Mad Science job titles and descriptions. We focused on the [quality, not quantity, of the post](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/optimizing-your-job-description/) and added keywords that would attract the right candidate. This resulted in a couple of standardized templates for the group to experiment with and see which one produced the best results. The screening procedures built into CareerPlug had the most impact on the Mad Science franchise group. By asking questions upfront during the process, Mad Science franchise owners were able to capture key information. In the beginning, we used standard questions about experience and education level, but we quickly realized that using the custom question feature would allow us to ask more questions related to the specific qualities Mad Science was looking for. Once these questions were set, they could easily determine which applicants were worth moving forward with by using the numbered prescreen scores in CareerPlug. This process was not entirely new, but automating it saved a significant amount of time. After the preliminary review, Mad Science sent out CareerPlug assessments to applicants to gather information regarding their math/verbal skills and personality traits. Prior to sending these out, current team members completed these assessments and were set as benchmarks to help provide a target for the best candidate’s scores. With the job board syndication and integration with Indeed, Mad Science groups were receiving more applicants than ever before. That made the efficient screening process even more valuable. The group continued with their steps and conducted phone screens and interviews to complete the process. By remaining consistent during the review and interview steps, they were able to determine who the best candidates were and make better hiring decisions. Once they made a hire, the remaining quality applicants could be funneled into a pipeline for future opportunities. Since that initial relationship, CareerPlug now partners with a number of Mad Science groups across the country. With the lessons we learned from the first group, we are able to provide a hiring solution customized for the unique Mad Scientist. --- ## How the Goddard School Saves Money While Attracting Higher Quality Candidates with CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/goddard-school-case-study/ * Posted on December 17, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Before CareerPlug, several locations of [The Goddard School](https://www.goddardschool.com/) struggled with the usual hiring challenges like low applicant counts and hiring processes that drained time and money. Since implementing CareerPlug, Jim Wolfarth, of The Goddard School in Baltimore, has seen a **70% increase in applicant volume and a 50% decrease in recruitment cost**. ### About the Goddard School: The Goddard School is a private preschool franchise with over 600 schools across 38 states. The schools offer an innovative academic program that helps children learn valuable skills and sets them up for long-term success. ### The Problem: For Jim Wolfwarth at The Goddard School in Baltimore, Maryland, the quality of candidates he was receiving did not match up with the ever-increasing cost of promoting their open jobs on multiple hiring platforms. He could no longer justify paying so much for advertising jobs and needed higher caliber candidates. Other Goddard locations were experiencing similar frustrations. ### The Solution: CareerPlug **[posts your job to all the major job boards](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) in just one click**to help you expand your reach. Plus, the **[pre-screening tools](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/)**ensure that applicants meet your minimum requirements, so you don’t waste any time with unqualified candidates. CareerPlug saved The Goddard School time and money. ### Automatic job distribution brings in more applicants at a lower price Jim Wolfarth shared that CareerPlug increased his school’s applicant count by 70% per month, and they are spending over 50% less on advertising their open jobs online. ### Other Goddard locations have experienced similar benefits. Sarah from The Goddard School of Pickerton was able to publish and share multiple job postings and attract more candidates than before for less money. She shares, “CareerPlug has been a game changer in hiring new employees at our school. We have already **saved hundreds of dollars in just a few months**compared to when we were posting directly to individual job boards. We are able to run constant job postings and receive daily applicants **without having to worry about the budget.”** And Rick from The Goddard School also saw an increase in applicants: ### 100% increase in candidate quality But The Goddard School didn’t just receive more applicants – they received better applicants. In addition to increasing applicant _quantity_, CareerPlug helped improve applicant _quality_ as well by over 100%. This is important for The Goddard School, which emphasizes hiring well-qualified individuals who share the passion to make a difference in children’s lives every day. Through CareerPlug, The Goddard School was able to post their open positions on [branded careers pages](https://the-goddard-school-careers.careerplug.com/jobs). Not only did it this make it easier for applicants to apply, it also gave the company an opportunity to showcase The Goddard School faculty value proposition: Nurture your growth. Empower your success. They also emphasized their welcoming and supportive environment and communicated how rewarding and fulfilling a career with The Goddard School can be. And in addition to attracting higher quality candidates, CareerPlug made it easy to quickly evaluate which of those candidates met the requirements of the position. Rick adds, “Even better is the candidates we are getting are pre-screened and given a score based on our requirements for our positions. We know immediately whether or not they have the qualifications, experience, knowledge, and skills to work with us.” ### Automated interview scheduling makes it easier to convert the best applicants to interview quickly Not only is The Goddard School enjoying an increase in applicant volume, they are able to more easily pinpoint the best fit for their open roles and let them **self-schedule their interviews.** CareerPlug’s pre-screening and **[automated interview scheduling tools](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/)** make it easier for Goddard to convert more high-quality candidates to interviews,**saving managers time**(and we all know time is money!). > ### Spend less time hiring and more time running your business with CareerPlug CareerPlug helps busy managers streamline their hiring process by **increasing applicant quality and quantity and making it easier to convert the best candidates to interviews** faster than the competition. We take care of the tedious parts of hiring so you can focus on filling your open position, and getting back to running your business. Are you looking to provide a streamlined hiring solution to your team? **[Schedule a call with a CareerPlug hiring expert to learn more.](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/)** _Disclaimer:_ _Each Goddard School location is privately owned and operated by Goddard Franchisor, LLC franchisees. The Goddard School franchise owner(s) are the employers at each School, and the franchise owner(s) set their own compensation and benefit programs, which vary by location._ --- ## Case Study: How Kore Cares Hires Home Care Employees with CareerPlug **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/kore-cares-case-study/ * Posted on December 13, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris For home care business owners, making the right hires during a pandemic is no easy task. The labor market continues to shift, and attracting great candidates remains a key challenge. But having the right software could mean the difference between filling those open roles or continuing the uncertain search for job seekers. CareerPlug sat down with Gabby Hoing, CEO and Co-Founder of [Kore Cares](https://www.korecares.com/) and a member of the [Home Care Association of America](https://www.hcaoa.org/) (HCAOA), to learn about her hiring challenges as well as how an applicant tracking system ([ATS](https://www.careerplug.com/small-business-hiring-software/)) helped her attract the right candidates. Kore Cares is a home care agency located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with a mission of helping individuals live their life to the fullest in the place they call home. Thanks to her incredible team of caregivers, Kore Cares’ clients are assisted with many aspects of life, from housekeeping, laundry, meal prep, transport, companionship, to personal care needs. Hoing is proud to have her business ranked in the top 10% of agencies in the country, as well as a Home Care Pulse Employer of Choice, Provider of Choice, and Excellence in Home Care recipient. We sat down to talk with Hoing about what’s working in her hiring process. ### Kore Cares’ Hiring Challenges Based in a city with high demand, Hoing aims to make 50 new hires a year for Kore Cares’ one location, making recruitment a significant part of her small business. She discusses her goals for Kore Cares’ hiring process. “We’re on a mission this year to make things a lot more efficient and streamlined, so I’ve been working a lot on our hiring process and making sure we have a good workflow and that we’re reducing administrative time if we can.” Thanks to CareerPlug’s partner, The Home Care Association of America (HCAOA), Hoing discovered CareerPlug, and decided to try our ATS in an effort to boost Kore Cares’ recruitment. Seven months ago, she made her first hire with our software. Before CareerPlug, Hoing was using another ATS, in addition to manually posting her roles to local and online job boards herself. She explained, “I was at a loss when we started with CareerPlug because we had been using a local job board and we were paying a significant amount of money for that job board. We just kept getting the same applicants, over and over again. We knew their names from memory, because we kept seeing those applicants, but there’s no way in that system to actually flag they’re a duplicate. It was a very basic system that we were paying a lot of money for. We weren’t getting a lot of good leads for it and so I was kind of pulling my hair out, thinking there’s got to be a better way. I’m like…‘well, I can’t go wrong, I might as well give CareerPlug a shot,’ and so we did.” To save time, Hoing needed a platform that could automate the recruiting process. CareerPlug helped streamline many of the administrative tasks so that Hoing could focus on what really matters: running her business.. She recalls, “I was having to think about what job boards we posted to and make sure they were all updated. We were using Indeed, Facebook; we had a local job board that we were using. We’d post to colleges too. We did some flyers, things like that.” “Now, we just use CareerPlug, because that**feeds it to multiple different sources for us and then kind of pulls it all back into one system**, which is really nice. I don’t have to go to multiple different job boards and make sure everything’s up to date or refresh the post, so it’s really helped bring some efficiency and time saving to what we were doing.” ### Pandemic Effect on Hiring Of course, running a small business in 2021 has its drawbacks. Like many others, Hoing has also faced low applicant volume as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “**I think the challenge, right now, currently, which I’m not sure anyone can solve is that there’s just not enough employees.**We have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country here in South Dakota. We have a lot of big businesses like Amazon coming into the market; we have big food manufacturers coming into the market, people that are going to hire thousands of employees in a market that’s pretty much already tapped for workforce.**”** We asked Hoing what she was doing to stand out from the rest of the competition to keep up with the demand of caregivers in Sioux Falls and any advice she may be able to share with other small business owners. “We’ve seen a lot of other businesses move their starting wage to $15, and so we had to raise client rates to meet that; so, we’re at that minimum of $15. You might have to raise your rates and you might have to raise your pay a little bit to be competitive. We also make sure we offer the best benefits in town, so a lot of home care agencies don’t offer PTO, health insurance, supplemental policies; we offer all of that. I think the workforce wants that, demands that, expects it, so we want to make sure we’re competitive with our benefits, and then when they’re here we want to make sure that they feel welcome and a part of the team so that we can retain them.” ### Increasing Caregiver Retention with Better Onboarding At CareerPlug, we always say**the number one recruiting strategy is retention.**Hoing is a great example of this philosophy in action. She shared her strategy for a great start with her new hires: “In the beginning, you really need to focus on training, so that they really know and understand their job; that they feel comfortable and that they’re going to be successful, but then you need to keep checking in with them.” “One thing we do is every 90 days, we pull them in for reviews – so we do a supervisory visit, a review, and a bonus every 90 days. That gives us a chance to meet with them face-to-face and get their feedback, and give them timely feedback as well. And then, if they’re doing a great job, give them a little bonus. So, you might have to raise your rates, might have to raise your pay – really look at what you’re doing to retain and train employees.” ### Getting Hiring Advice from the Experts The Kore Cares hiring process is one that never stops, so Hoing makes it a priority to seek out the expert advice from her partners at CareerPlug to make sure she’s always putting her business at an advantage in this competitive job market. She credits much of her success to the CareerPlug team and the advice they’ve shared with her. She says: “We’ve met with a few CareerPlug people, and they’ve given us tips and hints along the way on how we make our job posts more attractive or how we communicate that. Every time I meet with someone from CareerPlug, I get another little tidbit. I think algorithms are always changing even in the job market space. […] I see something from a different perspective every time I get their advice or take on things, but it’s always helpful to stay in touch and get their feedback on our job posts and new ideas, too.” ### Results with CareerPlug Despite the current labor market, Hoing has seen major improvements in her recruitment since starting with CareerPlug. **She was able to cut her recruiting costs by $3,000 and make 13 new hires for her small business.**She was also able to stop using her local job board completely, saving hundreds of dollars each month. ### Get Started with CareerPlug CareerPlug is a trusted hiring partner for many leading home health care franchises, as well as the Home Care Association of America. [**Try CareerPlug**](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) to learn how we can help your home care business make the right hires, faster. --- ## BidClips Case Study **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/bidclips-case-study/ * Posted on May 9, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### Company Overview * BidClips is a sales management software that helps home service companies run healthier, more profitable businesses by qualifying, organizing, and winning the right jobs and customers. * BidClips focuses on sales enablement and provides technology, training, and direct front-office support to service providers so they can better interact with consumers and manage daily sales activities. > > > > > "[CareerPlug] gave us applicants that were already screened. We noticed that the right applicants started showing up to interviews. It's nice to spend your time on which candidate to hire, not if you even have a candidate!" > > > > Austin Casey Founder and CEO ### Their Challenge * BidClips needs to make around 12 to 15 hires a year, and before CareerPlug, relied on word of mouth, Craigslist, referrals, ads in trade magazines/outlets, and social media. * While this brought applicants to their door, they struggled with having the time to vet every applicant and found they were wasting a lot of time chasing possible leads and combing resumes, time they would have rather spent managing and growing existing employees! * BidClips needed a more efficient hiring process and one central place where they could keep track of all their applicants. ### Our Solution * CareerPlug’s pre-screening questions saved BidClips valuable time by bringing them qualified applicants weekly. * BidClips noticed that the “right people” started showing up to interviews and they were able to reduce their applicant review time drastically. * BidClips was able to make hires that came directly from CareerPlug and use the software to test, vet, and process candidates that they found through additional sources. * * * _Learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow at: [www.careerplug.com](http://www.careerplug.com/)_ --- ## Big O Tires Case Study **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/big-o-tires-case-study/ * Posted on September 30, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### Company Overview * Bill Moseley has been a Regional Recruiter for Big O Tires franchisee, Chris Monteverde, for 5 years. Before that, he spent 15 years working for Big O Tires corporate. * He oversees recruiting for 24 Big O Tires stores in Northern California and Texas. * Before CareerPlug, Moseley was using various job boards and Craigslist to post his jobs. > > > > > "I would encourage any franchise owner to take a look at CareerPlug because it's a tool you can use to find good people. Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, I was able to make 18 hires across 24 stores." > > > > Bill Moseley Regional Recruiter ### Their Challenge * Moseley’s Big O Tires territory requires recruiting for over 100 positions a year in a wide variety of roles including tire technicians, service advisors, store personnel, office staff, call center staff, and more. * Moseley faced a challenge in finding better-qualified applicants for his various roles. He wanted to ensure he was making the right hires for Big O Tires, not just the available hires. * Moseley needed a way to quickly create and manage multiple high-quality job postings that would attract the right candidates to his open positions. ### Our Solution * CareerPlug allows Moseley to create custom job descriptions and **save them as templates for all future job postings**. He can now quickly and easily post future jobs with just a few clicks and **manage multiple job postings at once**. * With CareerPlug, Moseley is able to **pre-qualify candidates more effectively**, which allows him to focus his valuable time and efforts on higher-quality candidates. * **CareerPlug provides useful data for each job posting**, which Moseley can use to determine whether he should make adjustments to optimize his job descriptions so they attract the right applicants. * Within the first 6 weeks of using CareerPlug, Big O Tires was able to make **18 hires**. * * * _Learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow at: [www.careerplug.com](http://www.careerplug.com/)_ --- ## ServiceMaster Clean Case Study **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/servicemaster-clean-case-study/ * Posted on August 22, 2019 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### Company Overview * ServiceMaster Clean, which is a part of ServiceMaster brands, has provided professional cleaning services to both homes and businesses for over 50 years. * The company, which has been in business since 1947, has hundreds of locations both in and out of the U.S. Prior to CareerPlug, franchisees used a variety of hiring software. * Parsons herself did not use any type of hiring software at her location before using CareerPlug. She and her hiring manager Craig Rupert primarily used some job boards and Craigslist ads and kept track of applicants with spreadsheets. > > > > > "CareerPlug has helped us identify the right people for the job allowing us to be 'picky,' increased our hiring rate, and lowered our short term turnover rate." > > > > Ashley Parsons Franchise Owner ### Their Challenge * Parsons and Rupert needed a solution that would reduce costs, find them more of the right applicants, and better organize their hiring workflow. She and her hiring manager were spending a ton of money on job postings to promote their openings. * Many times, Parsons and Rupert would receive many wrong applicants or have frequent dry spells with no applicants. Different spreadsheets made it difficult to properly monitor talent they attracted. * Parsons and Rupert also didn’t have the right tools to evaluate applicants. They struggled with retention and needed a better process to evaluate applicants. ### Our Solution * CareerPlug worked with ServiceMaster Clean to provide all of their franchisees with hiring software to streamline their processes. With CareerPlug, Parsons and Rupert eliminated their need to post to multiple job boards and could post to all major job boards with one-click. * CareerPlug’s one-click job posting feature has **reduced Parsons’ job posting cost by over 800% and increased her applicant flow by 400%**. * With CareerPlug’s evaluation tools, Parsons and Rupert have made better hires, leading to a **6x increase in retention**. Parsons and Rupert also love the onboarding part of the software which allows their new hires to complete all of their paperwork online. * * * _Learn more about how CareerPlug can help your business grow at: [www.careerplug.com](http://www.careerplug.com/)_ --- ## Case Study: American Family Insurance **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/case-study-american-family-insurance/ * Posted on May 16, 2016 * by Natalie Morgan Insurance agencies depend on having the right people in place to grow their business. But while agents often have strong sales talent, many don’t have experience recruiting, interviewing, and hiring. To find top producers who can hit the ground running and become a team contributor, agents need the tools to effectively evaluate candidates and make better hiring decisions. Terry Moore, an American Family Insurance Agent in Brookhaven, GA partnered with CareerPlug to easily identify qualified applicants and design a hiring process that allowed him to make better hires: _“I began using CareerPlug a few years back and absolutely love their system. I have managed to get over 150 applicants since creating my account. I really like the candidate management system which allows you to track all candidate interactions, schedule phone interviews and face-to-face interviews. CareerPlug is a tool that I will continue to incorporate in my business plan.”_ Terry adopted CareerPlug’s pre-screening best practices to Fast-Track the best applicants. As a result, he can immediately identify the candidates who meet the criteria critical for success (e.g. experience and/or willingness to work in a commision-based role, bi-lingual ability, previous sales experience, etc). When it comes to top sales talent who have many opportunities to consider, the ability to prioritize and quickly contact the best candidates is crucial. CareerPlug works with over 6,000 agents around the country, providing powerful, easy-to-use software that helps them make the right hires, so they can have a strong team in place to build a successful business. To learn more about how CareerPlug can help your agency grow, [contact us today](https://www.careerplug.com/contact-us/)! --- ## Case Study: Marshall Wireless **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/case-study-marshall-wireless/ * Posted on July 7, 2016 * by Natalie Morgan ### **Sprint Wireless Retailers** The wireless industry is growing with consumer demand, and employment opportunities are more abundant than ever. Wireless retailers now need to identify the right applicants from larger talent pools and hire the people who will stick around, adding to their customer satisfaction and lowering turnover. Marshall Wireless is a 15 location Sprint Preferred Retailer located in the greater St. Louis area. After trying a variety of [web-based recruiting and hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) products, they partnered with CareerPlug in 2015. They immediately found the most value in not just attracting talent, but in the streamlined evaluation tools that saved them hours of time identifying qualified applicants. Marshall Wireless uses custom prescreen questions to ask the most important questions up front and utilizes Fast Track to identify applicants and send out assessments. Hiring managers can judge how serious applicants are about the opportunity by the timeliness an applicant completes the assessments, and the results shed light onto a candidate’s cognitive ability and key personality traits. _“We love working with CareerPlug. During our six month partnership so far, we’ve received almost 3,000 applicants. The prescreen questions and candidate Fast Track ability has especially been a game-changer for Marshall Wireless. It has saved us an immense amount of time and money on wasted interviews by eliminating unqualified candidates immediately. Moreover, the cognitive and personality assessments ensure we’re only spending time interviewing qualified applicants, which is awesome.”_ CareerPlug’s account management team worked with Marshall Wireless to customize their hiring workflow and organize the process to easily keep track of candidates and centralize communication. They also synced their website with their CareerPlug careers page to maintain brand standards and a positive applicant experience. To learn more about how CareerPlug helps wireless retailers make the right hires, check out our ebook today: [How to Build a Talent Magnet](https://www.careerplug.com/talent-magnet/) --- ## Clint’s Notes: What spring staffing tells you about the health of your franchise system **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/clints-notes-what-spring-staffing-tells-you-about-the-health-of-your-franchise-system/ * Posted on April 13, 2026 * by Clint Smith Looking at [franchise hiring data](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-research/) in April can be very telling. The numbers usually aren’t good, but that’s not what I’m looking for. I’m paying attention to the patterns that have formed. What they show, every spring, is the same split. The operators with solid people systems have a few open roles to build out their summer team. They typically fill those positions quickly and get back to running their business. Then there are the operators who are posting the same jobs they posted last year, maybe even last month. The gap between the two tells you everything about the health of your franchise system. When a franchisee is behind on hiring, they’re usually behind on a few other things too. They’re managing short, which means customer experience suffers. The operator is covering shifts themself again and any growth conversations go on hold until they can find some stability. Multiply that across 10 or 20 locations and you start to see what spring staffing really is: a business diagnostic. One of the things I find most useful about [PartnerHub](https://partnersupport.careerplug.com/welcome-to-partnerhub-a-guide-for-former-super-admin), which is CareerPlug’s network-level hiring dashboard, is that franchisors can see application volume and time-to-hire across their whole network and by location. When you look at PartnerHub data, the patterns quickly emerge. **Which locations are actively posting?** **Which ones have open jobs with applications, but aren’t scheduling interviews?** **Which are interviewing, but taking three weeks to extend an offer?** When franchise brands invest in a people operating system that gives franchisees consistent processes and lets franchisors see performance across locations, you can answer these questions easily and tend to spot the signals early on. And that means your Franchise Business Coaches are not waiting for a bad quarter to figure out why one location has been posting the same shift supervisor role since February. They can look at the numbers and identify who needs help now. There are two areas where we see franchisees typically struggle. ### Your franchisees don’t have a **_hiring playbook_** and are are winging it on job boards Locations that consistently fill roles in under two weeks are following a [proven playbook](https://www.careerplug.com/franchisors/). Their branded careers page is doing real work; our data shows these candidates are hired at 4X the rate of job board applicants. But they don’t stop there. Referrals, text recruiting, multiple posting channels are all part of the mix. Locations that are operating with a borrowed pipeline are relying on a single source. And they usually find that out the hard way. ### Your franchisees have a **_retention_** problem hiding behind a **_hiring_**problem Chronic reposting is a retention signal, not a recruiting problem. The earlier you can call it out and support the operator with even some basic retention tools, the better. I always say that retention starts with the first 90 days. You can turn new hires into lasting employees if you have a plan for onboarding, performance management, and long-term growth. If you haven’t looked at your spring hiring data, this is your nudge. Operators who fall behind in April and May are playing catch-up all summer. More next week, Clint P.S. If you’d like to learn more about PartnerHub, I’d love to show you what’s possible. [Just reach out](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) and we’ll set up a time. --- ## The Best Places To Post Your Jobs **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/best-places-post-jobs/ * Posted on February 13, 2017 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### Fishing for the Perfect Hire The right candidate will rarely walk through your front door right when you need them. That would be like a fisherman waiting for the catch of the day to jump into the boat! A skilled fisher knows that having the right equipment and the right location matters in making that big catch. Similarly, recruiters and hiring managers need to know where to “fish” for candidates and use the right recruiting tools to tap into that applicant pool. Here are a few places you should be casting your net: ### Job Search Engines Job Search Engines, like [Indeed.com](https://www.indeed.com/), aggregate job listings from job boards and employer websites. Because they reach a larger audience than just a job board (where employers have to specifically post to that site, usually for a premium fee), Job Search Engines increase your applicant flow to help that right candidate find you. ### Social Media Use your company’s online presence to your advantage and share opportunities on your social media pages (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) to expand your pool of applicants. This gets your openings in front of people already familiar with your company. You can also have your employees or other connections share with their individual networks to multiply your reach. ### Referrals Referrals are the most valuable and often the most overlooked applicant source. Alongside your professional connections, your current employees can be your greatest recruiting asset. They already understand the company and know what kind of person will be a great fit in regards to culture, values, and work style. Design a referral program that works for your employees—for example, will an employee receive a bonus if you hire their referral? ### How CareerPlug Can Help CareerPlug’s hiring platform helps get your jobs in front of the right applicants. We work with sites like Indeed—the #1 job search engine in the world—to broadcast your postings, integrate with your social media to post openings in one click, and make it easy to track employee referrals. --- ## Why Company Culture Matters and How to Strengthen Yours **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/company-culture/ * Posted on December 4, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Hopefully, you’re a business owner that’s determined to create a great place to work. If so, you’ve probably already realized that a lot goes into cultivating a positive work environment for your employees, and if you’ve been working towards that goal for a while, you’ve likely seen the benefits that come along with treating your employees well. When it comes to a positive workplace, how much does company culture matter to employees? And how can you build a great company culture? We’re going to cover the basics in this article, including what makes up a company culture, why it matters, and steps you can take to strengthen your company culture. ### What is company culture? **Company culture refers to the behaviors and attitudes of everyone inside a company from leadership to entry level.** It’s about the company’s goals and how it reaches them. The [Entrepreneurial Operating System](https://www.eosworldwide.com/clarity-break/building-a-strong-culture-simplified#:~:text=So%2C%20what%20is%20the%20definition,anyone%20interacts%20with%20your%20organization.) that CareerPlug follows defines company culture as, “The way your people in your company act and how they treat each other. It’s how it feels when anyone interacts with your organization.” Culture consists of many elements, like: * How coworkers communicate * How information is passed down * The company’s core values * The company vision * How decisions are made * How people are hired and developed ### Does company culture matter to employees? How much does company culture _really_ matter to employees? One [study from Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com//blog/mission-culture-survey/) presents some pretty powerful evidence: * When searching for a new job, 77% of applicants said they would consider a company’s culture before applying. * 65% of American millennials are more likely to care about work culture over salary. * 89% of adults polled told researchers that it was important for employers to “have a clear mission and purpose.” In our recent [Toxic Work Environment Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/), we asked hundreds of employees about what makes a great and not so great place to work and the changes they’d like to see their employers make. **We found that a whopping 87% of employees have experienced a workplace where a negative atmosphere caused by coworkers, supervisors, and/or the company culture, makes it difficult to work or progress in a job.**We also found that 72% of employees have left a job because of a toxic work environment and 51% said they plan on leaving their current job for the same reason. This suggests that employees really care about company culture and that the work environment can play a big role in employee satisfaction and retention. ### How to strengthen your company culture Company culture is fluid, meaning it can change. This is great news if you’re looking to improve your company culture and how your employees feel about it. Let’s go over some steps you can take to build a company culture or strengthen an existing culture. ### 1. Start with core values. Do you have clearly defined [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) for your business? Do your employees know and relate to them? Core values are the heart of company culture. CareerPlug Founder and CEO, Clint Smith, says, “Core values are what you, as a company, prize more than anything. They should guide everything that you do. If you are not sure about what direction to head in a tough situation, you should be able to look at your values to determine the right course of action.” When defining your core values, think about your company’s mission. Gather with your leadership team and think about what you truly value as a company – what’s most important? It can also be helpful to think about your top performers. What characteristics do they have in common? Think about other employees that weren’t a good fit for the company. Why weren’t they? List out as many values as you resonate with to start. Narrow them down to four to five values that truly represent your company. Your core values should be a guidepost that helps you make decisions for the business. ### 2. Share your vision. An important part of company culture is making sure that everyone in the company is on the same page. This means having a clearly defined vision and sharing that vision with employees often. Everyone in the company should understand the vision and how they contribute to reaching it. This helps employees feel a more meaningful connection to their work and the company’s culture. ### 3. Hire for culture fit. Hiring plays a big part in company culture. As you bring more people onto your team, it’s important to make sure that they are aligned with your values and vision. Before beginning the [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/), consider creating an [Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) that helps you get clear on the kind of person you need. Go back to your values and your culture drivers. What kind of characteristics does this person need to have to amplify your culture? While evaluating candidates, always keep your culture (or the culture you’re trying to build) in mind. Evaluate for [culture fit](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/) by writing interview questions tied to your core values and intentionally sharing your company culture as part of your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). ### 4. Use onboarding to make employees feel connected and confident. Onboarding is a crucial time for new employees. This is the time where you are setting an initial impression and hopefully giving employees the tools they need to feel confident and motivated. However, onboarding is about much more than handing out uniforms or completing [new hire paperwork.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-forms/)Onboarding bridges the gap between your hiring process and your retention strategy and is the time when you can help employees feel connected to their manager, their team, and the company. Make employees feel welcome. Set up goals for them and clear expectations so they know what success looks like in their role. [Organizing your onboarding process](https://www.careerplug.com/onboarding-team-management/), so that you and employees can spend less time on the tedious tasks like filling out paperwork and reading new hire materials. You can use software like CareerPlug to keep track of paperwork digitally, assign employees personalized tasks, and create an [onboarding plan](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/master-new-hire-onboarding-30-60-90-day-plan/) that is efficient and thorough. ### 5. Practice transparency. Transparency is an important part of creating a great company culture. Employees want to feel like [there aren’t secrets in the business](https://www.careerplug.com/dont-know-say-so/) and that they have insight into how big decisions are made. Practice [pay transparency](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/benefits-of-pay-transparency/) to build company culture. You can do this by: * [Including compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/) in your job postings * Making salary information for all roles visible to all employees * Outlining a clear process for compensation increases You might also consider being open about the business’s performance and sharing key company metrics with all employees. Empowering employees with more information helps them to have a greater sense of how their work directly impacts the business. [Some benefits of transparency](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/being-transparent) as it relates to company culture are: increased productivity, more trust, better communication, and genuine relationships between coworkers. ### 6. Check in constantly. Maintaining [open lines of communication](https://www.careerplug.com/the-open-door-policy/) helps employees feel seen, heard, and understood. The good news is that this is a trend many employers seem to be following. We found that nearly **76% of employees feel that they are able to voice their needs and concerns at work, and 74% said that their managers are open to receiving feedback and suggestions for how to improve the workplace.** Employee contributions are what shape a great company culture, and business owners should be open to hearing and acting on feedback. In addition to communicating one-on-one with your employees, it can also be helpful to send out employee engagement surveys periodically to get a pulse check on how employees are feeling and if they are aligned with your culture and vision. ### 7. Show employees you care. **A great company culture is one that makes employees feel valued and appreciated.** Practice frequent recognition and give employees a platform for recognizing each other. We do this in our “Shout-outs” Slack channel and in every Friday afternoon company meeting, where employees show gratitude for team members that went above and beyond in living out our values that week. Small, unexpected perks can also go a long way in showing gratitude. If possible, buy your employees lunch occasionally or sponsor a [happy hour or game night](https://www.careerplug.com/workplace-fun/). Bonus – these things can bring employees together to socialize, which can strengthen company culture even further. ### The benefits of a great company culture A strong company culture helps employees stay focused on your mission. It brings your team together to achieve a common goal. It can reinforce a strong employer brand and help you make better hires for your team. Some of the other benefits of a strong company culture include: * [The likelihood of job turnover](https://www.levelingup.com/management/statistical-case-company-culture/) at an organization with strong company culture is about 14%, vs the probability of job turnover in low company cultures is 48%. * [Happy workers](https://warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/new_study_shows/) are **12% more productive**than the average worker, and unhappy workers are 10% less productive. * [Company culture](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/corporate-culture-examples-benefits) can boost employee morale, increase productivity, and improve retention. There are many ways to go about creating and amplifying a company culture, and the steps above are a great first start. Get clear on your values and vision. Find ways to make these prominent parts of your worker’s daily lives, and [let them guide your hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/make-hiring-easier-value-culture/). Practice transparency and maintain open communication. Be willing to give and receive feedback and act on the suggestions of employees. Show employees that you care about them and recognize their contributions. Taking the time to strengthen your company culture is a worthwhile investment of your time that will help your business succeed and grow. ### CareerPlug makes it easy to hire the right people for your business. The right hires can be culture drivers for your business, influencing others on your team and leading by example. Learn how CareerPlug can help you attract, hire, and retain your dream team. [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## The 9 Best Untapped Sources for Quality Applicants **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/best-untapped-candidate-sources/ * Posted on August 15, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris #### Table of Contents 1. [Company careers pages](https://www.careerplug.com/best-untapped-candidate-sources/#careers-pages) 2. [Industry-specific job boards](https://www.careerplug.com/best-untapped-candidate-sources/#h-2-industry-specific-job-boards) 3. [Local job boards](https://www.careerplug.com/best-untapped-candidate-sources/#h-3-local-job-boards) 4. [Niche job boards](https://www.careerplug.com/best-untapped-candidate-sources/#h-4-niche-job-boards) 5. [College and university job boards](https://www.careerplug.com/best-untapped-candidate-sources/#h-5-college-and-university-job-boards) 6. [Employee referrals](https://www.careerplug.com/best-untapped-candidate-sources/#h-6-employee-referrals) 7. [Customer referral emails](https://www.careerplug.com/best-untapped-candidate-sources/#h-7-customer-referral-emails) 8. [Social media](https://www.careerplug.com/best-untapped-candidate-sources/#h-8-social-media) 9. [Localized recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/best-untapped-candidate-sources/#h-9-localized-recruiting-nbsp) If you’ve read our [2024 Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/), you learned that job boards aren’t necessarily the best source of high-quality candidates that turn into hires. Our data shows that while the major job boards produce the vast majority of **applicants** at 60%, only 37% of those applicants actually become**hires.**Compare that to other sources, like custom links, careers pages, and referrals which together produce around **27% of applicants**overall, but are responsible for **55% of hires.** And while these niche and custom sources produce high-quality applicants, many small business owners too often neglect to target them because they don’t always provide the volume of a major job board. But consider this: Is the problem really that you need more applicants, or that you need _better applicants_? After all, you’re not posting a job to win a prize for most applicants received; you’re posting a job to make a hire. As our data shows, it’s worth the time and effort to **[develop a recruiting strategy](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/7-Keys-to-Being-a-PRO-Recruiter-General.pdf) that doesn’t rely solely on the major job boards and utilizes other sources of applicants.** These sources can be your secret weapon when it comes to proactively finding higher quality candidates. In this article, we’ll share our suggestions for the best sources of high-quality applicants. ### 1. Company careers pages If you’re only posting your open job to major job boards, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to highlight your company culture and attract better candidates through a branded careers landing page. In fact, [today’s job seeker ranks careers pages as the #1 aspect to learn about a company](https://www.thetalentboard.org//wp-content/uploads/2019/02/2018_Talent-Board-NA-CandE-Research-Report_FINAL_2619.pdf) when researching opportunities. Candidates are even saying they would be [more likely to apply for a job](https://www.glassdoor.com/employers//blog/the-5-most-responsive-employers-ceos-on-glassdoor/) if an employer actively maintains their employer brand. On top of that, based on our research an **applicant that applies on a company careers page is 4 times more likely to be hired than an applicant from a job board.** CareerPlug clients get a [branded careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page) as part of their account. This makes it easier for converting job seekers into applicants, then hires. Watch this video to lean how to optimize your careers page to appeal to job seekers: ### 2. Industry-specific job boards Job seekers on the major job boards tend to be applying to many jobs in short order, sometimes with little consideration about their fit for the role. Much the same way employers look to these major job boards for a high volume of applicants, applicants look to these job boards to provide them with a high volume of job opportunities. On the other hand,**industry-specific job boards attract candidates who turn into hires at a greater rate.