Categories
Employer Branding Workplace

6 Ways to Prep for Your Salary Negotiation

You can never underestimate the importance of having a plan. By that I mean doing some simple salary calculations so you go into an interview with a range in mind. Negotiating salary during the interview process can be very overwhelming. You don’t want to sound greedy or too high on yourself; but on the flip…

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Employer Branding Workplace

How Much Does it Cost to Live and Work in the UK?

Did you ever stop to think about how much having a job actually costs you? Here’s a clue: It ain’t cheap. Think about how much you spend on your train tickets or petrol, how much you fork out for your daily lattes and those overpriced lunches at the organic cafe round the corner from the office.
 
Before you get your spreadsheets out, have a look at this infographic compiled by Guardian Jobs on the price of living and working in the UK. Some of the key findings are:
 
• The average salary in London is £33,899, the average salary in the UK is 26% lower at £26,978
• The average person in a job has spent 8 years, 7 months and 2 hours of their life working
• The average annual cost of peak-time train pass with tube travel is a whopping £6,000
• A coffee from Costa, Starbucks or Caffe Nero will range from £1.40 to £2.50
• If you made instant coffee instead, you could save £888.61 annually
• A daily sandwich will on average cost £2.49 at Pret a Manger
• If you make your own sandwiches you could save £261
• Finally, the average monthly rent in the UK is £713, in London it’s £1,202

In conclusion, if you want to save money for your retirement make sure you make your own sandwiches, sip Nescafe, get a bicyle and live far away from London…

  

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Categories
Employer Branding Talent Acquisition

How IKEA Australia Recruits with Flat Packs

The Swedes are brilliant recruiters. Even when they are down under and use an advertising agency. In this case The Monkeys (agency) helped the Sydney, Australia IKEA store recruit new employees with an innovative method.

 

The concept

 

Career instructions were printed and placed inside the famous IKEA flat packs. Customers literally delivered the mailer to themselves. They could then also share it with friends and family. Not only did it talk directly to those who love the brand, it created a whole new media channel â the flat packs themselves.

 

The results

 

The result was no less than 4285 applications filled with 280 of those hired, all the while the project incurred no cost of its own. Very clever idea and on top of the new hires, it certainly got IKEA and their agency lots of free exposure. A very good recruitment case study in other words. Perhaps something for Home Depot, B&Q, Homebase and Brico Depot to emulate?

 

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Employer Branding Timebound

How Social Recruiting Should Be Done [Jennifer McClure Interview]

It’s Friday and that means it’s video day here on Undercover Recruiter! We recently had a chat with Jennifer McClure, who is the President & Chief Talent Strategist at Unbridled Talent, LLC. On top of that she’s a very nice lady that is happy to share her nuggets of wisdom. In the video below, Jorgen…

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Employer Branding

How Happiness Can Fuel Success in the Workplace

While there may be significant studies about how social media distractions cost businesses millions of money, recent research conducted by James Fowler at UC San Diego shows that social media also contributes to enhancing happiness and productivity in the workplace. An infographic published by Socialcast illustrates that happy and engaged employees are more efficient and…

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Employer Branding

Why Pre-Screening Is a Must for Safe Hiring


The downturn of the economy has created an increase in personal stress levels both at home and in the workplace. Employees are consistently being asked to do more with less and corporations large and small continue to turn to layoffs as a means to remain viable.
 
At the same time, the United States has continued to see an increase in workplace violence. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an average of 564 work-related homicides occurred each year in the United States from 2004 to 2008. Now more than ever, employees want to feel safe and secure in the workplace — and free from fear of their coworkers.
 
Experts recommend using pre-employment screening as a workplace violence preventive measure, but many companies are still not committed. Companies cite delays in the hiring process — as well as the cost of screening — as the largest deterrents to pre-employment screening.
 
Pre-employment screening company, HireRight, estimates the typical cost of a comprehensive pre-screening packages ranging anywhere from $30 to $100. The length to complete the screen and provide the results to the employer can take as little as a day to up to week (or more).
 
Although the costs and delays may seem steep, the issues that arise from failure to pre-screen can be fatal. Here are four additional reasons pre-employment screening is a must:
 

1. Reduced potential for employee theft

 
Candidates with criminal backgrounds are less likely to apply to organizations with rigorous pre-employment screening processes. Those who do apply with criminal backgrounds will be discovered up front by the employer, providing the opportunity to re-evaluate if the candidate’s fit with the job and the company.
 

2. Discourage fraud

 
While only a small percentage of worker’s compensation claims are fraudulent, a much larger percentage (nearly 25 percent) are exaggerated. Worker’s Compensation records are public, thereby creating opportunities for potential to filter out potential fraudulent employees. Additionally, screening candidates allows an employer to ensure the validity of the information provided on the resume.
 

3. Reduce liability for negligent hiring

 
Organizations that fail to conduct comprehensive pre-employment screening, thereby failing to protect their employees, can be subject to costly lawsuits. In 2007, a truck driver for a hazardous waste company in Texas caused an accident leading to a man’s death. A jury awarded the man’s estate more than 20 million dollars because the company failed to adequately check the employee’s driving record.
 

4. To comply with applicable state laws

 
Many states have laws requiring employers in certain industries to complete pre-employment checks. Examples of industries may include: childcare facilities, healthcare organizations, transportation, and gaming.
 
What incidents can you think of where conducting a pre-employment screen may have prevented a case of fraud, violence, or theft?
  
For the jobseeker perspective, check out 7 Reasons Employers Will Hire You!
  
Robert Petti is the Founder and CEO of Resoomay, a cloud-based pre-screening tool that improves the job search process for recruiters and applicants. Connect with him and Resoomay on Twitter.