Effective Interviewing Techniques

Natasha JeshaniHuman Resources Tips, Recruitment

Asking the Right Questions and Assessing Cultural Fit Interviewing is a critical step in the hiring process, allowing you to assess candidates’ qualifications, skills, and cultural fit within your organization. Effective interviewing techniques help you gather valuable insights and make informed hiring decisions. In this blog, we will explore key strategies for asking the right questions and assessing cultural fit during interviews. Prepare Structured Interview Questions Develop a set of structured interview questions that align with the job requirements and desired competencies. These questions should be consistent across all candidates to ensure fairness and facilitate effective comparison. Structure your questions to elicit specific examples of candidates’ past experiences, problem-solving abilities, and relevant skills. This approach provides more insightful responses and helps you assess candidates objectively. Use Behavioral Interview Questions Behavioral interview questions focus on candidates’ past experiences and behaviors to predict future performance. These questions typically begin with phrases like “Tell me about a time when…” or “Give me an example of…” By asking candidates to provide specific examples, you can assess their abilities, decision-making skills, and problem-solving approaches. Behavioral questions help uncover candidates’ competencies and provide a basis for assessing their fit within your organization. Assess Cultural Fit Cultural …

Layoffs & Offboarding: Where to Begin

Natasha JeshaniExecutive Leadership, Human Resources Tips, News, Recruitment

As layoffs continue, social media is inundated with all the ways leadership missed the mark. No matter how a layoff is conducted, the need for it at all will generally create tension, but we believe that through effective planning and communication, the process can be more positive than not. At Career Contacts, we provide a robust offboarding program which creates 3 strong opportunities: Here are some ways to support your leadership and organization during a layoff (and ways Career Contacts can help): Communication Plan Communicate openly and transparently about the layoff process and the reasons for it. Be clear about what will happen and when, and provide as much information as you can. It is also important to be empathetic and understanding during this difficult time, and to show your appreciation for the contributions of all your employees. Offboarding Support Offer severance packages and outplacement support to affected employees. This can include things like financial assistance, resume and cover letter writing, how to effectively update their LinkedIn and increase their access to the current job market. Career Contacts also provides newly laid off employees with training on how to effectively negotiate their salary and how to prepare for an interview, …

onboarding

Building an Effective Onboarding Program

Natasha JeshaniExecutive Leadership, Human Resources Tips, Recruitment

Many organizations have new hires beginning in the new year – a fresh start after the busyness of the holidays and a great time to onboard a new team! How can you ensure that you build an effective onboarding program? The first thing we suggest is reaching out to our team because we believe every company and employee deserves a customized program. If you are looking for a more high-level review of what is needed, keep reading. An effective onboarding program can help new employees feel welcomed, supported, and prepared to succeed in their new roles. Here are some steps you can take to build an effective onboarding program: Plan ahead Start planning your onboarding program as soon as you make a job offer. Consider the needs and expectations of your new hire, as well as the specific tasks and responsibilities they will have in their new role. Orient new hires to the company and its culture Provide new hires with information about the company’s mission, values, policies, and procedures. This could include a tour of the office, introductions to team members, and a review of company policies and procedures. Set expectations Clearly communicate the expectations and goals for the …

Negotiate

How to Effectively Negotiate at Work

Natasha JeshaniExecutive Leadership, Human Resources Tips, Job Search, Recruitment

Asking for more of anything at work is generally a daunting task. As much as we hope that our work will speak for itself, it is not always the case. The best way to get what you want, is to ask for it; but how? When it comes to negotiating what you deserve, Natasha Jeshani, President & CEO of Career Contacts, has some tried and true tips on how to prepare, execute and successfully ask for what you deserve. Here are a few key ways to find your voice and use it! UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR The easiest way to stall a negotiation is to not exactly know what it is that you are asking for. If you are wanting a raise: understand how much you want, and by when. If you want a promotion: know what title you want, what team you want to be a part of, the new work you want to take on, and when you want to start. Looking for some added flexibility with your schedule? Know exactly what you need and be prepared to show them how you plan to continue to deliver and execute your role without interruption. Pro Tip: if …