**Examples of these include [myCNAjobs](https://www.mycnajobs.com/) for the home healthcare industry, [insurancejobs.com](https://www.insurancejobs.com/) for insurance agents, and [Culinary Agents](https://culinaryagents.com/) for restaurant jobs. Savvy job seekers think outside the box and actively search for opportunities off the major job boards. These candidates who take the initiative to better understand the professional landscape of their industry tend to be more motivated to seriously pursue a career in that field. If you’re unfamiliar with the industry-specific job boards for your business, you can start your research by simply typing into a search engine: “[your role] jobs.” For example, a search of the term “mechanic jobs” will first bring up the results of the major job boards like Indeed and Monster, but if you scroll a little further down in the results, you find a job board called [Technician and Mechanic Jobs](https://www.technicianandmechanicjobs.com/). You want to be where job seekers are looking. Try to match what job seekers are searching on Google and take their perspective into account. If they’re searching for a particular job title and area, what’s showing up for them? Which sites are they most likely to be visiting based on the top search results on Google? ### 3. Local job boards Local job boards get the attention of employers and job seekers with a keen interest in their own communities. There are fewer eyeballs on these posts than a major job board, but oftentimes that means that your job posting has more visibility among the candidates who are there. Facebook is one easy place for employers to begin their search for local job boards. In the “Groups” section of Facebook, just search “[Your City] jobs.” For example, here are the first few search results for the term “Portland jobs.” Note that each group has several thousand members, making it a viable option for sourcing candidates who are active in their communities. These groups are also a great way to network with other local business owners and keep up with the local jobs landscape. Communities may also have job boards through their local chamber of commerce. And they’re usually not quite as difficult to uncover as you might think! A quick Google search for “job boards in [your area]” can point you to some great local sources of applicants. ### 4. Niche job boards [Diversity, equity, and inclusion](https://builtin.com/diversity-inclusion/what-does-dei-mean-in-the-workplace) (DEI) is a priority for many businesses – and one that’s long overdue. There’s plenty of evidence that proves [diverse companies perform better](https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2018/01/25/more-evidence-that-company-diversity-leads-to-better-profits/?sh=4863b441bc7d). This has led to the growing popularity of niche job boards aimed at proactively recruiting job seekers within target demographics. A few examples of niche job boards include: * [Diversity.com](https://diversity.com/): For recruiting diverse candidates that include people from multiple races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, age groups, and religious affiliations * [Fairygodboss](https://fairygodboss.com/jobs/find): For recruiting women candidates * [Retired Brains](https://www.retiredbrains.com/index.html): For recruiting retired candidates interested in part-time, temporary, and seasonal roles * [Black Career Network](https://www.blackcareernetwork.com/): For recruiting candidates from the Black community * [Asian Career Network](https://www.acareers.net/): For recruiting candidates from the Asian community * [Hispanic/Latino Professionals Association](https://jobs.hlpa.com/employer-products/): For recruiting candidates from the Hispanic and Latinx community * [Campus Pride Jobs](https://campuspride.jobs/): For recruiting entry-level candidates from the LGBTQ+ community * [Recruit Military](https://recruitmilitary.com/): For recruiting military veterans This is just a small sample of the niche job boards available. Our advice is to get creative with your searches. For example, if you’re hiring for a remote role, consider finding a job board that caters to remote workers. Motivated job seekers are applying to jobs on these lesser-trafficked sites in addition to the major job boards. ### 5. College and university job boards Are there any community colleges or universities in your area? Businesses that hire a lot of part-time or seasonal employees can find eager applicants in students who often benefit from the part-time or flexible schedule of those roles. If your business is more interested in hiring full-time professionals, you’ll find plenty of [fresh graduates to recruit from universities](https://www.careerplug.com/campus-recruiting-strategy/) as well. For example, the University of Texas has an alumni job board called [HookedIn](https://uthookedin.com/) (get it, like LinkedIn, but for the Longhorns?). Email your local universities’ career centers and alumni associations for more information on how to get your jobs in front of these bright-eyed young professionals. ### 6. Employee referrals Our data finds that **an applicant who applies from a referral is 11 times more likely to be hired than an applicant from a job board.**Candidates who are referred by existing employees have already been served with the ultimate form of social proof – a friend or acquaintance who’s endorsed your workplace. Furthermore, most existing employees want to protect their reputations, so there’s a good chance that any candidates they refer are high-quality. In this way, your own employees serve as a great built-in candidate filter. Studies also show that employees who were referred by existing employees stay longer at a company than those hired from other sources. Source: [Scoophealth](https://www.scoophealth.com/blog/benefits-of-employee-referral-programs/) For more information on how to source candidates from employee referrals, check out our guide, [The Complete Guide to Creating an Employee Referral Program](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/). ### 7. Customer referral emails There are some industries — like restaurants, retail, and fitness to name just a few — in which your customers and your potential employees have significant overlap. People who know and love your brand will be motivated to apply to your business when they’re on the job market. If your business already has email marketing initiatives designed to sell your services, consider using this same channel to tell your customers about new job opportunities. You’ll find an enthusiastic applicant pool and candidates likely to be a good [culture fit](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/). Scott Kinworthy, Franchise Owner for [F45 Training](https://f45training.com/), has seen great success [asking his customers for referrals](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/health-and-fitness-recruitment-webinar/): “The same way that you would reach out to your client base and call them for referrals, you can talk to your client base about who are some great people they’ve interacted with in the fitness industry and ask them for referrals. Make announcements before and after classes. That’s been very successful for us. For example, saying, ‘We’re trying to attract great people. We’re always hiring superstars, so if you know of anyone, please send them our way.’ And that’s been great.” ### 8. Social media Someone who follows your brand on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter is already engaged with your brand on a personal level. [Glassdoor](https://resources.glassdoor.com/65-hr-recruiting-stats-2018.html) reported that **79 percent of job seekers use**[**social media**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-on-social-media/)**when conducting their job search,** and the ones that reach your channel are likely to be more invested in your brand and more enthusiastic about an opportunity with your company. Go ahead and post a link to your job posting on your social media profiles. It’s free and easy! Lastly, you should always post to your personal and company [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/) profiles, where you’ll find an audience primed to learn about professional opportunities. LinkedIn is also designed to create reach beyond your immediate sphere of influence. When someone in your network engages with your post for a new role, their connections will see that activity, exposing your role to more professionals who may be interested. To learn more about recruiting on social media, check out this video from our Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan: ### 9. Localized recruiting The internet sure is great for promoting your open jobs, but don’t forget about good ole fashioned local recruiting efforts as well. We’ve heard some great ideas from clients, like house cleaning services that put “We’re Hiring” bumper stickers on all their company vehicles to promote open jobs out in the community. You might consider putting a flyer in the window of your shop with a QR code that links to your careers page or a small bulletin next to your register or other high traffic areas. You can also attend community events like job fairs and networking opportunities. And though it may seem old school, advertise your opening(s) in local newspapers or radio stations, which still have a strong following in many communities. ### Improve Your Hiring Process with CareerPlug Highlight your employer brand with your own branded careers page, and when those applicants start rolling in? Easily evaluate them and automatically schedule interviews all inside the software! Get a free demo to see how CareerPlug can streamline your process from job posting to onboarding and beyond. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## What Does AI Mean for Hiring and Recruiting? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/ai-in-recruiting-and-hiring/ * Posted on July 3, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is upon us! Before we know it, robots will soon replace humans in every job, rendering people completely obsolete. We’re kidding, of course. But AI is already bringing huge changes to the technology we use to run our businesses. New tech startups are launching every day to get in on the AI gold rush. The problem is that many business leaders are having a hard time determining which AI technologies can provide real results for their businesses and which technologies are simply capitalizing on all of the marketing “buzz” around AI, but not delivering meaningful business outcomes. The challenge becomes even trickier when it comes to hiring and recruiting—an area that AI software can either help or harm in significant ways. So how do you make sense of it all? In this guide, we’ll break down the basics of AI technology in hiring and recruiting. ### What is artificial intelligence (AI) software? **Artificial intelligence software** is a kind of computer program that can be taught to mimic advanced human abilities like reasoning and problem solving. It’s more complicated than that, but in layman’s terms: computer scientists feed a program large amounts of information in order to get it to “learn” how to think like a human and carry out tasks as instructed by a human. ### How is AI software being used today? You can already see examples of AI technology in use today. You’ve probably tried [ChatGPT, one of the most popular AI tools](https://www.businessinsider.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-chat-gpt-2023-1). ChatGPT is an advanced chatbot designed to respond to user’s questions using conversational dialogue. ChatGPT is a sophisticated tool that uses machine learning to answer its users’ questions and perform tasks for them. ChatGPT can be used for assisting with writing emails, planning a trip, providing a recipe with the food you have in your fridge, and more! The possibilities are endless. Additionally, many common workplace tools are starting to incorporate AI into their existing software. For example, you may see “AI summaries” in your email inbox or “AI notetakers” in your online meetings. In fact, [one study found](https://theconversation.com/major-survey-finds-most-people-use-ai-regularly-at-work-but-almost-half-admit-to-doing-so-inappropriately-255405) that **58% of employees are using AI at work,**with a third using it weekly or daily. This number will likely continue to rise over the next year. ### How is AI being used in hiring? That’s one reason why [hiring software companies](https://www.careerplug.com/) have started integrating this kind of AI functionality directly into their programs. After all, if your hiring software has AI tools already built into it, there’s no need for you to use them separately and add more complexity to your operations. For example, **CareerPlug recently launched an [AI job posting tool](https://www.careerplug.com/our-product-approach-to-ai/) to our system where users can simply hit a button to generate a job description.**The tool is powered by OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, and can help employers create thorough and effective job descriptions quickly and conveniently. Other ways AI is being used in hiring include: * Come up with [interview questions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/question-not-to-ask-in-interviews/) specific to certain roles * Write emails to candidates * Review resumes * Chatbots for candidate engagement ### What are the benefits of using AI in hiring? AI can save you tons of time when it comes to content and communication! Trying to communicate effectively and quickly is something that many people dread, so having an AI assistant handle all your communication, from job postings to emails, can be a dream come true. Plus, you’ll be able to [contact applicants faster](https://www.careerplug.com/communicate/), which means you have a better chance of engaging your highest-quality candidates before someone else does. Some proponents of AI in the candidate evaluation process say that not only does it speed up the time to identify the best candidates, but it creates a less biased process by ensuring that all candidates are assessed based on the same criteria. (More on that later!) ### What are the drawbacks of using AI in hiring? If used improperly, AI in recruiting can create a poor [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) and damage your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). We’ve seen a rise in hiring tech startups that sell users on “AI assistants” and “virtual recruiters” promising businesses that their AI chatbots can have complex conversations with candidates on their behalf. But a closer look often reveals that the AI in question is nothing more than simple**“rule-based chatbots”**that use keywords to trigger a limited number of pre-written responses –but it’s important to note that these **rule-based chatbots are****NOT built on advanced conversational AI technology like ChatGPT.**This means that hiring and recruiting companies marketing these chatbots as “AI assistants”can sometimes be misleading. Simple, rule-based chatbots are nothing new. You probably recognize these chatbots in online customer service settings. They’re limited in how you can interact with them, and if you don’t get the answer you need, the experience can be incredibly frustrating because you don’t have the option to speak to a human. Now imagine putting your candidates through that experience. What’s worse – this results in a terrible candidate experience. Put yourself in the applicant’s shoes: answering a chatbot’s questions to apply to a role actually creates _more_ work for the applicant, not less. And who do you reach out to when you don’t get what you need from the chatbot? We found that 45% of job seekers find AI chatbots to make the hiring process more impersonal. **By requiring the candidate to interact with a chatbot to apply,****you may be negatively impacting their candidate experience**—which could potentially backfire for your employer brand. If a candidate is interested enough that they want to ask you questions about the role or your company, don’t leave that to a chatbot. **Our advice:** Be sure to do your due diligence and try out these AI hiring software solutions that promise too much before you commit to using one. Try it out from the candidate’s perspective. You might find that it’s hurting more than it’s helping. ### Are there legal concerns about using AI in hiring and recruiting? [State legislation around the use of AI increased sixfold](https://hrexecutive.com/a-global-outlook-on-13-ai-laws-affecting-hiring-and-recruitment/) from 2023 to 2024, and the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) [published their own guidance](https://www.employmentlawwatch.com/2023/05/articles/uncategorized/eeoc-releases-guidance-on-artificial-intelligence-in-the-workplace/) for U.S. employers and best practices for complying with federal employment law when using AI in the workplace. Data and privacy concerns are also on the rise, and employers need to be mindful of disclosing whether they are using note takers in interviews or analyzing video submissions with AI. Additionally, there is growing concern over the potential for AI algorithms to make discriminatory decisions that violate existing employment laws when evaluating candidates and their resumes. In [one recent lawsuit](https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/22/tech/workday-ai-hiring-discrimination-lawsuit) targeting the HR platform, Workday, several job seekers are claiming they were unlawfully discriminated against and received automated rejections for jobs based on factors like age and ability. Companies using AI tools to evaluate candidates should pay close attention—the outcome of this case will set a precedent for the kinds of legal risks they might face for using this technology. ### What is the difference between AI and automation? It’s hard to envision a future in which the entire hiring process will be completed by AI from start to finish. Considering that the people you hire on your staff are the lifeblood of your business, it’s not exactly an appealing proposition to remove real-life human decision-making from the process entirely. That’s why we advise business owners to be cautious of any hiring software that claims to use AI for most (or all) of the hiring process and instead**invest in a solution that’s more strategic about which parts of the hiring process should be automated by technology and which ones shouldn’t.** **Automations**are software tools that don’t try to “think” like a human, but simply automatically perform all of the tedious administrative tasks that come with hiring. **Hiring automations save you time without cutting you out of the decision-making process or creating a poor candidate experience.** **Artificial Intelligence (AI)****Automation** Computer programs that can be taught to mimic advanced human thinking abilities like reasoning and problem solving; best used for complex functions that require machine learning.Technology that automatically performs specific tasks the same way every time; best used for repetitive tasks. One example of a task that should be automated is **interview scheduling**. Typically, once you’ve selected the applicants you’d like to interview, you usually have to spend time emailing back and forth or playing phone tag and waiting on them to return your call. Plus, it can take multiple touchpoints to coordinate an interview time that works for everyone, slowing down your hiring efforts. Now that’s a process that shouldn’t require a hiring manager’s valuable time and attention. Let the robots handle that one. You can use an [automated interview scheduling tool](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) like Autopilot. GRAPHIC: Autopilot instantly texts your qualified candidates a link to schedule an interview. Just set your availability and Autopilot will coordinate with candidates to get interviews scheduled on your calendar automatically. Learn more about how automated interview scheduling works in the video below. ### Streamlining hiring without losing the human touch We’ve only begun scratching the surface of what artificial intelligence can do for a hiring process, but it’s important for businesses to be smart about how they choose to implement this new technology. It’s a good idea to automate only the tedious parts of hiring, but don’t automate the parts that matter most –getting to know your candidates, evaluating them using a proven hiring process that results in the right hires, and creating a great candidate experience that protects your employer brand. ### Automate Your Hiring the Right Way with CareerPlug Premium Automate the tedious parts of your hiring process, including applicant screening, candidate communication, interview scheduling, and more with CareerPlug. See it all in action by taking a tour of the software. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Applicant Expectations Report: What Do Job Seekers Want From an Application Process **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-expectations-report/ * Posted on November 6, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Employers may fondly remember the days when you could just post a job online, sit back and watch the applicants roll in, have your pick of the litter, and ignore the rest. But as you may have noticed, hiring isn’t quite as easy these days. In today’s competitive job market, it takes a lot more work to fill open roles, and **every part** of the hiring process matters in your ability to [attract and convert applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-optimize-your-applicant-conversion-rate/). One thing you may not have put much thought into is the**application experience.** But since job seekers currently have so many options, the application and other earlier stages in the hiring process may actually make or break your ability to make the right hires for your team. At CareerPlug, we like to go straight to the source to gather hiring advice, so we surveyed 500 recent job seekers to learn what they _expect_ in an application process and what they _want_ from potential employers. And we’re breaking it all down for you. ### It all starts with your job posting You can think of your [job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) as your first impression with job seekers, and we all know that first impressions count. So what is it that job seekers are looking for when applying to jobs? **We asked job seekers to choose the top three things that make them most excited about a job posting.** **Benefits and perks ranked #1 as the most exciting thing for job seekers**, with compensation right behind it. This isn’t totally surprising; job seekers don’t want to waste time with companies that aren’t up front about what they’re offering. As one job seeker shared, “Compensation and benefits are rarely, if ever, mentioned until the applicant has been put through a grueling and purposely inconvenient interview process. **Employers need to be upfront about what matters most to the applicant … salary, benefits, and work conditions, including upward mobility.”** A few more job seekers mentioned upward mobility and the **opportunity for learning and growth** as well. One job seeker said, “The chance to work on challenging projects and collaborate with like-minded professionals is a strong motivator for me to pursue new opportunities.” Another job seeker shared this sentiment: “As I am eager to pursue higher goals in my career, I get excited if a job offers a sustainable career path and opportunities for advancement.” #### Skills-first hiring [**Skills-first hiring**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/skills-first-hiring/)**involves taking into account a candidate’s _skills_ when evaluating for a job over specific educational requirements or working history.** Focusing on skills in your job postings can help you attract and convert more applicants, and the job seekers in our survey back this up! Here is what they had to say: ### Job seeker expectations: The importance of the application experience A great job posting attracts more applicants to apply to your open role. The next step in the process is the application itself, which is also an important part of converting job seekers into new employees. **A****poor**[**application experience**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/application-experience/)**could discourage job seekers (even good ones) from submitting their application.**It’s important to keep in mind that candidates are busy just like you! They want an [application process that’s quick and simple](https://www.careerplug.com/the-big-deal-about-easy-applications/). But don’t just take our word for it; let’s hear from a recent job seeker: In other words: **job seekers want an opportunity to speak to their strengths with a conversation, not a lengthy application.** ### Reasons why candidates abandon applications We wanted to know what specific parts of an application turn job seekers off of an opportunity. For example, we know that it can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience to fill in information about your work history on an application when you’ve already uploaded a resume. And it turns out, requiring applicants to do this could make you miss out on over**half of your potential candidates!** Below are some of the top reasons applicants in our survey have quit filling out an application. ### How to improve your application process There are some steps that you can take to combat the main reasons job seekers abandon applications. As mentioned, your application process should be **quick and uncomplicated.**Here are some tips: * Keep the application short. You can find out additional information about candidates in later stages of the hiring process. * Use just a few [pre-screen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) to eliminate unqualified candidates quickly, but don’t overwhelm job seekers with too many. We recommend including around two or three pre-screen questions. * Don’t make applicants create an account just to apply. When you post your job on CareerPlug, anyone can apply directly from a job board or your careers page without creating a brand new account. * Think about what you really need for candidates and consider cutting unnecessary qualifications. To attract and convert more applicants, you can**remove degree or cover letter requirements from your application.** * Consider removing resume requirements as well – or at the very least, don’t make employees fill out an application that asks for the same information that’s on their resume. * Since [86% of candidates](https://keltonglobal.com/) use their smartphones for job searching, make sure your application is **mobile-friendly.**An applicant tracking system like CareerPlug can provide you with job applications that are already optimized for mobile. ### What should you do after the application? A consistent and repeatable hiring process can help you provide candidates with a smooth experience from application to job offer. Another way to [keep candidates engaged](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-engagement/) during recruitment is to send them assessments _after_ speaking to them for the first time. We’ll say it again, job seekers are busy, too! Many of them won’t want to take the time to complete a full assessment without ever speaking to someone about the role. Our data backs this up. We found that **68% of job seekers said they want to speak to an employer**(either by phone or in person) as the next step after applying, and only **13% said they wanted the next step to be assessments.** We recommend making a quick **phone screen interview** the second step in your hiring process, so that you can speak with your candidates, gauge their interest in what you’re offering, and tell them a little bit about the role. This helps both of you decide if you’d like to move forward. Want to learn more about how to conduct phone screen interviews? [Check out this blog](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-phone-screen-interview/) to see some example questions and learn all the do’s and don’ts. ### Applicants want responsive employers When it comes to communicating with applicants, two things matter most: **speed and consistency.**We found that though many applicants expect employers to get back to them within a few days, they’d rather hear from them quicker – within 24 hours. Keep in mind that it’s important to contact _all candidates_– not just the ones you want to interview. This creates a more positive candidate experience and strengthens your employer brand. Plus, we found that over **half of job seekers would be unlikely to apply to a company again after never hearing back from them the first time.** Put yourself in the candidate’s shoes: If they’ve taken the time to apply to your company, it can feel discourteous to never hear from the employer at all. And as an unresponsive employer, **you’ve inadvertently cut your repeat applicant pool in half!** ### Become a more responsive employer We recommend reaching out to candidates **within 24 hours** of their initial application (and candidates prefer it) and **scheduling your first interview within 48.**At first, this might sound impossible without being glued to your phone or computer all day, but an [applicant tracking system (ATS) like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/)can help you automate your hiring. ### How to move quickly on top candidates Let’s be real: we understand that most employers are far too busy to reply to all applicants lightning-fast. That’s why we recommend using tools to **automate candidate communication for you**–like [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) and [automated interview scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/). Let’s take a closer look at some of these features. #### Text recruiting Text recruiting from within your [hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/) can be a professional and safe way to reach candidates right on their phones. * 68% of recent job seekers said that they’ve been contacted by an employer via text message during the hiring process. * **84% of those job seekers said their experience with text recruiting was positive.** * 83% of applicants believe text message communication with a potential employer is **equally as professional as email communication** in a hiring process. #### Automated interview scheduling With an**automated interview scheduling tool like CareerPlug’s Autopilot,**candidates receive a link to schedule interviews with you on their own time. As the employer, automated interview scheduling also saves you time and hassle. Just let the interviews show up on your calendar automatically, based on your availability. It’s win-win! ### Send courtesy rejections to other candidates For those applicants that you don’t wish to move forward, an applicant tracking system can send **automated rejection emails** so candidates are left with a positive impression of your company. One job seeker in our survey had this to say about receiving a rejection: “​​Recently, I applied and was denied. At least the employer had the common decency to tell me why I wasn’t the correct applicant for the job and that they wished me luck. It made me feel like I was still important.” ### Tackle interview ghosting by making it easy for candidates to communicate with you Job seekers also appreciate easy ways to communicate with you throughout the hiring process, and making it convenient for you to contact them can actually prevent [**interview ghosting**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-ghosting/) – when a candidate schedules an interview with an employer, but then never shows up. We asked job seekers in our survey who admitted to interview ghosting why they didn’t cancel or reschedule instead. Here are those results: The verdict:**employers need to make it easy for job seekers to cancel or reschedule interviews.**Doing so could save a lot of headache for both parties! Consider finding ways to automate the interview scheduling process and give candidates the flexibility to schedule and reschedule interviews themselves. _Setting your availability with Autopilot, CareerPlug’s interview scheduling tool_ ### To sum it all up These days, job seekers have more options than ever. When combing through their choices and trying to decide which opportunities seem right for them, they have certain expectations of employers when it comes to the job posting and application experience. Job seekers want a job that aligns with their skills and interests, as well as great benefits and perks, good compensation, and flexible work schedules. They expect the application process to be easy, and to hear from employers within a reasonable amount of time, though many would prefer employers to contact them even quicker than they’ve come to expect. They also want interview scheduling to be quick and convenient. Making changes to your application experience is a simple way to get more applicants and create a strong introduction to your company from the very beginning of your hiring process. ### Automated Interview Scheduling: The Complete Guide to Hassle-Free Interviews Learn how to schedule up to 8x more interviews and move your best applicants through your hiring process faster than ever with our free e-book.Download your copy by clicking the button below. GET MY FREE E-BOOK --- ## Need Higher Quality Candidates? Try These 6 Recruitment Strategies **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/attract-high-quality-candidates/ * Posted on August 22, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris At CareerPlug, we like to keep our finger on the pulse of recruitment trends – the good, the bad, and the ugly. One piece of feedback we often hear from business owners is that they sometimes struggle with finding high-quality applicants for the jobs they post. This can be frustrating, especially when you want to [make the right hire](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/), not just the best hire available at the time. The size of your applicant pool can vary based on a number of factors, including: * Location * Industry * Seasonality * Unemployment rates * Competition for talent Of course, changes in the labor market over the last couple of years have caused additional shake-ups to the applicant pool as well. But while these factors are all generally outside of your control, there are a few things that are within your control as an employer. If the applicant pool in your industry is small, you need to recognize that as an employer, you’ll need to [be proactive about attracting](https://www.careerplug.com/stop-waiting-start-recruiting/) the fewer high-quality applicants available to you. We’ve put together a list of six strategies you can use to put your business in a strong position to attract the top talent in your applicant pool. ### 1. Use your careers page to get people excited about your employer brand. Your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) is your business’ reputation as a place to work. The first thing you’ll want to ask yourself is: “What do I want my target applicant pool to think of my business?” A highly-qualified candidate who finds your job on a major job board will want to learn more about your company before committing to applying – after all, the most skilled workers can be picky about where they choose to work.Think of your careers page as your opportunity to create the image you want top candidates to see. A [good careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) should include things like: * A description of your company culture, mission, and values * Employee testimonials (more on that later) * Recent photos and/or videos of your team * Enticing benefits information * Growth opportunities An attractive, compelling careers page can often be the factor that seals the deal for motivated candidates. Plus, applicants who apply through company careers pages are [4 times more likely to be hired](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) than those who apply from job boards, indicating that people who research your careers page before applying tend to be more closely aligned with your company’s values. To learn more about what makes an attractive careers page, watch the video below from CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan: ### 2. Create employee testimonial videos. Fun fact: [Viewers retain 95% of a message](https://biteable.com//blog/video-marketing-statistics/) when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when they read it in text. Videos bring [employee testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/) to life – so, if possible, we encourage you to film short interviews of your happiest employees singing your praises and giving future candidates an idea of what it’s like to work for you. It may take a little upfront investment of time and effort to produce a few testimonial videos, but you can leverage videos like this on many channels – your careers page, your social media pages, virtual hiring fairs, and all your recruitment marketing efforts. Check out this great example of an employee testimonial from CareerPlug client, [Hand & Stone](https://handandstonecareers.com/): ### 3. Encourage employees to write reviews on employer review sites. Here’s a not-so-fun fact: More than half of job seekers [abandon their pursuit of a job](https://www.inc.com/adam-robinson/more-than-half-of-job-seekers-say-they-wouldnt-apply-to-a-company-with-bad-online-reviews.html) after reading negative reviews about a company on [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/) like [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/how-it-works/) and [JobSage](https://www.jobsage.com/). Potentially missing half your applicants due to poor online reviews can significantly hinder your recruitment efforts. Knowing how much weight employee reviews carry, we recommend encouraging your existing employees to write reviews of your business on these sites. These reviews serve as [social proof](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/social-proof-examples?__hstc=149923945.59371ee9195c6eb7cdcdd9b5e4d67cf0.1655928754228.1659637946924.1659643513878.39&__hssc=149923945.1.1659643513878&__hsfp=3101454249) to job seekers and if they’re mostly positive, they can work in your favor. **Pro tip:** Employer review sites allow reviews from your employees as well as anyone who has interviewed with your company. It’s important to maintain a [positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-candidate-experience-thats-exceptional/) with everyone you interact with, regardless of whether or not you hire them. Job seekers can be put off by reviews giving them a heads-up that they’re in for a negative candidate experience if they apply. ### 4. Create an employee referral program. Earlier we mentioned that candidates who apply from careers pages tend to convert to hires at far higher rates than those who apply from job boards. But there are other applicant sources that are even more successful: employee referrals and custom sources. Our data shows that applicants from**referrals are 18 times more likely to be hired than applicants from job boards.** Referrals can also boost retention. Studies show that [employees who are referred](https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/tk-designingandmanagingsuccessfulemployeereferralprograms.aspx) by existing employees stay longer at the company than those who were hired from other sources. Far too often, hiring managers think of employee referrals as a secondary source of applicants, but the data says the opposite is true: **Employee referrals tend to be high-quality candidates and strong hires**. Establishing, promoting, and maintaining an [employee referral program](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/) should be top of mind for all hiring managers. ### 5. Recruit from custom sources – not just major job boards. Like employee referrals, [custom sources](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/) account for a low overall percentage of applicants, but those applicants convert to hires at a much higher rate. Custom sources can include things like: * Industry-specific job boards * Local/community message boards * University job boards * Craigslist (yup, even Craigslist!) Get creative when distributing your job postings outside of the major job boards. For example, [post your jobs on your social media accounts](https://www.careerplug.com/the-social-advantage/) or send an email to contacts in your network with a link to your job. Cast a wide net and keep track of which source is producing the best candidates – not necessarily the most candidates. ### 6. Make it easy to apply from any device. Today’s job seekers want their search for the perfect job to be as convenient and quick as possible, so it’s not surprising that nearly [86% of candidates](https://keltonglobal.com/) use their smartphones for job searching. Mobile applicants also have no qualms about moving on from an application if it takes too long or is too difficult to complete from a mobile device. As an employer, just think of it this way: Each qualified candidate who gets annoyed by a bad mobile application experience is one less qualified candidate you’ll get a chance to meet. Pro tip: Job seekers should be able to apply to your job in less than 3 minutes. An [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) like CareerPlug can help you accomplish this by providing candidates with an easy mobile-friendly job application. ### Need more advice on increasing your applicant pipeline? CareerPlug can help! Schedule a free demo with one of our Hiring Experts today – no commitment required. We’re happy to chat and help you solve the number one challenge facing business owners today: finding, hiring, and keeping the right people. [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Boomerang Employees: How to Rehire Your Former Staff **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/boomerang-employees/ * Posted on May 22, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris As more businesses plan to reopen in the coming weeks and months, **boomerang employees** are on the minds of many business owners and hiring managers. A boomerang employee is a former employee who has left the company and is later rehired. Boomerang hiring has been an important recruiting strategy for many companies well before COVID-19. People leave jobs for all sorts of reasons — for example, a lack of growth opportunities — and it can be to your advantage to welcome them back to the team with open arms. ### Why you should rehire former employees So what exactly are the benefits of incorporating boomerang employees into your recruiting strategy? To name just a few: * **Fewer surprises.**You’ve worked with this person before and know who they are. Having such detailed knowledge of their strengths, shortcomings, and character is more significant than any references a new candidate could provide. * **Faster ramp time.**Depending on the amount of time that has passed, they may still be familiar with your operations and require less training, so they can begin making an impact sooner. * **Retention.**The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Before COVID-19, oftentimes employees who left to work somewhere else and came back ended up with renewed and lasting loyalty if they were unsatisfied with their other job experiences. Rehiring your staff after a pandemic is a different circumstance, but you can expect to still build loyalty by rehiring your team during this tough time. * **Reduced time to hire.** Returning employees can go through a modified or shortened hiring process so you can make faster — but still reliable — hiring decisions. * **New value.** Rehires who’ve been gone for longer and held other jobs since working for you will return with new experiences and skill sets that may benefit your business. ### How to rehire Now that you’re familiar with _why_ you should rehire, let’s take a look at _how_ to rehire. ### 1. Stay connected. If you haven’t already, [reach out to your former team](https://www.careerplug.com/goodbye-hello-staying-connected-ex-employees/) and let them know what you know, including your timeline and intent to rehire team members when you’re able. Let them know what this process will look like and if you expect any changes in your business operations as you open back up. Try to anticipate and address logistical concerns they may have: * Will schedules change? * Will job duties or responsibilities shift? * What will health and safety protocols look like when you reopen? ### 2. Create a hiring process for rehires. Following a [standard hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) is key to consistently making the right hires for your team. But what do you do with past employees who’ve already gone through the hiring process? There isn’t a hard and fast rule on this, but it may help to put it in the context of how long ago they were an employee and what experiences they’ve had since working for you. Has it been six months? A year? More? **Your hiring process will help you learn more about their time away from your business, if they’ve gained new skills, and the lessons they’ve learned.** If you had to lay off employees due to the pandemic and are looking to return them to an identical position, you can approach this process differently. Use an abbreviated process to have a short meeting (or phone/video call) with the employee gauging their interest in coming back. Ask them how they’ve been doing, share your thoughts about opening up the business, and offer them their job. If they’re applying for a different job than they held during the last employment with you, use your standard hiring process. You may know them in the context of their last position, but a hiring process will help fit them into the context of this new role and verify whether or not you’re making the right decision. ### 3. Send rehire offer letters. Give rehired employees new offer letters as if they are beginning employment with you — because they are. Include all the standard information you would include on any offer letter, including: * Terms of employment * Position title * Compensation * Hours * FLSA status * Start date ### 4. Have them complete new hire paperwork. Just like new hires, boomerang employees should complete the same [new hire paperwork](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-forms/). You may think this is an unnecessary formality, but it’s in your best interest to have rehired employees review and re-sign any paperwork. An employee agreement, for example, may have language that was only binding until termination. For the Form I-9 — the document that verifies identity and eligibility to work in the U.S. — **you may utilize Section 3 on their previous form if you rehire the employee within three years of their original start date.** You can also choose to complete a new form, but remember to maintain the original Form I-9 for the full retention period: three years after the date of hire, or one year after the date employment ends, whichever is later. Other paperwork may include emergency contact information, direct deposit authorizations, or employee handbook acknowledgments. If the information has not changed, you should still have the employee review and verify everything is up to date. ### 5. Conduct an onboarding and training refresher. Modify your onboarding processes to refresh rehired employees on training and company policies. If it’s only been a couple of months since your business has closed or reduced staff, this may not need to be as extensive as initial training, but it has still been a few months not working for you and naturally reinforcing on-the-job behaviors. Spend time refreshing the team, updating them on new processes (especially any safety protocols), and aligning on the expectations for performance. This is especially if you’re going to ask returning employees to help with any training of brand new employees — this is a good time to reset any bad habits that were seeping into the workplace operations. Think of it as a fresh start. ### What about furloughed employees? If you’ve furloughed employees, you won’t need to think about a hiring process — a furlough works like an unpaid leave of absence. However, you will need to **extend them an official recall letter**, which works like an offer letter by including an offer of employment (furloughed employees still need to accept or reject the return-to-work offer), a return-to-work date, and other terms of employment including benefits status. An onboarding and training refresher should also be conducted with furloughed employees. ### TLDR * Boomerang hiring is an effective addition to any recruiting strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. * Create a hiring process for rehired employees that verifies they are still the right hires. * Refresh rehired employees on training and company policies. --- ## Fitness Industry Hiring: How to Recruit Personal Trainers **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/fitness-industry-hiring-how-to-recruit-personal-trainers/ * Posted on October 28, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Anyone that has ever followed a health regimen will tell you this: It isn’t easy! And fitness businesses that are trying to recruit personal trainers will likely tell you the same thing. Personal trainers are an invaluable resource for fitness clients that need guidance and motivation, so finding the right person with the right skills and personality traits is crucial. However, in the everchanging hiring landscape, doing so might be easier said than done. We’re sharing our best tips for how to recruit personal trainers so that you can grow your team with the right people and help more of your customers get the results they are looking for. #### Table of Contents 1. [Know the qualities you’re looking for.](https://www.careerplug.com/fitness-industry-hiring-how-to-recruit-personal-trainers/#qualities) 2. [Take advantage of peak applicant flow.](https://www.careerplug.com/fitness-industry-hiring-how-to-recruit-personal-trainers/#peak-flow) 3. [Invest in a strong careers page.](https://www.careerplug.com/fitness-industry-hiring-how-to-recruit-personal-trainers/#careers-page) 4. [Pre-qualify applicants for faster hiring.](https://www.careerplug.com/fitness-industry-hiring-how-to-recruit-personal-trainers/#faster) 5. [Contact candidates first with text recruiting.](https://www.careerplug.com/fitness-industry-hiring-how-to-recruit-personal-trainers/#text-recruiting) ### 1. Know the qualities you’re looking for There’s one crucial [hiring step](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) that needs to happen before you [review an applicant’s resume](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/) or sit down for an interview. This step needs to happen even before you post your open job online or put up a “We’re Hiring” flyer in your gym. **You have to get clear on the kind of candidates you’re looking for.