Should You Hire Fresh Graduates?
Getting a job after graduation is one of the toughest challenges that a person will be facing in his life. It won’t be an easy task especially if most of your prospect companies are requiring certain length of experience in the chosen field. How would you be able to have an experience if in the first place you are just starting to have it?
However, some companies are accepting fresh graduates regardless if they have an experience or not. They are those companies that are willing to risk themselves into fresh minds and modern ideas. These applicants are most of the time young and aren’t afraid to try everything just for their development and of the company. They can easily be sent to trainings and seminars because majority of them are single and love getting out of town.
These young employees-to-be may have broader point of views but they also have the higher tendency of hopping from employer to another. Companies hiring them should see to it they will be staying in the company for at least 2-3 years through ample compensation, benefits and all-expense paid trainings.
If only all companies are thinking this way, employment rate will eventually increase. However, not all companies are willing to take the risk thus leaving a lot of fresh graduates jobless and rather choose other work that aren’t related to their chosen profession.
Some countries have higher employment rates because their students are already ensured with work even before their graduation. Their government made sure that all their working citizens will have jobs so that they could spend for themselves independently. While some countries are enjoying these things, there are also places wherein unemployment is too high that most of their working forces are forced to go overseas and serve other nationalities. For them compensation in other countries is way better compared to the minimum wage that they can have in their country of origin.
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How to Talk to Employees about Cutbacks
Handling company cutbacks requires diplomacy, a vision of the company’s future and empathy of the staff. How to deal with the employees that have been laid off and those who have been kept in place will require the attention for the days that follow once the announcement has been made. It is important that the announcement is made soon when the cutbacks become a necessity. The employees that will be affected need to be informed first in private and given a review of the benefits or the severance package that they will be getting.
The best time to announce the cutbacks to the rest of the employees is at the end of the day so that they do not get distracted. A decision has to be made whether the employees that are being laid off will be allowed to work to a given date or will have to go soon after the official announcement. There are a few things that one will need to keep in mind when talking to the employees about cut backs:
· The communication needs to be honest
· It should be clear that you are concerned about them despite the cutbacks
· Ensure that you do not promise them things you will not be able to fulfill
· Do all you can to help those that have been laid off to get back on their feet
After the announcement, take some time to let the employees take in all that you have told them and observe their reactions. Be prepared to respond to these reactions and varied emotions. There are those who will be quite angry and it is good not to be defensive but to handle them in a diplomatic way. Have tissues for those who will cry and be able to handle the anxious ones.
Have the appropriate paperwork ready for them to sign that include details explaining their compensation for unemployment, retirement plans, health insurance and final paychecks. Inform the employee that has been laid off how to access the benefits that they are entitled to. In addition, give them information about private job hunting resources and local government where they can look for jobs.
A Human Resources degree is important for understanding how to handle this situation with dignity. These staff cutbacks have to be addressed with the remaining employees too and this takes a slightly different approach and skill. A line of communication needs to be kept open so as to handle rumors that may be circulating about the changes that are happening in the company. The employees will also be concerned about the extra work that they will possibly have to do. The cutbacks should be the stepping stone of evaluating and streamlining the processes and systems that are in place.
Emphasize the importance of broadening their knowledge with the new work load and the expectations also need to be realistic. If overworked, they will have issues prioritizing and meeting the deadlines that have been set. Keeping a positive attitude could be hard after the cutback announcement as the staff expects you to set the tone. Being angry or frustrated in front of them will just make things worse. Search for opportunities that will boost their morale and reward them for the good work they have done.
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You’ve Been Promoted to Manager – Now What?
Congratulations on your promotion! We’re sure you deserve it and are completely ready to make the move from worker to manager. What’s that you say? You’re having a panic attack? Your former friends are now under you and you’re not sure who to go to lunch with? Relax! We have you covered.
Here are five quick tips to make the transition from worker to manager a little less stressful:
1. Read.
Head to the library and check out one of these great books about management or browse on over to this blog post listing the Top 10 Posts of 2012 about Leadership, Communication and Career. You may be new to the role but it’s good to know what the experts think and to hit the ground running. Also, sign up for your industry’s trade publications if you don’t already.
2. Meet people.
Introduce yourself to heads of departments you’ll be collaborating with now and don’t be afraid go get better acquainted with your team. Get to know the strengths of every person on your team and show respect for their abilities.
3. Network.
This may sound like “meeting people” but in this case it means to get to know people outside of your company that work within your industry or are one of your vendors. You never know how an outsider’s point of view may help you figure out a problem and it’s always nice to be the person that “has a guy” for everything.
4. Educate Yourself.
This one involves reading but it’s more specialized to your industry or position. What we mean by educate yourself is that you should always keep your mind sharp and ahead of the trends. For you, that could mean going to a local industry event or seminar every month (great networking opportunities as well) or finally finishing up your masters in organizational leadership online. Whichever is right for you, your schedule and your finances as long as you’re learning and growing your career opportunities will as well.
5. Be Polite.
Being promoted from within may mean that you’re now be the manager of someone you beat out for the job. This shouldn’t make things awkward for either of you or for your team. If it is, kindly invite the other employee(s) into your office and have an honest chat. Let him/her know that you respect them and know that they’ll be a great member of the team – maybe even a leader. Never rub anyone’s nose in the fact that you received the promotion and don’t talk down to them. Let’s get real: you moved offices. You haven’t been crowned Queen of Sheba.
We hope that these tips are helpful to you during your promotion. Feel free to comment and add any other tips you have that could be helpful to others in this situation.
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