SkyWater Blog

Is your resume up-to-date? You may think it is if you’ve been diligently adding every new role and accomplishment as you’ve been racking them up over the year.

In the ongoing battle for top candidates, a liberal vacation offering is a powerful perk.  In fact, a generous and flexible PTO policy does more than attract great new candidates.  When designed, communicated and managed well, it can also help you retain your current employees.

Maybe you saw the early warning signs: budget cuts, hiring freezes, key projects getting placed on hold.  Or maybe you were caught completely off guard.  Lay-offs in November seemed impossible, cruel.  No company would lay people off just before the holidays, right?

Overcome Candidate Objections Before They’re Raised

After an extensive search and a round of interviews, your client agrees with you: you’ve found the perfect candidate and it’s time to write that offer. You’d be celebrating right now…

According to recent research, around 60% of hiring managers have caught applicants lying on their resumes. During the recession, numbers rose as competition became for jobs became so fierce yet it still continues today. The impact of hiring a candidate who has deliberately misled the hiring manager on their resume can be destructive.

Whether you’ve been in the full-time work force for a week or a couple of decades, you’ve probably noticed that there is no shortage of “career advancement” advice out there.  But have you noticed that most of that advice is pretty narrow?  So narrow, in fact, that it goes in one direction only:  up, up, up.  Any great career coach, recruiter or mentor can give you solid advice on how to ascend the all-important promotion track.  But what if you love what you’re doing right now?  What if you don’t have the skills – or the aptitude – to take on that job one rung up the corporate ladder?  Conversely, maybe you’re one of the growing number of successful professionals who are more than qualified to succeed in that bigger job – but you just don’t want it.  You may fear that it would rob you of precious family or social time.

As an entrepreneur running a small-but-growing business, your hiring decisions are some of the most critical – and risky – decisions you will make. Every organization, regardless of size, is impacted by every new hire. But the smaller your company, the bigger the impact. Indeed, a study conducted by Guidant Financial and LendingClub found that for small business owners especially, employee recruiting and retention is a challenge in a strong labor market.

In your organization, communication skills are important. You expect employees to work as a team, help customers, and, as an expert in their discipline, you expect them to make important recommendations to help you drive the business.

These are a few of our favorite interview questions that help test candidates communication skills during the interview process.

5 Everyday Things You Can Do Now to Make Your Employees Feel Appreciated

The Right Way to Woo Your Competitor’s Rockstar Employees