** Whether you’re hiring one personal trainer or many, it’s important to take the time to think about the skills, qualifications, and personality traits you want them to have. First, consider that fitness training is a relationship-driven business. Sure, trainers should have all the technical hard skills associated with fitness, but just as important are the soft skills. So, what are some qualities of a good personal trainer based on data gathered from [behavioral assessments](https://www.predictiveindex.com//blog/the-four-key-factors-that-determine-workplace-behavior/)? **Good personal trainers need to be sociable, driven, patient, and confident.** Fitness customers are seeking guidance, assurance, and direction, so for candidates, the ability to quickly connect with people is a must. A great trainer will build rapport and trust and propel their trainees forward. Building trust with clients is easier when they perceive the trainer as approachable, and a calm demeanor goes a long way. Think about what additional qualities are important for your business. Along with the soft skills you want your trainers to demonstrate, think about the certifications and experience that is non-negotiable for you. We recommend filling it all out in an [Ideal Candidate Profile.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) This can help you stay focused as you move through the hiring process and ensure that you are evaluating candidates based on what is crucial for the role. ### Ideal Candidate Profile Template Improve your hiring process from the very beginning by getting clear on who you are looking for. Download your free Ideal Candidate Profile template and guide created by our team of Hiring Experts. GET MY TEMPLATE ### 2. Take advantage of peak applicant flow We found in our annual [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/), that in a typical year fitness businesses see a [huge spike in applicants in January](https://www.careerplug.com/fitness-preparing-for-everyones-new-years-resolutions/). **While the applicants were most active in January, fitness employers actually did the least of their hiring that month, meaning that they missed out on the [peak applicant volume](https://www.careerplug.com/fitness-clubs-how-to-maximize-the-number-of-applicants/) for the year.** Most fitness industry employers do the majority of their hiring during the summer months and face a smaller applicant pool at that time. If you’re able to, consider recruiting personal trainers (and other gym staff) in January ahead of the summer months when competition for talent is higher. For our clients, we also recommend always having a _passive job posting_ up — this is a job posted only to your careers page (not job boards) with a status of “Accepting for Future Openings.” A job of this type indicates that you are passively recruiting and will reach out to candidates when an opening becomes available. Passive recruiting can help you make connections with applicants when they are most active. It can help you keep more candidates in your hiring pipeline, which gives you more options when it’s actually time to make a hire. ### 3. Invest in a strong careers page Though job boards produce the most applicants, they do not produce hires at the same rate as other sources. **For the fitness industry, company**[**careers pages**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/)**are responsible for nearly half of all hires despite only bringing in 24% of applicants.** Compare that to job boards, which bring in 71% of applicants, but convert to hires at a much lower rate, resulting in only 42% of hires overall. In our research, **fitness employer careers pages remain the highest performing of any industry, year after year.**One explanation for the extraordinary careers page hire rate is that fitness is an industry with a huge overlap between customers and potential employees – people who love coming to your gym are often the people that are best qualified and most interested in joining your team. Focus your efforts on marketing your employment opportunities to your customers and highlighting your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) on your careers page. Check out the video below to learn more about building a great careers page. ### 4. Pre-qualify applicants for faster hiring Let’s talk a little about hiring speed. Though being the fastest isn’t everything, it certainly can help you hire the best candidates before they are scooped up by the competition! One easy way to reduce your time to hire is to **prequalify your applicants.** For many personal training positions, you will be looking for a certain license or certification and sometimes, you need a specific availability. Use [pre-screen questions on your application](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) to ensure that every applicant that lands in your inbox has the skills, availability, and work authorization to be eligible for your roles. Plus, with an [applicant tracking system like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/), you can automatically fast-track applicants that check all your boxes and send [polite rejections](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/rejection-letter-template/) to any applicants that don’t. A few pre-screen questions can be a simple way to save a lot of time in your hiring process and make sure that only the most qualified applicants are moving forward. ### 5. Contact candidates first with text recruiting Another way to [hire faster](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/) is to use [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/). Text recruiting can help you reach candidates sooner and keep them more engaged throughout the hiring process. ​​Just look at the numbers: [**Email has only a 20% open rate**](https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2017/33045/email-vs-sms-battle-of-the-heavyweights-infographic)**– compared to text messages, which have a 98% open rate.** The average email gets a response about 6% of the time compared with the average text message, which has a 45% response rate. This is especially important for the fitness industry which had a higher than average “time to contact” than other industries in our Recruiting Metrics Report, at 13.8 days. The best candidates will always have options. So contact applicants sooner and stay top of mind with text recruiting to improve your chances of hiring the best personal trainers. ### To sum it up Fitness businesses are facing the same challenges as everyone else: finding and hiring the right people for their team. Fortunately, with the right changes to your hiring process, you can recruit personal trainers more easily. Know who you are looking for and consider hiring in January to take advantage of the larger applicant pool. Invest in a great careers page, since it can produce a large amount of high quality hires in this industry. Use pre-screen questions on your application and text recruiting to hire faster than your competitors. **You can create a careers page and speed up your time to hire with automations and text recruiting through CareerPlug.** Courtney Wyatt, General Manager of six OrangeTheory studios in the Nashville area, had this to say about hiring software: “CareerPlug has saved our organization so much time with the hiring process! It’s simple to use, makes the hiring process seamless, and it’s all in one place! I love that I can see all 6 of my studios while setting up my team to only have access to their studio. Our quality of candidates has increased tremendously. It’s been a game changer for us!” ### Improve Your Hiring Process with CareerPlug Create a great careers page, automate hiring tasks, try text recruiting, and more. A great recruitment process all starts with the [right hiring software](https://www.careerplug.com/). Click the button below to try CareerPlug today! [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## How to Hire for Culture Fit **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-for-culture-fit/ * Posted on December 12, 2019 * by Natalie Morgan When you hire, you should primarily evaluate candidates on three things: * Ability: Can they do it? * Motivation: Will they do it? * Culture Fit: Will others do it with them? These are _equally_ important in your hiring process. It doesn’t matter if someone has the skills to do the job if they don’t like the job. It doesn’t matter if they’re motivated, but they don’t have the fundamental skills to succeed. And it doesn’t matter if they can and want to do the job if they are not aligned with your [company culture](https://www.careerplug.com/include-company-culture-hiring-process/). An employee not fitting the company culture is one of the biggest reasons for turnover. Even worse is when an employee isn’t a good match for the culture and they stay, diluting your culture or even [creating a toxic environment](https://www.careerplug.com/toxicity-in-the-workplace/) for your team. Netflix has a saying embedded in their own culture: [no brilliant jerks](https://www.inc.com/jim-schleckser/why-netflix-doesn-t-tolerate-brilliant-jerks.html). This is culture fit in a nutshell — if someone can’t work with the team, they can’t work. [Studies have shown](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2017/04/03/how-important-is-culture-fit-for-employee-retention/#381197e57839) that **hires who are a good culture fit have better job satisfaction, higher job performance, and are more likely to stay.** In this blog, we’ll cover defining culture fit for your organization and how to determine if someone is a culture fit during your hiring process. ### What is Culture Fit? Company culture isn’t who you look like, your shared backgrounds, or even your shared interests. Culture is your shared values as a company. Culture fit means that someone is aligned with those values. That’s it. Yes, there are more layers to company culture and fit, but without those connecting beliefs between the company and employees, anything else is fluff. Ping pong tables and cold brew on tap aren’t company culture. Valuing open communication or a giving spirit is. ### Define Culture Fit for Your Business Our first [hiring best practice](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-best-practices-7-tips/) is, “Know who you are.” Before you think about who you need to hire, you need to step back and think about who you are as a company. Start with your company’s core values: * Where do you see examples of your core values being lived out by your employees? * Study your team’s behaviors and see what actual values they collectively hold. You can do this even if you don’t have core values yet! * Ask some of your team members about how they would currently describe your company culture. Note any words that consistently show up. Remember that great company culture isn’t something you can dictate and slap on a wall; it’s something that’s built by employees and leaders in their daily actions. Last year at CareerPlug, we took our core values a step further and identified four **Culture Drivers**. These are specific behaviors we believe all of our employees share. We specifically look for these traits during our hiring process: **Scrapper** — passionate and persevering **Initiator** — leads with action **Learner** — exhibits a growth mindset **Giver** — generous and unselfish Though these official definitions are relatively new in our company history, the traits themselves are not. These four Culture Drivers were at the heart of CareerPlug’s identity a decade ago, and we’ve seen them exemplified in every successful member of our team. Today, they are our primary definition of culture fit. I want to share a short story on how I’ve seen one of these Culture Drivers play out in our business. I’ve been with CareerPlug for over five years, but there is a company habit that predates me that I love: every Friday we have an all-company meeting to share shout-outs. Shout-outs are a [public appreciation](https://bonus.ly/employee-recognition-guide/employee-recognition-examples) for other employees, usually tied to our core values. For example, “So & so went **Above & Beyond** to help me with X this past week.” The Friday company meeting has evolved over the years. It’s grown with our headcount, we’ve added office announcements, celebrated work anniversaries (we call them workiversaries), and occasionally given big company updates or presentations — but the shout-outs have stayed. We end the meeting, and the week, on gratitude. It’s become a cornerstone of our culture and something we have protected as we’ve grown. But here’s a different perspective on it. One former employee told me in his exit interview that he was never on board for the company meeting since he didn’t need the affirmation of the shouts-outs. It always felt a bit off to him. He acknowledged that he didn’t feel like he was a culture fit in that way. And he was right. He viewed the meeting as a time to receive praise, rather than practice gratitude. At CareerPlug, understanding the Friday meeting — whether or not you’re vocal about your shout-outs — is a key indicator of culture fit. It’s part of our Giver Culture Driver: having a mindset of [generosity and gratitude towards others](https://www.careerplug.com/the-benefits-of-giving-back/). In contrast, I’ve had countless new hires tell me that they loved their first Friday meeting. They appreciate that we take time to express gratitude each week — and they eagerly start giving shout-outs of their own. We don’t have to be the right culture fit for everyone, and neither does your company. We do need to bring culture fit into the hiring process so that employers, as well as candidates, can make the right decision. ### Evaluating for Culture Fit Now that you understand culture fit, let’s see how you can infuse culture fit interview questions into your hiring process. **First, Share Your Culture:** On your Careers Page and in your job postings, talk about your core values, how you define your culture, and the characteristics you value in all employees. Ask employees to write testimonials about what it’s like to work for you and share them on your Careers Page, or ask employees to post a company review on Glassdoor or Indeed. **Next, Interview for Culture Fit:** Culture fit shouldn’t be evaluated on a gut reaction — that’s how you can fall into some easy hiring bias traps that lean towards _they remind me of myself_ rather than _they share my values._ Use job interview questions that directly correlate to your core values or Culture Drivers. For example, we might have a question like this for each of our Culture Drivers: * Scrapper: Tell me about a time that you failed. * Initiator: Tell me about a time you went Above & Beyond what was expected of you. * Learner: Tell me about a time others knew more than you did. How did you close the gap? * Giver: What does generosity mean to you in the workplace? In reality, you’ll not only be evaluating for culture fit in the specific questions but throughout the interview process. The key is to have clear evaluation points in mind so you can look for values alignment in any answer. **Then, Let Candidates See Your Culture:** Let candidates witness your culture for themselves. Let them meet potential peers during the hiring process. Have them shadow an employee for an hour or an afternoon. How you hire should also give candidates an insight into your company culture. For example, if you ask applicants questions about learning and growth, they will know these are activities you value. ### TLDR: * Culture fit is not _who looks like us_. Culture fit is _who shares our values_. * Hires who are a good culture fit have better job satisfaction, higher job performance, and are more likely to stay. * Define culture fit by looking at your company’s practiced values and behaviors. * Evaluate for culture fit by writing interview questions tied to your core values and intentionally sharing your company culture as part of your employment brand. --- ## How to Hire Seasonal Employees **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees-archive/ * Posted on October 23, 2020 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris For industries like retail, [increased demand for seasonal employees in Q4](https://www.careerplug.com/retail-hiring-for-the-holidays/) is a holiday tradition as cherished as pumpkin pie. But 2020 is a year unlike any other. Retailers are expected to announce changes to how they present their annual Black Friday sales this year. For example, Walmart announced that in addition to having doorbuster deals online, they will have [three separate in-store sales events](https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/10/14/walmart-black-friday-shopping-three-events-deals-coronavirus/5975589002/) to replace a single day of Black Friday deals. Understandably, businesses don’t want to risk overcrowding stores amid the ongoing spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. With more people shopping from home, we could also see a shift in the types of seasonal roles that are typically available during the holidays. While seasonal staffing usually means an influx of store employees, we can expect 2020 to see an increase in “[the last mile](https://blog.talroo.com/the-last-mile-infographic)” roles –the employees who get consumer goods through “the last mile” to your doorstep. This can include warehouse and logistics employees, delivery drivers, personal shoppers, and other gig workers. Brick and mortar businesses will also need to be strategic about how to leverage their in-store staff to best serve customer needs and safety. Increased online ordering could mean store managers will need to increase the number of employees dedicated to fulfilling online and curbside pickups. High in-store traffic may require managers to deploy employees to focus exclusively on managing capacity limits and social distancing. For all of the unknowns the 2020 holiday shopping season presents, one thing will always remain true: **you must have a plan for recruiting the right people for your team during the busiest time of the year.** Here are our tips for how to hire seasonal employees. ### 1. Reduce your time-to-hire. Because the holiday shopping season will begin sooner in 2020, you’ll want to get your [job postings](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) up as soon as possible. Our data shows that in 2019, [retail businesses took an average of 22 days to make one hire](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/). Hiring managers will need to reduce that figure significantly for the holiday season. One easy solution is to **reduce the time it takes to contact applicants.** Our data finds that across all industries, it takes businesses an average of 7.52 days to contact a candidate after they apply. You can beat this figure by scheduling interviews on a [rolling basis](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-faster-in-2020/), which means inviting applicants in for interviews or phone screens as they apply. > In 2019, businesses took an average of **22 days** to make one hire. ### 2. Ask employees for referrals. While speed is the name of the game for hiring this holiday season, it’s important to make sure that it doesn’t come at the cost of quality. Luckily for hiring managers, employee referrals are a readily available source of quality candidates. Our data shows that referrals produce the lowest percentages of applicants and yet the highest percentages of hires. In fact, we found that **candidates from employee referrals were 85 times more likely to be hired****than applicants from job boards**, which means that employee referrals should be a major part of your recruiting strategy all the time, not just during the holidays. Referred candidates tend to be better company culture fits and can often be onboarded quicker. Consider creating an [employee referral program](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/) to incentivize your existing employees to recommend candidates. > Candidates from employee referrals are **85 times****more likely to be hired** than applicants from job boards. ### 3. Consider recruiting former employees. Another recruiting strategy that can help cut down on hiring time is [**boomerang hiring**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/boomerang-employees/),or rehiring former employees who have previously left the company. For many businesses that have had to layoff or furlough employees due to the pandemic, this can be an easy choice. **Boomerang employees are hired faster, ramped up faster, and result in fewer surprises.** **Pro tip:**Seasonal roles can also be a great employment option for college students who may have previously left your company due to scheduling conflicts with classes. Reach out to them and see if their current class schedule will work with your staffing needs, or if they’d be interested in working during their winter breaks. ### 4. Ask pre-screen questions that determine applicant availability. We spoke with retail management expert Josh Alexander, who advises that when it comes to seasonal employees, hiring for flexibility in schedule is key. “Many of your employees will usually ask for time off here and there during the holiday season, so [hiring seasonal employees](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/) with open schedules can help fill the gaps,” he says. **Pro tip:** Have candidates submit their availability as a prequalifying question on your job postings. Using an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/ats-benefits/) makes it easy to add prequalifying questions like this to the application and **automatically fast-track applicants who have the availability you need and gracefully reject those who don’t.**This can help save you precious time while also ensuring you’re getting the right people for your seasonal staffing needs. ### 5. Seek out candidates who already have industry experience. Alexander also advises: “If the candidate has some experience in the industry, it helps them get up to speed faster so **you don’t have to spend as much time training them on the basics.**” For example, while point-of-sale (POS) software might differ from one store to another, chances are the same basic skills will transfer over to whichever software you use. Other questions that can signal existing experience: * Do they know your brand well? * Do they know your products well? * Do they have experience working with customers? You can add these (and any custom questions you need) as pre-screening questions to your applications to better pre-qualify your candidates. Furthermore, since you may not be able to devote as much time to your training seasonal employees, experienced professionals can naturally lead by example for any newbies you might put onto a sales floor during the busy holiday shopping season. > An applicant tracking system can automatically fast-track applicants who check your most important boxes, like availability and experience level, and gracefully reject those who don’t. ### 6. Try creative interview methods to save time. When you need to evaluate a large applicant pool quickly, you may need to get creative with [your interview formats](https://www.careerplug.com/interviewing-for-retail/). Group interviews can be an effective way to save time. These can include a discussion portion where you ask the group questions that candidates answer individually and group exercises so you can evaluate their ability to work on a team. You might also consider doing [video interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/remote-hiring/) rather than in-person interviews. Not only are video interviews a safe option to limit physical contact during the pandemic, but they can be more efficient and easier to coordinate in terms of scheduling. **Pro tip:**One thing we do **not**recommend is [one-way video interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/one-way-video-interview/), in which job seekers record themselves answering a set of questions for the hiring manager to view later. The job seekers have spoken: they absolutely _hate_ one-way video interviews, and using them could be bad for your candidate experience. For more tips on how to hire remotely, check out the video below from CareerPlug’s Director of HR, Natalie Morgan. ### 7. Don’t forget the candidate experience. Speaking of [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) –it matters! In a recent CareerPlug study, we found that half of all job seekers surveyed have had a negative experience during a hiring process within the past year and **50% of respondents had declined a job offer due to poor experience.** When we look closer at the reasons job seekers declined an offer, **22% cited a negative experience with people in the interview process** as their primary reason. When you’ve got to hire the right people quickly, you can’t risk losing them to a negative candidate experience that’s entirely within your ability to control. Put your best foot forward when recruiting and hiring seasonal employees just as you would with any other employee. ### 8. Standardize your onboarding process before you make offers. If there’s one theme to this guide, it’s speed, speed, speed! And having a standardized [onboarding process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-onboarding-preparing-for-the-first-day/) in place _before_ you make job offers will allow your new seasonal employees to hit the ground running immediately. Remember that you may not be able to simply throw last year’s onboarding and training materials at your new seasonal workers. You may need to provide updated materials and safety guidance in the era of COVID-19. Take the time upfront to structure your onboarding process so that it can run like a well-oiled machine the moment your new team members walk through the door. You’ll thank yourself later. For more onboarding tips, check out the video below: ### 9. Hire like you’re hiring for permanent employees. This is the most important piece of advice on our list. Don’t fall into the trap of cutting corners because “it will just be temporary.” Josh Alexander advises: “Hire like you are going to keep them. If you find exceptional people in a seasonal role, do whatever you can to offer them a permanent role. You should always be looking for the right people who can help your business grow.” That’s why it’s important to**hire seasonal workers who match your core values and who fit your typical**[**ideal candidate profile**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/)**.** At the end of the day, the people you hire are going to represent your company, even if only for a season. Make sure they add value to your team and aren’t just a warm body there to do a temporary job. --- ## Hourly Workers Say Benefits Are Just as Valuable as Compensation for Employee Retention **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/impact-of-benefits-on-retention/ * Posted on April 11, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Though the last couple of years were stressful for most, if anything good came out of the pandemic era, it’s that employees of all industries began reevaluating their employers and their relationship to work. For the first time in a long time (or possibly ever!) employees realized that the power was in their hands to demand more from their employers. They began to take stock and reprioritize what was most important. Many people left their jobs ​​— [47.4 million people in 2021](https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/01/economy/us-job-openings-quite-december/index.html#:~:text=A%20record%20number%20of%20workers,of%20Labor%20Statistics%20reported%20Friday.) to be exact. And though there are many different [reasons why workers quit](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-employees-quit/), one thing is certain: Employers must step up and take the necessary action to retain their team. There are many things that employers can do to meet the needs of their employees, and offering the right benefits is a big one. But are the right benefits actually better than higher pay? Let’s discuss how benefits compare to compensation when it comes to [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) and which ones are the most important to employees. ### Benefits are just as valuable as compensation When thinking about retention, raising compensation is a logical first step. In a [recent survey of hourly workers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/), we found that **55% of all employees are currently seeking or will be seeking new employment in order to get a pay increase in 2022,**and 64% of those workers seeking an opportunity for a pay raise said they would stay at their current job if their employer gave them the compensation they were looking for. If [offering raises](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-to-give-employees-raises/) isn’t an option for your business right now, [what else can you do to keep your employees around](https://www.careerplug.com/prevent-turnover-without-raising-pay/)? We have good news! **66% of those employees said that they would stay at their current job if their employer offered additional benefits instead of a pay increase.**This means that when it comes to employee retention, benefits can be just as important as compensation. We asked the employees in our survey to rate which benefits they would be most likely to accept over increased compensation. The table below shows what they had to say. ### What benefits do employees want? ### Health insurance Though it’s not possible for every business, offering health insurance can lessen the financial burden on your employees and make medical care more accessible. This can help you attract new talent and retain the current members of your team. Depending on your industry, offering health insurance may have an even bigger impact on employee retention. Here are some of the industries that would most likely accept health insurance over a pay increase from their employer. * **38% in the**[**automotive industry**](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/automotive-hiring-software/)**said they would accept health insurance over a pay raise.** * **50% in**[**education and childcare**](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/education-and-child-care-hiring-software/) * **58% in hospitality, entertainment, and recreation** ### More paid time off More paid time off (PTO) is a fairly easy way to show employees that you’re committed to keeping them around. At CareerPlug, we offer unlimited PTO which has been a great benefit for our employees. Our Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan says it best: “At CareerPlug, we want our people to know that we trust them and we value their whole life, not just when they show up to work. Offering unlimited PTO puts the focus on results, rather than time spent at work, and gives employees the flexibility to take time off when they need it without calculating in their head how much time they can use and what they’ll have to save for later. Sometimes you need the afternoon to get your car fixed or attend an event at your child’s school and you shouldn’t have to weigh that against saving a day if you might get sick later in the year. It’s ultimately about trust and if you don’t have that with your employees you have a different problem to address than PTO.” Is it possible to give employees additional PTO to use as they please? How about some extra holidays or allowing them to take their birthdays off? This time can be really valuable and have a positive impact on your employees’ work/life balance. This will ultimately lead to more satisfied and productive employees and can even [prevent employee burnout](https://fortune.com/2022/01/25/avoiding-burnout-taking-vacation-days-great-resignation/). ### Professional development opportunities Professional development opportunities also ranked as an important benefit that job seekers would accept over compensation. Other data backs this up: A 2021 [Gallup survey](https://velocityglobal.com//blog/pros-and-cons-of-employee-upskilling/) found that **87% of millennials prioritize professional growth and development opportunities in the workplace.** One way we support [employee development](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) at CareerPlug is by using “Growth Plans” that employees work through with their manager. These plans include goals and skills that employees would like to learn. Managers then work with employees to create an actionable plan to reach these goals. We created a**Growth Plan template** that you can use to support employee development. Click the button below to download it right to your desktop. [growth Plan Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Growth-Plan-Template-1.docx) You might also consider providing a professional development stipend that allows employees to purchase books and classes or attend trainings on the company dime. ### Retirement plans Just over a third of Americans said that they’ve [never had a retirement account](https://www.bankrate.com/retirement/retirement-savings-survey-november-2021/#:~:text=before%20the%20pandemic.-,More%20than%20one%2Dthird%20of%20Americans%20don't%20have%20a,IRA%2C%20according%20to%20the%20survey.) and fewer than one in three American workers reported being on track or ahead of their retirement plan. Just as offering health insurance can lessen the financial burden on your employees, offering retirement plans can also set employees up for retirement and a brighter financial future. Employee sponsored retirement plans are a big point of consideration for many job seekers when evaluating a job opportunity and also seems to be an important benefit current employees would accept over an increase in pay. ### Fitness or healthy lifestyle incentives The employees in our survey also said that fitness or healthy lifestyle incentives would be an acceptable benefit instead of a pay increase. One way you might do this is to offer wellness days in addition to vacation or sick time and encourage employees to take time off for things like massages, hikes, retreats, etc. Some businesses also provide employees with a stipend to spend on local fitness classes or gym memberships. You might consider bringing classes to your employees and offer monthly yoga or meditation sessions either in person or over Zoom. ### Childcare benefits Many full-time employees struggle with balancing childcare with work. This disproportionately affects women who often carry the heavy burden of childcare and other household responsibilities. In 2020, [3.5 million mothers](https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/03/moms-work-and-the-pandemic.html) living with school-age children left active work, and these numbers have not improved much over the last couple of years. Assistance in paying for childcare or even offering on-site childcare can set you apart as an employer and make you an easier place to work for women with school age children. ### Flexible or remote working options Flexibility and the option to work from home have become hugely popular benefits. [One survey by FlexJobs](https://www.flexjobs.com//blog/post/survey-finds-varying-attitudes-millennials-older-workers-about-key-workplace-issues/)found that 70% of millennials have left or considered leaving a job because it lacked flexible work options, and about half of older workers report the same. In our survey, **44% in the**[**insurance and financial services industry**](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/insurance-hiring-software/)**said that flexible or remote working options was the benefit they would be most likely to accept over increased compensation.** With many companies returning to the office, a lot of workers are leaving their jobs for companies that have adopted remote working options. This means that not only can offering remote work keep your current employees around, it can also help you stand out to job seekers and attract more applicants to your open roles. ### Tuition reimbursement If feasible for your business, tuition assistance or reimbursement can be a great way to retain your employees and [invest in their career](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-for-careers/). Employees that feel genuinely valued are more likely to stay loyal to your business and will have increased knowledge and skills to help it grow. Oftentimes, companies that offer tuition reimbursement require participating employees to sign a contract to stay employed by them for a certain amount of time with stipulations if they decide to leave. Even if an employee does leave for a new opportunity, you can rest assured that they will have positive things to say about your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/)and the big impact that your company made on their career. This encourages other high performers to apply to your team. ### To sum it up The right compensation is clearly an important part of being a great place to work. You may consider using the [compensation calculator on Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/career/salary-calculator) to be sure that you are offering comparable compensation. If you are, your next step should be to incorporate some of the benefits listed above. In an economy where job seekers and employees have more power than ever, offering competitive benefits can be a powerful way to attract new talent and keep the right people on your team. --- ## Avoiding the “I Quit”: How Employee Turnover Can Impact Your Entire Franchise System **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/impact-of-turnover-on-franchise-system/ * Posted on July 23, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris It’s no secret that high turnover can negatively impact businesses, but this impact goes far beyond the time, effort, and money it takes to constantly be hiring. The revolving door of “Welcome” followed by “I Quit” can not only impede the success of individual franchisees, but it can significantly impact an entire franchise system – even when isolated to a few locations. According to the International Franchise Association’s [2024 Franchising Economic Outlook report,](https://www.franchise.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/2024%20Franchising%20Economic%20Report.pdf)the franchise industry is expected to add 221,000 jobs this year, for a total of 8.9 million people employed by franchised businesses. Even so, some franchisees are experiencing the effects of dissatisfied employees and high turnover. In our annual [Candidate Experience Report,](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) we found that **49% of employees across multiple industries have thought about leaving their jobs in the last year.** ### The impact of high turnover on business operations In addition to managers and franchisees, a system’s Franchise Business Consultants, field coaches, and operations leaders are likely to experience some of the most glaring effects of high employee turnover. Turnover affects the entire franchise system, and more than likely, you’ve already felt this in your organization. Let’s take a closer look at the impact. ### Losing experienced employees Smooth operations require many moving parts, from integrated technology to teamwork, but one thing is for certain: **experienced employees matter.** That is not to say that many franchises do not or should not employ individuals new to the workforce; it is simply to say that those who have solid training and learn on the job oftentimes become excellent leaders, mentors, and examples for new employees. Think about the growing pains that come along with opening a new location. Most of the time, even with the most well-prepared teams, it takes a bit to get “into the jive” of things, and each team learns how they can improve operations as they go. They can then share the valuable insights they’ve learned along the way with new employees – that is, of course, if they are still working there. ### Staffing shortages High turnover may also result in significant staffing shortages. It’s only been a few years since the great [labor shortage](https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/understanding-americas-labor-shortage-the-most-impacted-industries), one which was particularly felt by the food service and hospitality sectors. Staffing shortages create an added strain on your business, impacting your existing team and potentially creating poor customer experiences. ### How turnover affects the customer experience Speaking of the customer experience, Chief Marketing Officers and Directors of Customer Experience may also experience the effects of high employee turnover. Oftentimes, work culture and the customer experience go hand in hand. When employees are unhappy, there is usually little motivation to perform at a high standard. This can mean a lapse in brand and operational standards, as well as customer service. According to one survey, “[85% of respondents](https://blogs.idc.com/2021/09/17/employee-experience-and-customer-experience-what-is-the-connection/) agree that an improved **employee experience and higher employee engagement translate to a better customer experience, higher customer satisfaction, and higher revenues for their organization.**” Plus, the businesses that are the most personable drive the most loyalty. When a regular customer stops in and the same employees are helping them each time, they begin to recognize each other and oftentimes, form casual relationships. When your turnover rate is high, it’s impeding on this crucial component of the customer experience – one that can set you apart from competitors. Not only is customer experience important to drive loyalty, but in a digital age when customers can leave a public review within a matter of minutes, it is essential to maintain a positive reputation, or [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). Even a few locations with bad reviews can impede on your franchise’s success. ### High turnover and franchise development On the franchise development side, it is common to explore qualifying factors in franchise leads such as financial stability, (sometimes) business experience, and similar values.While most franchises offer leadership training for new zees, qualifying prospective franchisees _as employers_ may not always be top-of-mind. Consequently, any franchise development leader will tell you that due diligence is important on both sides. Remember that franchisee candidates are doing their research, too – as are the brokers and consultants helping them in [their journey to entrepreneurship](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-buy-a-franchise/). The last thing you want is for prospective franchisees to Google your locations near them and see a slew of negative customer or employee reviews that are stemming from high turnover, staffing shortages, and poor experiences. ### High turnover and profitability In business, one of the best ways to boost profitability is by maintaining control of your expenses, and high turnover comes with a price. It’s estimated [the cost of replacing](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/247391/fixable-problem-costs-businesses-trillion.aspx) an individual employee can range from **one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary.** Finances are just one part of this price. Think of the time and effort hiring, onboarding, and training new employees can take. Not only can this add a lot to an FBC, field coach, manager, or franchisee’s plate, but sometimes, marketing and external partners may be needed to help recruit new employees or do “damage control” on bad press or reviews. ### What can franchisors do about it? A robust franchisee support program is essential to overall success, and **equipping franchisees to build and retain high-performing teams** can do wonders for your franchise system. Join me and our group of expert panelists,[Clint Smith](https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintsmithcareerplug/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3BfnlDrSn0S0GwB35GrPCnCA%3D%3D), [Angela Coté](https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelacoteinc/), and [Scott Greenberg](https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-greenberg-1b17539/) on **August 15th at 12pm Central (**1pm EST), for our **Retention Revolution webinar series**, where we’ll provide more insights on how you can empower owners to drive employee satisfaction through onboarding and beyond. [Register today!](https://careerplug.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_y-N7bJHES2uollwMNUai8A#/registration) [Register now](https://careerplug.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_y-N7bJHES2uollwMNUai8A#/registration) ### About the author _As the Senior Marketing Manager of Partner Acquisition at CareerPlug, Lizzy leverages her franchise experience and entrepreneurial background to help franchisors and business networks equip their owners to build and retain high-performing teams. As a Certified Franchise Executive and a Top Franchising Voice on LinkedIn, she enjoys serving as a resource to executives, individual business owners, and fellow suppliers._ --- ## 5 Key Management Skills to Look for in New Franchisees **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/key-management-skills-for-franchisees/ * Posted on September 16, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris [Choosing the right franchisees](https://www.careerplug.com/the-franchisee-journey/) is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a franchisor. A franchisee is not just an owner — they represent your brand to customers, manage teams, and ensure profitability. Selecting the wrong franchisee can have far-reaching consequences affecting your brand reputation, customer experience, and employee retention. Not all franchisees will have a background in management or business, but the right skills and mindset can help make them successful. In this article, we’ll review what you should look for when considering a new franchisee and how to attract the right candidates to expand your franchise. ### Why choosing the right franchisees matters A great franchisee helps build your brand’s legacy, while a poor fit can undermine it. Some factors that can be impacted by your choice of franchisee include your: * **Brand reputation:** Every franchisee becomes an ambassador for your brand, directly impacting how the public perceives it. * **Customer experience:** Franchisees (and the teams they hire) are on the front lines, so their management and customer service skills determine how satisfied customers are. * **Profitability:**A franchisee’s business acumen and management style are key factors in whether their location thrives or struggles. * **Employee satisfaction and turnover:**The way franchisees lead their teams will affect [employee morale and retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/), and [high turnover can be costly](https://www.careerplug.com/impact-of-turnover-on-franchise-system/) both in time, resources, and impacts each of the above areas. Clearly, you don’t want to let just anyone represent your brand and expand your business. Let’s go over some of the skills that you might want to look for when choosing franchisees. ### Five skills to look for in new franchisees ### Ability to inspire and motivate Great franchisees are more than just managers — they are leaders. When employees feel valued and motivated, they are more likely to be engaged and deliver superior performance. A franchisee who [cultivates a positive, team-oriented environment](https://www.careerplug.com/maintaining-a-winning-franchise-culture-as-you-scale/) can create a ripple effect that drives success. It’s important to point out that some franchisee candidates may not have much real-world experience with managing employees. This doesn’t mean that they don’t still possess valuable leadership skills. It’s almost important to consider the potential of any franchisees and how you might be able to support their development. As founder and CEO of CareerPlug, Clint Smith, shares, “You have to show them how to lead. Many franchisees haven’t been in leadership or management positions before. It’s about the attitude they take with their employees. Do they make people feel like they have more than just a job and that they are valued?” ### Willingness to trust and delegate One of the most important skills for franchisees is recognizing that success is a team effort. When a franchisee gets too caught up in working _in_ the business, they don’t have time to work _on_ the business. And trying to micromanage every aspect of the business can lead to burnout and inefficiency. Franchisees who trust their staff and delegate responsibilities are able to focus on growing the business and delivering on strategic objectives. You can help here by emphasizing the importance of a strong [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) when it comes to finding employees your franchisee can trust. You can set your franchisee up for success in this area by offering a [hiring and retention solution like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) as a resource. CareerPlug can help your franchisees attract higher quality candidates, so they can build a reliable team. ### Alignment with your brand Franchisees must align with your [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) and company culture, as these are essential parts of your brand. When a franchisee understands and believes in your mission, they are more likely to replicate your success across their location(s). [During a recent webinar](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/webinar-avoiding-the-i-quit/), we discussed the importance of core value alignment, not only for franchisees, but for potential employees as well. Strong core values can make it easier for your franchisees to hire the right people for their team. You can revisit that conversation here and learn other ways to save your franchisees time and money: ### Flexibility to roll with the punches The business landscape is unpredictable, and a franchisee’s ability to adapt is crucial. Whether it’s managing supply chain issues, handling customer complaints, or navigating economic downturns, franchisees need to be flexible and resilient. Look for candidates who have a history of problem-solving under pressure. ### Exceptional customer service skills Ultimately, customer satisfaction is the backbone of any successful franchise. Franchisees must have a customer-first mindset and be able to train their teams to provide excellent service. There are a variety of ways that potential franchisees might gain customer service experience. Dig into their background and experience and ask them questions that can help you get a better understanding of their customer service skills. ### How to attract the right franchisees Attracting franchisees with these key skills can significantly boost your brand’s success. Here are a few strategies to help you find those top-tier candidates: * **Showcase your star franchisees:**Highlighting successful franchisees in your franchise development efforts demonstrates what makes a great partner. * **Launch a referral program:**Encourage your existing franchisees to refer people from their networks who may be a great fit for your brand. * **Set clear manager expectations early:** During the Discovery process, ensure prospective franchisees understand your expectations for management and leadership. By focusing on these essential skills and qualities, you can build a network of franchisees who will take your brand to new heights. ### Become a top employer in franchising Learn how to build a franchise model that helps franchisees retains employees and accelerates the growth of your brand. Be the first to download our free guide on becoming a top employer in franchising. JOIN THE WAITLIST --- ## Looking beyond the resume: How to hire for growth potential **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/ * Posted on November 25, 2019 * by Natalie Morgan When you imagine [hiring the ideal candidate](https://www.careerplug.com/superman-is-busy-hiring-real-people/), you’re probably thinking of someone who has all of the needed skills to be successful and grow your business. You want someone who’s had the training, has the licenses, and _has done the exact job before_. When you want a sales associate to sell insurance, you want them licensed to sell insurance. When you want a manager to run your gym, you want them to have run a gym before. It makes sense. But, in reality, this approach greatly limits your ability to find top talent by excluding all the candidates who can quickly grow into the role and achieve success. **When you hire based only on who someone is today, you miss out on hiring for growth potential.