Month: June 2021

Companies invest a good amount of time and money in their hiring process. This is so because a bad hire can be a liability while a good one can be a long-term asset to the company. Hiring can be a challenging and tiring job. Organizations need to make sure they look for candidates who have the potential and requirements of the job role and a vision that aligns with that of the company’s vision.

While companies don’t purposely mean to hire the wrong candidate, sudden vacancies and other pressing demands from the higher management can often result in rushed hiring decisions. This situation can be very testing for both the new employee and the firm.

Some best practices can help ensure that management efforts in hiring the right candidate are successful:

1. Post an accurate job description

Job descriptions are the most important part of any hiring process. Candidates apply to the job description more than the title of the position. Ensure to post an accurate job description that highlights the candidate’s role and responsibilities, educational qualifications, and core competencies.

2. Screen candidates thoroughly

From asking relevant interview questions and conducting reference checks to check the candidate’s criminal background, a company must carefully screen all candidates before rolling out the offer letters. Companies should also make good use of data analysis techniques to see if a certain candidate has the skills and experience to be successful in the current role.

3. Ask creative questions during the interview

Most candidates have well-rehearsed answers for typical job interview questions like, “Why should we hire you?”, “Where do you see yourself in the next five years?”, etc. Hiring managers must put some thought into the hiring process. They can come up with creative questions that can both come as a surprise to the candidate and test their thinking skills.

4. Help existing employees upskill

Not all bad hires are new employees. They are oftentimes an existing employee is promoted hurriedly or if their manager has overlooked their abilities. Organizations need to invest in their employees to achieve organizational success. They must conduct courses, urge employees to participate in different activities, and more to make sure a promotion is well deserved.

5. Find competent people for management roles

Management is the backbone of any company. Those in leadership roles making important decisions must have the experience and competence to decipher what’s good and bad for their organization. Focusing on filling these managerial positions with a proficient individual is vital to the company’s success.

6. Give assessments and personality tests

Going beyond the traditional interview process is important. An in-person interview or virtual video chat is not enough to determine if a candidate is the right fit. Assessing to test technical skills and conducting personality tests to understand the candidate’s traits can help the organization make better hiring decisions.

7. Observe the questions they ask

While it is extremely important to ask the candidate all the questions that will help the organization know the candidate better, it is equally important to pay close attention to what he/she asks the hiring team during the job interview. This can help infer what exactly is the candidate seeking from the opportunity. This will also help determine the candidate’s interest areas and whether his goals align with that of the company.

8. Prioritize company culture fit

Not everyone adjusts in every environment. Companies must understand their workplace culture to know what they’re looking for in a candidate. Gauging their values and interpersonal skills can help in determining if they would be a good fit for the organization and vice versa.

9. Assess their strengths and weaknesses

Most candidates have an ongoing list of their strengths but asking them about their weaknesses can help the hiring manager evaluate their professional expectations for themselves and whether your understanding of them matches with their own. This process will also help identify their work ethic and personal goals.

10. Clearly lay down your expectations

There nothing more relieving than having a hiring manager clearly lay down their expectations from the candidate. Try to be brutally honest to the potential employee so that they know what they’re getting into. This will help them decide whether they want to come onboard and reassure the company that they have hired a well-informed candidate.

11. Don’t rush into making a hiring decision

Never take decisions in haste. They will be a waste of your and the candidate’s time. No matter how eager the hiring manager is to fill up a role, they must thoroughly screen and examine all prospective candidates and then make a hiring decision. This will help both the organization and the candidate be on the same page.

What is Hiring Talent: Right Person, Right Job course all about?

Given today’s business realities, it is more important than ever for organizations to utilize their resources wisely.  In any organization, selecting the right person for the right job is a challenge. When the challenge is met, turnover is low, morale and productivity are high, and great customer service is provided. This course is designed to provide information and skills to assess, build, and conduct high-quality selection interviews to decide on the right person for the right job.

Outcomes:

• Recognize the importance of selecting the right candidate
• Calculate the cost of turnover
• Explain the organization’s hiring process
• Apply a four-step interviewing process
• Identify job competencies and value behaviors for an open position
• Create behavior-based interview questions
• Conduct an effective selection interview
• Decide on the best candidate

Conclusion:

One bad decision can cost a company in numerous ways. So, just imagine if it’s a bad hiring decision? Hiring the wrong candidate can be frustrating and ultimately very costly for the company. Don’t you want to spend time hiring the right talent rather than rushing into filling a position with a bad hire? Every organization needs to attract employees who respect its business values and share the same goals and vision.

If you’re looking to understand elements that help in making sure the right candidate is hired for a role, this course will be the ultimate guide for you.

To enroll, contact P2L today!

What is Business Writing?

CFI defines business writing as a type of writing that is used in a professional setting. It is a purposeful piece of writing that conveys relevant information to the reader in a clear, concise, and effective manner. It includes client proposals, reports, memos, emails, and notices. Proficiency in business writing is a critical aspect of effective communication in the workplace.

Why are Business writing skills important?

