{"id":38436,"date":"2020-02-13T12:07:39","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T20:07:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=38436"},"modified":"2020-02-13T12:07:43","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T20:07:43","slug":"how-dealers-adjust-hiring-focus-approach-in-a-tight-job-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2020\/02\/how-dealers-adjust-hiring-focus-approach-in-a-tight-job-market\/","title":{"rendered":"How Dealers Adjust Hiring Focus, Approach in a Tight Job Market"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Now, perhaps more than ever in the last 10 years, is the\nbest time to be in the market for a new job. Not only is unemployment nearing\nhistoric lows across much of the nation, but wage growth has been improving.\nAccording to Trading Economics and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, wage\ngrowth last December rose 5.20 percent year over year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That combination is music to the ears of employees who are\nseeking to improve their financial situation. It also stands as a challenge to\noffice technology dealers in not just their hiring practices, but the programs\nand overall compensation package they currently offer their current employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attitudes toward employment are also changing, and not just\nthe desire for millennials to have more flexibility with remote opportunities.\nTenures have become more fluid among that generation, and Generation Z behind\nthem is also causing more employment volatility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a study by recruitment firm Randstad US, more\nthan a third (43%) of Generation Z employees (age 22 and under) have accepted a\njob, only to \u201cghost\u201d the employer by not showing up because they got a better\noffer after the fact. Millennials and Gen X employees, by contrast, fell to 26%\nfor ditching, while Baby Boomers accounted for just 13%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, of course, is just a fractional glimpse of the overall\nmarket, but does shed light on the challenges HR departments face in sourcing\nemployees. \u201cGhosters\u201d ultimately are doing the employer a favor by flaking out\nearly on, before the company has a chance to invest in training, but it is\nstill a drain on time and resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked our panel of HR and dealership executives if market conditions have impacted various aspects of their hiring practices, and what qualities they seek from an experience versus a cultural fit perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Right Fit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kevin Fries, Eakes<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe always look for people who have skills and experience,\nbut ultimately, we want to find someone who fits our culture,\u201d noted Kevin\nFries, human resources manager for Eakes Office Solutions of Grand Island,\nNebraska. \u201cIf we can find the right fit\u2014they\u2019re intelligent and maybe have a\nlittle experience\u2014we can teach them the rest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cultural fit, to Fries, embodies people who have a high\nlevel of integrity and embody the core values set forth by Eakes. \u201cThat\u2019s more\nimportant to us than someone who has 25 years of experience,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The evolving employee has caused Offix of Gainesville,\nVirginia, to enhance certain aspects of its approach. Matteo Recanatini,\ndirector of marketing, also stresses the cultural fit element to ensure the\nlevel of employee is on a par with the strong commission structure available to\nsales reps. The dealer tries to zero in on candidates who are looking to be\nlong-term solutions to its needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Matteo Recanatini, Offix<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hitting sales numbers takes a back seat to the caliber of\npersonality. \u201cOne of the questions we ask during a one-on-one interview is\n\u2018What can Offix do for you?\u2019\u201d he noted. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to enhance the skill sets\nthat people have to close the skill gaps that might exist, and to really\ndevelop leadership. We feel that everyone has the opportunity to be a leader in\ndifferent ways, even the quieter people. We want to tease that out of them so\nthat we\u2019re more successful in retaining our talent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the market is kinder to job seekers these days, it\ndoesn\u2019t follow that they necessarily have employers over a barrel. Josh\nBritton, vice president of operations for imageOne in Oak Park, Michigan, notes\nthat employee retention has been high and most new hires have been a product of\ngrowth-driven opportunities. In those instances where imageOne has shopped for\nnew talent, the response to postings has been extremely abundant in number and\nquality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Josh Britton, imageOne<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have very particular expectations and standards, and we\u2019re very meticulous in our process,\u201d Britton said. \u201cWe know we\u2019re going to be doing a lot more interviewing. We\u2019ve never had a problem getting the right candidate to fill the funnel. The positive press surrounding what it\u2019s like to work here, our philosophy and the way we treat people have come full circle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muscle Memory<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales is the most challenging position to address, due to\nthe level of competition for qualified candidates, and imageOne maintains a\nbrisk process when filling a rep role. In the past, the dealer used a more\nprocedural-driven process that wasn\u2019t as responsive as needed, but acting more expeditiously\nis \u201cmuscle memory\u201d for the dealer now, Britton added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As in many other cases, a cultural fit rules the day.\n\u201cThat\u2019s your ticket to enter the game,\u201d Britton said. \u201cWe really don\u2019t care\nwhat your skills are if we don\u2019t think you\u2019re a good culture fit. We have\npassed on numerous, exceptionally qualified people from an experience and\nskills perspective because they did not demonstrate they would be a good\nculture fit for us. Once in the game, then we\u2019re diving into skills,\ncompetency, background, experience, goals, etc. We try to balance our gut\nfeeling with actual data.