** Sometimes a talent or technical skill might truly be necessary from day one on the job. For example, at CareerPlug we need our software engineers to know how to write code when they walk in the door. On the other hand, we might not require them to be able to write code in the programming languages we use if they’ve shown they can learn quickly and have experience in similar languages. Yes, it’s ideal that they already know our tech stack. But what’s more important to us is hiring someone who has high potential and will be a long-term fit on our team, even if it means a little extra ramp time. Does this apply to any of your positions? If you’re requiring a certain skill because you don’t want to take the time to train someone, think carefully about that decision before you eliminate potentially great hires. Unemployment is low across most industries right now ([in insurance it was 1.7% in October 2019](https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag524.htm)!). That means it’s even more difficult to find qualified candidates who check all your boxes. It’s time to look beyond the resume and identify emerging talent. Every high performer had to get their start somewhere with no experience to their name. Someone gave them a shot. Why not you? ### How to Look for Growth Potential ### Evaluate Soft Skills When someone doesn’t have the skills, you need to look at their talents and behaviors that will help indicate that they can develop those skills. We’ve heard stories from clients who recruited a server at a restaurant they visited after seeing how excellently they provided service or how effectively they upsold dessert! Think about the soft skills that are necessary for the role. For sales roles, this may be someone outgoing, who’s great at building relationships, and who demonstrates persistence in the face of obstacles. Most people can be taught to follow a sales process, but it’s much harder to teach someone how to be resilient or charismatic. Maybe someone has never sold health club memberships before but they are passionate and knowledgeable about their own fitness. This authentic interest may uniquely allow them to motivate and influence others. A lot of these soft skills can be evaluated just one step beyond the resume review during a short phone screen. To assess soft skills, ask someone what they like best and least about their current role. This will help you get a feel for what lights them up and what might be transferable to your opening. For example, maybe the best part of someone’s delivery job is building relationships with their vendors, and you need someone to build relationships with prospective clients. ### Evaluate Trajectory A candidate may have not done this job before, but chances are they’ve done _a_ job. Get curious about what their trajectory looked like in other roles or industries. Did they keep the same responsibilities for three years or did they learn and take on more? What did they do when new opportunities to grow arose? You want to know that they’ve demonstrated initiative and an ability to learn quickly. Interview questions like these can help: * Tell me about a time when you knew less than others about a topic or task. What did you do to get up to speed? * Tell me about a time when you went beyond your manager’s expectations to get the job done. * When did you take on new responsibilities in your role? What or who initiated this change? ### Evaluate Motivation When you hire for growth potential, you want to hire emerging talent with a _growth mindset_. This comes from [Carol Dweck’s research](https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means) that showed some people believe that their talents are innate and cannot be changed (fixed mindset) and others who believe their talents can be developed (growth mindset). You want to hire people who believe that hard work, resilience, feedback from others, and good strategies pay off. You want people who believe they can be better and actively work towards that goal. This will help your business be better too. To uncover a candidate’s mindset, you can use a specific strategy: asking motivational interview questions. Ask candidates about what motivates them, when they’ve felt demotivated, and how they’ve dealt with failure. Ask about when they’ve received coaching and how they responded to it. Answers to questions like these will give you miles more insight than a quick resume review ever could and may [uncover hidden talent](https://www.careerplug.com/the-diamonds-in-the-rough/) with high growth potential. ### Take Action: * Evaluate your job requirements. Determine which skills are _must-haves_ vs. _nice-to-haves_ when someone first starts the new job * Take candidates one step beyond the resume review and conduct phone screens to check for transferable skills * Review your interview guides and add questions to your hiring process that help uncover someone’s growth potential --- ## The Ultimate Guide to Recruiting on Social Media **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-on-social-media/ * Posted on March 22, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris In 2020, it was estimated that over [3.6 billion people were using social media](https://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/#:~:text=How%20many%20people%20use%20social,almost%204.41%20billion%20in%202025.) worldwide and this number is expected to rise to 4.41 billion by 2025. Businesses have taken advantage of the popularity of social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and more to promote their business and build their brands. Social media can also be a really useful tool for recruiting. [Glassdoor](https://resources.glassdoor.com/65-hr-recruiting-stats-2018.html) shares that **79 percent of job seekers use social media when conducting their job search,**and 83 percent of organizations are [recruiting via social media](https://novoresume.com/career-blog/recruitment-statistics). If you’re not using social media as a hiring tool, you could be missing out on a lot of talent, but with so many different platforms, each with different features, it can be hard to know where to start. Let’s go over some of our biggest tips for recruiting on social media so that you can make the most of your business’s social media accounts and start attracting and hiring more talent. ### Inside this guide: #### Table of Contents 1. [Build your employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-on-social-media/#employer-brand) 2. [Know where your audience is](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-on-social-media/#audience) 3. [Encourage employees to use their networks](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-on-social-media/#encourage-employees) 4. [Use search features to find candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-on-social-media/#search-features) 5. [Use Facebook groups](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-on-social-media/#facebook) 6. [Measure results](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-on-social-media/#measure-results) 7. [Use an ATS to make social media recruiting easier](https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-on-social-media/#use-ats) ### Use social media to build your employer brand When you think about recruiting on social media, the first thing to come to mind is probably using social platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to share your job postings. Social media is also the perfect place to show off your [company’s values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) and culture and build a positive [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). This can make a huge impact on your recruitment, since many candidates take into consideration a business’s reputation when deciding whether or not to work for a company. There’s usually some overlap between your customers and your potential employees. Make sure to post consistently to various platforms and try to create content that’s so engaging that future job seekers will want to interact with it. On-brand content that connects with people and stands out can make active and passive job seekers excited when you do post your open jobs. Here are some ideas for content that can build your employer brand: * Share photos of your employees working together in the office (or over Zoom if you’re fully remote like we are!) * Share [employee testimonial videos](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/). * Share your industry expertise. * Share your company story; help your audience get to know your business and its mission. ### Know where your audience is It’s good to make use of all the popular social media sites if you can, but depending on your company and the type of position you are hiring for, you might have better luck recruiting on some sites over others. The key thing here is to know what type of social media your target job seekers are using. Creating an [Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) can help you figure out exactly what kind of job seekers you are looking for and give you a better idea of where those job seekers might be hanging out online. Chipotle, the popular restaurant chain, is a great example of this in action. In order to [reach more Gen Z applicants](https://www.nrn.com/fast-casual/chipotle-mexican-grill-taps-tiktok-recruitment-tool), they began recruiting on the popular video sharing app [TikTok](https://www.tiktok.com/en/). And other businesses, like the large hotel chain, [Marriott](https://www.marriott.com/default.mi), have separate recruiting accounts on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/) to reach their target job seekers. Just because you might be unfamiliar with a social platform doesn’t mean your ideal candidates aren’t actively using it everyday. Be open to branching out and meeting those candidates where they are online. ### Encourage employees to share to their networks Social sharing is powerful and [employee referrals](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/) can often lead to great hires. Get the best of both worlds by asking current employees to share any job openings with their network. This greatly expands your reach and continues building your brand as a great place to work. It’s important to make it easy for current employees to share your open jobs online. At CareerPlug, we’ve recently started creating eye-catching graphics for open jobs that look good on our feed and encourage employees to share them on their own. ### Use search features to find potential candidates For active recruiting you can use [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/) to post and share your jobs, but you can also take advantage of their advanced search features to find candidates that match the qualifications you’re looking for. You can search for candidates by skills, endorsements, job title, and other keywords. Some of [LinkedIn’s features](https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/product-overview?src=go-pa&trk=google_job-mktg_s_cid_12325100779_cname_LTS-F_NAMER_US_T1_EN-US_SEM_SEM_GoogleAds_NA_DSK_NA_NA_Core_FieldLP_NoTheme-MKAG_Brand_Exact_tid_kwd-307438858763_crid_498791316876&mcid=6842166157118714040&cid=&trk2=ga_campid=12325100779_asid=119445537242_crid=498791316876_kw=linkedin%20recruiter_d=c_tid=kwd-307438858763_n=g_mt=e_geo=9029016_slid=183198122832&gclid=Cj0KCQjwz7uRBhDRARIsAFqjulm0aah_I_r-ezqET_lbXDqHm_HcMpwmZfiJ8Wwk9oTeI-CUgf1WCU0aAsEwEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) require an upgrade to a premium account, but many of the search features are free and can help you find profiles that meet your criteria. Using search features on social media can help you target individuals and engage with them one-to-one. You can also view the profiles of any applicants to get a better understanding of their past work experience and professional presence online. ### Use Facebook groups In early 2022 [Facebook announced](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/982945655901961) that it was ending its jobs integrations affecting all applicant tracking systems, including CareerPlug. This means that you can no longer automatically share your open jobs from CareerPlug to the Facebook organic feed and your business profile. However, we still encourage clients to use Facebook to manually post jobs and to utilize Facebook groups to reach more applicants. In the “Groups” section of Facebook, just search “[Your City] jobs.” For example, here are the first few search results for the term “Portland jobs.” Note that each group has several thousand members, making it a viable option for sourcing candidates who are active in their communities. These groups are also a great way to network with other local business owners and keep up with the local jobs landscape. ### Measure results Like other key performance indicators (or KPIs) in your business, it’s important to keep track and analyze how your social media recruiting strategy is performing so that you can make adjustments as you go. Some things you will want to think about: * **Traffic:** How many of your applicants came from each social channel? * **Conversions:** How many views turned to applicants? How many applicants turned to interviews? * **Engagement:** Which posts are performing well? Which aren’t? ### Use an ATS to make social media recruiting easier Using an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/ats-benefits/) (or ATS) like CareerPlug can help with some aspects of recruiting on social media. One way is by making it easier to share your job listings with your followers. Through CareerPlug’s software, you can automatically post open jobs to LinkedIn and share to Facebook and Twitter in just a few clicks. Within CareerPlug’s applicant tracking software, you can also analyze the performance of your different sources to learn whether the social media site to which you shared your job is producing any clicks and/or applicants. You can keep track of which applicants came from where and which of those turned into hires. ### Ready to get online? When it comes to recruiting, it’s important to have high quality applicants [coming from many sources](https://www.careerplug.com/best-places-post-jobs/). Using social media as a recruiting tool can help you reach more applicants, while also building your employer brand and online presence. Encourage employees to share your job openings to expand your reach even further, and take advantage of search features on LinkedIn. Don’t forget to measure the results of your efforts and adjust your strategy accordingly. These steps can help social media recruiting work for your business and make a huge impact on your hiring process. ### Want to see what an ATS can do for your recruiting strategy? CareerPlug can help you share your open jobs to a variety of applicant sources and automate other parts of your hiring process including interview scheduling and candidate evaluation. For a glimpse inside our software, click the button below. [TRY CAREERPLUG](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Retail: The Hiring Process **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/retail-the-hiring-process/ * Posted on August 19, 2016 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris ### **Turnover Challenges in Retail** Hiring in the retail industry is challenging. Management consulting firm, [The Hays Group](https://www.cnbc.com/2014/09/23/retail-turnover-rates-on-the-rise.html), estimates [turnover among part-time retail employees](https://www.careerplug.com/retail-avoid-the-high-price-of-a-bad-hire/) to be as high as 75 percent. Retraining three quarters of your store’s workforce each year gets expensive. Couple that with the [rising costs of providing a competitive wage](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-06/why-retailers-are-suddenly-desperate-to-keep-their-least-valuable-workers) and it is not difficult to see that retailers need to do anything they can to retain employees. Your people often drive revenue in retail environments, so having brand knowledgeable employees also becomes critically important to the customer experience. ### **Identifying the Right Applicants** There are countless articles about how to retain your hourly staff – higher wages, cross-training, making them feel valued, etc., but what if you started by making sure you are hiring the right people in the first place? Too often we hear, “I just need a warm body. It’s just an hourly associate.” Just a warm body won’t help you sell more furniture, more clothes, or super-size more meals. There are certain characteristics in each of those employees that can help them to be successful, thus making them happier, more engaged, and more likely to stay. Getting the right people hired all starts at the front end of your hiring process and ensuring you are properly screening candidates. First of all, you need to make it easy for the hourly workforce to apply. The days of the paper application are over and mobile is quickly taking over, with [50% of retail applicants](https://blog.indeed.com/2014/11/25/two-opportunities-for-job-seekers-employers-this-holiday-season/) searching and applying from their mobile device. Next, take the guesswork out of who you are spending your time with. Rather than looking at where someone went/goes to high school on an application (not relevant to their ability to upsell the ottoman with that couch), ask a few pre-qualifying questions about their experience, motivation, etc. It will save them time on the application and it will save you time in reviewing. ### **Use Benchmarks to Hire Confidently** Once you’ve established (based on pre-qualification) that someone meets your base line requirements, leverage tools that are available to make sure they have the characteristics to make them successful in your retail environment. An hourly employee who is going to be successful as a furniture salesperson is not necessarily the same profile as someone who will be successful as a cashier at a children’s retailer. But, hey…”just get me a warm body.” You know what it takes to be successful in your retail environment, so test your existing staff to create benchmarks for what those successful characteristics look like and measure your applicants to those standards. With a sales hire, for example, look for candidates who are persistent, rank high in achievement striving, and show high integrity. Simplify your recruiting workflow, remove the guess work from your hiring decisions, and systematize your process so that you can begin to make better hires and reduce turnover. ### **CareerPlug Can Help** While this sounds like a radical change to the way you’ve always done things, it is really a process optimization that will make for a more positive applicant experience, a more data driven hiring process, and lower turnover for the company in the long run. CareerPlug can help to put these processes in place for you in one easy to use recruiting and applicant tracking system. We understand the importance of human capital and the impact changes in your labor force can have on your bottom line. Contact us today or learn more at [https://www.careerplug.com](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/). --- ## The Ultimate Guide to Screening and Evaluating Job Candidates **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-evaluation/ * Posted on December 7, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris The value of candidate evaluation cannot be understated. Your team is the heart of your business and good hires have the greatest impact on overall success. The best way to ensure you’re hiring the right people for your team is by **screening and evaluating candidates effectively**with a consistent, [proven hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/). If you’re scrambling to fill an important position or need to make a lot of hires quickly, candidate evaluation becomes even more challenging, and you may find yourself skipping important steps or rushing into bad hiring decisions. But candidate evaluation is crucial during a hiring process, and it’s worth taking the time to do it correctly! We’re sharing our top tips for screening and assessing job applicants and candidates to help you make better hires. #### Table of Contents 1. [Creating an Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-evaluation/#ideal-candidate) 2. [Pre-screening questions for job applicants](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-evaluation/#pre-screening) 3. [Reviewing resumes](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-evaluation/#resumes) 4. [Interview tips](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-evaluation/#interview) 5. [Reference and background checks](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-evaluation/#reference) 6. [How to avoid hiring bias](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-evaluation/#hiring-bias) 7. [Building a consistent hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/candidate-evaluation/#process) ### Creating an Ideal Candidate Profile To be effective at candidate evaluation, **you have to know what kind of person you are looking for to fill your open roles.**It can be hard to measure someone’s skills and experience without first setting standards and minimum requirements. Once you have written your job description, dive deeper into what your ideal candidate looks like. At CareerPlug, we write it all down in an [Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/). Check out an example below: **Getting clear on the experience and skills you want from your next hire makes it easier to determine when a qualified person has applied.** You can continue to use your Ideal Candidate Profile as a guidepost through the interview stage, and it can help you make a decision when comparing your top choices. ### Download a Free Ideal Candidate Profile Template Use our template and guide to get clear on who you need for your open role and simplify candidate evaluation. GET MY TEMPLATE To learn more about creating an Ideal Candidate Profile and how to use it for hiring, check out this video from Natalie Morgan, our Senior Director of People: ### Pre-screening questions for job applicants **You can streamline candidate evaluation by including**[**pre-screen questions on your application**](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/)**.**Two to three questions can help you immediately weed out applicants that don’t meet the minimum qualifications for your open roles. Pre-screen questions serve as a gatekeeper. You know that any applicants that make it past this stage have at least the bare minimum requirements for your job. Pre-screen questions also save you a lot of time and guesswork when you’re trying to hire quickly. Keep in mind that too many pre-screen questions can overwhelm applicants, cause a poor [application experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/application-experience/), and even cause them to abandon your application. Include only a few relevant and meaningful questions on your application. Some things you might want to ask include: * Work availability * Required licenses, certifications, or degrees * Number of years experience in a certain role or industry ### Reviewing resumes [Reviewing candidate resumes](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/) is the most effective way to determine whether or not you want to invite someone for an interview. Resumes can tell you a lot about a candidate – if you know what to look for. Here are some elements to focus on. ### The candidate’s location Simple, but important – the first thing to look for if you are hiring for an in-person position is the candidate’s location. If you don’t recognize the address, then type the ZIP/Postal code into an online search. If you get a qualified candidate who does not live nearby, don’t rule them out just yet. It may be worth a conversation (or at least an email/text) to see if they plan to [relocate to your area](https://www.careerplug.com/asking-candidates-to-relocate/). ### Candidate’s objective Next, move to the summary or objective section if the resume has one. Look for keywords that help you determine if the candidate has the experience you’re looking for and see if you can tell what next step the candidate wants to take in their career. This is a good place to look for any major discrepancies – like if you’re hiring for an entry-level client support role and the candidate has written they are looking for a management position. These don’t always have to be deal-breakers, but it doesn’t hurt to take notes on whether or not you and this candidate are aligned on what the role entails. ### Minimum qualifications Pre-screen questions should help you determine whether someone meets your minimum qualifications, but double check that the resume includes those must-haves you are looking for. ### Work history When reviewing work history, look for specific examples of the impact a candidate has made. Dig deeper than just the job title; pay attention to how the candidate describes the role and responsibilities. This section gives you a great idea of a candidate’s track record as an employee. Take a look at the story that the resume tells you: Do you see someone constantly advancing on a career path or an inconsistent job hopper? Past behavior is usually a good predictor of the future. ### Growth potential A specific job history isn’t the only indicator that someone might be successful in a role. Evaluate resumes for soft skills and [growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/). **Soft skills in unrelated positions might be more valuable than an employee that checks all the work history boxes, but has no proven results or measurable professional growth.** Check out this video to learn more about looking for growth potential while evaluating candidates: ### Ask clarifying questions Sometimes a resume might make you excited about a candidate, but leave you with a few questions. **Don’t make any assumptions about a candidate before asking some clarifying questions.**You can do this during an initial phone screen or even send a quick text or email to get a little more context before moving a candidate forward. ### Interview tips Once you’ve reviewed resumes, it’s time to move qualified candidates to the interview stage. [Conducting great interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/) is important. Not only is this your chance to get to know potential hires, it’s also an opportunity to sell your company and create a [positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/). ### Interview preparation In our annual [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we’ve consistently found that a **negative experience with people in the interview process was one of the top**[**reasons candidates turned down a job.**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-candidates-turn-down-job-offers/) Preparing for interviews ahead of time not only helps you evaluate candidates more effectively – it also improves your chances of getting those top choice candidates to say yes to your job offers. Before the interview: 1. Review the Ideal Candidate Profile and make sure you have a firm grasp on the role. 2. Know what you need to evaluate and be able to answer candidate questions that may arise. 3. Prepare your interview questions ahead of time. 4. Review the candidate’s resume, cover letter, and any other relevant data you may have collected (like assessment reports or phone screen notes). 5. Share the candidate’s information with other interviewers so everyone can walk in as prepared as you. The video below gives more advice on interview preparation: ### Interview formats and types There are several ways to conduct an interview and get to know your candidates. More than likely, you will use more than one type and format depending on the number of candidates you have and the nature of the role you are trying to fill. **Structured interviews**are when an interviewer prepares a fixed set of questions to ask candidates and does not deviate from these questions at all. **Unstructured interviews** are a more natural conversation style of interviewing where interviewers can follow their curiosity and ask more tailored questions. **Hybrid interviews**are a combination of both structured and unstructured interviews. These can take a little more skill as they require an interviewer to know when they should stay on course and when it’s ok to deviate. This can be an excellent way to get to know your candidates on a deeper level and ask all candidates the same primary questions. If you’re new to interviewing, it can be helpful to stick to a more structured approach. ### Common interview questions **Verification interview questions** are used to verify a candidate’s credentials and experience. They can be thought of as “fact-based” questions. For example: “What were your dates of employment? or “What were your job responsibilities?” **Opinion interview questions** ask about a candidate’s perspective or opinion and can provide valuable insight into how a candidate thinks, what motivates them, what values they hold, and how they solve problems. **Behavioral questions** ask for examples of how a candidate has behaved in the past, like: “Tell me about the last time you received feedback and how you responded to it.” Most interviews will have a mix of verification, opinion, and behavioral questions. When deciding which questions are right for you, first return to your Ideal Candidate Profile. Review the desired skills, talents, and behaviors for the role — what questions will help you evaluate those criteria? You can also match interview questions with your company’s [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) to ensure you’re hiring people who align with your [company culture.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) ### Reference and background checks We know it can be tempting for employers to skip the background and [reference checks](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reference-check-questions/) when you’re in a hurry to hire – but don’t! There are many important reasons why you should conduct both reference and background checks like workplace safety, data verification, and improved team quality. There are many types of [background checks](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-background-checks/): * Criminal background checks * Drug screening * Employment and education verifications * Civil record checks * Driver record checks * Identity checks Establish a list of necessary checks consistent with your profession and business ethics. For example, if the job involves working with children, a criminal history check is mandatory. Reference checks, which involve talking to a candidate’s previous managers or colleagues, can help you fact-check what you’ve learned about a candidate so far – which is important considering **40% of**[**people lie on their resumes**](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/what-happens-if-you-lie-on-your-resume#:~:text=It%20is%20estimated%20that%2040,of%20employment%20and%20previous%20salary.)**and three out of four employers have caught candidates in a lie.**Be sure to ask specific questions, targeted at what you’d most like to know about an applicant. ### How to avoid hiring bias When evaluating candidates, it’s important to stay objective, and make sure that unconscious bias isn’t affecting your hiring decisions. [**Unconscious bias**](https://diversity.ucsf.edu/programs-resources/training/unconscious-bias-training)**refers to social stereotypes about certain groups of people that individuals form outside their own conscious awareness.** Everyone – and we mean _everyone_– has unconscious bias. But it’s important to recognize when those biases crop up so you can avoid making flawed hiring decisions. The best way to [avoid hiring bias](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/7-ways-to-avoid-hiring-bias/) is to become aware of it. This means educating yourself and your team on common hiring biases that might affect your organization. We go over nine of the most common biases in the video below: **Having a consistent process for evaluating candidates will help you mitigate hiring bias.** Your Ideal Candidate Profile, pre-screen questions, and skill assessments are important tools in evaluating candidates across the same measurable criteria. Make sure to take detailed notes throughout every stage of the hiring process and [include other leaders in your decision making](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-a-team-effort/) if you can. ### Building a consistent hiring process Having an outlined and repeatable hiring process makes identifying the right people for your team much easier. Without a structured hiring process, it’s easy to fall into costly hiring mistakes. On the other hand, a clear hiring process creates a better candidate experience and ensures that your hiring decisions are based on objective and consistent candidate evaluation. You’ll want to have a system that helps you stick to the process. Create a hiring process checklist and **use an**[**applicant tracking system**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/ats-benefits/)**(ATS) like CareerPlug** to help you evaluate quickly and consistently. ### Quickly Identify the Most Qualified Candidates Candidate evaluation doesn’t have to slip through the cracks, even when you’re busy! CareerPlug’s ATS makes evaluating candidates quick and easy with pre-screen questions in the application, built-in assessments, and interview scorecards. [TRY CAREERPLUG FOR FREE](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Ask a Hiring Expert: How to Make a Job Offer **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/closing-the-deal-how-to-hire-the-right-person/ * Posted on November 8, 2019 * by Natalie Morgan You’ve done the work, and you know the type of candidate you want to hire. You’ve conducted dozens of interviews and are on the precipice of making that final hiring decision. You want to slam on the gas pedal at this stage and send an offer — _you’re ready_ — but this is a moment where it’s beneficial to verify your decision. In this post I’ll talk about the verification steps at the end of your hiring process, deciding on your final candidate, and strategies to help you close the deal. ### Trust But Verify: Conduct Reference & Background Checks Verification steps matter. Yes, conducting reference checks and ordering background checks take a little extra time and money, but they are worth your investment. Think about the cost of skipping these steps and finding out later that this person was a bad (or even devastating) hire. ### Reference Checks Reference checks are short conversations with people in a candidate’s professional network. I recommend a strong bias towards former supervisors. Supervisors know not only what it’s like to work with this person (like coworkers do) but they also understand all aspects of their performance. They’ll have insight into what it was like to coach them and can validate the strengths and weaknesses that you learned about during interviews. Ask for their advice on how you can be a great manager for this hire. ### Background Checks Consider conducting [criminal background checks](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-ex-offenders-talent-pool-bottom-line/) ([in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws](https://www.careerplug.com/hire-someone-history-substance-use/)) at the end of your hiring process. This is a safety check to shake out any obvious skeletons in the closet that could impact your business. Background checks are often done right before or directly after the offer stage. At CareerPlug, we initiate a background check after the offer is signed. We dictate in our offer that employment is conditional upon passing the background check. There are plenty of companies that facilitate these types of background checks: [Universal Background Screening](https://universalbackground.com/) and [Accurate](https://www.accurate.com/) are two of CareerPlug’s partners that many of our applicant tracking system clients use in their hiring. On a compliance note, conducting reference and background checks can help protect your business against potential [negligent hiring](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/first-5-things-to-know-about-hiring-compliance/) claims. Like having a structured hiring process, these verification tools indicate that your company has done its due diligence in ensuring the safety of employees and clients. ### It’s Showtime: Make the Hiring Decision How do you know you’re making the right hire? Before you rush to offer the right candidate a job, the last step in your hiring process should be reviewing the candidate’s qualifications and behaviors against what you said you were looking for in the Ideal Candidate Profile. You should _defend_ the hire, whether it’s just to yourself or to your team. At CareerPlug, we have an internal review step just for this purpose. The hiring manager defends their final candidate to our Leadership Team. As a hiring manager, you want to be able to answer these three questions: * Ability – Can they do it? * Motivation – Will they do it? * Culture Fit – Will others do it with them? This step catches your blind spots and ensures the hire fulfills the most important criteria. It’s been an instrumental step in our own hiring process and kept us focused on not only hiring for the skills we’ve prioritized for the role, but hiring in line with our core values. If you find that you are eliminating candidates at this step, it’s time to reevaluate your hiring process to ensure it is elevating qualified candidates. Yes, this step takes time and energy. But again, the wrong time to find out that you made a bad hire is _after_ they’ve started the job. ### Can You Start on Monday?: The Offer Stage Take your foot off the brakes: it’s time to close the deal. Make sure you have your offer package ready to go, including benefits and compensation information. A few notes on navigating compensation: **Do your homework.** Use available (and free!) compensation resources like Indeed, Glassdoor, or Payscale to place your role within the current market. Remember to take external equity (how the role pays compared to other companies) and internal equity (how the role pays compared to other similar positions at your company) into account. **Talk about compensation upfront.**Avoid surprises — for both you and the candidate — by communicating openly about pay early in the process. I recommend putting the compensation in your job posting and asking during the phone screen, “This role plays X, does that align with what you’re looking for?” **Lead with your best offer.** At CareerPlug, we make our best offer and don’t negotiate, which I recommend. We see this as communicating openly. We don’t play games with candidates by rewarding ones who ask for more money at the offer stage and punishing those who don’t. This practice can have a disparate impact on women and members of minority groups. I’ve consistently heard feedback from candidates that they love this approach! It’s not only a win-win for both us and the candidate, but it helps set our employment brand apart. If possible, prioritize having offer conversations face-to-face. If you can’t have an offer conversation in person, then have it on the phone — email is the last resort! Take a cue from generations of successful salespeople and close the deal in person. No matter what the candidate decides to do, a face-to-face meeting allows you to talk through details, answer questions, and spot hesitations that you can address in the moment. **Just like during the rest of the hiring process, in the offer stage you should:** * Communicate openly with candidates * Highlight your benefits and company culture * Move quickly It’s also a good idea to ask late-stage candidates how they’ve been feeling about the position and if they have any other opportunities on the table. Not every candidate will be candid here, but this gives you the chance to address concerns before the offer stage or speed up your process if they have other offers that need a decision. ### Take Action: * **Conduct reference checks for every hire.**Trust but verify that you are making the right hiring decision. * **Build an internal review step into your hiring process**. Before you make an offer, purposefully review the candidate against your Ideal Candidate Profile. * **Step up your candidate experience when making an offer.**Identify one thing you can change in how you make offers today that will enhance the experience (and help lead to a “yes”). --- ## How to Create a Positive Candidate Experience According to Job Seekers **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/ * Posted on February 14, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris #### Table of Contents 1. [Provide clear and accurate info about the job and responsibilities.](https://www.careerplug.com/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/#h-provide-clear-and-accurate-info-about-the-job-and-responsibilities-nbsp) 2. [Be transparent in the hiring process about compensation and benefits.](https://www.careerplug.com/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/#h-be-transparent-in-the-hiring-process-about-compensation-and-benefits-nbsp) 3. [Improve interactions with candidates.](https://www.careerplug.com/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/#h-improve-interactions-with-candidates-nbsp) 4. [Show that you’re a great place to work.](https://www.careerplug.com/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/#h-show-that-you-re-a-great-place-to-work-nbsp) 5. [Optimize your hiring process.](https://www.careerplug.com/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/#h-optimize-your-hiring-process-nbsp) One of the most important aspects of running a business is hiring and retaining the right people. As you may know, this isn’t always easy! While you may be thinking about how to get an open position more visibility online or how to move applicants through the hiring process quickly, here’s something else to consider: the [candidate experience.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) At CareerPlug, we define **candidate experience** as the experience a candidate has with you throughout the hiring process from job posting to the job offer, and we believe that a **positive candidate experience is absolutely essential** for attracting job seekers and getting the best talent to say _yes_ to your job offers. Because of this, we survey job seekers every year to get their perspective on the hiring process and to find out what they liked or didn’t like about recent candidate experiences. We want to share what we’ve learned with you so that you can create a candidate experience that’s exceptional. ### Why candidate experience matters You might be wondering why the candidate experience is so important! Our data reveals one very big reason: **91% of candidates said a positive candidate experience influenced their decision to accept an offer.** This means that no matter how much time or effort you’re putting into the recruitment process, if you’re giving candidates a poor experience,**there’s a****_big_****chance that they won’t accept a job offer!