The Bagg Group Blog

Is your head in the Cloud?

Check out this clip (2:59) from CityTV News today of Geoff Bagg and Tom Hayes discussing cloud computing and the impact it is having on those employed in I.T.

In a recent column in HR Reporter, Geoff Bagg, CEO of The Bagg Group, writes that the high number of applicants for any job, combined with pressure from the top to get the hire right, has caused an evolution within the staffing industry.

“We have seen the rise of a new breed of recruiters,” writes Geoff. “Those who succeed today don’t just recruit, they match-make.”

Sure enough, Jackie Chua, General Manager of The Bagg Group, says any recruiter or hiring authority seeking a candidate for a full-time position, contract work, or temporary placement has to be “more relationship-sensitive” than ever before.

Of course, skills matter. But equally important is compatibility — a meeting of minds, values, and energy. That’s because, as Geoff Bagg writes, “the employer and employee are in a relationship. And like any relationship, if there’s no spark, there’s no energy to meet goals.”

Getting along isn’t just a preferred scenario, it’s a high stake business necessity. Studies show that a wrong hire can cost a company five to 27 times the hire’s base salary in mistakes, wasted training, lost productivity, lowered team morale. Similarly, leaving a position open costs in decreased productivity, loss of innovation, and burn-out for employees who must pick up the slack.

Interestingly, studies also show job boards haven’t made the task of match-making any easier, particularly for in-house HR specialists tasked with conducting job searches without outside help.

The first online job board launched in 1992 and morphed into the large Monster.com in 1995. Workopolis.com launched in 2000. Today, large job boards have about 90,000 active postings at any one time, and most receive well over two million visitors per month.

Not surprisingly, in-house HR specialists recruiting via job boards report the days of manageable numbers of applicants have gone the way of the busy telephone signal. Unheard of. And as any overworked in-house HR specialist knows when wading through thousands of resumes, more is not necessarily better –especially when working a job search is only one item on a long to-do list.

Yet, senior executives in all surveys say they consider finding the right employees to be a top priority in achieving their business goals. With that in mind, for those who don’t have teams of recruiters working their networks full-time like The Bagg Group does, match-making can be more of a migraine than a labour of love.

Geoff Bagg explains in HR Reporter that in our tight economy, it takes additional know-how to get a good sense of the candidate. “Job-seekers feeling anxious about finding work may default to offering what they think is the desired answer. That’s why the best recruiters schedule longer interviews now, to allow time to move off the resume and converse about the candidate’s interests and ambitions. It’s not small talk to learn what makes a person tick, it’s essential info for a great match.”

For those who want to work with a matchmaker, the experienced matchmakers at The Bagg Group, which has a 40-plus year track record of ensuring happy bonds between candidates and companies, offer these tips:

Bring the hiring manager to the table: Often HR specialists work as gatekeepers but it’s tough to find you Mr. or Ms. Right when you haven’t met the other party. The sooner HR involves the hiring manager, the sooner the matchmaker can identify and find the right fit.

Remember, there’s a buyer for every house: But you need to tell the agent what you like and what you don’t to get the house for you. The same applies to finding a candidate. Timely feedback is powerful information that allows the recruiter to make the perfect match.

Be transparent: With reputable recruiters, what you say to your recruiter, stays with your recruiter. Tell it like it is. Maybe a team requires someone who is especially tough-skinned, or a manager wants people to regularly burn the midnight oil. The recruiter isn’t there to judge but to find a candidate who will be fine with living it like it is.

To read more about what Geoff Bagg had to say on matchmaking in HR Reporter, click here.

On April 12th, 2012 Geoff Bagg, CEO, The Bagg Group, channeled his inner ‘Bob The Builder’ and joined 24 of Toronto’s top CEO’s to launch National Volunteer Week by building homes with Habitat for Humanity Toronto.  Trading in their smartphones for hard hats to build homes for six low-income families, Geoff and the other participating CEO’s saw National Volunteer Week as an important time to step up to the plate, roll up their sleeves and do something for others.

Habitat Toronto relies on volunteers to build affordable homes. With the affordable housing crisis at an all-time high, so is the need for volunteers. Events like National Volunteer Week are important in raising awareness toward the essential role of volunteerism.

Check out more photos from the event here.

In a recent blog, we wrote of how Erin Abraham’s optimism won us over, and contributed to her being selected as the recipient of The Bagg Group sponsored Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) scholarship.  This scholarship is awarded to a student enrolled full-time or part-time in HRPA academic courses.

At The Bagg Group, we have interviewed hundreds of thousands of candidates over the past forty-plus years to place more than 57, 000 happy people in positions that are right for them.

Just about all those who were hired for full-time positions, contract work, or temporary placements projected an optimistic attitude in interviews.

Pessimism doesn’t give you a competitive edge.  But optimism does.   And you never need optimism more than when seeking work.  

A job search is just that – a search.  Typically, any hunt involves time and a few dead ends before you finally find what you were looking for.  And during this time, you simply can’t afford to let frustration, despair, or anger get the better of you. If you do, you will inevitably turn off important contacts.

The management consultant firm Accenture surveyed 500 senior executives in 20 countries and found that 71% rated an employee’s ability to view difficulties as opportunities as extremely important to them.  They said employees who have this trait would be retained over others who lack it.