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Rebecca Graham, Novatech<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In a city such as Nashville, where Novatech has high\nvisibility and a strong reputation, the dealership seeks to leverage that\nawareness in its recruiting efforts. Rebecca Graham, HR manager for Novatech,\nnotes the company does well with prospects who have engaged with the company\nthrough LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Such candidates have some\nlevel of industry awareness and appreciation for the success Novatech has enjoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe find that those people just get it, they appreciate the\nbalance cultivated at Novatech to work hard and have fun, too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now, perhaps more than ever in the last 10 years, is the best time to be in the market for a new job. Not only is unemployment nearing historic lows across much of the nation, but wage growth has been improving. According to Trading Economics and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, wage growth last December rose 5.20 percent year over year. That combination is music to the ears of employees who are seeking to improve their financial situation. It also stands as a challenge to office technology dealers in not just their hiring practices, but the programs and overall compensation package they currently offer their current employees. Attitudes toward employment are also changing, and not just the desire for millennials to have more flexibility with remote opportunities. Tenures have become more fluid among that generation, and Generation Z behind them is also causing more employment volatility. According to a study by recruitment firm Randstad US, more than a third (43%) of Generation Z employees (age 22 and under) have accepted a job, only to \u201cghost\u201d the employer by not showing up because they got a better offer after the fact. Millennials and Gen X employees, by contrast, fell to 26% for ditching, while Baby Boomers accounted for just 13%. This, of course, is just a fractional glimpse of the overall market, but does shed light on the challenges HR departments face in sourcing employees. \u201cGhosters\u201d ultimately are doing the employer a favor by flaking out early on, before the company has a chance to invest in training, but it is still a drain on time and resources. We asked our panel of HR and dealership executives if market conditions have impacted various aspects of their hiring practices, and what qualities they seek from an experience versus a cultural fit perspective. The Right Fit \u201cWe always look for people who have skills and experience, but ultimately, we want to find someone who fits our culture,\u201d noted Kevin Fries, human resources manager for Eakes Office Solutions of Grand Island, Nebraska. \u201cIf we can find the right fit\u2014they\u2019re intelligent and maybe have a little experience\u2014we can teach them the rest.\u201d The cultural fit, to Fries, embodies people who have a high level of integrity and embody the core values set forth by Eakes. \u201cThat\u2019s more important to us than someone who has 25 years of experience,\u201d he added. The evolving employee has caused Offix of Gainesville, Virginia, to enhance certain aspects of its approach. Matteo Recanatini, director of marketing, also stresses the cultural fit element to ensure the level of employee is on a par with the strong commission structure available to sales reps. The dealer tries to zero in on candidates who are looking to be long-term solutions to its needs. Hitting sales numbers takes a back seat to the caliber of personality. \u201cOne of the questions we ask during a one-on-one interview is \u2018What can Offix do for you?\u2019\u201d he noted. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to enhance the skill sets that people have to close the skill gaps that might exist, and to really develop leadership. We feel that everyone has the opportunity to be a leader in different ways, even the quieter people. We want to tease that out of them so that we\u2019re more successful in retaining our talent.\u201d While the market is kinder to job seekers these days, it doesn\u2019t follow that they necessarily have employers over a barrel. Josh Britton, vice president of operations for imageOne in Oak Park, Michigan, notes that employee retention has been high and most new hires have been a product of growth-driven opportunities. In those instances where imageOne has shopped for new talent, the response to postings has been extremely abundant in number and quality. \u201cWe have very particular expectations and standards, and we\u2019re very meticulous in our process,\u201d Britton said. \u201cWe know we\u2019re going to be doing a lot more interviewing. We\u2019ve never had a problem getting the right candidate to fill the funnel. The positive press surrounding what it\u2019s like to work here, our philosophy and the way we treat people have come full circle.\u201d Muscle Memory Sales is the most challenging position to address, due to the level of competition for qualified candidates, and imageOne maintains a brisk process when filling a rep role. In the past, the dealer used a more procedural-driven process that wasn\u2019t as responsive as needed, but acting more expeditiously is \u201cmuscle memory\u201d for the dealer now, Britton added. As in many other cases, a cultural fit rules the day. \u201cThat\u2019s your ticket to enter the game,\u201d Britton said. \u201cWe really don\u2019t care what your skills are if we don\u2019t think you\u2019re a good culture fit. We have passed on numerous, exceptionally qualified people from an experience and skills perspective because they did not demonstrate they would be a good culture fit for us. Once in the game, then we\u2019re diving into skills, competency, background, experience, goals, etc. We try to balance our gut feeling with actual data.\u201d In a city such as Nashville, where Novatech has high visibility and a strong reputation, the dealership seeks to leverage that awareness in its recruiting efforts. Rebecca Graham, HR manager for Novatech, notes the company does well with prospects who have engaged with the company through LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Such candidates have some level of industry awareness and appreciation for the success Novatech has enjoyed. \u201cWe find that those people just get it, they appreciate the balance cultivated at Novatech to work hard and have fun, too,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":38437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1650,82,1867,1638],"tags":[2020,3764,3410,277],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38436"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38436"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38439,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38436\/revisions\/38439"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}