** A poor candidate experience can also negatively impact your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). You can think of this like your reputation. Job seekers are curious about what others have to say about their experience with your company, and candidates are often eager to share their experience with others on employer review websites. [A survey by CareerArc](https://www.hci.org/blog/statistics-rethink-your-candidate-experience-or-ruin-your-brand?utm_source=chatgpt.com)found that 72% of job seekers are likely to share their negative candidate experiences online or directly with others. This is important since [over half of job seekers](https://www.inc.com/adam-robinson/more-than-half-of-job-seekers-say-they-wouldnt-apply-to-a-company-with-bad-online-reviews.html) say they wouldn’t apply to a company with a bad reputation. The data is clear: Creating a positive candidate experience is important for getting [top talent](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/attracting-and-identifying-top-talent/) to say yes to your job offers. So how do you improve your candidate experience? We’re glad you asked! Let’s dive in. ### How to create a positive candidate experience We asked job seekers to get specific about what employers can do to improve their candidate experience. Here are the answers we received. This data is useful because it shows what job seekers want in the hiring process. As an employer, the power is in your hands to make the changes that will help you improve your candidate experience. Let’s break down each response in further detail. ### Provide clear and accurate info about the job and responsibilities Your [job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/effective-job-descriptions/) should be detailed, accurate, and honest. An applicant that finds out the role is different from how you described it either during initial interviews or after accepting an offer will feel like you deceived them. One job seeker we surveyed had this to say: “I think many employers ‘sugar coat’ the job — this may get employees in the door but they may quit soon after starting if you are not transparent about what the job is really like [and] what is actually expected.” As an employer, you probably have a pretty good idea of what the role entails. Be sure that you are portraying the role accurately in job postings and in interviews to avoid misleading or disappointing applicants. This is an easy and effective first step in improving your candidate experience. ### Be transparent in the hiring process about compensation and benefits When talking to job seekers, the desire for more **transparency** seemed to be a recurring theme, starting as soon as the initial job posting. Our survey showed that **28% of respondents expected clearer and more accurate information about the job and responsibilities**and that **26% of job seekers wish for more transparency in the hiring process about compensation and benefits**. This is a great and easy opportunity to improve your candidate experience by putting benefits and[compensation in the job description](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/). Outline exactly what you are willing to offer for the role and job seekers that aren’t the right fit will self-select out of the process. This saves you time and effort! It’s also not a bad idea to bring up compensation and benefits in the first interview with candidates to make sure that everyone is on the same page. We do this at CareerPlug, and our research suggests that candidates appreciate the transparency early in the hiring process. ### Improve interactions with candidates Having a negative experience with people in the interview process another big [reason candidates decline job offers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-candidates-turn-down-job-offers/).Candidates see a negative interview as a reflection of the company as a whole. The job seekers in our survey mentioned things like interviewers that were rude or distracted. One job seeker shared feelings of being “treated as more of a number than an actual human.” In order to combat this problem, make sure you are training hiring managers and interviewers to [conduct great interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/). This includes asking appropriate questions, creating a welcoming environment, and being present and respectful in all interactions with candidates. Taking steps to ensure great interviews will have a big impact on your candidate experience and improve your chances of getting candidates to say _yes_ to your job offers. For more interview tips, check out this video by our very own director of HR, Natalie Morgan: ### Show that you’re a great place to work Workplace environment and atmosphere is also important to job seekers. At CareerPlug, we try to let our values and culture shine from the very beginning of the hiring process. Consider creating a branded [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) that highlights your company culture and gives job seekers insight into what it’s like to work at your company. As the hiring process goes along, remember that candidates are paying attention during interviews. Share company vision, values, and impact of the position throughout the recruitment process to help job seekers determine if their values and mission align with your own. ### Optimize your hiring process Speed and organization of the whole process plays a big role in overall candidate experience. Many of our respondents cited frustration with [how long employers took to get back to them](https://www.careerplug.com/dont-late-providing-timely-candidate-feedback/) through various stages of the hiring process. Think about it from the job seeker’s perspective: Candidates are usually motivated to find their next great job. It can be disheartening and frustrating to go weeks without a response after sending in an application. It can be nerve-wracking to have to wait to hear back after completing the first interview. Keep candidates in the loop throughout the hiring process. Having a [standardized hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/building-a-great-hiring-process/) can help ensure that all candidates are moved through the pipeline quickly and effectively. Using an [ATS like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) can also be useful for organizing your hiring process, scheduling interviews, and keeping track of the various stages your candidates are in. ### Other things to consider It’s worth taking the time to improve your candidate experience because it will help you attract more high quality applicants and turn those applicants into employees. The responses to our survey give employers actionable steps that they can take to create a positive candidate experience. Make sure you’re providing job seekers with clear and accurate information as early as the job posting. Stay transparent throughout the hiring process and take steps to ensure you’re conducting great interviews. Being a great place to work is important for current employees and can help you attract new ones. Be sure to communicate health and safety policies during your hiring process and take steps to organize that process for speed and efficiency. Doing these things will have a positive impact on your employer brand and help you make the right hires with more ease. ### Want more tips for improving your candidate experience? Get your copy of the 2025 Candidate Experience Report for more information about what job seekers are looking for in the hiring process and to get a free candidate experience checklist. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT --- ## How to Write More Effective Job Descriptions – Checklists & Examples **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/effective-job-descriptions/ * Posted on October 25, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris One of the first steps to take when you have an open role to fill is writing a job description and distributing it far and wide. But not all job descriptions are created equal. At CareerPlug, we’re committed to making hiring easier, and we know that an effective hiring process starts with an effective job description. But what makes some job postings stronger than others? And why is your job description so important anyway? Don’t worry – we’re breaking it all down for you and sharing our best tips for writing job descriptions that attract more job seekers and make your hiring process easier. ### What makes an effective job description? These days, it takes a little more thought and effort to write a job description that stands out in an oversaturated job market. Job seekers have choices. Your [job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/) is the first impression that they’ll use as the basis for their decision to apply or not. Gone are the days when employers could simply re-post the same old list of responsibilities and qualifications from 10 years ago. When we say employers should now aim to write an “effective job posting,” we’re making a distinction that it’s a step above a standard, basic job posting. With a basic job posting, you can expect to get applicants, but you may be missing out on the applicants who are more discerning about where they apply –and often, these are the highest-quality candidates. An **[effective job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/job-post-need-make/), on the other hand, is one that is attractive to job seekers and quickly drives them to apply to it.** The specifics around how many applicants an effective job posting brings in varies depending on your industry. For example, in our annual [Recruiting Metrics Report,](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) we found that in the automotive industry, the average job gets around 34 applicants. A typical job posting in the cleaning services industry gets almost double that, around 66 applicants per job. To help determine if a job posting is effective or not for your industry, it can be helpful to look at industry benchmarks and your own averages. Plus, we like to remind employers that when it comes to applicant flow, _quality_ is more important than _quantity_, and a big benefit of effective job descriptions is that they can **help you bring in more quality candidates.** Let’s take a closer look at how this works and some of the other benefits of writing strong job postings. ### Benefits of writing great job descriptions ### Expands your talent pool with high-quality, motivated candidates An effective job posting attracts a higher number of applicants, which means **more potential candidates to consider for the position**. More applicants means a broader range of skills, experiences, and backgrounds to choose from. This can be especially beneficial for positions that require specific expertise or niche skills, as a larger talent pool increases the likelihood of finding the right fit. With an effective job posting, there’s also a better chance of attracting **top-quality candidates**who are **motivated and genuinely interested in the role.** These more motivated candidates are much more likely to [stay engaged throughout the hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-engagement/) and say yes to your final offer. ### Accelerates the hiring process to save on recruitment costs When you have an open role to fill, you want to fill it fast. You know that every day with an empty seat means lost productivity and revenue for your business. A great job description can help **expedite your hiring process and even save you money on recruitment costs.** This is because when you have more applicants rolling in, you can begin reviewing applications, conducting interviews, and making hiring decisions earlier, [reducing the time-to-hire](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/time-to-hire/) for your position. Plus, with more candidates applying organically thanks to your effective job posting, there’s less of a chance you’ll need to pay for external recruiters or extensive advertising of your open role. ### Fosters a positive employer brand A job posting that receives multiple applicants**improves your**[**employer brand**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) and can give you a **competitive advantage** over other companies. Some job boards like [Indeed](https://www.careerplug.com/the-importance-of-indeed/) and LinkedIn actually show job seekers how many applications a job has received. A **job posting with a lot of applicants signals to job seekers that you’re a great place to work.** Candidates are more likely to view a company favorably if they see others are interested in working there too. Plus, a great job posting is one important part of your overall recruitment marketing strategy. Along with things like highlighting [employees testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/) online and maintaining good scores on [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/) like GlassDoor and [JobSage](https://www.jobsage.com/for-employers), creating a strong impression with job seekers with an effective job description will help you attract and [retain great employees.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) ### Effective job descriptions checklist Your job posting should be searchable, concise, and mobile-friendly, and it should also include relevant and accurate information about the role. Candidates should be able to determine whether they are a good fit and apply to a job within 3 minutes. With that in mind, here’s a checklist of our best practices to write effective job descriptions. ### 1. Improve your job posting’s searchability Effective job descriptions are ones that are easily found by candidates searching for jobs online. Put yourself in the job seeker’s shoes and think about what words they might be typing into Google to find a job like yours. Try to naturally weave those keywords into your job description. Limit job titles to **70 characters or less**, and use **common job titles** for increased searchability in job boards. For example: use “Account Executive” rather than “Sales Ninja”. ### 2. Avoid ineffective phrases in job titles and posting Certain phrases give your job posting a spammy, illegitimate feel, and at worst, can get your job posting flagged and removed from job boards. Here are some common phrases it’s best to avoid: * Hiring ASAP * ASAP * Hiring immediately * Apply today * Urgent * Reliable * Need * Seeking * Available * Signing bonus! * Limitless income potential * Serious candidates only * $$$ (and other symbols) Additionally, there should be **nothing in all caps, there should be no abbreviations, and no plural positions** (use Nurse instead of Nurses). ### 3. Include a section on _why_ an applicant would want to work for you For a competitive job description, include a section that details **why an applicant would want to work there.** If you’re not sure where to start, consider checking out what your competitors are posting and trying to go a step above. You can also ask existing employees to share what they love most about working for your team. If you’re posting the job on your [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) or company website, consider adding video or pictures to the job posting to show job seekers what it’s like to work at your company. List out the reasons that your company is great and why your role is such a good opportunity. ### 4. Include the compensation or a compensation range in the job description Leaving the compensation blank can have a negative impact on applicant volume, as candidates don’t want to waste their time on jobs that aren’t paying a good wage. Being upfront about what you have to offer saves you time and effort in your hiring process and shows applicants that you’re a [transparent company.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/benefits-of-pay-transparency/) Plus, **in some states, it’s now a**[**requirement to include the compensation**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/pay-transparency-laws/)**in your job posting,** and not complying can have a negative impact on your ability to post your open jobs and make hires for your team. New York began requiring compensation on job postings in September of 2023, and Indeed **removed** job posts that didn’t meet these requirements, causing a [near 30% drop off](https://www.hiringlab.org/data/) in New York job postings on their site. **Prop tip:** if you’re including a _compensation range_ in your posting, make sure the highest end of the range doesn’t exceed 1.5x the base amount you’re willing to pay. ### 5. Add desired experience and skills To help job seekers determine if they are interested and qualified for your role, your job posting should include the desired experience and skills that you are looking for. This is a great opportunity for you to drill down and really think about what is important for your open role. Some jobs will have specific license, degree, or experience requirements, while others can be a little more flexible. To attract more applicants,**eliminate any requirements that aren’t totally essential.** You should also consider listing out “soft skills” in addition to hard skills. Soft skills are a person’s inherent qualities like time-management, self-motivation, and patience and these are often just as valuable when trying to find the right person for your job. Job seekers are more likely to picture themselves in roles when soft skills are listed in the job posting. One job seeker we spoke to had this to say, “I like finding postings that align with my skill set. I get pumped to apply when they say things like they’ll accept experience in place of degrees.” ### 6. Include at least 3 benefits In addition to the standard benefits like health insurance, 401K, and paid time off, consider adding in other unique or competitive perks your company offers. Free lunch on Friday? The ability to work from home occasionally? Let job seekers know what’s in it for them. We recommend**listing your benefits early in your job posting.** ### 7. Format your job posting so that it’s easy to read Most applicants will skim job boards, quickly looking over job postings for only a few seconds at a time. For this reason, it’s important to make sure your job posting is **concise and easy to read.** Bullet points can be helpful to keep each section organized and skimmable. Try to keep any paragraphs short. And don’t forget that blocks of text appear much longer for those job seekers viewing your posting on a mobile device, so aim to minimize large blocks of text. ### 8. Provide clear and accurate details about the role Your job posting can save you time and help you weed out the wrong candidates for the job if you include**clear and accurate information about the role.**This includes stating information about the availability you need or the shifts you’re hiring for (if known). In our [2023 Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we found that**21% of job seekers had declined a job offer in the past year because the role and responsibilities were different than they expected.** Giving job seekers a clear idea of the position and hours can help them determine early if they are a good fit, and can help you ensure that applicants meet the minimum requirements of your role. ### 9. Use inclusive language in your job postings In previous job postings, you may have unintentionally used language that was exclusionary, limiting your talent pool without realizing it. To improve diversity of your workforce and attract a larger applicant pool, be sure to use **inclusive language in your job postings.** [Data suggests](https://www.hrdive.com/news/gender-neutral-job-ads-are-best-but-few-use-them-report-says/594534/)that using **gender neutral language**actually increases the application rate and lowers the cost per application. To keep your job postings gender neutral, pay attention to the pronouns you’re using (use “you” instead of “he” or “she”), and avoid “gender-charged” words like headstrong, competitive, and go-getter. Check out some more examples of this below: You’ll also want to avoid using words like “young” and “energetic” to not exclude anyone based on age. Plus, reconsidering your degree requirements can help remove a huge barrier to skilled applicants that might not have the means, financial resources, or opportunities to graduate from college. ### 10. Share your company’s culture At the bottom of your job posting, talk about your **company’s overview, mission and culture**. Your job posting is essentially an advertisement and an opportunity to sell your company. Including information about who you are and what makes you unique can help you win over applicants. ### Good job description examples [Mathnasium](https://www.mathnasium.com/) does a great job of attracting applicants with a strong “why should you work for us” and “fun perks” section in their job posting for a math tutor (_click on images to expand_): [Check out the full job posting here.](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Math-Tutor-Mathnasium.png) Here’s another example of an effective job description for a receptionist role at [Physical Therapy of Melissa.](https://ptofmelissa.com/) This business leads with a detailed section on what they offer including several benefits and the compensation range. They also help job seekers learn about the company and share the core values that can help job seekers determine if they are aligned with the team’s mission. [Check out the full job posting here.](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Receptionist-Physical-Therapy-of-Melissa.png) Next, check out this job posting from [Ellie Mental Health.](https://elliementalhealth.com/) This one gets bonus points for including a video and using a fun tone of voice that helps job seekers better understand the company. This job posting also has a really detailed benefits section and a compensation range included at the top. To make it even more competitive, the compensation is above average for the area. [Check out the full job posting here.](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Social-Worker-Ellie-Mental-Health.png) Note that all of these job postings are well-organized with great formatting. **And because they are all hosted through CareerPlug, the application process is quick and easy.** Job seekers can apply directly from the posting without having to create an account or login elsewhere. ### To sum it all up An effective job description is one that catches the attention of job seekers, and turns them into applicants. It can also ensure that those applicants are highly qualified, motivated, and excited about your company and your role. CareerPlug can help you optimize your postings with real time recommendations and job posting templates. Our hiring experts can also help you make sure your job posting is correctly formatted and that job seekers can apply easily from their mobile devices. Don’t forget, your job description often serves as a first impression to your company – make it a good one! ### Attract Quality Applicants with CareerPlug CareerPlug gives you all the tools you need to host effective job postings and show off your business with an attractive careers page. Plus, our job board integrations allow you to post to all the major job boards with just one click. Reach job seekers wherever they’re searching and find your next great hire. [START HIRING](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## 9 Employee Engagement Ideas to Try With Your Team **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/employee-engagement-ideas/ * Posted on June 5, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Employee engagement is a measure of how much employees are invested in their work and the organization. Engaged employees: * Display higher productivity. * Display higher levels of workplace satisfaction. * Are less likely to quit. An employee engagement strategy is well worth an investment of time and resources as engaged employees are the foundation for a strong, thriving business. **We’re sharing 8 proven employee engagement ideas to help inspire you and your team.** #### Table of Contents 1. [Let employees be problem solvers.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-engagement-ideas/#h-1-let-employees-be-problem-solvers) 2. [Support professional development.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-engagement-ideas/#h-2-support-professional-development) 3. [Set aside time for team-building activities.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-engagement-ideas/#h-3-set-aside-time-for-team-building-days-separate-from-daily-work) 4. [Create a plan to solicit feedback from employees.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-engagement-ideas/#h-4-create-a-plan-to-solicit-feedback-from-employees) 5. [Create a comfortable working environment.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-engagement-ideas/#h-5-create-a-working-environment-where-employees-feel-comfortable) 6. [Recognize individual achievements.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-engagement-ideas/#h-6-recognize-their-individual-achievements) 7. [Support employee health and wellness.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-engagement-ideas/#h-7-support-your-employees-health-and-wellness-nbsp) 8. [Help employees buy in to your mission and values.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-engagement-ideas/#h-nbsp-8-help-employees-buy-in-to-your-mission-and-values-nbsp) 9. [Engage them early with a strong onboarding process.](https://www.careerplug.com/employee-engagement-ideas/#h-9-engage-them-early-with-a-strong-onboarding-process) ### Employee engagement ideas There are many ways to engage employees and strengthen your workforce; there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. The following employee engagement ideas can help you start crafting your own engagement strategies. ### 1. Let employees be problem solvers. Employees feel more engaged when they can play an important role in the workplace, especially if they can be problem solvers. Avoid the temptation to fix all problems in the workplace on your own. **Ask your employees for ideas** and engage them in conversation as you try to decide how to solve organizational, operational, or strategic problems facing your workplace. Make a committee or hold a staff meeting to talk about issues and **give your employees a chance to step up and be a part of the solution.** There’s a bonus benefit for managers and business owners here as well. When you allow your employees the opportunity to tackle problems in your business, you can [identify the future leaders on your team](https://www.careerplug.com/developing-leaders-from-within/) and where their strengths lie. When you give your high-performing employees the freedom to innovate, they can help your business grow in ways you might not even see yet. ### 2. Support professional development. Our research has shown that **professional development opportunities are one of the most desired benefits of a workplace,** and many employees will leave a company to seek them out. Employees that feel you are invested in their growth as professionals and individuals will be more motivated and loyal to your company. Some ways to [support your employees’ development](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/): * Help them [set and reach goals](https://www.careerplug.com/getting-done-effective-goal-setting-workplace/) related to skills they want to learn and how they want to progress in their career. * Map out a “growth plan” or career track with them and help them visualize how to get to the next level. * Set aside funds for your employees to use for education and growth opportunities like online courses, seminars, books, etc. ### 3. Set aside time for team-building days separate from daily work. Try setting aside time to get your staff away from their desks – or the sales floor, or the showroom, or the kitchen, etc.The goal is to **pull employees out of their day-to-day work activities and allow enough time for them to unwind, get to know their co-workers in an informal setting, and build trust through familiarity.** That’s not to say that team-building days should be one non-stop party. You can provide structure with activities like: * An icebreaker exercise or game to help loosen people up * A sit-down meal (plus, let’s be honest: people love free food) * An overview of upcoming strategic plans for the business * Problem-solving sessions If possible, engage in a team-building day at least once every year. Even one annual team-building day fosters [bonding and camaraderie](https://www.careerplug.com/the-peaceful-office-equation/) and can pay dividends for your company culture long after the day ends. ### 4. Create a plan to solicit feedback from employees. As a manager, you’re used to [delivering feedback to your employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/) on a regular basis. It’s just as important to **ask for their feedback** in return. A good place to start is during any regularly scheduled [one-on-one meetings](https://www.careerplug.com/making-meetings-matter/) with your team. Get into the habit of ending these meetings by asking questions like: * Is there anything I’m doing that you think I should change? * What would you do differently? * How can I help you be more productive? What obstacles can I remove for you? * What should the business be focusing on that we’re not focused on currently? Regularly asking employees these questions increases their awareness and reminds them to be on the lookout for opportunities to offer helpful feedback for the business. And most importantly – when the feedback is constructive, be willing to accept it and make a plan to act on it. You can also**give employees a way to regularly provide feedback through employee surveys.**[Pulse surveys](https://www.careerplug.com/pulse/)are short, frequent surveys where employees can provide insight into how they’re doing and if they have what they need to do their jobs effectively. ### 5. Create a working environment where employees feel comfortable. As a business owner or manager, it’s up to you to **[make your working environment clean, safe, and comfortable](https://www.careerplug.com/taming-office-pet-peeves/).**If possible, give employees a break room or space where they can go to relax. If costs allow, consider offering free snacks or drinks at work. It’s also important to make sure that everyone has what they need to do their job effectively. And since no one is more comfortable than at home, if it’s possible for your business consider offering hybrid work where employees can work from home occasionally. Studies show that [hybrid work](https://www.condecosoftware.com/blog/hybrid-working-for-employees/) can help improve productivity and increase employee satisfaction. ### 6. Recognize their individual achievements. **[Recognizing employees](https://www.contractrecruiter.com/employee-recognition-appreciation-ideas/)**for achievements is one of those things that all managers know they should be doing, but it can often take a backseat to a variety of more day-to-day business matters. So it helps to **make a plan for how you’re going to recognize your employees.**After all, showing appreciation is a no-cost employee engagement strategy! [Performance reviews](https://www.careerplug.com/conducting-effective-performance-reviews/) are an excellent opportunity to praise your employees for good work and effort. Keep notes on each employee, including good ideas they had, times when they went above and beyond, and anything they did that contributed to the team. Citing specific examples of good performance can help your employee feel more valued overall. Don’t just save your appreciation for performance reviews, though. Show your gratitude by sending an encouraging email or thanking them for how they handled a tough project or challenging customer. High-performing employees want their work to be noticed by leadership – and you owe them frequent reminders of appreciation if you expect them to stay engaged on your team for the long haul. One last thing: Whenever possible, make sure to deliver your gratitude publicly (as long as the employee is comfortable with public displays of appreciation) in addition to doing so in private. For big accomplishments especially, remember to celebrate your employees in front of their peers. ### 7. Support your employees’ health and wellness. **Your****employee’s mental and physical health is important**, and impacts every area of their lives – including their work life. All too often, [employees become disengaged](https://www.careerplug.com/quiet-quitting/) and even quit jobs, because they are stressed, burnt-out, or are struggling with poor physical health. Encouraging employee health and wellness shows that you care about them as a person, not just an employee. Here are a few ideas you might try: * Provide health insurance benefits, including coverage for mental health. * Offer a monthly wellness stipend that employees can use for things like gym memberships or massages. * Host wellness events that get the whole team involved. For example, CareerPlug hosts an annual wellness challenge, where employees earn points for checking off different activities like journaling or going on a walk. * Provide educational opportunities for employees like workshops on nutrition, financial wellness, work-life balance, etc. ### 8. Help employees buy in to your mission and values. Ideally, when hiring new employees, you focus your [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/hire/) on finding someone that can not only do the job, but is also aligned with your core values and purpose. If someone resonates with your values and mission they are more likely to be motivated by it. **Make your values prominent and important.** Make sure that your company lives its values in how decisions are made. When you fall down (which you inevitably will) make sure that you acknowledge it and keep realigning with your values so that your employees see that you mean what you say. Employees that are dedicated to your mission will commit to helping you achieve it long term and will feel more engaged with the work they do daily. ### 9. Engage them early with a strong onboarding process. [Onboarding](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-onboarding-preparing-for-the-first-day/) is a crucial time where new employees are feeling out the company and forming opinions about the culture. A strong onboarding process can show your employees that you’re organized and efficient. It can also help them form stronger relationships – all of which lead to more engagement. We loved an idea from this CareerPlug client and recruiter, [Jeff Asselin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffasselin/) on making employees feel special during onboarding and beyond: “We ask each candidate what their favorite candy is when they apply. It’s one of the [screening questions on our CareerPlug application](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/). At orientation, we give them their favorite candy. We also note their employee file. When someone’s having a bad day, we run out and get their favorite candy. It’s small and simple, but it very personal and can always bring a smile to their face.” ### Employee engagement ideas from great companies ### CareerPlug encourages team members to celebrate each other One fun way that CareerPlug incorporates positive feedback and celebrating achievements is through weekly “shout-outs” during our company-wide meeting. Employees take the time to shout each other out and tie winning moments back to our core values. This is a great way to help coworkers feel seen for their contributions, and encourages an “attitude of gratitude” at the company. ### Google’s 80/20 rule Have you heard about Google’s 80/20 innovation model? This tech giant supports employee engagement in a unique way: They encourage employees to spend 80% of their time on “core projects” and the other 20 on an activity that they are personally interested in or passionate about. This helps encourage innovation and has produced great results for the company – it even [led to the creation of gmail!](https://inspireip.com/google-80-20-rule-innovation/) ### Nvidia supports life outside of work This large tech company goes above and beyond when it comes to [supporting their employees](https://doublethedonation.com/employee-engagement-companies/)through major life events. They have a generous parental leave policy and offer reimbursements for adoption and surrogacy expenses. They also provide employees with resources and programs to help navigate other stressful circumstances like planning for college, going through a divorce, and moving. ### Build Stronger, More Engaged Teams with CareerPlug Pulse, CareerPlug’s Employee Survey Tool, can help you check in with your employees and see how your employee engagement initiatives are doing. Be the first to know when Pulse launches. LET ME KNOW WHEN PULSE IS READY _CareerPlug is more that just a software vendor. We are experts in hiring and have invested in growing the expertise of our teams to help you with hiring and retaining the right people. We use our hiring expertise, not AI, to infuse our content with a point of view and proven best practices and advice for employers._ --- ## What Is Employer Branding and Why Is It Important? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/employer-branding/ * Posted on March 19, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris #### Table of Contents 1. [Create an exceptional candidate experience.](https://www.careerplug.com/employer-branding/#h-1-create-an-exceptional-candidate-experience) 2. [Build a compelling careers page.](https://www.careerplug.com/employer-branding/#h-2-build-a-compelling-careers-page) 3. [Showcase employee testimonials.](https://www.careerplug.com/employer-branding/#h-3-showcase-employee-testimonials) 4. [Ask for employee reviews on company review sites.](https://www.careerplug.com/employer-branding/#h-4-ask-for-employee-reviews-on-company-review-sites) 5. [Increase retention of existing employees.](https://www.careerplug.com/employer-branding/#h-5-increase-retention-of-existing-employees-nbsp) We all know what branding means in terms of marketing: it’s your company’s identity and what distinguishes your business from others in the eyes of customers. You could even say your [branding](https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/branding) is the “promise” you make to your customers — it tells them exactly what they can expect from your company. But branding isn’t just about marketing to customers; you have an **employer brand** as well that helps you market your business to prospective employees. And since your employer brand is a big part of a successful recruitment _and_ retention strategy, we’ve decided to answer some FAQs about employer branding and how you can use it to make more hires. ### What is employer branding? **Your employer brand is your business’s reputation as a place to work**. The perception of your brand comes from both existing and former employees as well as job seekers who are interacting with you online or moving through your hiring process. Your employer brand encompasses employee experience, candidate experience, your company culture and more. You can actively take steps to manage your brand both internally and externally to maintain a positive image. This will help you attract new talent and retain your existing team. ### Why is employer branding important? Employer branding is important for setting yourself apart from other companies so that you can find and keep top talent. ### Attracting new talent When it comes to attracting job seekers, the data shows that many of them are using online reviews to inform their search. When you learn that more than half of job seekers [abandon their pursuit of a company](https://www.inc.com/adam-robinson/more-than-half-of-job-seekers-say-they-wouldnt-apply-to-a-company-with-bad-online-reviews.html) after reading negative reviews, it becomes clear why having a stellar reputation is crucial for your company’s recruitment success. Plus, a strong employer brand helps you highlight what makes you unique. It shows job seekers what your company values and what you offer to your employees. This helps you attract people that share your values and are aligned with your mission. ### Engaging and retaining your existing team Employer branding is also important for your existing team. If employee sentiment starts to decline and your employer brand weakens, you will see your team become more unengaged and checked out. Like a snowball effect, more employees will start writing reviews on sites around their experience, and it will become harder and harder to save your reputation. On the other hand, being a great place to work and maintaining a positive employer brand can lead to increased employee loyalty and a more motivated team. ### How do you create an employer branding strategy? Clearly, your employer brand is important. And the good news is that you can take action to [build a great brand](https://www.careerplug.com/start-building-your-talent-magnet/)and share it with job seekers and employees alike. Let’s go over five of our best employer branding tips. ### 1. Create an exceptional candidate experience The number one factor that affects employer branding when it comes to hiring is the [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-candidate-experience-thats-exceptional/), or the experience a candidate has with a potential employer throughout the hiring process, from job posting to job offer. Job seekers are not shy about posting both positive and negative reviews online about a company’s hiring process. In fact, we found that 70% have left a positive review online after a good experience with a company — even ones that didn’t hire them! **Plus, 91% of candidates said a positive candidate experience influenced their decision to accept an offer.** This means that providing a great candidate experience will not only improve your employer brand — it will also impact your ability to get candidates to say yes to your job offers. Invest the time in creating a [positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) from start-to-finish if you’d like to be in control of your employer brand. **Pro tip:** Maintain a positive candidate experience for all applicants whether you hire them or not. For example, don’t “ghost” candidates you’ve rejected. Instead, send a polite message informing them that they haven’t been selected to move forward in the hiring process.You can [automate rejections](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) to unqualified candidates in CareerPlug! Check out the video below from CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan, to learn more about creating a great candidate experience. ### 2. Build a compelling careers page Your [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) is the hub of your employer brand. It’s your opportunity to educate potential candidates about your [company’s culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) and [core values](https://builtin.com/company-culture/company-core-values-examples). A candidate who visits your careers page should get a clear sense of what it’s like to work at your business. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that your job posting is the only thing a candidate needs to see before deciding to apply. An applicant who takes the time to research a role and apply directly through a company careers page is more likely to have spent time considering their own fit for the position and company. This means that higher quality candidates are applying through careers pages. In fact, in our [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/), we found that **an applicant who applied directly from a company careers page was four times more likely to be hired than an applicant who applied from a job board.** Learn more about what makes a compelling careers page in the video below. ### 3. Showcase employee testimonials Employee testimonials are examples of [social proof](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/social-proof-examples?__hstc=149923945.ab15c55b5d44e97318836e9f38936ba7.1777064605391.1777064605391.1777064605391.1&__hssc=149923945.1.1777064605392&__hsfp=a9cc2efcfcc506695dc904ec491f705f) because they can act as signals to job seekers that yours is a company they want to learn more about. Remember that the best candidates will always have the freedom to be picky about where they choose to work. When we asked job seekers what they felt was the most important factor during the hiring process, the number one answer was, “**The workplace culture and how connected I feel to the company and team.”** Seeing that other professionals have positive things to say about working for you can help nudge them toward applying and interviewing for your role.Try to add employee testimonials to your existing recruitment marketing efforts. For example, you can show off [employee testimonials on a careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/), or you could create graphics with employee testimonials and share them on your business’ social media pages. If you have the ability, consider creating video employee testimonials to make the most compelling content for job seekers, like this video from CareerPlug client [Hand & Stone](http://handandstonecareers.com/). ### 4. Ask for employee reviews on company review sites Job seekers now commonly spend significant time researching a company on [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/) like Glassdoor, and a big part of your online reputation comes from these sources. Keep in mind that in addition to publishing reviews written by your current and former employees, these employer review sites also publish reviews from candidates who have been through your interview process whether you hired them or not. Again, this is why it’s so important to put your best foot forward with all candidates and be courteous in all your interactions. Still, the most **meaningful reviews will come from your employees who love working for you**. It’s a good idea to get into the habit of periodically reminding your employees that they have the option to write your company a review on Glassdoor if they’d like. Let them know that it’s a great [recruitment marketing](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruitment-marketing-strategies/) tool and that their positive reviews can help attract great new additions to your team. ### 5. Increase retention of existing employees Your existing high-performing, happy employees are the best ambassadors for your employment brand, which is why the best recruiting strategy is to do everything you can to keep them! Low turnover and long-term [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) can serve as proof to candidates that you’ve created an exceptional place to work. Of course, achieving this is easier said than done. Some of the most effective retention strategies include: * **Invest in enticing benefits.**Think of benefits as an investment in your growth. Benefits signal to employees that they are valued and that your business is committed to caring about your people. * Be generous with **recognition and appreciation**. Benefits can be expensive, but being a thoughtful leader who expresses appreciation for your employees is free! * **Develop [growth plans](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) or career tracks** and talk about them as part of your interview process. Highly motivated candidates will often turn down a job that pays more if they see a clear long-term path to growth at your company and employees are more likely to stay with a company that offers them growth opportunities. * Develop an [employee referral program](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/). Our data shows that employee referrals are **10 times more likely to be hired than applicants from job boards.**Employee referrals also have lower turnover rates than other types of hires. ### Our advice Hiring managers tell us that one common pain point is a lack of high-quality applicants in their hiring funnel. Knowing that the best candidates do their homework and research companies before applying, we recommend investing the time to improve your employer brand now to make sure you’re not losing out on a great potential hire. Offering competitive pay and compensation, giving your employees a way to share feedback, and acting on that feedback are all cornerstones of a good retention strategy and ways to keep a positive reputation. Your company careers page is a great place to highlight your brand, mission, and values and attract more of the right kind of applicants. Learn more about other [sources of _quality_ candidates here.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/) ### Need more help boosting your employer brand? Create an attractive careers page, improve your candidate experience, and retain top talent with CareerPlug. Request a demo today! [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Franchises: Providing Hiring Resources to Franchisees **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/franchise-joint-employer-avoid-coemployment/ * Posted on September 17, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Franchises provide their franchisees with a playbook of best practices that can help their business flourish. But one thing that is often missing from that playbook is the chapter on hiring the right people. Franchisees must make their own employment decisions like controlling their hiring/firing decisions, managing employee documentation, and compiling an employee benefits package. However, the franchisor often has insight into industry [recruiting trends](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-trends/), pitfalls, and effective hiring practices and can offer a lot of value to their franchisees when it comes to hiring and retention. So how can franchisors pass these insights on to their franchisees while staying out of employment decisions? Let’s go over what it means to be a joint employer, why franchisors avoid it, and how they can do so while still providing valuable hiring resources to their network. ### Joint employment legislation Generally, in the United States, **a joint employer relationship exists when two or more entities share control over the terms and conditions of employment**. However, the joint employer issue is complex and ever-evolving. It has long been the subject of legal debates and has various interpretations. In 2023, [The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)](https://www.nlrb.gov/)proposed to expand the definition of what counts as joint employment. Many in the franchising space were pleased to see this rule [struck down in 2024.](https://www.franchise.org/media-center/press-releases/ifa-statement-on-nlrb-dropping-joint-employer-push-a-landmark-win-for) However, franchises still much proceed with caution to avoid litigation. McDonald’s is one large franchise organization that has often been in the spotlight (and the courtroom) over the joint employment issue. In 2019, [McDonald’s workers issued complaints](https://www.tastingtable.com/1265948/mcdonalds-and-its-franchisees-butt-heads-over-joint-employer-rules/) that they faced retaliation after participating in protests for higher wages and better working conditions. Their claim was significant since they alleged that both franchise owners and McDonald’s as a corporate entity both were responsible for these violations. The NLRB conducted an investigation and concluded that McDonald’s should be considered a joint employer, but this was only a recommendation, not a final ruling. The case was settled before a legal decision was issued with McDonald’s agreeing to pay $170,000 to resolve the claims and committing to clarifying its franchisees’ rights and obligations regarding labor law compliance. This is not the first (nor probably the last) time McDonald’s made the news for joint employment issues. And they are just one in a long line of other franchise networks that have faced backlash over the issue. To make matters even more complicated, legislation for joint employment [varies from state to state.](https://www.epi.org/publication/states-with-joint-employer-shield-laws-are-protecting-wealthy-corporate-franchisers-at-the-expense-of-franchisees-and-workers/) ### The franchisor-franchisee employment relationship Clearly, it’s important for franchise owners to be very clear when defining the roles and responsibilities of the franchisor and franchisee. At the beginning of a franchise relationship, franchisors spell out the conditions of franchising in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). These conditions affect most areas of the franchisee’s business, but one area that can lack clarity is with regard to hiring and employment decisions. There are good reasons why franchisors typically avoid directly providing hiring guidelines to franchisees. Let’s say a business owner faces allegations of discriminatory hiring practices. If a franchisor stays uninvolved in the franchisees hiring practices, they can avoid being held accountable for this wrongdoing. However, franchisors have a tremendous amount of insight and value to provide franchisees on hiring and recruitment – **Franchisors can avoid joint-employer implications and still deliver value by offering****_optional_****resources to franchisees.