1. They ensure clarity in business communication

Strong business writing skills help better communication within the company and with all the stakeholders. Any piece written in a proficient, comprehensive, and informative way brings clarity of thought to an organization. Thus, the receivers will clearly understand your message.

2. They give a good impression to the higher management

An employee with good business writing skills gets noticed and appreciated. Senior management often favors employees who can create excellent documentation.

3. They demonstrate credibility

Employees with advanced writing skills are perceived as more reliable and trustworthy. A well-written paper, presentation, or email doesn’t go unnoticed. Strong business writing skills make an employee dependable, assigned with more responsibility, and often the right candidate for promotion.

What is the Business writing skills course all about?

Business Writing Skills is designed for individuals looking to communicate more effectively. This course aims to provide participants with professional and persuasive written communication tools, establishing your reputation as a business expert. During this course, participants will learn to effectively communicate their thoughts, reach their target audience, and produce high-quality written communication.

What You’ll Learn?

This course is designed to improve participant’s basic business writing skills. With a focus on organizing thoughts and applying writing styles and techniques, participants will learn to maximize the effective writing experience.

Idea Development

• Select the most effective writing style when communicating with your target audience
• Utilize a process for organizing thought and idea development
• Create professional-looking communications

Create Clear and Concise Messages

• Improve the quality of communications through effective proofreading
• Prepare effectively organized emails, memos, agendas, and letters
• Apply a writing style that is both professional and clear

Writing to Persuade

• Effectively match written communication to the target audience
• Measure the readability of written communication
• Successfully secure action from their writing efforts

How You’ll Learn?

Every program and individual course we offer is customizable to your organization’s needs. After meeting with one of our Business Development Officers and identifying exactly what those needs are, participants will take part in our engaging and interactive course designed with different learning styles in mind. Participants will be led by one of our experienced and highly skilled facilitators through discussions, and individual and group activities.

Where You’ll Learn?

We work closely with our clients to ensure that we meet all your needs – this includes location. Courses can take place at our location within Mohawk College’s Stoney Creek campus or any location of your choice. That means, if you’d like us to come to you – we will set up shop at your location of choice.

Who Should Attend?

The course is designed for professionals of any level looking to improve their written communication skills.

Conclusion

Strong business writing skills are an asset to every employee and an organization. Unfortunately, despite how important business writing is, many organizations fail to give it its due. But luckily this trend is changing. Nowadays, organizations see it as crucial to spend time, money, and effort to help their teams learn and develop writing skills. If you’re looking for a course that will help you and your team strengthen your business writing skills, this thorough course is exactly what you need.

To enroll, contact P2L today!

What is teamwork?

How often have you heard people go, “Teamwork makes the dream work?” Well, it stands true when a group of individuals come together and work toward a common goal. They help each other in setting and achieving targets, support each other to combine individual strengths, and strengthen the team’s competencies.

Why do we need teamwork in the workplace?

YTI Career Institute explains why teamwork is so important in the professional world:

• It brings new ideas: Businesses need new, fresh ideas to succeed in the competitive world. You have a unique perspective to bring to the table which will benefit the business overall. Businesses thrive when they have a diverse team of people who can contribute individual ideas.
• Teamwork helps solve problems: Collaboration within a group can help solve difficult problems. Brainstorming is a good opportunity for the team to exchange ideas and come up with creative ways of doing things. By working together, teams can find the solutions that work best.
• It’s supportive: Teamwork creates a system to ensure that deadlines are met and that there’s high-quality work. When one team member falls behind, there’s another to pick up the pieces. When work is divvied up among members of a team, it gets done faster, making the overall business operate more efficiently. Your team will develop a sense of comradery as you work toward a common goal.
• Teamwork builds morale: You’ll feel that your work is valued when you contribute to something that produces results. If you offer an idea that helps improve productivity, such as a new filing system, confidence and trust are built within the team. Each team member has something special to offer. By working together, members of a team feel a strong sense of belonging and deep commitment to each other and the common goal.

What is the Teamwork course all about?

Most of the time when you hear the word team, it’s about a group of people who get together to complete a special project. This course is about creating a team environment amongst the people with whom you work each day. This course aims to create a team environment that will foster a positive and productive workgroup. Participants will learn techniques for translating team goals into individual goals, empowering all team members to participate, encouraging collaboration amongst team members, and monitoring the team’s progress using structured tools and processes.

Outcomes:

• Identify telltale signs that the teamwork within your team needs attention
• Apply techniques to translate goals to individual team members
• Apply techniques to empower all team members to participate
• Apply techniques to encourage collaboration amongst all team members
• Discuss techniques to track the team’s environment and to make adjustments
• Recognize how teamwork is often more beneficial than individual performance

Conclusion:

It is easy to build teams, but not every team is always good at teamwork. Teamwork helps us grow as people and accomplish more than we ever could on our own. It helps us develop people skills, learn new things, build relationships, and achieve organizational success. A team that works well together supports each member and sticks together to produce great results.

If you’re looking for techniques to build a strong team, empower your team members to participate in decision-making processes, and collaborate to achieve higher productivity, this course is just what you need.

Contact P2L to enroll today!