Erin Engstrom

If a prospective candidate has landed on your careers page, congratulations: You’ve won 90 percent of the battle. More so than candidates who simply happen upon your openings through a job board or search engine, the candidates who take the time to visit your careers page aren’t just interested in the role, but in the company. The last…

Large or small, companies are beginning to see the benefits of HR technology. A survey found that when it comes to companies of more than 1000 employees, 53 percent planned to invest in software for their HR and recruiting teams this year. Among companies with fewer than 100 employees, the number jumps to 60 percent.…

Many folks look forward to the holiday season or the summertime as a time to kick back and relax, catch up with family and ease themselves away from the daily grind. But for others, the work is just getting started. November and December, as well the summer months, represent two times of the year when…

Employee referral programs are gaining in popularity and for good reason. Referrals have been shown to reduce the time to hire by almost 50 percent compared to candidates who come from a company’s careers site. Of course, these programs should never take up all of your recruitment focus, but there are a lot of benefits…

Hiring for cultural fit has become a praised and controversial topic throughout the years. Some experts believe identifying candidates who share the same values and methods as the organization to be an essential hiring process. Others believe you should actively look for candidates who go against the grain. And still others question whether “culture” even…

Employee retention is a top concern for 57 percent of employers, according to a 2015 PayScale report. Hiring and training processes cost time and money, and as a result, turnover costs time and money. Companies would rather spend money on ways to improve employee retention than hire and train new ones. To improve employee retention,…

When a candidate makes it through your applicant tracking system, interviews well, and fits your corporate culture, hiring them might seem like a no-brainer. But sometimes it’s not that easy. Sometimes, they turn your offer down. This scenario has become increasingly common as the economy improves and candidates gain more power on the job market.…

For four years, Cole Lindbergh had one of the most fun jobs you can imagine. But it was also pretty tough. In overseeing the games department at the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Mo., Cole managed between 125 and 145 teenagers each summer. Teenagers aren’t known for being the easiest age group, and Cole’s employees were…

Given that the cost of a bad hire can exceed $50,000, no one wants to make a hiring mistake. Poor hiring decisions–including misjudging candidates’ cultural fit, competencies and goals–can account for as much as 80 percent of employee turnover. If you want to avoid the revolving door at your company, you need filters in place. It’s…

Big data. The subject is inescapable and it’s changing the operations of almost every industry, from hospitality to healthcare to yes, HR. It’s why data scientist–the person that collects, organizes, analyzes and activates big data–is one of the hottest jobs of the moment. (Maybe you’re even recruiting for one right now!) Continuing advances in HR technology mean that…