** ### Offering optional hiring guidelines without becoming a joint employer Franchisors are now exploring options on how to stay compliant with joint-employment regulations, while still ensuring their franchisees are set up for success. **Offering a careers page portal, for example, is one solution franchisors can provide without assuming liability for franchisees actions.** In 2015, Freshii, a fast-casual restaurant chain, faced unfair labor claims made by an employee against a Chicago franchisee. However, the NLRB concluded that the franchisor [Freshii was not considered a co-employer under any NLRB standard](https://www.whitefordlaw.com/news-events/nlrb-issues-advice-memo-finding-that-franchisor-is-not-joint-employer). While Freshii offered its franchisees a careers page portal for job openings on their website, they did not mandate any recruitment policies or procedures. In short: the NLRB found that franchisees were responsible for their own hiring decisions, and not Freshii. This is good news for franchisors who want to provide all of the benefits that [branded careers pages](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) offer their franchisees, without the potential liability of being considered a co-employer. Franchisors can also avoid joint employer “gray areas” by partnering with a third party to provide the hiring resources they can’t. For example, by offering an [applicant tracking system (ATS) like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/), franchisors can support their networks with applicant sourcing, hiring best practices, and a streamlined hiring process. Franchisors can also use the ATS to monitor their networks important [hiring metrics](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-use-recruiting-metrics-to-hire-better/). **By making it clear in franchisee agreements that franchisors will not dictate or control matters of employment, franchisors can offer optional human resources tools and best practices.**Franchisors who take this approach can provide value and optional structure to franchisees without infringing on the employment practices of the individual business. ### Recommendations for franchisors [CareerPlug specializes in working with franchisors](https://www.careerplug.com/clients/franchise-hiring-software/) in various industries. Here are some of our best tips for helping franchisees with hiring while navigating joint employment issues. Franchisors should: * Clearly define the relationship between them and their franchisees regarding employment policies (with the help of a franchise attorney and legal counsel). * Provide best practice insights, but avoid mandating rules related to [job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf), [steps in hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/), etc. * The [franchise brand](https://www.careerplug.com/franchises-brand-standards-employment-brand/) is the most valuable asset to a franchisee – attracting customers and job seekers alike. Franchisors who provide a careers page that shows off the [company culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) and [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) set their franchisees up to [attract quality candidates.](https://www.careerplug.com/attract/) The franchisee maintains the direct relationship with the partner (a job posting platform or applicant tracking system) while the franchisor website acts as conduit, hosting the careers page and aggregating all franchisee postings. Since all active job positions from all franchisees are in one place, job seekers can apply through the brand directly to any franchisee. * Offer the optional benefit of an applicant tracking system like that makes hiring easier for franchisees while preserving independent ownership, management, and configuration by the franchisees. ### Recommendations for franchisees Franchisees should: * Educate themselves on avoiding [discriminatory hiring/firing](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/) and comply with all employment laws and regulations. * Establish and manage their own accounts with CareerPlug, but leverage resources that ensure a consistent brand experience and provide best practices when possible. * Adhere to recruiting and hiring practices that they believe will best benefit their business and focus on creating a great [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/). ### Next steps Co-employment regulation is always a hot topic in the franchise industry as it’s ever-evolving. Savvy franchisors should seek to **provide [proven hiring processes](https://www.careerplug.com/franchises-structuring-the-recruiting-process/) that franchisees can choose to adopt.** We know that most franchisees did not get their start in recruitment, and a little help from the franchisor can go a long way in ensuring that [franchisees are equipped to hire effectively](https://www.careerplug.com/franchises-set-franchisees-up-for-hiring-success/). Evaluate where your franchisees struggle with their employment processes and consider how you can provide resources and expertise as a franchisor. When your franchisees hire great people, grow their businesses, and increase their revenues, everyone wins. ### Proven Hiring Software Built for Franchise Networks CareerPlug was designed with the needs of decentralized businesses in mind. We partner with franchisors to provide a system that can be adopted across the entire franchise network, producing a consistent candidate and hiring manager experience for brands of all sizes. Speak with our team today to get started. [SCHEDULE A CALL](https://share.hsforms.com/1KgbyBVGfQuqGtiE-QNOHSw45iu0?__hstc=149923945.1dcfa7b568286ea6eda2c42e99f9e777.1601488683239.1685462269745.1685567543447.1358&__hssc=149923945.4.1685567543447&__hsfp=1945791315) * * * **_Please note:_**_The information in this blog post is intended to provide useful information on the topic covered, but none of the information should be construed as legal advice or a legal opinion. Due to the evolving nature of this topic and potential differences in regional regulations, it is crucial for franchisors and franchisees to seek legal advice specific to their jurisdiction to fully understand their rights, obligations, and any potential joint employer considerations._ --- ## How to Build a Great Hiring Process **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-process-steps/ * Posted on November 2, 2023 * by Natalie Morgan Here’s the dream hiring scenario: you have an open position and a perfect candidate walks through the door and charms you with their obvious talent and culture fit. They start the next day and go on to become a high-performing, loyal employee. And let’s say they also make amazing chocolate chip cookies and share them with the team. Magic. We should all be so lucky, but the gap between needing to make a hire and making the hire can feel like standing at the edge of a chasm with no way to cross. A hiring process is like a bridge that leads you board by board, step by step, to the right hire. As CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, I’ve seen firsthand how the right hiring process can soothe hiring headaches and help employers confidently hire the right people. So let’s talk about how we can build that bridge and take the heavy lifting out of your hiring by following these **hiring process steps:** 1. **[Review](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-process-steps/#h-1-review)** 2. **[Phone screen](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-process-steps/#h-2-phone-screen)** 3. **[Assess](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-process-steps/#h-3-assess)** 4. **[Interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-process-steps/#h-4-interviews)** 5. **[Verify](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-process-steps/#h-5-verify)** 6. **[Offer](https://www.careerplug.com/hiring-process-steps/#h-6-offer)** ### Why you need a hiring process Without a structured hiring process, it’s easy to fall into hiring traps such as: * “I’ve got a good feeling about them” . . . making decisions based on gut feelings * “I just need a body in a seat” . . . short-term thinking * “They remind me of myself” . . . hiring people exactly like you If you make up your hiring process as you go, give different candidates a different experience for the same role, or are not evaluating candidates against clear, objective criteria . . . that’s not a hiring process either; it’s the wild west. You may make a hire, but you’ll be starting from scratch every time you jump into hiring again. The benefits of having a standard hiring process include: * Hiring managers have a playbook to learn best practices and make better hires. * Potential [hiring bias](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/) and subjectivity are minimized when you follow a standard process. * Candidates have a [positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) with your [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). * It’s easy to stay [compliant](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/first-5-things-to-know-about-hiring-compliance/) with no missed hiring process steps. ### Hiring process steps There is no one “right” way to build a hiring process, but here is a basic, hiring process flowchart that we use at CareerPlug: I go over each of these hiring process steps and explain how we use this recruitment process flowchart in this video: Let’s walk through the six hiring process steps in detail. Ideally, you will be able to apply this basic framework into the context of your organization and use it to create a hiring process checklist. ### 1. Review The review is the first stage when you receive applicants and need to decide whether or not to move them through your hiring process. Here, you are [reviewing resumes](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/) along with a few key questions designed to surface the most important qualifying information. For example, you might ask how many years of experience an applicant has in your field or if they hold a particular certification. **Shoot for around two to three [pre-screen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/sort-prioritize-hire-importance-pre-screen-questions/)and rely on the resume to tell a broader story.** At CareerPlug, we like to add at least one open-ended question to our job applications: What makes you unique? Answers run the gamut from a fun fact, a mini-cover letter, or an incoherent sentence. Remember, at this stage (and every stage) you need to decide to move an applicant forward or remove them from the process. Resist decision paralysis where you leave candidates lingering in limbo without any communication. If they’re not a good fit, send them a polite rejection so you can both move on. ### 2. Phone screen In a recent survey, we found that **68% of job seekers said they want to speak to an employer**(either by phone or in person) as the next step after applying, and only **13% said they wanted the next step to be assessments.** This means that a great next step in the hiring process is the [phone screen interview.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-phone-screen-interview/) This is a short tele-interview between the hiring manager and candidate, usually lasting 15-20 minutes. In this stage, you’ll vet candidates based on basic qualifications for the role and validate your assumptions from reading their resume. Ask questions about the day-to-day of their current job, what they like and what they don’t like, and why they are looking for a new opportunity. The phone screen is also a good opportunity to ask questions about job preferences. Ask about their ideal work environment and company culture, what their ideal manager is like, and check to **make sure the compensation you’re offering for the role is in line with their expectations.** Give candidates time to ask questions at this stage – they are vetting the role too. ### 3. Assess The next stage is to assess.**This part of the process is adaptable and dependent on the position but typically gauges cognitive ability or specific job skills.** You might use a general assessment or one designed especially for the role. For example, when we hire software engineers at CareerPlug, candidates complete a coding challenge at this stage. In terms of general assessments, we have math/verbal and personality assessments within our [applicant screening software](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) that we use for many positions. The assess stage is perhaps the most flexible of the hiring process steps. Think about 1) how imperative the results are to have early in the process and 2) the financial and time investment. ### 4. Interviews For many positions, you may find that one face-to-face interview is sufficient. For senior-level positions, you might need two or three interviews depending on the number of internal stakeholders who need to be involved. **The**[**interview process**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/)**(virtual or in person) is where you can deep dive into your candidate’s experience, potential, and culture fit.** Interviews are the core of the hiring process that can ultimately help you make your decision to offer someone a job. Many times, [interview scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-schedule-job-interviews/) can hold up a hiring process when you have to play phone tag with potential candidates or go back and forth via email trying to find a time that works for both of you. With CareerPlug’s [**automated interview scheduling tool, Autopilot**](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/)**,** you can sync your calendar and allow candidates to**automatically schedule their own interviews based on your inputted availability.** ### 5. Verify After your interviews, it’s time to verify what you’ve learned about the qualified candidate by conducting [reference checks.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reference-check-questions/) The [verification step](https://www.careerplug.com/know-hired-reference-checks-matter/) may be the most neglected stage in the hiring process, but when people look back at hires that didn’t work out, they usually regret not completing this step. Reference and background checks take a little extra time and money to conduct, but they are worth it. **Reference checks should validate what you’ve learned, giving you the confidence that you’re making the right decision.** They can also give you insight on how to effectively manage this person. It’s also important to remember that you’re not conducting reference checks in an attempt to discredit the candidate. At CareerPlug, we like to assume the best in people, so our stance when it comes to this step is “trust, but verify.” ### 6. Offer You’ve made it this far; now, **the last of the hiring process steps is to make the best candidate a compelling offer.** At CareerPlug, we believe that the delivery of your offer is just as important as the offer itself. In terms of the actual offer, we like to make a big deal about this. We create a formal [offer letter](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/offer-letter-templates/) and put together a benefits folder for them to review. Then we walk them through each section and cover all of the key areas: compensation, [benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-benefits-post-pandemic/), work-life balance, and professional development. It’s at the offer stage that candidates may express some hesitation. Ask them about the pros and cons they are weighing in their heads. You could also inquire as to whether they’re considering other offers. Not everyone is forthcoming with these details, but you would be surprised by how many are. You won’t win them all, but you should be able to learn something from each one. Not everyone is going to be a match for your company and what you have to offer, but you can use this feedback to adjust your approach and be more competitive. ### A little more guidance for building your hiring process: * Take inventory of your current hiring process. Ask current employees for feedback around their hiring process with your company. Think about what is and isn’t working for you; [grade your hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-grader/). It’s important to understand where you are today before deciding where to make changes. * Implement a system that helps you stick to the process. Create a hiring process checklist and use an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/what-is-ats/) (ATS) like CareerPlug to help you stay on track during every stage. * Let candidates know ahead of time what they can expect from your hiring process. Since candidates are often pursuing multiple opportunities at once, letting them know where they stand can help prevent them from dropping out of your hiring process. * The hiring process may not always run like a well-oiled machine as intended. Life is messy: the process gets thrown off, a step gets skipped by mistake, or you add another step. Flexibility is possible and necessary, but committing to honor a consistent hiring process will help you consistently make better hires. If you’re hiring, we hope you do get the best case scenario, and magic or not, you’ll find that some hires just click into place. When you build a hiring process you trust, hiring does get easier, great hires get more predictable, and you can get back to what you do best: running your business. ### Learn how CareerPlug can help your hiring process. Sticking to a structured hiring process is sometimes easier said than done. That’s why CareerPlug created the tools to make it easier for small business owners. Take a tour of [CareerPlug’s hiring software today](https://www.careerplug.com/). [GET STARTED](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## The Ultimate Guide to Conducting Job Interviews **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/ * Posted on November 15, 2021 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris Interviews are the heart of the recruitment process. They are the gateway to what could be lifelong employees, great coworkers, and amazing growth opportunities for your business. They are first impressions and two-way conversations where you and candidates can get to know each other and decide if it’s the right fit. Just as most candidates get the pre-interview jitters, it can also be nerve-wracking as an employer to prepare for these important meetings. At CareerPlug, we know that learning how to conduct interviews is crucial in every industry for making the right hires. Whether you’re brand new to interviewing or simply looking to sharpen your skills, we want to share some important steps for conducting great interviews that can help you grow your team. ### Inside the ultimate guide to conducting job interviews #### Table of Contents 1. [Creating an Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/#Creating-an-Ideal-Candidate-Profile) 2. [Interview formats and types](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/#Interview-formats-and-types) 3. [Interview questions](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/#Interview-questions) 4. [Preparing to conduct interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/#Preparing-to-conduct-interviews) 5. [The candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/#The-candidate-experience) 6. [Evaluating candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/#Evaluating-candidates) Let’s break down each of these important stages in detail from important pre-interview preparation to candidate evaluation. ### Creating an Ideal Candidate Profile Before you start your interviews,**it’s important to figure out who you are looking for to fill your open roles**. At CareerPlug, the planning stage is an important part of the hiring process and involves creating an [Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) using the following components: ​​specifics for the role, key culture drivers, and the job description. Here’s an example of an Ideal Candidate Profile for a sales position at CareerPlug: You can’t know if you’ve found the right candidate if you don’t take the time to figure out what you’re looking for! Making these considerations before you interview can help you ask the appropriate questions and make better hiring decisions. To get you started, we’ve created a free Ideal Candidate Profile template you can use for your own hiring needs. Download it by clicking the button below. [Ideal Candidate Profile Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Ideal-Candidate-Profile-Template.docx) For more on creating your Ideal Candidate Profile, check out this quick video from Natalie Morgan, our Senior Director of Human Resources: ### Interview formats and types Once you have a better idea of who you are looking for, it’s time to decide the specifics of your interview process. There are several different interview formats and types to choose from. Deciding on how you’ll interview in advance can help you give every candidate a fair and seamless experience. ### Interview formats An important step in conducting great interviews is getting to know the different formats of interviews and deciding which format is right for you. **Structured****interviews** are when an interviewer prepares a fixed set of questions to ask candidates. The interviewer does not deviate from these questions at all, which can be helpful for providing an equal interview to all candidates. The downside of this somewhat rigid approach is that it can limit what an interviewer can learn from each unique candidate as they can’t ask custom or follow-up questions. **Unstructured interviews** are the opposite. This is a more natural conversation style of interviewing where interviewers can follow their curiosity and ask more tailored questions. Of course, this can lead to interviewers getting led away from the core criteria and unintended [hiring bias](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/9-hiring-biases-that-are-hurting-your-recruiting-efforts/). **Hybrid****interviews** are a combination of both structured and unstructured interviews. These can take a little more skill as they require an interviewer to know when they should stay on course and when it’s ok to deviate. This can be an excellent way to get to know your candidates on a deeper level _and_ ask all candidates the same primary questions; however, for new interviewers, we recommend sticking to a more structured approach. ### Interview types There are several [interview types](https://www.careerplug.com/art-informational-interview/) to choose from when conducting interviews. More than likely, you will utilize more than one type of interview. The types of interviews you decide to use will likely depend on the number of candidates you have and the nature of the role you are trying to fill. Here are the main types of interviews: * Phone screen * Face-to-face or video interviews (if hiring remotely) * Panel * Group * Out of Office At CareerPlug, we often start with a [phone screen](https://www.careerplug.com/make-the-call-the-benefits-of-phone-screens/) to initially get to know candidates and make sure that the role and compensation is a good fit. From there, we move candidates into virtual face-to-face interviews. Panel interviews with our leadership team round out our [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-we-hire-at-careerplug/). For more on interview formatting and types and tips on how to decide what is right for you, check out another video from Natalie Morgan: ### Interview questions Once you’ve decided on interview formats and types, it’s time to think about the questions you’ll ask your candidates. Asking everyone the same questions makes it easier to evaluate your candidates and avoid hiring bias. It also helps interviewers feel prepared and can make the interview run smoother. Natalie discusses the types of interview questions in this video: There are four main types of interview questions that Natalies goes over. Let’s dive deeper into those types and how you can apply them. ### Verification interview questions **What**: These questions are used to verify a candidate’s credentials and experience. They can be thought of as “fact-based” questions. **Why**: Ask a few verification questions to make sure you understand a candidate’s resume and skill set. **Why Not:** Ask too many of these questions and a candidate may simply repeat their entire resume. You can lose the opportunity to dig deeper and learn something that you don’t already know! **Examples:** * What were your dates of employment? * What were your job responsibilities? * Have you ever worked with X software? ### Opinion interview questions **What:** These questions ask about a candidate’s perspective (or opinion). These also include situational questions. **Why**: Opinion questions can provide valuable insight into how a candidate thinks, what motivates them, what values they hold, and how they solve problems. **Why Not**: A candidate’s answer to an opinion question may not match up with their actual behaviors. **Examples:** * What would you do in X situation? * Where do you see your biggest opportunities for improvement? ### Behavioral interview questions **What**: Behavioral questions ask for examples of how a candidate has behaved in the past. **Why**: Assuming that past behavior is most indicative of future behavior, you can use behavioral questions to predict a candidate’s success in a new role. **Why Not:** We recommend using behavioral questions, but beware of asking ten or twenty in a row. This can be exhausting for candidates, so make sure you’re asking the most important ones. **Examples:** * Tell me about the last time you received feedback and how you responded to it. * Tell me about a time it was particularly important to make a good first impression with a client. ### Random interview questions **What**: Want to go totally bananas? Random questions are the catch-all deviations from traditional questions. **Why**: Random and problem-solving questions fade into and out of popularity, but there can be some merit in throwing one into your interview to gauge skills like creativity, the ability to maintain composure under pressure, and comfort with vulnerability. **Why Not**: One or two of these are fine, but don’t take up too much of your interview space with these questions. You’ll typically learn much more about a candidate from the first three types of questions. **Examples** * Problem Solving Question: How many cows are in Canada? * Bizarre: What do you think of hula hoops? * At CareerPlug: What would you title your life story? ### Deciding what to ask Most interviews will have a mix of verification, opinion, and behavioral questions. When deciding which questions are right for you, first return to your Ideal Candidate Profile. Review the desired skills, talents, and behaviors for the role — what questions will help you evaluate those criteria? You can also match interview questions with your company’s [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) to ensure you’re hiring people who align with your company culture. **CareerPlug Inside Look:**_We rely heavily on behavioral questions in our interview process and have seen the payoff. For example, we often ask candidates to tell us about a time that they failed. We like this question because it reveals how someone deals with adversity, how they process and learn from setbacks, and how self-aware they are about past mistakes._ _One candidate, when asked, thought about it for a minute, and then replied that they had never failed. For us, this was the wrong answer. It was easy for us to tell that they didn’t have the growth mindset we were looking for. We moved forward with other candidates._ **Important note:** There are some questions that you shouldn’t ask. Stay up to date with [hiring compliance](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/first-5-things-to-know-about-hiring-compliance/) and make sure to avoid questions about things like age, marital status, and sexual preference (just to name a few). ### Preparing to conduct interviews You expect candidates to come to interviews prepared: having researched the company, written down questions, and appearing energized and professional. Interviewers need to do the same. **To get ready to conduct interviews:** 1. Review the Ideal Candidate Profile and make sure you have a firm grasp on the role. Know what you need to evaluate and be able to answer candidate questions that may arise. 2. Prepare your interview questions ahead of time. 3. Review the candidate’s resume, cover letter, and any other relevant data you may have collected (like assessment reports or phone screen notes). 4. Share the candidate’s information with other interviewers so everyone can walk in as prepared as you. Here’s some more advice on interview preparation: ### The candidate experience It’s important to keep the candidate experience in mind all throughout your hiring process. In a recent [survey of job seekers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we found that creating a [positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/)can greatly impact your ability to make the right hires. In fact, **80% of candidates said that a good candidate experience has influenced their decision to accept a job offer.** Obviously, interviews are an important aspect of the candidate experience! So what makes a great candidate experience? ### Communicate with all candidates Honesty and transparency regarding the specifics of the role and compensation are key. Job seekers also want [more communication](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) sooner, so communicate openly with candidates about what to expect. For example, let the candidate know the purpose of the interview, who they will be meeting, and if there is anything specific that they need to prepare. You should also plan how you will communicate the timeline and potential next steps at the close of the interview. ### Interview etiquette A little hospitality can go a long way to show that your office and team is a welcoming and respectful place to work. Here are some[interview etiquette](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/interviewer-etiquette-101/) tips that can greatly improve your candidate experience: * Be on time for the interview * Offer candidates something to drink * Stay present (don’t check your phone, smartwatch, or do work on your computer) * For long interviews, offer the candidate breaks * Leave time for candidate questions In our candidate experience survey, we found that **“having a negative experience with people in the interview process” was the number one**[**reason candidates turned down job offers**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-candidates-turn-down-job-offers/)**.** As an employer, taking the time to improve interview skills and learning to conduct great interviews will have a positive impact on recruiting efforts and make it easier to make the right hires. ### Standardize your hiring process Having a standardized hiring process can help things go smoothly. Consider documenting the steps of yours and making sure all interviewers and hiring managers are on the same page. An [interview scheduling tool](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) can be useful for making sure that nothing falls through the cracks. Remember that candidates are evaluating you during this process as well. A little preparation before the interview plus communication and etiquette throughout can go a long way in providing candidates with a positive experience and showing them that you are a good place to work. ### Evaluating candidates Use an [applicant screening software](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) to ensure that all candidates that make it to the interview stage have the skills, availability, and work authorization you need for your roles. From there, you can focus on how candidates perform in interviews. At CareerPlug, we use three major evaluation points to score candidates: **ability, motivation, and culture fit**. There are three simple questions you can ask yourself to evaluate each of these points. 1. Can they do it? 2. Will they do it? 3. Will others do it with them? ### Interview scorecards The main objective of using [interview scorecards](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/use-interview-scorecards-for-better-hiring/) is to create a consistent set of questions so you can evaluate candidates fairly and objectively. A good interview scorecard should include specific questions that are role-related and general questions that are not role-related. Through these questions, you should be able to evaluate the hard skills and soft skills the candidate has, along with whether they are a culture fit. We’ve created a free interview scorecard template to help get you started. You can download it by clicking the button below. [Interview Scorecard template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Interview-Scorecard-Template.docx) ### Growth potential Though certain technical skills are needed for some roles, try to hire for [growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/) when you can, meaning give candidates with the right motivation and soft skills a chance. This is where asking questions that help you determine a candidate’s motivation and trajectory can be really helpful. Giving a candidate a shot can be a great way to earn a loyal and hardworking employee. Natalie Morgan goes into more detail about hiring for growth potential in this video: ### Avoiding bias We all have inherent biases that impact how we live and work. During interviews, we should do our best to actively mitigate these biases to help us make the best hiring decision. How to address potential bias: * [Educate yourself](https://blog.qualigence.com/hiring/common-hiring-and-interview-biases/) on common biases that show up during the hiring process * Rely on structured interviews by asking every candidate the same questions * Don’t be the only interviewer in the room * Do a phone screen first so you’re unable to unconsciously judge appearance * Don’t rely on your memory — take notes. ### Make the right hires To conduct great interviews, start by getting clear on the kind of person you need to fill your open role. Educate yourself on the interview formats and types and decide which combination works best for your business. Standardize the questions you’ll use throughout interviews, but be willing to adjust as necessary. All of these things will play a role in providing a good candidate experience, along with timely communication and transparency. Have a system in place for evaluating your candidates and make sure to send polite rejections to those candidates that aren’t your top choice. For those that you want to hire, it’s time to [close the deal](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/closing-the-deal-how-to-hire-the-right-person/)! If you’ve taken the steps to standardize your hiring process and provide each candidate an excellent candidate experience, then you can feel confident that your offer will be accepted. --- ## How to Give Feedback to Employees (With Examples) **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/ * Posted on June 15, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris #### Table of Contents 1. [Why giving feedback is important](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/#h-why-giving-employees-feedback-is-important) 2. [Tips for giving employees feedback](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/#h-tips-for-giving-employees-feedback) 3. [How to give positive feedback](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/#h-how-to-give-positive-feedback) 4. [Positive feedback examples](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/#h-positive-feedback-examples) 5. [How to give constructive feedback](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/#h-how-to-give-constructive-feedback) 6. [Constructive feedback examples](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/#h-constructive-feedback-examples) 7. [Tying feedback to your core values](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/#h-tying-feedback-to-your-core-values) 8. [Accepting feedback from your employees](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-give-feedback-to-employees/#h-accepting-feedback-from-employees) Your employees deserve feedback, and as an employer or manager, it’s up to you to give it to them. Some high-performing employees may not fully grasp how impactful their hard work is for your business. Other employees may not realize that a couple of their [bad habits have been dragging the whole team down](https://www.careerplug.com/managing-a-pessimistic-team-member/). And all your employees can use feedback, both positive and constructive, to learn and grow. Simply put, feedback is crucial for the health of your business and the engagement and retention of your employees. But many managers and employers find this part of managing people challenging. It can be difficult to know how to give feedback to employees that’s effective and appreciated. To help, we asked CareerPlug leaders to share some of their best advice on giving feedback including some real feedback examples to inspire you. ### Why giving employees feedback is important If feedback doesn’t come naturally to you, you’re not alone. CareerPlug founder and CEO, Clint Smith had to overcome his hesitancy of giving feedback as his business grew: “In the beginning, I was terrible at giving critical feedback to my employees. Part of it had to do with being a naturally conflict-averse person. The other part is that I would blame myself for their performance issues. I did not set them up for success — at least, that was the story that I told myself. Then one day, I got called out by one of my leaders. He told me that I owed him feedback and that was the only way that he was going to get better. He was totally right.” One employee in our [Toxic Work Environment Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/), shared a similar frustration with a lack of feedback at work: “It’s challenging when there’s no positive feedback for putting in effort, and you go unnoticed by team leads for trying to go above and beyond expectations.” It’s clear that **employees want feedback.**Feedback helps employees stay motivated and engaged at work. This is important since [engaged employees](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/) perform better. [One study](https://hbr.org/2013/07/employee-engagement-does-more) found that**71% of managers believed that employee engagement is one of the most important factors contributing to overall company success.** [Employee development](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) is another huge factor in [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) and engagement. **In our survey, we found that the number one change employees would like to see was “more opportunities for growth”**to create a more positive workplace**.** Feedback helps employees understand their strengths and their opportunities for growth. It helps people understand their bigger purpose in the company and how the company can help them reach their goals. ### Tips for giving employees feedback As a busy manager or employer, it can be difficult to make time for giving feedback to your employees. It can also feel intimidating and awkward to have conversations with employees around their performance. However, it’s crucial to set aside the time to do so. Though scheduling twice yearly or quarterly performance reviews is a good idea, in general, you should make feedback an ongoing habit, and not feel obligated to wait till those meetings to let employees know how they’re doing. Clint Smith shares: “I don’t wait until formal performance reviews to deliver feedback. We do them twice a year, and I put a lot of energy into them. But most of it is feedback — positive or negative — that I have already shared with my employees. My goal is for there to be no surprises when I give the reviews. I usually give my feedback during our weekly one-on-one meetings or directly after an event that created new feedback.**If it’s positive feedback, I will praise people in front of their peers. If it is negative, then I will pull them aside and address it as soon as possible.**” Whether you are giving employees feedback during a performance review or on the fly, keep in mind that all feedback needs to be detailed. As Kirsten Penaloza, Director of Client Experience at CareerPlug, puts it, “No matter if it’s praise (positive feedback), evaluation, or constructive feedback, it needs to be specific and factual, and it needs to speak to the impact of the behavior or work (good or bad).” ### How to give positive feedback Though positive feedback is typically an easier pill to swallow for employees, it still takes finesse to present it correctly. It’s also important to make positive feedback something employees can expect consistently. Natalie Morgan, Senior Director of People, thinks positive feedback more often can limit the amount of constructive feedback you have to give. She shares: “I buy into the idea that we should focus on helping others make their strengths stronger, rather than dwelling on weaknesses. To do that, you need to give specific, positive feedback more than negative feedback.” ### Positive feedback examples CareerPlug leaders all agree that when it comes to feedback, specificity is key! Check out the following examples of this in use: From Natalie Morgan: “Saying ‘good job!’ may be appreciated, but it doesn’t reinforce what about their behavior was good. Instead, you might say ‘You asked great questions during that meeting that showed me you were engaged and really thinking about how to solve the problem. Keep it up!” Kirsten Penaloza: “I see managers often say things like ‘Great work!’ and offer no other insight into what was great, which doesn’t reinforce the good things (skills, tasks, behavior, action items) of the person. I always make a point of saying something along the lines of ‘You did an excellent job with your presentation by being precise, and you communicated clearly your points with on-point visuals and convincing arguments. This will help your teammates understand the importance of the topic, how it relates to the company goals, and it’ll make it easier to implement new ideas.’” ### How to give constructive feedback Encouraging employee performance with positive feedback can limit the amount of constructive feedback you have to give, but there will still be times when you have to provide tougher assessments to your employees. Keep in mind, though difficult, this feedback is what helps your employees grow. And as Morgan reminds us, you need to be specific when dishing out this kind of feedback as well: “Constructive feedback is also necessary for growth. I like the **SBI model: Situation, Behavior, Impact.**Name the situation (when was this, what was happening), the behavior (what did this person do or say), and the impact it had.” Penaloza shares her most effective methods for delivering constructive feedback: “Constructive feedback is often tougher to deliver, therefore, it depends on the situation of how I handle it. I usually have two approaches, one is more **directive** and I use it when I need to see immediate corrective changes, the other is more **coach-based** and focused on future strength-based behavior. For the first one, my framework is always the same, I state the behavior, observation, or issue with just facts and using “I” statements. I explain the impact of the behavior or issue, such as the impact on the team, the performance or work, the company, etc.. I set expectations, e.g. what I need to see differently moving forward. For a more coaching approach, which is more about asking questions and being less directive, I name the observation but then ask more thought provoking questions like: * What do you think your peers believe when they see you do/say this? * What is the impact your behavior might have on others or your own? * Can you think of some ways you can do things differently to have a more positive result? * How would you feel if you were observing this in others? By using a more coaching approach, I usually see that the other person gains insights without me having to actually deliver the feedback and they come up with their own answers to change the behavior, which is very impactful and extremely positive in the work environment.” ### Constructive feedback examples Clearly, the Situation, Behavior, Impact model (or variation of it) can help you deliver the difficult truth to your employees. Let’s see this in action. From Morgan: “Yesterday in our team meeting (Situation), Tori presented her idea and you called it stupid and rolled your eyes (Behavior). Tori stopped contributing after that and it made me feel like I couldn’t share my own ideas without risking ridicule (Impact).” Penaloza: “I noticed in our meetings you sit leaned back with crossed arms and you seem very quiet.” (Behavior) “This can leave the impression that you are not interested in the topics we’re discussing as a team, hence, you’re not being part of the solution and the buy-in, which in return can cause your teammates to disengage with you and for you to alienate yourself from your team.” (Impact) “Moving forward, I really would like to see a more engaging, positive body language, and for you to actively and proactively engage in the meeting by sharing your thoughts, ideas, and concerns.” (Expectations) ### Tying feedback to your core values CareerPlug President, Jenny Leman, says **the best way to structure your feedback and make it more powerful is to relate your feedback to your**[**core values**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/)**.** “As a leader, I’m a huge fan of really staying disciplined on tying feedback to a core value. I believe, if a company sets the right core values, those can be used to drive and incentivize the right behaviors that work for the organization.” When discussing CareerPlug’s own core values, Leman explained: “I have yet to name a situation where we needed to give feedback (either positive or negative) and couldn’t tie it back to our core values. We use our core value document for quarterly conversations and real time feedback. We can always go back to the way our core values are worded and how we expect them to be lived out.“ She sums it up by saying, “If an organization can always lean on their core values for any type of feedback, it emphasizes the meaning of the core values, makes the feedback super clear, and takes away any subjectivity.” As a bonus, structuring your feedback around your core values is the perfect “pressure test” that helps you check in with what your values are and whether they are still working for your business. The right core values equal more meaningful feedback for your employees and a [strong company culture.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) ### Accepting feedback from employees Not only should you be regularly giving employees feedback, you should also create an environment where they feel comfortable letting their voice be heard, since your employees’ feedback is incredibly valuable for creating a great workplace and enabling your business to reach its full potential. Clint Smith shares his best tips for accepting feedback from employees: “Make sure that you have created open channels so that you can receive feedback. Ask people how you are doing and what you can do to improve. If you never get any constructive feedback, then you have not built enough trust with your team. You need their feedback to grow.” Feedback is a two-way street between leadership and employees that is mutually beneficial. Your employees deserve to be praised for their contributions and to be given the opportunity to grow from their mistakes or weaknesses. Feedback (especially when tied back to your core values) contributes to a growth culture and is powerful not only at the individual level, but for the whole business. --- ## 8 Ways to Hire Faster in a Candidate’s Market **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/ * Posted on June 12, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris #### Table of Contents 1. [Respond to all applicants immediately after they apply.