Women In Business – 5 Ways to Support Women in the Workplace

Natasha JeshaniExecutive Leadership, Human Resources Tips, News, Recruitment

Lately (or maybe I’ve just become acutely aware of it) when I read posts of women in leadership, the post always includes some pep talk on impostor syndrome and confidence building. While I am sure we can all use a confidence boost from time to time, at Career Contacts we truly believe that the reason women aren’t landing in more leadership roles actually has nothing to do with these women at all. Today, we are going to share our 5 tips that we believe will effectively increase the promotion and retention of women in business: 1. Re-write your job descriptions Whenever we take on a new client, the first thing we do is advise them on ways to improve their job descriptions. We partner with organizations holistically to look at what they need, and come up with a variety of candidate profiles that may match those needs. We also ensure postings remove gender assumptions, and words that often detract female applicants (rock star, ninja, etc.).   2. Start from within – diversity does not start with hiring In order to increase the diversity within an organization, you must FIRST ensure that you have an organization that is positioned to have …

People-First Recruitment & HR – Our 4 C’s

Natasha JeshaniExecutive Leadership, Human Resources Tips, Job Search, Recruitment

Focused on being people first, our team cares about what we do and how we do it. We put our people first, and to us that means our 4 C’s: Colleagues, Candidates, Clients, and Communities! “People-first” is a term that has been seen increasingly often in organizations and work spaces in recent years. In fact, it has become a buzzword that many business have begun using regularly in their job descriptions and mission statements. But what exactly is a people-first culture? At Career Contacts, we believe that centering our people at the core of everything we do has been the catalyst to our growth and success. We’ve built our business and work philosophy around what we call our 4 C’s: Colleagues, Candidates, Clients, and Communities. “Putting people first is a philosophy backed up by a set of actions which prioritizes the people of an organization above all else including shareholder value and profits, even if it means that leaders must make personal sacrifices.“ -Jacob Morgan, Author of The Future of Work Colleagues: It’s important to consider that in order for us to do our best work for our candidates, clients, and communities, we have to start at the core of our company: our colleagues. It’s been said …

The No Update Update

The “No Update” Update – Revising Your Recruitment Process

Natasha JeshaniHuman Resources Tips, Recruitment

If you spend any time at all on LinkedIn, you have seen the barrage of candidates who continue to feel ghosted in the recruitment process. They spend hours of their time and energy to research and apply to positions only to get nothing in return. In a recruitment firm, the goal is to keep candidates informed as much as possible on the progression of a recruit. The challenge for recruitment professionals is that because they work on behalf of a client, there are so many parts of the process that are out of their control. This is not an excuse. LinkedIn has a lot of stories that point fingers at candidates for ghosting too – this isn’t an excuse either. That’s why at Career Contacts we are passionate about setting up our clients and our candidates for success by guiding them step by step through the hiring process. We believe that with the right steps in place, the recruitment process can be a positive and rewarding experience for everyone, from start to finish. Step 1: Don’t start until you are ready In order to keep your timelines candidate-centered, ensure that you have all your internal processes sorted before posting the …

Learning & Development - From Perk to Permanent

Learning & Development – From Perk to Permanent

Natasha JeshaniExecutive Leadership, Human Resources Tips, News, Recruitment

Learning and development or training and development (L&D or T&D) programs have become a hot topic of discussion among workplaces internationally. According to a new study featured on Forbes.com, learning and development culture is now viewed by HR teams, employees, and job seekers alike as an essential part of a progressive workplace. In fact, according to the study, it has become a “competitive differentiator”, making companies with L&D programs stand out (to employees and those in the job market) among those without. What’s changed? While offering a learning and development program was once primarily viewed as a perk used to attract new hires, building a thriving continuous learning program is quickly becoming a permanent fixture among companies around the world. What is a learning and development program? The term might seem self-explanatory, but there are many elements that make up a successful learning and development program and culture within a workplace. Most business have some kind of training/learning and development courses in place. Most commonly, companies will offer HR-led training courses, such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training, and Anti-Bullying and Harassment courses. However, there are numerous avenues for learning that fall under the umbrella of training and development. Courses …

recruitment firm

What to Look for in a Recruitment Firm

Natasha JeshaniJob Search, Recruitment

Need help finding outstanding talent for your business or some assistance in taking the next step in your career journey? Here is what to look for in a recruitment firm With over 40,000 new recruiter roles being posted according to Indeed alone (and recruiters know there are many more avenues for open roles), we wanted to think about why someone would choose Career Contacts. We truly believe that until you know your values, strengths and differentiators, you won’t be able to attract your ideal candidates or clients. Although we aren’t technically hiring for our own office at the moment, we are a recruitment company, so attracting proactive talent is kind of our thing. Because of this, we decided to share some of the core foundations that we have built our company on and the qualities that we strongly believe matter when looking for a recruitment firm that you can trust. Flexibility, Accessibility, & Diversity  At CC, we are headquartered in Downtown Vancouver. While currently we are predominantly remote or hybrid, we have a space to connect, collaborate and call “home”. Having this space has allowed us to not only interact with our teammates, but also with the people of Vancouver. Over the years, …

