Campus Hiring

How many of your kids went to College this fall…  When we prepared the tracker for college shortlisting we had various metrics – Graduation Rate , Freshman retention , Safety aspect of campus ,  distance from Home , Employment % .  Apart from  considering value for money on the Tuition / boarding  fees for your kids, whether your kid is going to pursue further studies or not, we do capture Employment %. All of us educate our kids, so they can get a job, settle down, and be independent soon.

I am going to brief you on “Campus Hiring”. There are various perspective on this topic - College /University, Students, Parent and Employer.  Let us see how employer consider this.

Campus Recruitment is a commonly used mechanism for selecting junior level associates for organization.

Campus Recruitment - Companies or corporate visit some of the most important technical or professional institutes in an attempt to hire young intelligent and smart students at the source.  In this process, the employers come to the prospective candidates with a job offer.

As your demands has to be filled in quickly and easily - employers come with the short notice and expect high results.

For this Employers need to  create a long  lasting impression on the organization with  all  the colleges and university  you  attend  - This  is  called Branding. This cannot be created in one year.

Strategic Plan is very essential - this has 4 different steps.

1)    Demand Study

2)    Tactical selection of Schools

3)    On Campus Connection

4)    Effective implementation

Demand Study : Based on  demands in  the business unit you  handle, we need to  check  with  your clients where we can place fresher’s in  a billable role.    Gather the details and send it to Campus Recruitment team in your company…. Skillset, domain, location.

Tactical selection of Schools - This means how many schools, do you need to  target  to ?

Maybe for  your demands that  you  have , you  have 4 or 5 schools that  you  can realistically  get  to. We need to focus on them only.

When we try to recruit the undergrad students, we see most of them are pursuing master or PhD degree, hence reducing your target size.

For eg , if you  are approaching a college which  has 500  students -  we know  that 40%  of going for further studies , 50%  of the students are NOT applicable  for  the demands that you  have in  your  organization.  That leave you only 10% of the students.  When you have the career fair for that school, they would have seen 100+ employers….  So you are not the only 1 employer going behind those 10% of Students. 

As we focus on the target, we need to consider a couple of pointers

On Campus Connection:  There are several points of contacts to connect to the students and faculty on the campus.  We need to identify and tap those POCs.

Most of the schools have Career Services on campus. We need to establish a relationship, with them directly. They do NOT like to be left of the equation. As we do that, we also need to capitalize your relationship with the key faculty. The alumni from that school who had joined your organization can help you to establish that relationship with the key faculty. 

Career Fairs is one of the great connection points for on campus recruitment.   In the Career fairs distribute

1)    Clear concise handouts

2)    Man the booths with recent grads from  that school and someone in position

3)    Collect the Student’s resume

4)    Need to carry some giveaways - Brick USB power chargers, Lego Key-chain with Flashlight, smart USB Car charger, Ear Buds / head Phones.

In addition to career fairs, there is one more preferred method to connect to students on campus - we can conduct info sessions. For these info sessions, we need to pick the right club/ association or class to visit. We need to send the right person as the ambassador for your company.  Info sessions, if done correctly will last for 45 minutes to 1 hour followed by Question and Answers.  If the sessions were educational and enlightening to the students, then they would ask questions, to express interest in your company.

Faculty tour is also effective….Faculty tour is another way of connecting with the campus. You invite Faculty to your company and educate more about your organization.

Another way to connect with students is internship.

Effective implementation: Each employer have their own Procedure to absorb the Students into their work force. 

• Written Test, followed by Technical /behavioral Interview
• Written Test, followed by Group discussion and then an interview.

On campus interview are very important. The person conducting this interview, should not only know about the organization, but must be adequately prepared and passionate person.  The Hiring manager or the business unit owner should also be a part of the interview panel.

Few Tips

Start Early - Career Fair season is in hot gear in September, so you plan yours in Jul / August.

Brand Early - Brand your organizations early.

Continued Communication - Make sure the details shared on Campus is Correct and Current through the proper channel.

If you do this right, you become an employer choice at the colleges and university you visit.

FEEDBACK

FEEDBACK

Happy New Year !  with  the year end you must have had year  end appraisal for  yourself and done the same for  your reportees….

Yes, it is an art for both giving feedback  and receiving feedback.  ..  It does NOT mean it is easy  and  comes  naturally  to  most of  us.  But it can be learnt too. We always  think  both receiving and giving feedback  is a challenging / intimidating process. 