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/#respond-to-all-applicants-immediately-after-they-apply) 2. [Recruit heavily from employee referrals.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/#recruit-heavily-from-employee-referrals) 3. [Create templates for everything.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/#h-3-create-templates-for-everything) 4. [Recruit via text messaging.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/#h-4-recruit-via-text-messaging) 5. [Fast-track your best candidates with pre-screen questions.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/#h-5-fast-track-your-best-candidates-with-pre-screen-questions) 6. [Speed up the interview process with automation.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/#h-6-speed-up-the-interview-process-with-automation) 7. [Create an ideal candidate profile to evaluate candidates faster.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/#h-7-create-an-ideal-candidate-profile-to-evaluate-candidates-faster) 8. [Create a great candidate experience so your candidates accept your offers.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/#h-8-create-a-great-candidate-experience-so-your-candidates-accept-your-offers) We’ve heard it again and again from clients over the last year. Competition for top talent is tougher than ever before. Many employers are going up against big box retailers like Amazon and Walmart in the battle for employees. So to stay on track, it’s more important than ever before to hire quickly. **Our recommendation is to aim to make your hires within 5 days of posting a job.** But in order to be successful in your recruitment, it’s important to recall that the quality of your hires still matters even if you speed up the hiring process. Remember, a [bad hire](https://www.careerplug.com/the-cost-of-a-bad-hire-harry-potter-edition/) can cost you [30% of that employee’s first-year salary](https://insiders.fortune.com/3-ways-to-weed-out-a-bad-job-candidate-ee365294c331), so rushing into hiring the wrong person may carry more risk than its worth. So how do businesses that need to hire fast do so without negatively affecting the _quality_ of hires they’re making? We’ve outlined eight helpful tips to get you hiring faster and more effectively. ### 1. Respond to all applicants immediately after they apply [Communication is key](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) throughout the [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/). In fact, a CareerPlug [survey of recent job seekers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) found that applicants consider prompt and frequent communication with their potential employer to be a major positive factor in the candidate experience. But as a business owner with a lot on your plate, you can’t be glued to your inbox all day. So how do you pursue a great candidate who applies before another employer does? By using an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/what-is-ats/) that automatically sends interview invitations to your ideal candidates. You can also automate sending [polite rejection emails](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/rejection-letter-template/) for applicants who don’t check all your boxes. The best candidates have a lot of options, so hiring managers should hire with urgency before their top prospects move on to other offers. You can put your business at a significant advantage if you contact candidates sooner than your competition. ### 2. Recruit heavily from employee referrals Instead of only recruiting from job boards, it’s very likely that some great applicants are right under your nose. That’s why an [employee referral program](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-referral-program/) can be a huge asset to your business and recruitment strategy and can help you speed up your hiring process. Our [2024 Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/) also discovered that the best source of high-quality applicants is **employee referrals, who are 11 times more likely to become a hire than candidates who apply from job boards.** Recruiting internally through referrals is a great way to speed up your recruiting because these applicants already exist within the network of your employees. Think about it: your team already knows your company and what an ideal candidate should be, reducing the time it takes you to vet each candidate and gauge their interest. Plus, employee referrals are hired at greater rates than job boards, can be onboarded quicker, and have [higher retention rates](https://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2017/04/03/how-important-is-culture-fit-for-employee-retention/?sh=1a800b887839). Talk about a win-win! ### 3. Create templates for everything As hiring experts, we know that creating organized templates not only saves hiring managers time, but allows them to hire more consistently. We recommend creating templates for all of your most repetitive communications with applicants, including: * [Job descriptions](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) for the roles you hire most frequently * Interview invitation emails * Follow-up emails after interviews * Rejection emails * Requests for references * [Offer letters](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/offer-letter-templates/) * [New hire forms](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-forms/) By having these forms ready to go, you’ll be able to not only move quickly, but also follow a standardized hiring process and create a consistent experience for all your candidates. Remember: there’s no need to reinvent the wheel every time you hire. ### 4. Recruit via text messaging Did you know that [two-thirds of applicants](https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/text-recruiting-is-the-future.aspx) expect a mobile-friendly candidate experience? Let’s face it: we all check our smartphones several times a day, and your job seekers are no different. With this in mind, consider using [text messaging](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/using-text-recruiting-hire-faster/) in your hiring process. Text messaging has a [response rate eight times faster](https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/best-practices/text-marketing/) than email, making it a quick and easy way to reach more qualified applicants. If you’re wondering how to implement texting for your business, an [applicant tracking system like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) can help. In fact, CareerPlug allows hiring managers to save time by [texting candidates](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) directly, giving them a 32% faster time-to-hire rate! Think of text recruiting as just another way to help your job seekers move along the hiring funnel and get from applicant to employee quickly. Watch the video below to see how text recruiting can speed up a hiring process: ### 5. Fast-track your best candidates with pre-screen questions Let’s say you’re lucky enough to have lots of applicants rolling in, but you’re wondering who you should be focusing your time and attention on. That’s where [pre-screening questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) come in. Adding these questions to the job application can help you fast-track the right candidates and filter out those who don’t meet your minimum criteria. The goal of each step in the hiring process should be to provide you with the answer to one simple question: “Do I want to know more about this person?” Having prescreen questions takes all of the guesswork off your plate in these early stages of the hiring process. This way, you can spend your time on the candidates who you do want to learn more about. ### 6. Speed up the interview process with automation [One LinkedIn report found](https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent//blog/talent-strategy/trends-shaping-future-of-hiring) that over**50% of recruiters have found automation helpful in their recruiting efforts**, making it a powerful tool to consider when speeding up your own hiring process. Autopilot, an [**automated interview scheduler**](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) available in [CareerPlug Premium](https://www.careerplug.com/premium-plan/), instantly sends your qualified applicants a text (or email if they’ve opted out of texting) with a link to book an interview directly on your calendar. Candidates also receive automatic reminders if they haven’t scheduled their interview yet. Automated interview scheduling [keeps candidates engaged](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-engagement/) early and it’s more convenient for them to interact with too… From a candidate’s perspective, you’ve just made it even easier for them to move forward in your hiring process –it’s win-win! Plus, CareerPlug clients that use Autopilot have **cut their interview scheduling time by up to 91%** and scheduled up to **8 times more interviews!** ### Automate Interview Scheduling with CareerPlug Say goodbye to endless scheduling back-and-forth with your best candidates and free up more time in your hiring process. [TRY AUTOPILOT](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) ### 7. Create an ideal candidate profile to evaluate candidates faster Before you post your job anywhere, it’s important to know exactly what you’re evaluating in your candidates and who it is you’re looking for. The first step here is to create your [ideal candidate profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/). This way you can thoughtfully evaluate your job seekers, leading to faster and more consistent hiring decisions. An ideal candidate profile can serve as your blueprint for the kinds of skills, talents, and behaviors someone needs to succeed in your open role. You can use it to guide everything from your job posting to [the kinds of questions you ask in your interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/). When you start out knowing exactly who you’re looking for, [making the right hiring decision](https://www.careerplug.com/making-the-right-hiring-decision/) becomes considerably easier. ### 8. Create a great candidate experience so your candidates accept your offers In our [2024 Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we shared that **52% of job seekers reported declining a job offer because of a poor candidate experience.** The top reasons cited were: * A negative experience with people in the interview process * The compensation and benefits did not meet my expectations * The role and responsibilities were different than I expected Creating a great candidate experience can mean the difference between a candidate accepting your offer or rejecting it – causing you to prolong your recruiting. Evaluate your business’ [candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-candidate-experience-thats-exceptional/) and look for ways to improve. For example, employers should hold interviewers accountable for conducting great interviews – asking appropriate questions, creating a welcoming environment, and being respectful in their interactions with all candidates. People view these interactions as reflections of the company as a whole. Providing a great candidate experience will ensure that more people [say yes to your job offers.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/reasons-candidates-turn-down-job-offers/)This will keep you from having to repeat the process, saving you time and other valuable resources. ### Final thoughts As the war for talent continues on, don’t let your business fall behind the competition. Instead, utilizing these tools for your hiring strategy will not only save you time, but bring in the candidates you need to keep your business moving forward. ### Hiring Data to Help You Hire Faster Download our 2024 Recruiting Metrics Report to see how your hiring and recruiting stats compare to others in your industry and learn tips for what you can do to make the right hires quickly and confidently. DOWNLOAD THE REPORT --- ## How to Hire Seasonal Employees **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/ * Posted on October 23, 2024 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris For industries like retail, increased demand for seasonal employees is a holiday tradition as cherished as pumpkin pie. But in recent years, the hiring landscape has changed, and employers are finding it more challenging than ever to fill their open roles. No matter your industry, if your business needs seasonal help during this busy time of year, it’s important to have a plan for recruiting the right people for your team. #### Table of Contents 1. [Use your job description to stand out.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/#applicants) 2. [Reduce your time to hire.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/#time-to-hire) 3. [Diversify applicant sources.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/#applicant-sources) 4. [Consider recruiting former employees.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/#former) 5. [Ask pre-screen questions that determine applicant availability.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/#pre-screen) 6. [Seek out applicants who already have industry experience.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/#industry) 7. [Try creative interview methods to save time.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/#creative-interviews) 8. [Don’t forget the candidate experience.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/#candidate-experience) 9. [Standardize your onboarding process before you make offers.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/#standardize-onboarding) 10. [Hire like you’re hiring for permanent employees.](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-hire-seasonal-employees/#permanent) Let’s break down each of these tips so that you can up your recruiting game and find the right seasonal employees. ### 1. Use your job description to stand out. People looking to make a little extra cash this time of year have options. Gig economy jobs like Uber, DoorDash, and delivery services stand out as flexible and reliable ways to start working fast. To stand out in the sea of choices, you’ll want to make your role enticing to job seekers. One big tip is to offer competitive pay and [include compensation in the job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/). Applicants will typically be more likely to apply to a company that shows what the pay will be. Highlight any benefits and perks in your job posting as well. Are you offering flexible scheduling? How about a holiday bonus? In-store discounts can also be super enticing this time of year. Ensure your [job description](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/effective-job-descriptions/) is accurate and truly reflects both the role and what it’s like to work for your company. Format it so that it’s easy to skim by including bullet points and short paragraphs. ### 2. Reduce your time-to-hire. Because the holiday shopping season begins sooner every year, you’ll want to get your [job postings](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) up as soon as possible and move fast. Some ways to [hire quickly](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/)? Try to communicate with candidates immediately after they apply. Not only will this help you get to them faster, it will also contribute to a [great candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/): We found that applicants consider [prompt and frequent communication](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) with their potential employer to be a major positive factor in the candidate experience. One way to automate communication with candidates is by using an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/ats-benefits/) that automatically sends interview invitations to your ideal candidates. You can also automate sending [polite rejection emails](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/rejection-letter-template/) for applicants who don’t check all your boxes. Consider using [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) to save even more time. Text messaging has a [response rate eight times faster](https://www.salesforce.com/products/marketing-cloud/best-practices/text-marketing/) than email, making it an easy way to reach more applicants sooner. ### 3. Diversify applicant sources. While job boards can obviously be a great source of candidates during the holiday season, it’s important to keep in mind that though**job boards produce _quantity_, they don’t always produce the most _quality_ applicants.** Our data shows that job boards produce 60% of applications, but less than half of hires (37%), while referrals and careers pages**produce hires at a much higher rate.** We found that candidates from**employee referrals were 11 times more likely to be hired**than applicants from job boards and applicants from [**careers pages**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/)**were 4 times more likely to be hired.** This means that employee referrals should be a major part of your recruiting strategy all the time, not just during the holidays. Now is also a good time to take a look at your careers page and make sure it effectively highlights your [employer brand.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/) ### 4. Consider recruiting former employees. Another [recruiting strategy that can help cut down on hiring time](https://www.careerplug.com/growing-your-staff-try-remarketing-to-old-applicants-first/) is [boomerang hiring](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/boomerang-employees/), or rehiring former employees who have previously left the company. Boomerang employees are hired faster, ramped up sooner, and usually result in fewer surprises. Pro tip: Seasonal roles can also be a great employment option for college students who may have previously left your company due to scheduling conflicts with classes. Reach out to them and see if their current class schedule will work with your staffing needs, or if they’d be interested in working during their winter breaks. ### 5. Ask pre-screen questions that determine applicant availability. When it comes to seasonal employees, hiring for flexibility in schedule is key. Many of your employees will usually ask for time off here and there during the holiday season, so hiring seasonal employees with open schedules can help fill the gaps. Pro tip: Have candidates submit their availability as a prequalifying question on your job postings. Using an [applicant tracking system](https://www.careerplug.com/what-is-ats/) makes it easy to add [pre-qualifying questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) like this to the application and automatically fast-track applicants who have the availability you need and politely reject those who don’t. This can help save you precious time while also ensuring you’re getting the right people for your seasonal staffing needs. ### 6. Seek out candidates who already have industry experience. If the candidate has some experience in the industry, it helps them get up to speed faster so you don’t have to spend as much time training them on the basics. For example, while point-of-sale (POS) software might differ from one store to another, chances are the same basic skills will transfer over to whichever software you use. Other questions that can signal existing experience: * Do they know your brand well? * Do they know your products well? * Do they have experience working with customers? You can add these (and any custom questions you need) as pre-screening questions to your applications to better pre-qualify your candidates and save more time in the process. And since you may not be able to devote as much time to your training seasonal employees, experienced professionals can naturally lead by example for any newbies you might put onto a sales floor during the busy holiday shopping season. ### 7. Try creative interview methods to save time. When you need to evaluate a large applicant pool quickly, you may need to get creative with your interview formats. Group interviews can be an effective way to save time. These can include a discussion portion where you ask the group questions that candidates answer individually and group exercises so you can evaluate their ability to work on a team. You might also consider doing [video interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/remote-hiring/) rather than in-person interviews. Not only are video interviews a more convenient option for many people, they can be more efficient and easier to coordinate in terms of scheduling. ### 8. Don’t forget the candidate experience. In our annual [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/), we found that 53% of all job seekers have had a negative experience during a hiring process within the past year and **52% of job seekers had declined a job offer due to poor experience.** When you’ve got to hire the right people quickly, you can’t risk losing them to a negative candidate experience that’s entirely within your ability to control. Put your best foot forward when recruiting and hiring seasonal employees just as you would with any other employee. For more tips for creating a positive candidate experience, check out this video from Natalie, our Senior Director of People: ### 9. Standardize your onboarding process before you make offers. If there’s one theme to this guide, it’s speed, speed, speed! And having a standardized [onboarding process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/new-hire-onboarding-preparing-for-the-first-day/) in place before you make job offers will allow your new seasonal employees to hit the ground running immediately. In fact, a standard onboarding process [results in a 50% increase in productivity.](https://recruitingdaily.com/study-finds-bad-onboarding-experience-may-disengage-new-hires/) Remember that you may not be able to simply throw last year’s onboarding and training materials at your new seasonal workers. You may need to provide updated materials and safety guidance. Take the time upfront to structure your onboarding process so that it can run like a well-oiled machine the moment your new team members walk through the door. You’ll thank yourself later. ### Build a better onboarding process Learn more about how to create an onboarding process that increases employee engagement and retention. Our free e-book includes everything you to need to build a better process for you and future employees! GET MY E-BOOK ### 10. Hire like you’re hiring for permanent employees. This is the most important piece of advice on our list. Don’t fall into the trap of cutting corners because “it will just be temporary.” Instead, hire like you are going to keep the candidate longterm. If you find exceptional people in a seasonal role, do whatever you can to offer them a permanent role. You should always be looking for the right people who can help your business grow. That’s why it’s important to hire seasonal workers who match your [core values](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-write-core-values/) and who fit your typical [ideal candidate profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/). At the end of the day, the people you hire are going to represent your company, even if only for a season. Make sure they add value to your team and aren’t just a warm body there to do a temporary job. And if you are willing to turn some positions into permanent ones, market that in your job postings to make them even more attractive to job seekers. ### Need more guidance on making the right hires fast? Try CareerPlug to learn how an applicant tracking system can help you hire during this holiday season and beyond. [GET A DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## How to Review a Resume: A Guide for Employers **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/ * Posted on June 13, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris You’ve got some candidates rolling in and you’re ready to review resumes. That’s great! You’re one step closer to filling your open role. But the pressure to hire the right person can be brutal. In a labor market where [employers are hiring faster](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/), being able to evaluate candidates quickly and effectively is more important than ever. Resumes help you make better hiring decisions and prevent you from risky hiring – if you know what to look for. #### Table of Contents 1. [Know who you need](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/#know-who-you-need) 2. [Use pre-screen questions in your application](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/#pre-screen) 3. [What to look for in a resume](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/#look-for-resume) 4. [Do gaps in a resume matter?](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/#resume-gaps) 5. [Ask clarifying questions](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/#questions) 6. [Don’t get stuck in decision paralysis](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/#decision) 7. [Keep candidates in the loop](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/#inform-candidates) 8. [How to review a resume checklist](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-review-a-resume-a-guide-for-employers/#checklist) Let’s cover the most important steps of resume review so that you can make better hiring decisions. ### Know who you need To effectively evaluate a resume, you have to know what kind of person you’re looking for to fill your open role. What kind of experience do you want them to have? What skills should they possess? Getting clear on who you need at the very beginning of your [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) can help you stay focused when reviewing resumes and make recruitment much smoother. We recommend creating an [Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/) before you even post an open job. When creating your profile, think about things like: * Specifics for the role * Your key culture drivers * The job responsibilities, objectives, and outcomes Our Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan goes into detail about Ideal Candidate Profiles in the video below: ### Use pre-screen questions There’s one more step before we get to the actual resume review. You can [save yourself a lot of time](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-employees-quickly/) in the hiring process by including a few [pre-screen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) on your application. Think about those minimum requirements (you should have them listed in your candidate profile) and create questions based on those. For example, if you’re hiring for a role where a specific license is required, ask all applicants if they are licensed to weed out those that you can’t hire. Don’t go overboard with pre-screen questions as they can cause applicants to abandon your job posting. However, asking the right questions can help you ensure that the resumes that make it to your desk (or your inbox) have all the minimum requirements needed to perform the role. We recommend using [3-5 prescreen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/would-you-apply-to-your-jobs/) on the initial application. ### What to look for in a resume Resume review can help you get to know your candidates a little better. But what should you be looking for in a resume? How can you tell on paper if someone is the right fit for the role? Let’s discuss. ### The candidate’s location This may seem simple, but the first thing to look for if you are hiring for an in-person position is the candidate’s location. If you don’t recognize the address, then type the ZIP/Postal code into an online search. If you get a qualified candidate who does not live nearby, don’t rule them out just yet. It may be worth a conversation (or at least an email/text) to see if they plan to relocate to your area. Don’t make any assumptions about a candidate’s address or you could miss out on some great talent. ### What does the candidate want to do? Next, move to the summary or objective section if the resume has one. Look for keywords that help you determine if the candidate has the experience you’re looking for and see if you can tell what next step the candidate wants to take in their career. This is a good place to look for any major discrepancies – like if you’re hiring for an entry-level client support role and the candidate has written they are looking for a management position. These don’t always have to be deal-breakers, but it doesn’t hurt to take notes on whether or not you and this candidate are aligned on what the role entails. ### Minimum qualifications If you choose not to include pre-screen questions on your application, you will need to look for minimum qualifications when reviewing a resume. Keep in mind those two to three things that are must-haves and do a brief scan of keywords or sentences that fit the bill. ### Work history When reviewing work history, look for specific examples of the impact a candidate has made. Dig deeper than just the job title; pay attention to how the candidate describes the role and responsibilities. This section gives you a great idea of a candidate’s track record as an employee. Take a look at the story that the resume tells you: Do you see someone constantly advancing on a career path or an inconsistent job hopper? Past behavior is usually a good predictor of the future. Keep in mind that specific work experience isn’t the only predictor of success. Soft skills in unrelated positions might be more valuable than an employee that checks all the work history boxes, but has no proven results or measurable professional growth. Keep [growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/) in the back of your mind when reviewing work history. If you’re unsure, it never hurts to ask them for more detail about why they believe they’d be a good fit for the role despite not having the exact experience. ### Attention to detail Depending on the role you’re hiring for, attention to detail in a resume may be more or less important. For example, if you’re hiring a copyeditor, you’ll want to pay attention to the resume’s grammar and spelling. If you’re hiring a designer, the resume format would be very telling. Attention to detail is an important skill, and it’s always a good sign when someone puts a lot of time and effort into [crafting their resume](https://www.careerplug.com/building-a-successful-resume/). However, as Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan advises, “You’re not evaluating someone on how well they write their resume, you’re evaluating whether they can do their job or not.” Keep in mind the type of role you are evaluating for when grading resume details. ### Do gaps in a resume matter? At first glance, big gaps in a resume timeline may seem concerning. It may leave you wondering about a candidate’s professional trajectory or ability to maintain a job. However, **we strongly urge you not to let gaps in a resume deter you from a great candidate.**Life happens. There could be a hundred different explanations for why there is a gap and it isn’t up to employers to judge another person’s situation or circumstances. Sometimes people take gaps to raise children or care for a sick loved one. Sometimes gaps in a resume mean someone took off work to travel and see the world. Other times, there are gaps in a resume simply because an applicant left off irrelevant work experience. Don’t let gaps in the resume trip you up too much. Keep in mind that you are hiring for a certain set of skills and qualifications, not a long, uninterrupted work history. ### Ask clarifying questions When reviewing resumes, one thing to keep in mind is that asking clarifying questions is totally an option. If something throws you off or you want to know a little more about something, send a quick email with your questions or schedule a 15 min phone screen. There’s no need to commit to a full interview if you just need a little context first. Don’t write off an otherwise great candidate without giving them the chance to provide further explanation for any red flags or discrepancies on their resume. ### Don’t get stuck in decision paralysis Here’s the tough part. It’s time to make a decision on whether or not you want to move the candidate to the next stage of the hiring process. This can be even more challenging if you’re hiring in bulk or are lucky enough to have a lot of great candidates. When it’s time to evaluate, come back to your Ideal Candidate Profile and the minimum qualifications that you need for this role. Don’t get distracted by “shiny objects” – great things on a resume that may not have anything to do with the role you’re looking to fill. If you need to, keep a post-it note in front of you as a constant reminder of the things that are absolutely most important. Don’t miss out on good candidates because you’re lost in decision paralysis. Follow the guidelines you set before the process began and make decisions quickly and systematically. ### Keep candidates in the loop After reviewing a resume, you will most likely either A) Want to invite someone for an interview or B) Move on to more qualified candidates. It’s important to let applicants know either way. A [recent CareerPlug survey](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) found that candidates want [more communication](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) in a hiring process. And even if you don’t plan to hire someone, it’s important to keep them informed. For the resumes that check all your boxes, [schedule interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) with applicants as soon as you can. (Use our [Ultimate Guide to Conducting Interviews](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/) to help you in this next stage of the process.) And for those that don’t? Send them a [polite rejection letter](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/rejection-letter-template/) promptly. Communicating with all candidates helps you provide a [great candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/), which is crucial for making the right hires. ### Resume review checklist ### Evaluate Candidates Faster and Easier with CareerPlug Need to speed up your hiring without sacrificing quality? CareerPlug’s easy-to-use applicant tracking system can help you evaluate candidates quickly and make the right hires. [TRY IT OUT](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Recruiting Metrics to Track to Improve Your Hiring Process **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-use-recruiting-metrics-to-hire-better/ * Posted on April 7, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris In a job seeker’s market, attracting and hiring qualified candidates is more competitive than ever before. As an employer, you may be feeling more motivated to take a closer look at your hiring process and make sure you’re competing at a high level! Just as marketers and [sales teams keep up with key performance indicators (KPIs)](https://www.careerplug.com/can-sales-leader-teach-hiring/), it’s important for employers to monitor how their recruitment efforts are doing by looking at the data. Learning how to track your **recruiting metrics** can help you make the necessary adjustments to your hiring process to optimize your recruitment funnel from start to finish. This means an improved ability to hire the right people quickly. So which numbers should you be paying attention to? And what adjustments can you make when your recruitment process isn’t meeting those performance goals? In this blog, we’ll touch on some of the main recruiting metrics to monitor and what those metrics can tell you about your hiring process. ### What are recruiting metrics? Every year, we use hiring data from our clients to create a [Recruiting Metrics Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/recruiting-metrics-and-kpis/). This report establishes benchmark data for ten different industries, and gives us a pulse on trends in the hiring landscape. Analyzing the data can be insightful and help other businesses improve their hiring processes. Metrics like this can also be extremely useful when businesses look at their own unique data individually. **Recruiting metrics are numbers, rates, and data points that show you how your hiring process is performing.** They can tell you what’s working and what’s not working in a hiring process so that you can adjust your efforts accordingly. ### Recruiting metrics to track while hiring There are countless metrics that you can track during recruitment, but here are some of the most important numbers to monitor. ### Applicant and hire sources One important metric to keep an eye on is applicant sources. This means paying attention to where your applicants are coming from (like Indeed, Craigslist, your [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/), etc) and which sources are bringing you the best results. Keep in mind that **applicant quality is more important than quantity**, so not only will you want to track sources of applicants, **you’ll want to track which sources are actually bringing you hires.** Our data shows that applicants that come from careers pages are **4 times more likely to be hired than those from job boards** and applicants that come from custom sources (like industry-specific, niche, and local job boards) are **14 times more likely to be hired than those from a job board.** Knowing which [sources are bringing you the **highest quality applicants**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/best-untapped-candidate-sources/)can help you focus your efforts there. ### Applicant conversion rates Many employers want to know [how many applicants it takes to make one hire](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/applicant-to-hire-ratio-benchmark/), but that’s a tricky question to answer without looking at a few other variables. There are a few different conversion rates you’ll want to consider throughout the recruitment process from job posting to onboarding. Let’s explore those now. #### Click-to-apply rate Your applicant conversion, or click-to-apply rate, is calculated by taking the number of applicants you receive for a job divided by the number of views you receive on your job posting. You may be wondering: What’s a good click-to-apply rate? We recommend taking a look at what this rate has been in the past for your company as a benchmark for your current postings. This number tells you how many people are abandoning your job posting without applying. If this number is high, you might consider reworking your [job description](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) to entice more job seekers to submit an application. Here’s a video from our Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan on creating a good job posting: #### Application-to-interview and interview-to-hire rate Many employers want to know how many applicants it takes to make one hire. But that’s a tricky question to answer without looking at a few other variables: * The applicant-to-interview conversion rate * The interview-to-hire conversion rate Employers in our study received an average of **180 applicants per hire made,**this is up from last year, when it took employers an average of 93 applications per hire. When we examine the hiring funnel by stage, we see that employers invited an average of just**3% of applicants to interview** for their open roles, but were far more efficient later in the hiring process, converting **27% of interviews to hires.** This suggests that employers don’t necessarily need more applicants at the top of their funnels to make their hires – they just need to convert applicants to interviews and interviews to hires at slightly higher rates in order to hire effectively. Remember, you aren’t trying to win an award for _most applicants received._ You just need to make the [right hire](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-without-many-applicants/) for your team. Tracking your applicant-to-interview and interview-to-hire rates can help you monitor how you’re doing further down the funnel. ### Average days to contact Job seekers have more options than ever before, and the speed of your hiring process matters. In fact, [37% of entry-level and hourly workers](https://workforceinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/kleiman-recruit-the-best-hourly-06.pdf) listed being hired quickly as the most important factor when job seeking. Plus, our own [original research](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) found that an **employer’s****responsiveness after initially applying influenced their decision to accept an offer**and is a major factor in creating a great [candidate experience.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) The metrics that matter here are the **average time it takes to contact applicants** and **how long it takes to contact a candidate that you want to hire.** These numbers are very important to keep track of and to improve if necessary. One way to [improve your communication](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/improve-hiring-with-better-communication/) in the hiring process is by using [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/), a feature available in CareerPlug’s software. [Text recruiting can not only make hiring easier](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/text-recruiting-makes-hiring-easier/), but our clients see a 32% faster time-to-hire rate with text recruiting. ### Time to hire Time to hire is an overall metric for how long it takes to complete your entire hiring process from the initial job posting to an accepted offer. This information can be useful because it can give you an idea of how long it might take to fill similar open roles in the future. In 2023, the average time to hire was around 17 days. In 2024, it took employers even longer: around 20 days. We recommend trying to shave this number down quite a bit and making a **hire within 5 days.** It’s important to have a documented and consistent hiring process to keep things moving along quickly. Still, roles that require multiple interviews, test projects, background checks, and other steps will obviously increase your time to hire. Some ways to speed up your hiring process? Include [pre-screen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/) in your application to fast track higher quality candidates. Automate your [interview scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/), and use templates where possible, like when sending an [offer letter](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/offer-letter-templates/) or [polite rejection](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/rejection-letter-template/). ### Importance of marking hires Once you’ve finished the recruiting process, one final step is to track your hires. If you’re using an applicant tracking system like CareerPlug, this means, marking an applicant as “hired” and moving them to the onboarding process. Monitoring your hire and termination rates help you determine your overall rate of retention—another important metric for every business owner! Jenny Leman, President of CareerPlug shares, “Small business owners can’t afford to guess when it comes to employee turnover.Tracking hires and terminations isn’t just about keeping records—it’s about understanding the true cost of turnover and identifying opportunities to improve retention. Every lost employee represents lost productivity, hiring expenses, and training costs. By measuring hires made and turnover trends, businesses can make better decisions to strengthen culture, reduce costs, and build a more stable, engaged workforce…. thereby, improving profitability.” The new CareerPlug **Grow Plan** will include a team directory where employers can track employee status including hiring and termination, giving them the ability to measure and improve employee retention rates. ### Take action [Building a great hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/building-a-great-hiring-process/) can make for smoother recruitment. Automating that process with [CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/what-is-ats/) can make it even easier to hire the right candidates quickly. Additionally, our software can help you and your team run detailed reports and keep track of recruiting metrics so that you can see what’s working and what’s not. You don’t have to be a professional recruiter to analyze your recruiting metrics and improve your hiring process. Paying attention to these numbers and setting your own benchmarks can help you make the right hires even in today’s competitive market. ### Download the 2025 Recruiting Metrics Report See our benchmark data and compare your hiring metrics with others in your industry. Plus, we share our best hiring tips for building a team that sticks around. Download my free copy --- ## What Makes a Negative Work Environment According to Employees? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/negative-work-environment/ * Posted on August 31, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris In our recent [Toxic Work Environment Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/), we found that **86% of employees have experienced a workplace where a negative atmosphere — caused by coworkers, supervisors, and/or the company culture — made it difficult to work or progress in their job.** On top of that, 76% of employees said they have left a job because of a negative work environment. No employer sets out to create a negative workplace, but clearly many employees are having poor experiences at work, some of which are so bad, they have even left their jobs! **So what makes a negative work environment according to employees?** * [Conflict among coworkers](https://www.careerplug.com/negative-work-environment/#conflict) * [Poor work/life balance](https://www.careerplug.com/negative-work-environment/#balance) * [Lack of opportunities for growth](https://www.careerplug.com/negative-work-environment/#growth) * [Long hours with no breaks](https://www.careerplug.com/negative-work-environment/#breaks) * [Unfair treatment by managers](https://www.careerplug.com/negative-work-environment/#managers) * [Lack of support from human resources](https://www.careerplug.com/negative-work-environment/#resources) * [Unsafe working conditions](https://www.careerplug.com/negative-work-environment/#conditions) * [Unpaid or mandatory overtime](https://www.careerplug.com/negative-work-environment/#overtime) Let’s take a closer look at each of these top negative experiences reported by the employees in our survey. Addressing some of these common issues can help employers create better places to work. ### Negative experiences employees have had at work The majority of employees in our survey have experienced what we defined as a toxic workplace. We wanted to dig deeper into this surprising finding and learn more about the factors that contribute to a negative work environment. Below, are the top negative experiences that employees reported having in the last twelve months: ### 1. Conflict among coworkers **40% of the employees in our survey have experienced conflict among coworkers in the last year.**Here’s what a couple of employees had to say when we asked them to describe the experience: “Not having people you work with be a team that works together; people becoming clique-ish and gossiping/spreading rumors.” “Poor communication between different departments, lack of distinct supervisorial chain, back-stabbing to get promotions, no accountability individually.” Conflict among coworkers not only contributes to a negative work environment, it can also [affect productivity](https://desktime.com//blog/workplace-conflicts-hurting-more-than-productivity#:~:text=Although%20the%20sources%20of%20conflict,organization%2C%20resulting%20in%20decreased%20productivity.) and lead to turnover. As an employer, dealing with conflict among coworkers can be difficult, but it’s important to take a proactive approach. **Consider having a system in place for employees to discreetly share when they are having issues.** Encourage employees to come to management and make sure they feel comfortable and heard. Know that small scuffles may happen at work, and that’s ok, but be prepared to step in when conflict is ongoing and severe. ### 2. Poor work/life balance Poor work/life balance is another big factor in negative work environments and “more work/life balance” was one of the most important changes employees would like to see made at work. And work/life balance is something employers should take seriously. [Some studies](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313755#How-work-life-balance-in-midlife-affects-health-in-later-life) suggest that a poor work/life balance in mid-life (defined as working more than 50 hours per week) might actually affect health even into later stages of life. And [two-thirds of employees](https://thrivemyway.com/burnout-stats/#:~:text=Employees%20who%20feel%20unsupported%20by,likely%20to%20visit%20the%20ER.) say they have experienced burnout in their careers – which [can cause symptoms](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4384854/#:~:text=Symptoms%20of%20burnout%20as%20already,burnout%20(15%2C16).) like physical and mental fatigue and depression. You might consider **offering more paid time off or more flexible schedules**. [Remote working](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-create-a-remote-work-policy/) options can also give employees more flexibility and cut down on time-consuming commutes. Help employees embrace a healthier relationship to work. Don’t expect employees to respond to emails outside of working hours or bring their laptops on vacation with them. Your efforts to implement more work/life balance should pay off. Not only will it lead to healthier and happier employees – [**89% of surveyed HR professionals**](https://www.zippia.com/advice/work-life-balance-statistics/#:~:text=77%25%20of%20employees%20have%20experienced,re%20considering%20a%20new%20job.)