In other words, they don’t want pessimists on their team.  The dictionary defines as pessimists as those who “lack hope or confidence in the future.”

It has often been said that optimism and pessimism are innate personality traits:  You’re either a glass half-full kind of person, or you’re a glass half-empty type. 

But renowned psychologist Martin Seligman has been studying optimists and pessimists for 25 years and disagrees with that viewpoint.  He says you can learn to be positive, even if your natural inclination is to be on the gloomy side.

In his popular book, Learned Optimism, How to Change Your Mind and Your Life, Dr. Seligman emphasizes that optimism isn’t about being unrealistic — or in other words, seeing rainbows where other people see pink slips.

Instead, Dr. Seligman says optimism is about recognizing that life comes with tough challenges, and you don’t have control over all situations –  but you do retain control over how you interpret and deal with them.

With that in mind, if you didn’t get the job you interviewed for, The Bagg Group recruiters offer these two pieces of advice to fuel your optimism:

1)  Ask yourself, what could you do better next time?

2) Tell yourself,  “Next time!” And make the choice to believe there will be a next time.   Those who give up don’t get the job.  Those who keep strategizing and searching will land a position in time.

As psychologist Sherrie Bourg Carter, author of High Octane Women, writes, “The truth is that disappointments and challenges are an inevitable part of life. So why not view them as opportunities to learn, grow, and improve? If you do, you’re on the road to resilience and that’s exactly where you want to be during tough times.”

Please enjoy the following clip of Geoff Bagg on The Morning Show on Global News this morning between 7:10 and 7:20am, with hosts Liza Fromer, Dave Gerry, Kris Reyes and Daru Dhillon. As well as discussing the shape of the current job market, Geoff shared tips and tricks on how to make yourself more hireable.

Watch this morning’s segment here.

You can read more about Geoff’s top tips and strategies in Global’s article Top 5 ways to be more employable.

We have a job opportunity available immediately at a PCB electronics company.  Looking for 10 people to start as soon as possible.

When: Tuesday April 10, 2012 from 1:00-4:00 PM

Where: YMCA SENECA, Suite 201, 3660 Midland Ave., Scarborough, ON

Job duties:
- Assemble electronic PCB components in a fast paced environment
- General help where needed (Quality Control, Testing, etc)
- Ability to read and follow instructions

Required:
- Previous Assembly experience or electronics/engineering educational background is preferred
- Excellent English (Verbal and Written) communication skills
- Detail oriented (Speed and Accuracy)
- Multitasking skills
- Steel toe boots required

The shifts available are day shifts. $11.00/hr.

Please bring resume & ID with you.

We look forward to seeing you there!

We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s the little things that count.”  And in the workplace that applies as much as anywhere else. 

The proof?  A full 61% of Canadians said that a handwritten personal note of praise has more value than any other form of communication, according to a recent study by Bic Inc.

The study found a handwritten note “produces an immediate and positive reaction among employees,” says Bic handwriting expert Elaine Charal.   

In an age where most of us type faster than we can write, a handwritten note is undeniable evidence that someone made significant time and effort to acknowledge you. 

It’s an act that stands out in a world where we are used to quickly, and without much real thought, clicking on “like” to indicate our thumbs up.   

Having interviewed thousands of people over more than 40 years of successfully placing candidates in full-time positions, contract work and temporary placements in the GTA, recruiters at The Bagg Group know how much recognition matters.  It tops the list for employee satisfaction.

Strangely enough, no matter how talented, sophisticated, and senior we are, there’s still the kid in all of us that thrills to a handwritten “fantastic” like it was a gold star on our homework. 

It’s truly one of those old-time small gestures that can still pack a punch and fuel the drive and commitment of employees in the 21^st century. 

Douglas R. Conant, the recently retired president and CEO of the Campbell Soup company, wrote about this in his latest book, Touchpoints:  Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments.

In the book, Conant and co-author Mette Norgaard insist a leader’s impact and legacy are built through hundreds, even thousands, of interactive moments in time.

In a blog for the Harvard Business Review, Conant sums up that experience taught him the three key rules for building relationships –all deceptively simple but extraordinarily valuable.

1.  Make a personal connection early on.  Conant found that a two-way conversation about personal philosophy, background, values, even favourite quotes, goes a long way to relationship-building—and employee retention.

2. Look for opportunities to celebrate:  Conant and his executive assistants spent 30 to 60 minutes a day scanning his mail and internal website for news of employees worthy of a pat on a back. 

At The Bagg Group, we can’t emphasize enough to our clients across the GTA how championing team and individual achievements helps lift workplace spirit in a way that money just can’t buy.

3.Get out your pen.   Conant says he sent roughly 30,000 handwritten notes over a decade to employees, from maintenance staff to senior executives.   He writes:  “It’s the least you can do for people who do things to help your company and industry.  On the face of it, writing handwritten notes may seem like a waste of time. But in my experience, they build goodwill and lead to higher productivity.”

As we all work on a quest to achieve a paperless office, it may be worthwhile to keep some paper for the personal note.   Sometimes the little things can be just the things employees want to stick around for.

The Globe and Mail offers some insight to the creative ways that tech firms are starting to bring in new talent. Read more about these incentives and hiring practices and what keeps CEOs up at night in their article Help wanted: tech firms scramble for talent.