What happens  when you  drive , sometimes on  the shoulders in a freeway ? We hear rumbling sound / vibration. Why? It is because of  the Rumble Strip…. Yes it is an instant feedback -  Suchi you  are NOT in  your  lane and we immediately  straighten our car and be in  the lane.

Feedback  need to  be considered as a positive tool, to  help  in improving the performance and create a cycle of continuous development.  

Have you  heard about Dunning – Kruger effect ?

Each of us think, we are a little  smarter than we REALLY are. If the gap is bigger, the worse we are. Sometime most  of us fail  to  recognize our own  incompetence.

Let us uncover the below

• ·         Fear of getting feedback
• ·         Giving Feedback Effectively
• ·         Feedback  Reaction
• ·         Importance of  Feedback

Fear of getting feedback

Most of us have fear in getting feedback.  The main reason is, the way others see a person was  more different from  the way  one sees him/ her self.  Due to  this  fear, we try avoiding people.   People will misread this fear as arrogance. However prepared we are for the so  called ‘ one on one’  discussion, all  of  us are very  anxious about  the  feedback  session.  Do you  remember  -  heart beat increases ,  throat goes  dry.  Do  you feel  like getting exposed, yes it is like actual uncovering.  We hear a version of ourselves, which we are mostly NOT aware of.

Also  person providing feedback  cannot be a person who  gazes and  gives feedback. Instead his version  of feedback  should be like a mirror holder , showing  the image of  the person for  whom  the feedback  is  given.

There is lot of difference in  both

Gazer	Mirror Holder
It could  be different version,  based on  who  provides the feedback.	In  this there is only  1 version
Feedback Provider is someone in power	Feedback Provider is a partner /Peer
Discuss ‘ what is  broken’	Discuss resolutions
Fear driven	Giving Joy
Force Change	Provide an insight

Giving Feedback Effectively : As per Research only 30%  of the feedback  that you  receive or provide , is put into action, so  give feedback  accordingly.

1)      Sandwich formula -   This is a known formula to  most of us. Positive + Negative + Positive. Start the feedback  with a positive note and then  bring in  the area of  improvement and you  close  it with a Positive note again. When you  start with  Positive note, the reportee is motivated to  listen more. When you  address the negative point, he /she will  be tuned to listen to the improvement you  are looking for. The last positive points , will  make him/her to  work  on those improvements.

2)      Be Specific -  When giving feedback need to  be more specific , than being general.  Say for  eg  you  are expecting the team member to  participate in  any calls , instead of saying you  need to  be speak up  in  the calls , just tell  him / her to  share at least  1 or 2 pointers in  each  calls.

Also  point out 1 or 2 improvements, if many , the reportee may think  he /she is targeted.

3)      Be Immediate  -  In  this fast world, we tend to  get occupied very  quickly , hence it is  recommended to  have the feedback  session sooner , than to  wait for  quarter / year end appraisal. 

4)      Keep  it private -  We all  know ,  Recognize in Public , but criticize in private.

5)      Actionable – As I mentioned only  30% of the feedback  discussed is actionable , hence have a  to  do  list , at the end of the feedback discussion. 

Feedback Reaction  :  When we listen to  feedback there is 3 set of  negative actions

·         Deny

·         Deflection  -  blame away from  yourself towards someone else

·         Irritated

Lots of possibility to  react…. The opportunity  is to  take in  the feedback and react to  it.

The best way  to  react  no matter what is being said  -  Swallow, breathe  and say thank you.

Feedback  can be  effective, when you are open  to  change.  You must be interested and engaged in the conversation , so  you  can start working on the improvements. You should start asking questions to  analyze /deconstruct   the  feedback,  keeping your emotions at bay. I know it is tough…

When couple of incident is reported, we can try  to  justify. But try  to  listen  to  their version, if you  feel  convinced -  immediately apologize. This  help  to  resolve the issue and show that you are willing to  adapt and  grow.

Use the positive comments to  uncover your natural  abilities… It could be a norm  to  you, but treated as a special  skill  by others.  This helps  to  motivate and make you feel energized and more empowered too.

Importance of Feedback.

1)      When managers give feedback, it keeps  your team more engaged. Engaged employees are more Productive.

2)      When you  energize them with  feedback, their performance is at peak.

3)      When NO  feedback  is given , the employee feels ignored and  he /she is less engaged and hence less productive too.

4)      Giving negative feedback is better than NOT giving feedback.

Although  the feedback  is considered to  look  at  our past , let us consider it has something which  is going to  help  us to  have a better future. That Future is a place of promise  /potential change  / opportunity.