**saw an increase in employee retention after implementing flexible work policies.** ### 3.Lack of opportunities for growth 34% of employees said that they have experienced a lack of opportunities for growth at work in the last 12 months. Additionally, **this was the number one change that the employees in our survey would like to see their employers make to create a more positive workplace.** Employee development should be a priority. We recommend supporting employee development in the following ways: * Promote from within. * Provide ongoing feedback on [employee performance](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/performance-improvement-plan/). * Pay for educational opportunities like seminars, books, and online classes. * Help employees set and reach goals with a [Growth Plan](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/). Click the button below to download your free Growth Plan Template that you can use to work through professional and personal development opportunities with each employee. [GRowth Plan Template](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Growth-Plan-Template-1.docx) ### 4. Long hours with no breaks There are [no federal laws](https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/workhours/breaks) requiring rest or meal breaks, and less than half of states require employers to provide meal breaks for employees. But this doesn’t mean that it’s ok to make employees work long hours with no breaks. Workers report this as a major symptom of negative work environments and it can also play a role in creating poor work/life balance and employee burnout – which we know leads to negative health outcomes and turnover. Try to be mindful of employee’s working hours, and encourage breaks for shifts longer than 5-6 hours. **Build in ways for employees to decompress during the work day if you can.** A little can go a long way in terms of boosting morale in stressful jobs. Consider providing the occasional free lunch in the break room or schedule quick, fun events throughout the workday. ### 5. Unfair treatment by managers Many employees in our survey said that unfair treatment by managers contributes to a toxic work environment. One employee shared what that looks like: “No positive feedback for putting in effort and going unnoticed by team leads for trying to go above and beyond expectations.” It’s estimated that [bad management costs U.S. companies](https://www.gallup.com/workplace/260564/heard-quit-rate-win-war-talent.aspx) around $960 billion dollars per year! So it’s no wonder “People don’t leave jobs, they leave managers,” has become such a common refrain. **35% of employees in our survey said that more training for [managers/leadership](https://www.careerplug.com/4-differences-between-management-leadership/) should be a priority when it comes to creating a more positive work environment.**And that’s a great place to start. Making the initial investment to [fully train your leaders](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-hire-managers/) can help mitigate this common experience that creates a negative work environment. ### 6. Lack of support from human resources A lack of support in the workplace can be stressful and make employees feel like their company doesn’t care about their needs. Employees should feel supported by their employers, and there should be a clear process in place for asking questions or getting help from managers or human resources. Even if you are a small team, it’s important to make sure your employees know where to go when they are having an issue, don’t understand their benefits, or need help with something at work. ### 7. Unsafe working conditions This is a big issue for obvious reasons, especially in manual labor industries where accidents are more likely to happen. In recent years though, COVID has become a concern, and now more than ever, employees expect their employers to take the proper measures to keep them safe at work. Some tips for creating a safe work environment no matter your industry? * Make sure all employees are properly trained. * Provide employees with the right tools and equipment. * Display visual representations of safety rules and messages. * Have a clearly outlined safety protocol and share it with employees often. ### 8. Unpaid or mandatory overtime Unpaid or mandatory overtime is yet another factor that can contribute to a poor work/life balance and create a negative work environment. In the United States it is [illegal to not pay overtime](https://www.hourly.io/post/is-not-paying-overtime-illegal) to hourly, non-exempt employees if they work over 40 hours in a week; though, some salaried employees might be required to work more than the traditional 40 hour work week and not be compensated for their extra time. And in other cases, employees may be paid for overtime, but forced into working it. Even though they may receive higher compensation, they may value their time more and feel overworked and frustrated with all the extra hours tacked onto their week. All too often, this can lead to turnover. As an employer, it’s important to remember that all of your employees deserve to get paid for their time – especially any additional time put in on top of the 40 hour week. If you find that you are requiring a lot of overtime, consider whether or not it’s time to make more hires. At the very least, is it possible to make overtime optional so that employees that actually want the hours can load up their schedules? Or can you spread overtime hours out evenly so that employees aren’t working overtime week after week? ### Using the data for good A negative work environment puts a strain on employees and can contribute to everything from employee burnout to decreased productivity and turnover. Using the data from our research can help employers evaluate their own work environment and the effect it might be having on employees. Do you think any of your employees are currently dealing with some of these top negative experiences? If so, what changes can you make today to create a more positive work environment? Though it may take a little time and effort, becoming a better place to work will only improve your ability to retain your top employees and to make the right hires when it’s time to grow your team. ### Read the Full 2022 Toxic Work Environment Report Click the button below to read all the findings from our survey. Employees shared insights into what they’re looking for – as well as what they’re not looking for – in employers. [CHECK OUT THE REPORT](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/) --- ## Why Do Employees Quit? 6 Reasons Employees Consider Leaving Their Jobs **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/reasons-employees-quit/ * Posted on February 10, 2025 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris #### Table of Contents 1. [Dissatisfaction with current compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/reasons-employees-quit/#h-1-dissatisfaction-with-current-compensation-nbsp) 2. [Poor onboarding experience](https://www.careerplug.com/reasons-employees-quit/#h-2-poor-onboarding-experience-nbsp) 3. [Not enough flexibility](https://www.careerplug.com/reasons-employees-quit/#h-3-not-enough-flexibility-nbsp) 4. [Lack of benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/reasons-employees-quit/#h-4-lack-of-benefits-nbsp) 5. [The work environment](https://www.careerplug.com/reasons-employees-quit/#h-5-the-work-environment-nbsp) 6. [Conflicting responsibilites](https://www.careerplug.com/reasons-employees-quit/#h-6-conflicting-responsibilities) As a business owner, you know that turnover is expensive and stressful. Every employee is an investment for your business, and it can be difficult to see one go. Plus, the process of recruiting and hiring a replacement can take your attention away from running your business, resulting in lost productivity and revenue. If you’re in an industry that’s known for turnover, the problem is even worse because it can lower the morale of the employees that stick around, increasing the likelihood of _even more_ turnover. It’s no wonder that two big questions on every employer’s mind are: **1.****Why do employees quit?** **_2._****How can I keep my employees around?** At CareerPlug, [employee retention](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) is at the forefront of our minds too. Every year, we conduct research to learn from real job seekers and employees as part of our [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/). This research includes asking workers in various industries what makes them want to leave their current job to see what employers could be doing better. Let’s take a closer look at the data, so that you can be better equipped to retain the members of your team. ### Reasons employees quit Let’s start by highlighting the amount of people we surveyed that have recently considered leaving their job. Out of our 500 participants, **42% said they have thought about leaving their current job in the last twelve months.** This is huge! And the trend can be seen across industries. For example, 55% of employees in the**Education & Childcare industry** said they’ve considered leaving their job in the last 12 months. 52% of employees who work in **Insurance & Financial Services**said they have considered leaving their current job in the last year as well. So why is it that half of our survey participants have considered leaving their job? Let’s break down some of the main reasons employees are looking for new opportunities. ### 1. Dissatisfaction with current compensation Inflation has had an impact on everyone in the last year. Plus, labor is in high demand, so many employees/job seekers have more leverage than ever before when it comes to demanding better pay. This shift in power has influenced many employees to quit in search of higher wages. In our survey, dissatisfaction with current pay was both the #1 reason employees have considered leaving their job and why they have actually left a job in the last year. ### 2. Poor onboarding experience Did you know that 75% of people agree that the onboarding experience is important?. A new employee that isn’t properly set up for success in their new role is at high risk for quitting shortly after being hired. We asked job seekers to rank the top two most important improvements employers could make to their onboarding process. Establishing clear goals and expectations (30%) and creating a more structured plan and explaining the steps beforehand (26%) were the top answers. These factors help employees feel more prepared, confident, and engaged from the start, reducing early turnover. Outlining your onboarding process and letting new hires complete all required documents and training digitally can help you keep things moving along smoothly. An effective onboarding process can [improve new hire retention](https://www.oak.com/blog/employee-onboarding-statistics/#:~:text=Research%20by%20Brandon%20Hall%20Group,productivity%20by%20over%2070%20percent.) by as much as 82%! ### 3. Not enough flexibility [A report from New Possible](https://newpossible.io/resources/what-workers-want-2024-findings?utm_source=chatgpt.com) indicates that 50% of employees without flexible work options are considering a job change in the next year.Workers in our survey also said that the desire for a more flexible work schedule made them consider leaving their job in the last year. If you can’t allow employers to work from home or adopt a hybrid work schedule, try to find other ways to infuse some flexibility into the workplace. You may allow employees to swap shifts with one another or have more control in their scheduling. More PTO and vacation days can also help give employees the work/life balance they crave. ### 4. Lack of benefits Many employees believe [benefits to be just as valuable as competitive compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/2022-hourly-workers-compensation-expectations-report/) and a lack of good benefits is another big reason employees quit. Once again, with labor in such high demand, employees are seeking out jobs that offer them more with employers that are willing to invest in their workers. Health insurance, 401k, and other employee perks are becoming more commonplace, and employers that get more competitive or creative with [employee benefits](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) will likely have better luck both recruiting and [retaining employees.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-retention/) ### 5. The work environment A work environment that you like is obviously important for job satisfaction, and disliking the work environment seems to be an influence on why employees quit. In our [Toxic Work Environment Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/), we found that 72% of employees have left a job because of a [negative work environment](https://www.careerplug.com/negative-work-environment/) and 51% said they plan on leaving their current job for the same reason. It’s also worth pointing out that the importance of the work environment may have a bigger impact in certain industries. For example, 60% of job seekers in restaurant and food services said they left their last job because they disliked the work environment and **90% of job seekers in the fitness industry**reported leaving their last job for the same reason. ### 6. Conflicting responsibilities Sometimes the reason an employee leaves has little to do with the actual job itself, rather outside circumstances play a big role. Caring for a sick family member, the addition of a new child, or other care responsibilities can also lead to employees quitting. A flexible work environment and [supportive culture that values work/life balance](https://www.careerplug.com/supporting-employees-during-the-holidays/) can help you retain employees who are considering leaving because of these personal reasons. ### Other factors to consider Though our research gives us great insight into some of the main reasons employees quit, there are still plenty of other factors to consider. General job stress, burnout, and [lack of mental health suppor](https://www.humanresourcesonline.net/the-hidden-causes-of-employee-turnover-mental-health-and-burnout)t may cause employees to take time away from a role. Changes at home, a move to a new city, or the desire for growth all may lead employees to seek out something new. Many times, there is not one simple reason for an employee quitting their job, rather many factors coming together that leads them to the decision to resign. As an employer, you can’t control everything, but you can take steps to mitigate the most common reasons that employees consider quitting. ### Keeping employees around Instead of focusing on the things that make employees leave, think in terms of what makes employees want to stay. Get to know the needs of your employees and act accordingly. Provide employees with [truly competitive compensation](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/job-compensation-tips-resources/) and offer raises or bonuses when you can. Employee perks and benefits can go a long way in making employees feel appreciated and secure. Flexibility and autonomy are more desired than ever in today’s labor landscape. When all is said and done, what employees are asking employers for is actually pretty simple: Be a great place to work. ### Want more insight from employees and job seekers? Our annual Candidate Experience Report goes straight to the source. Learn what job seekers and employees are looking for in a hiring process and beyond so you can improve both hiring and retention. DOWNLOAD THE FREE REPORT --- ## The Hiring Expert’s Guide to Recruiting Insurance Agents **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/recruiting-insurance-agents/ * Posted on November 16, 2022 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris With the steady growth of the insurance industry, insurance agents are in high demand, and recruiting insurance agents can be a challenge. Though it can be tempting to fill open positions quickly, it’s important to make sure that you’re getting the right people for your team. CareerPlug has helped thousands of insurance agencies grow their teams and we’re sharing our best advice for recruiting insurance agents, along with the valuable advice of some industry experts. First, we’ll cover what makes hiring in the insurance industry unique, then go over what to look for in an agent and recruiting tips that can help you win over top candidates. ### The state of hiring in the insurance industry Every industry has its own unique set of challenges, and the insurance industry is no different. CareerPlug’s Client Education and Retention Lead, James Saunders, has advised many insurance clients on hiring best practices over the years. He’s seen a few key distinctions that make hiring for insurance agents more difficult than hiring in other fields: * Required licensing is unique to each state and each insurance type. * Independent insurance agents or “producers” are largely commissioned positions. * The license is bestowed to and independently held by the producers who work for your agency/company (they do not rely on your organization to keep their license). * **Most viable insurance candidates can’t be successfully recruited with the same tactics as unlicensed/less-specialized workers**. These are important factors to consider when recruiting insurance agents. The high demand for agents has also impacted the ability of insurance employers to make all the necessary hires for their teams. During the pandemic, insurance professionals were one of the least-impacted employment demographics, with a [majority (69%) of insurance professionals](https://www.bcg.com/publications/2021/insurance-industry-workforce-trends) saying their workload was the same as or greater than before the pandemic. While the demand for insurance agents has stayed steady, the volume of available candidates has fluctuated, making hiring challenging for employers. (This is something the insurance industry has in common with many other industries!) ### The best time to hire insurance agents In our own research, we found that January and February saw the highest percentage of applicants for the insurance industry. Applicant volume took a sharp dip in April and May, but stabilized again beginning in June. November and December also brought more applicants than average. ### See key recruiting metrics from the insurance industry To hire insurance agents for your team, it can be helpful to stay up to date on industry trends such as the best time of the year to hire and other recruiting metrics. We analyzed some industry data for you that can help you improve your hiring process. DOWNLOAD MY REPORT ### What to look for in an insurance agent There are certain skills and qualifications that insurance agents need to have. What exactly you are looking for in candidates may depend on the size of your business and the resources you have available for guidance and training. As Saunders points out, “Insurance employers often desire pre-licensed candidates. When comparing smaller agencies to larger corporate entities, employers have varying degrees of preparedness and resources to offer training/guidance.” “While it’s often inexpensive to get licensed, it requires study and preparation. Until someone is licensed, they cannot produce for an agent. Some employers can be reluctant to pay even the base wage of an unlicensed new hire because they are unable to grow the business right away. Plus, there is nothing to stop a base-wage-supported new hire from getting licensed and then leaving for another agency that has better base pay, benefits, and lead generation.” ### Creating an ideal candidate profile beyond the license First, you’ll likely need to decide if licensure is or isn’t a deal breaker for you. But you’ll also want to think about the other qualities you want your candidates to have. Are you looking for someone with a sales background? Or maybe you’re open to [recruiting recent college grads](https://www.careerplug.com/why-should-you-hire-recent-grads/)? Think about qualifications and experience as well as soft skills like **adaptability, the ability to communicate well, and time management.**Some other important qualities of insurance agents according to [Investopedia](https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/1212/8-qualities-that-make-a-good-insurance-agent.aspx) are: **people skills, personality, persistence, and reliance.** Another trick to help you identify the right candidate for your business specifically: Think about all of the best agents you’ve worked with in the past –what are some of the qualities that made them great? Product knowledge is also important, but a candidate with the right soft skills can be trained on the technical aspects of the job. By evaluating candidates for soft skills, motivation, and trajectory, you can hire for [growth potential](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/looking-beyond-the-resume-how-to-hire-for-growth-potential/). Giving someone a chance often helps you earn a high performing, loyal employee. We recommend getting clear on the kind of candidate(s) you are looking for and writing it all down in an [Ideal Candidate Profile](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-profile/). This will make it easier to evaluate applicants as they come in and speed up your hiring process. To learn more about creating an Ideal Candidate Profile, watch this video from CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan: ### Tips for recruiting insurance agents Once you have a better idea of the kind of candidates you are looking for, it’s time to start recruiting! But in the competitive insurance industry, it’s important to take active steps toward building out a great recruitment process and creating a [positive candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-positive-candidate-experience/) if you want the best candidates to say yes to your [job offers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/offer-letter-templates/). ### Prequalify candidates to save time In our _Insurance Industry Recruiting Metrics Report_, we found that insurance employers have a very high applicant-to-interview ratio, but a very low interview-to-hire ratio. **This could suggest that insurance employers are frequently inviting unqualified candidates to interview.** You can make sure that only the most qualified candidates are making it to interviews by including [pre-screen questions](https://www.careerplug.com/applicant-screening-software/)on your application. If you’ve decided that you only wanted licensed applicants, you can include this as a question to weed out the rest. You might ask applicants whether they are comfortable with cold calls or what experience they have working directly with clients. A few important questions early on can save you a lot of time in the hiring process, and ensure that the applicants you do end up reviewing meet your bare minimum requirements. ### Always be hiring We recommend [passive recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/attracting-passive-candidates-2/) to all of our clients, but this is even more important for recruiting insurance agents. Saunders says, “**Licensed insurance professionals rarely face an imminent or unexpected need for employment.** They rely on personal and professional networks to provide new opportunities but often are ‘passive candidates’ – i.e., not unemployed, not necessarily dissatisfied in their current position, but still open to new opportunities.This means that qualified agents are more likely to have their path crossed by an employer than to actively be looking for new work.” Passive recruiting will help you reach those top candidates that aren’t necessarily looking for a job _and_ it can save you from being in a difficult position of rushing to fill an unexpected vacancy. State Farm Agent Heather Thies emphasized the importance of CareerPlug’s philosophy: **always be hiring**. “I have learned that even if you don’t have an opening at this very minute, it is critical to always be recruiting and interviewing. If you wait until you lose an employee to start your search, it’s often too late,” she says. ### Diversify applicant sources To reach more insurance agents, it’s a good idea not to solely rely on job boards to get your company in front of the right people. For our insurance industry clients, job boards produce a whopping 86% of applicants, but only bring in a little more than half (55%) of hires. Where are the rest coming from?**First: company careers pages, which account for only 4% of applicants but 19% of hires, are a high-quality applicant source for insurance businesses.** Your company’s [careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/) serves as the hub of your employer brand. Candidates use it to learn about your company and get a sense of what it’s like to work for you. A strong careers page helps to compel job seekers to apply, and job seekers that do apply from a company’s careers pages are often more invested, since they’ve taken the time to research your company. Check out this video from our Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan on building a compelling careers page to host your open jobs: Next, referrals brought in less than 1% of applicants, but 12% of hires, and custom sources brought in just 2% of applicants, but 10% of hires. **Your current team members and even clients can be a great resource for insurance agent leads. Let your network know you’re hiring and ask for referrals.** You could also post your job to custom sources like industry specific or local college job boards. Don’t be afraid to step outside the box and get creative. Doug Miller, a State Farm Agent in Indianapolis, had success with an unconventional strategy. He says, “I did a video a few months ago saying ‘I’m hiring!’ and put it on social media. I got the best response I have ever gotten. It worked incredibly well.” ### Offer the right benefits No matter your industry, one thing is certain – if you want to hire the best candidates, [benefits are important](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/impact-of-benefits-on-retention/)! In fact,[**we found that 25% of job seekers**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/)**want to learn about a company’s benefits _before_ applying.** So not only do you need to offer competitive benefits, you also need to lead with them in your job postings. [In our own research](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/toxic-work-environment/), we’ve found that **“more opportunities for growth” was one of the most sought after benefits in every industry.**Let potential agents know what the path for growth looks like at your company and highlight any [employee development](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) initiatives you might offer. Another unique opportunity in this industry is**offering a bonus to unlicensed candidates to retroactively pay for insurance licensing (materials, exams, fees)** after someone becomes licensed and has been producing for a few months. More benefits that people care about? * Paid time off * Health insurance * Flexible work schedules * Family leave Sean Black, a State Farm Agent in Berwick, Pennsylvania, has found success by offering more enticing benefits. He says, “I’ve increased my base pay and I’m now offering health insurance, so I’m attracting a little better candidate pool this time around.” ### Use text recruiting to hire faster With competition so high for top talent, the faster you can respond to qualified candidates, the better your chances of making a hire. [Text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) can help you reach more applicants sooner and get your [interviews scheduled](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/) faster. Emails are easily lost amongst your candidate’s full inboxes, so it’s not totally surprising that [email has only a 20% open rate](https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2017/33045/email-vs-sms-battle-of-the-heavyweights-infographic). Compare that to **text messages which have a 98% open rate.** The average email gets a response about 6% of the time compared with the average text message, which has a 45% response rate. One insurance client that uses [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/text-recruiting-makes-hiring-easier/) through CareerPlug had this to say: ### Simplify Insurance Recruiting with an Applicant Tracking System Whether you’re hiring one insurance agent or many, having a fast and easy hiring process is key. You can complete every step of your hiring process in an ATS like CareerPlug, from job posting to job offer. [LEARN MORE](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## What Are Job Seekers Looking for When Applying to Jobs? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/ * Posted on April 28, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris If you’ve recently posted a job that has gotten [fewer applicants than anticipated](https://www.careerplug.com/why-job-seekers-arent-applying/), you might be wondering what went wrong. With the job market undergoing some big shifts, positions that were once easily filled may sit open for months. The constant recruiting and uncertainty can put added strain on your team and your business. In order to reduce that stress and attract the best talent, it’s important to understand what job seekers are looking for. This isn’t always easy, so at CareerPlug, we decided to go straight to the source! We wanted to hear from real job seekers about what attracts them to a job posting and influences their decision to apply. Let’s look at some of the answers job seekers gave and how you can use that knowledge to attract more applicants and make the right hires. So what are job seekers looking for when applying to jobs? * [Desired compensation in the job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/#compensation) * [Benefits offered](https://www.careerplug.com/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/#benefits) * [A flexible work schedule](https://www.careerplug.com/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/#flexible) * [The employer had a good reputation/brand](https://www.careerplug.com/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/#brand) * [An incentive to apply (e.g. signing bonus)](https://www.careerplug.com/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/#incentive) * [Clearly stated COVID safety protocols in job posting/website](https://www.careerplug.com/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/#covid) ### What do job seekers look for in a job posting? At CareerPlug, we know that the state of the job market is constantly changing, so every year we conduct new research to find out what job seekers are looking for during the hiring process. We surveyed 500 recent candidates that have applied to jobs in the last 12 months as a part of our [Candidate Experience Report](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/). The majority of job seekers in our survey (57%) have applied to 2-4 jobs in the last year. We asked these job seekers to give us some insight into what influenced their decision to apply to job postings. Let’s dive into each of these reasons and discuss some ideas for how you can attract more high-quality applicants to your [job postings](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/). ### Desired compensation in the job posting Our data shows that candidates want more information early in the hiring process. 27% of job seekers in our survey expected to be informed about [compensation in the initial job post](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/) and 23% of job seekers said that seeing their desired compensation in the job posting influenced them to apply. An [effective job posting](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) lists compensation and benefits as well as accurately outlines the role and responsibilities. This transparency up front is a good look! It helps job seekers determine if they want to apply to your role and saves time and effort for you and job seekers alike. **Pro Tip: Never include the compensation or the signing bonus in the job title on job boards.**Major job boards like Indeed remove jobs with title modifications. Instead, have a standard job title and attach compensation to the job posting in the appropriate spot. ### Benefits offered It’s no surprise that job seekers care about the benefits a company offers like 401k and health insurance.**22% of job seekers in our survey cited this as the primary factor influencing their decision to apply.** Showing off the benefits your company offers can make your job posting more attractive. Even if you don’t offer your employees the typical benefits like health insurance, you can still outline the benefits you do have like paid time off, ongoing education opportunities, transportation reimbursement, etc. [Great employee perks](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-benefits-post-pandemic/) can put you at an advantage for both hiring and retention. **Fun fact:**One interesting trend we noticed is that men and women responded differently when asked which factors affect their decision to apply to a job. For the second year in a row, “Benefits offered” was the most popular response among men at over 25%, while around 19% of women chose this response. ### A flexible work schedule When asking job seekers what they look for in a job posting, “Advertised a flexible work schedule” was another top response**.** Try appealing to the growing number of job seekers who want flexible work. If the position you’re hiring for offers a lot of autonomy, flexibility in [shift scheduling](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employee-shift-scheduling-tips-for-small-businesses/), or the option to work remotely, make sure to highlight that in the job posting. ### A good employer reputation/brand More job seekers will want to apply to your job posting if you have a strong [employer brand](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/). On the flip side, if you have a negative reputation as a not-so-great place to work, it can be nearly impossible to get good applicants! We believe that you can showcase your employer brand and give job seekers insight into your workplace atmosphere with the right job posting and a [branded careers page](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/careers-page/). Use your careers page to highlight your values and share photos of current employees and [positive employee testimonials](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/6-employee-testimonials-that-boost-careers-pages/). We love this example from our client [Hand & Stone](https://handandstone.com/) who features this video testimonial on their careers page: The treatment you give to candidates that make it to the interviewing process can also impact your employer brand whether you end up hiring them or not. Consider this: 28% of respondents said they have left a negative review online after having a negative candidate experience. This is significant because **over**[**half of job seekers**](https://www.inc.com/adam-robinson/more-than-half-of-job-seekers-say-they-wouldnt-apply-to-a-company-with-bad-online-reviews.html)**abandon their pursuit of a company after reading negative reviews.** Give all candidates an[exceptional candidate experience](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/creating-a-candidate-experience-thats-exceptional/) because online reviews of your company’s hiring process could impact your employer brand and your ability to make the right hires. ### An incentive to apply Another thing that job seekers are thinking about these days is any extra incentive to apply like a signing or retention bonus. As the demand for labor increases, more and [more employers are adding incentives](https://www.hiringlab.org/2021/06/24/employer-use-of-hiring-incentives-grows/) to their job postings. This can help a job posting stand out in the sea of overcrowded job boards and might be a practice to consider for any business struggling to get applicants. As with compensation, **don’t include the signing bonus in the job title on job boards.**Add it to the appropriate spot in your job posting. ### Clearly stated COVID safety protocols in job posting/company website While this response came in last in our survey, 8% of job seekers are influenced to apply to a job based on COVID safety protocols. Job seekers want to know what you are doing to keep them healthy and safe, especially in industries where working remotely isn’t an option. If your business or industry has a known need for enhanced COVID protocols –like [home health care](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/home-health-care-recruitment-data/), for example – including your COVID policies in your job posting and on your company website can make job seekers feel more comfortable. ### Final thoughts Job seekers have more options than ever these days, so it’s important to create an accurate job posting that highlights the things that matter. Remember: **the purpose of a hiring process isn’t to attract the****_most_****applicants –it’s to attract the****_right_****applicants for your role.** Transparency on compensation, benefits, and the typical work schedule can help job seekers determine if it’s a good fit. Being a good place to work will positively impact your employer brand and make it easier to attract and hire the right applicants. If needed, consider offering an extra incentive for applicants for those hard to fill positions. It’s still important to communicate COVID safety protocols in your job posting if you have them. Lastly, using an [applicant tracking system (ATS)](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) like CareerPlug can help you attract the right applicants for your roles with compelling [job postings](https://www.careerplug.com/job-posting-software/). ### Reach More Job Seekers with CareerPlug Use our job posting templates to optimize your listing and automatically distribute it to all the major job boards with just one click. And the hiring automations don’t stop there! Click the button below to learn more and get a preview of the software. [GET A FREE DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/) --- ## Why Is Hiring So Hard Right Now? **URL:** https://www.careerplug.com/why-is-hiring-so-hard-right-now/ * Posted on March 17, 2023 * by Shelby Palmeri Farris It’s been nearly three years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and in many ways, life feels a bit more normal. On the other hand, small business owners have had one curveball after another thrown their way in the last few years and many are still trying to recover from the unprecedented challenges. One of the biggest struggles business owners have faced in the last three years has been the rapidly changing labor market and the impact it’s had on their ability to make the right hires for their team. So: why is hiring so hard right now? And are there any changes employers can make to their [hiring process](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/hiring-process-steps/) to make it a little easier? Let’s break down some of the most common struggles for employers when it comes to hiring and learn what you can do to combat those challenges. #### Table of Contents 1. [The state of the labor market](https://www.careerplug.com/why-is-hiring-so-hard-right-now/#labor-market) 2. [Hiring and recruitment challenges in 2023](https://www.careerplug.com/why-is-hiring-so-hard-right-now/#hiring-challenges) 3. [Increased competition for talent](https://www.careerplug.com/why-is-hiring-so-hard-right-now/#competition-for-talent) 4. [Higher expectations from employees](https://www.careerplug.com/why-is-hiring-so-hard-right-now/#employee-expectations) 5. [Low-quality job postings](https://www.careerplug.com/why-is-hiring-so-hard-right-now/#low-quality-job-postings) 6. [Candidate ghosting](https://www.careerplug.com/why-is-hiring-so-hard-right-now/#candidate-ghosting) ### The state of the labor market An [impending recession](https://www.forbes.com/sites/qai/2022/12/13/recession-fears-are-we-unofficially-in-a-recession-now/?sh=2bfc275032ef) is at the top of everyone’s minds. Though one key indicator typical of recessions is employment levels, and currently unemployment is still very low. According to the [Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/), total payroll employment increased by 223,000 in December 2022, and the **unemployment rate edged down to 3.5 percent**. There has been plenty of buzz around layoffs, but most small businesses, particularly those with frontline roles, are actually still looking to increase their staff, and many are finding it difficult to hire enough people for their teams. Another important trend to keep in mind: For the last year, [job openings have outnumbered job seekers](https://www.statista.com/chart/28407/unemployed-persons-and-job-openings-in-the-united-states/) consistently. There are plenty of open roles and not enough people to fill them. So what does all of this mean for small business owners? And what day-to-day impact does it make on hiring the right people for your team? ### Hiring and recruitment challenges in 2023 ### Increased competition for talent As mentioned, the number of open jobs currently exceeds the number of job seekers. This means that competition for talent is high. One trend we’ve heard from many of our clients this year is that instead of just competing with others in their industry for talent, they now feel the pressure to compete with companies of every industry for workers! Entry-level position job seekers have options. **Companies like Amazon, Target, and Walmart are always hiring, and have the resources to do so on a large scale. Plus, gig economy jobs like Uber and DoorDash are attracting job seekers who want greater flexibility in their schedules.** When it comes to competing for talent, remember that first impressions matter. **Focus on building a great**[**employer brand**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/employer-branding/)and sharing what makes your company stand out with applicants early on. CareerPlug’s Senior Director of People, Natalie Morgan shares her advice: “Stand out; make sure you’re leading with your best foot forward. Help people learn what it’s like to work with you. Look at how you can lead with that as early as possible to help people stay engaged with you throughout.” The speed of your hiring process is also important. Reach out to candidates before your competition with [text recruiting](https://www.careerplug.com/text-recruiting-software/) and try to get [interviews automatically scheduled](https://www.careerplug.com/automate/) as quickly as possible. ### Higher expectations from employees Another big shift over the last couple of years has been [changing job seeker sentiment](https://www.careerplug.com/job-search-process-changes/). [The Great Resignation](https://www.investopedia.com/the-great-resignation-5199074) referred to a period of time starting in early 2021 when millions of people quit their jobs. This seemed to be sparked by the global pandemic and the opportunity it gave workers to reevaluate what they wanted from their employers. Employees know that they have leverage and if they aren’t getting what they need from one company, they can easily go to another. As a result, the pressure is on businesses to become better places to work to attract – and retain – more employees. To stay ahead of this hiring and retention challenge, you need to have the right approach to [attract job seekers](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/what-attracts-job-seekers-to-apply/). Across the board, there has been a demand for higher wages. Start by seeing how yours stack up with others in the industry by using compensation resources on sites like [Glassdoor](https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/know-your-worth.htm) and [Indeed](https://www.indeed.com/career/salaries?&aceid=&kw=adwords_c_9099621460_15516767951_&sid=us_googconthajpmax-_c__g_9014002_gclid$_Cj0KCQiA_P6dBhD1ARIsAAGI7HBACvWrbg1F4syUNPrMQ2ku9MZuBw7eZtOac9XoFKwUgL2POxIwaiMaAqCrEALw_wcB&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_P6dBhD1ARIsAAGI7HBACvWrbg1F4syUNPrMQ2ku9MZuBw7eZtOac9XoFKwUgL2POxIwaiMaAqCrEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds). Make necessary adjustments if it’s feasible and [include compensation in the job posting.](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/tips-for-including-compensation-for-job-description/) Offering the right benefits is also important. Of course employees appreciate the standard benefits like health insurance and 401Ks, but lower budget perks like more PTO and [professional development](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/support-employee-development/) opportunities can also go a long way. ### Low-quality job postings Some hiring challenges are beyond your control – others are not. It’s important for employers to take a step back and assess what their current hiring process looks like and how to make it better at attracting top candidates. The tactics that were working just a few short years ago may not work now. Start by evaluating the quality of your job postings. Many employers don’t realize that they are making recruiting harder than it needs to be by not creating a [great job description](https://www.careerplug.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Server-Job-Posting-Template.pdf) that attracts top candidates. Candidates want to see an accurate description of the role, benefits and compensation information, and to get an idea of what it’s like to work for your company. Highlight your [company culture](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/company-culture/) and values and showcase any special perks you might have. Natalie Morgan says, “What some of our clients have done on the job posting level is reorganize sections, starting with benefits, perks, and culture before responsibilities. It demonstrates the priority of the company and that’s had a good response.” For more information on crafting a great job description, check out this video where Natalie shares more advice: ### Candidate ghosting [Candidate ghosting](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-ghosting/) refers to the candidates who suddenly stop all communication with an employer during the hiring process. Unfortunately, it’s something our clients are still struggling with during hiring. According to our[2023 Candidate Experience Report,](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/candidate-experience-statistics/) 36% of candidates have ghosted an employer. Other studies suggest higher numbers: [Forbes reported](https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthatodd/2019/10/29/94-of-employers-have-been-ghosted-why-job-seekers-do-it-and-how-to-avoid-being-haunted/?sh=2cd76cda35e6) that **94% of employers say they have been ghosted during a hiring process.**We asked candidates their reasons for ghosting employers. Their answers provide some insight on what you can do to prevent ghosting and keep candidates more engaged during your hiring process: * [**Schedule interviews promptly**](https://www.careerplug.com/interview-scheduling/)**.** Be flexible with your time and use phone screen calls as a simple first step. * [**Conduct great interviews**](https://www.careerplug.com/blog/how-to-conduct-job-interviews/)**.**This involves being prepared, asking appropriate questions, creating a welcoming environment, and being respectful in interactions with candidates. * **Reach out early and often.**Give job seekers clear next steps. In the war for talent, don’t keep candidates waiting. Reach out and thank them within an hour of applying. Provide them with links where they can learn more, like your careers page and [employer review sites](https://www.careerplug.com/how-to-use-employer-review-sites-to-build-employer-brand/). Keep them engaged while they wait to hear back. * **Use an**[**applicant tracking system**](https://www.careerplug.com/what-is-ats/)**to organize your hiring process and put all of your applications in one place.** This makes it easier to track candidates from one stage of the process to the next. Use an [ATS like CareerPlug](https://www.careerplug.com/product/) to keep candidates moving forward and prevent them from slipping through the cracks. ### Hiring is hard. CareerPlug makes it easy. CareerPlug is an applicant tracking system like no other. Our software is built on proven hiring playbook with tools that automate and speed up the most tedious parts of your hiring process. [GET A FREE DEMO](https://www.careerplug.com/lets-get-started/)