HR Burnout Pt. 3 - Mental Health

HR Burnout Part 3 – Mental Health

Natasha JeshaniCOVID-19 Support, Human Resources Tips, Recruitment

In parts one and two of our three-part breakdown of HR burnout, we’ve focused on many aspects of the additional work and logistical issues that COVID 19 has introduced into the workdays of HR teams internationally. However, the most pressing issue that has come into play in the last 19 months is how this additional workload, along with the daily stress of living through a world-wide pandemic, has affected the mental health of work teams as a whole, and specifically the emotional toll that it has taken on HR leaders. In this blog we’ll be exploring what we can do with this knowledge, how HR leaders can best support their employees and how employers can best support their HR teams through these unprecedented times. Caring for Others’ Mental Health – The Emotional Toll It became evident very quickly into 2020 that with all of the stress of the pandemic being introduced, organizations all over the world were going to need to re-evaluate and re-prioritize their company-wide mental health resources and support system. For many employers, this may have even been the first time that they had considered this element of their employee benefits. The first step in addressing this for …

HR burnout - hands writing in a notebook

HR Burnout Pt. 2 – Remote Work, Layoffs, and Staffing

Natasha JeshaniCOVID-19 Support, Human Resources Tips, Recruitment

In part two of our deep dive into HR burnout, we’re exploring the effects that the pandemic has had on working from home versus working from the office, layoffs, hiring and staffing concerns, and what this all meant for HR departments world-wide. Transitioning to Remote Working From the near-beginning of 2020, as workplaces began to close their office doors due to the start of COVID-19, HR departments became tasked with assisting in the transition of employees to work-from-home scenarios. This task has included everything from gathering information from the news about ever-changing pandemic safety protocol, collaborating with CEOs and managers to create work-from-home policies and procedures, to filtering down those messages to the employees and addressing their questions and concerns. Research | Leadership | Communication This massive shift in the way that the workplace operates and how work gets done has created obstacles for every member of work teams internationally, with HR departments at the forefront of it all. Many operational HR professionals had an opportunity to really step into strategic roles, where their voices not only mattered, but were critical to business success and continuity. Although the popular take is that companies should do everything in their power to …

HR Burnout - hands folded at a desk

HR Burnout – What is it and why is it happening (now more than ever)?

Natasha JeshaniCOVID-19 Support, Human Resources Tips, Recruitment

  The term “burnout” is one that you may have heard around the office, especially in the past 19 months. But what does it mean exactly? According to the definition from mental health and wellness website HelpGuide.org, “burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands.” While it’s a fairly new term, it’s one that has become increasingly relevant in today’s work environments. In this 3-part series, Career Contacts is taking a deep dive into HR burnout to explore what it is, why it’s happening now more than ever, and how it’s effecting HR departments everywhere. Most importantly, we are deep diving into what we can do to combat it. Workplaces all over the world have been affected in countless ways by the pandemic. It’s changed everything from how we work, with new health and safety protocols updating day-to-day, to where we work, as many offices transition to working remotely part or even full time. It’s affected just about every aspect of the average workday and has left offices in a constant state of unrelenting change.   Greater Workload …

The Golden Circle 1

The Golden Circle – Finding Your Company’s “Why”

Natasha JeshaniExecutive Leadership, Recruitment

What is The Golden Circle and what does it mean to “find your Company’s Why”? Created by author and inspirational speaker, Simon Sinek, The Golden Circle is a visual model that illustrates Sinek’s theory about the success behind some of the world’s most well-loved business and brands. According to Sinek, the Golden Circle is a guide that can be used to aid in your company’s improvements in corporate culture, leadership, hiring process, product development, as well as marketing and sales. We at Career Contacts believe that this model highlights some of the most essential elements of running a prosperous business. Because of this, we’ve composed some of our own thoughts about the components of The Golden Circle, finding your business’ “Why”, and how you can use all of this to assist in your company’s search for employees that will share the core values of your organization. When setting out to start a business, most people begin their journey by asking themselves the basic questions: What What kind of goods or services will we provide? What will providing this good or service offer our customers/clients? What is the draw – what is going to make people want to buy what we’re …