Feedback  is a 2 way street. You  need give  it effectively  and receive it  constructively.  It helps  our  work place to  be more pleasant and productive.

  

Cross / Up Skilling

How many of you, have changed your job recently… OR how many of you   within the same organization and changed dept….

OR at least in the recent past , up skilled / cross skilled yourself OR  took additional  responsibilities ? 

Earlier , we wanted a job for our life…  Most of us were happy  to  work in the same job , for  the same organization until  retirement

But that is changing now  -  workers are considering or actively  seeking  further education and  training. What is driving this ?

Workers are up skilling in  order

• ·         to  gain  a promotion 
• ·         to  make an advancement with a new employer
• ·         to  enter a new field of work.

The responsibility  of skill development is shifting from  employers to  employee.

The good news for employers do invest in training and education ,  and  this investment is a key  motivator for  the valuable staff to  stay.

Highest  Return on  Investment is from  retention of your  people  and it is NOT  from  hiring off the street.  Because we are investing in people , whom you  know and people who  know your organization.  If you  have limited amount to  spend, and there is an opportunity to  train some body , will drive more value to the organization.

Cross training also  helps to  make your  employees  feel  more  valuable, because they  can perform different task. It also  add challenge to a job that is fairly  routine  or repetitive task.  For  physical  work  task, cross training can also  help to  avoid , repetitive strain injury.

By  investing the time and energy in cross training your  team , you  will  end up with most flexible and capable  work group. That will  help  us in  hitting the target numbers more consistently and reduce your stress level . Having a flexible work group, that adapt to  fluctuation in work load will make it easier to  schedule and complete the work.

10 20 70  rule of Cross Skilling

10%  class room  based training by efficient trainers.

20%  special project , seminars,  mentoring /coaching

70%  learn on the Job

Advantages  for the employees.
1)    Cross training your employees  allows them the ability to  understand the scope of your business.
2)    Building employees confidence, while teaching them new skills and developing strong team relationship.
3)    Cross training your employee will  boost their moral and motivation

Advantages for the Employer.

1)    Stability, flexibility , efficiency and value is what you receive from your employees.
2)    Cross Trained staffs creates less issues
3)    The company  will  not have to  hire a many  new employees.
4)    Having a staff that knows  the company’s DNA , makes  it easier to  promote  from  within.

When employees are NOT cross Trained
1)    Their motivation begins  to  decrease
2)    Daily  tasks becomes monotonous.
3)    Employees begin to  lose interest and  feel disconnected with the company.
4)    When employees are NOT cross trained, your company  lacks sustainability.

Forcing Cross skilling , initially  confuses people.  The person who  is best is doing something, felt the most threaten, when he/she  was asked to  do  something different.   Cross skilling forces people   to  come out of your comfort zone. When  you  disturb the status quo  , there is always going to  be some discomfort  and disruption for you  and for the trainees.  If you  continue that, they will  settle  into  the new normal.😏

If there is refusal  to  do Cross skilling -  what happens , use the dictator approach, "you  are fired" 

First  we need to  check  our own reaction….  Who  are you  to  refuse the thing that I  have asked you  to  do.. instead stay  calm in  that situation…  and say " that is an interesting reaction"

One way to  force Cross skilling at Junior level  is -  if your  skill  does NOT change your  pay does NOT change. Instead of tenure driven pay program, we can enforce a skill driven pay program.

Continued skill  development at all  levels is absolutely important.  We need to  create a learning organization -  To  have a learning organization , we need to constantly  grow and achieve the targets, we need to  have learning employees, everyone needs to  be constantly  growing, right from  the Senior Leadership. At senior level ,we can push more
E-learnings, exposure driven curriculum.

The world of work is constantly changing and evolving  and it is really  important to  stay  informed no matter what job or what industry that you  are in....   be looking at relevant  publications, podcast , ted talks, video… Take 10  or 15 mins a day  and dedicate towards it.

Cross skilling your  staff and expanding their knowledge is always a good  practice. But  in this  uncertain economic  conditions , it is an insurance policy for  the future.

Note: As a Director of Operations for the CDB-AIA Practice, have been implementing this  initiative since 2015.  The success rate is 70% , 30% of the associate are NOT patient enough  to complete the cross skilling  and learn  on  the job. After signing up for  cross skilling, they  drop  off and go  back  to  their  original  skill set. Due to  operation regulation, could not force them  complete their  cross skilling. But for now happy  with  the 70% Success rate. 🙂