Yasar A.’s Post

It’s a really tough time right now for people out of work. Please now address me as Captain Obvious. Recruiters, HR specialists, and hiring managers aren’t making it any easier. The market is rife with ghosting, form rejections, and AI-powered recruiting practices that take the humanity out of the process. Companies seem to be taking an unhurried, “hiring as usual” approach, despite a job market that will probably be remembered alongside the Dot-com Bust and the Great Recession. Though it may sound like it, I don’t blame these gatekeepers. On the contrary, I understand the challenges they face. I can’t imagine how such professionals can even do their jobs, when any given opening receives 500, 800, 1,000+ applications. When a candidate gets through the gate, however, ending up on a much shorter list, that’s when companies can really show how people-centric they are (or not). And with that in mind, I want to showcase a company that’s doing it right—HelloFresh. I recently applied for their open Head of UX Writing role, and though they ultimately passed on me, their communication throughout the process was a model for other companies to follow. - In the job posting, they committed to responding to applications within 5 business days (they reached out to me the day after I applied). - During the interview, the recruiter clearly outlined next steps and again committed to follow up within 1-2 days. - True to her word, she reached out 2 days later with a personalized email about my status (a pass). - Her email also asked for my feedback about the interview process, which I took as an invitation to ask for feedback about myself as a candidate (the holy grail that few companies ever provide). She immediately offered to set up another meeting to share such feedback, which I gratefully accepted. Too often, companies either send a form rejection or completely ghost you, even after you’ve taken time to interview. So this refreshing experience (short-lived as it was) really made HelloFresh stand out. Recruiters, take note. As a colleague said this morning, “People will remember the companies who did this when the next hiring boom comes.” That sentiment works both ways.

🚀 The Silver Lining of a Botched Hire - Yes, It's a Thing! 🌟 Alright folks, gather round for a tale of woe turned wow! Ever had a hiring decision go pear-shaped? 🍐😱 I mean, who hasn't, right? But, here's the kicker: sometimes, the best hiring strategies are born from those "I wish I hadn't" moments. So, there I was, sipping my umpteenth cup of tea ☕, reflecting on that one hire. You know the one – seemed like a perfect fit, but turned out to be more like fitting a square peg in a round hole. 🟥🕳️ Now, I could've moped about it (okay, I did for a bit), but then I had a lightbulb moment 💡. This cock-up was actually a treasure trove of lessons! It wasn't just about the who, but the how and why of our hiring process. Here's the scoop: 1. The Gut-Check Redefined: It's not just about instincts. It's about aligning those gut feelings with hardcore data. 📊 Balance, dear friends, is key. 2. Culture Fit or Culture Add? We've all chanted the 'culture fit' mantra, but what about 'culture add'? Embracing diversity of thought can be your secret weapon. 🌍💡 3. Feedback is King (or Queen!): Post-failed hire, I sought feedback like it was going out of fashion. From team members, other candidates...even the milkman! Okay, maybe not the milkman. But you get the picture. 🎨👑 4. Flexibility is Fabulous: Rigid hiring models are so last season. Adapting and evolving your strategy is crucial. Be like water, my friends. 🌊 5. Always a Learning Curve: Every misstep is a step towards your best hiring strategy. Embrace the mess, and find the message. 💌 So, chin up! Your next hiring strategy masterpiece is just a blunder away. And hey, if you need a natter about it, you know where to find me. Let's turn those hiring frowns upside down, together! 😊🔄 #HiringStrategy #LearningFromMistakes #HRInsights #RecruitmentTales

Have you ever watched Catfish, the MTV show where people get duped by online lovers who are not who they say they are? Well, imagine that, but with your job. That’s shift shock, and it’s making a lot of young workers say “bye, Felicia” to their employers. 👋 The founder of career platform The Muse, Kathryn Minshew, says that shift shock happens when you sign up for a job that seems great, but then you realize it’s terrible. It’s like when you match with a cutie on Hinge, but then you meet them in real life and they’re totally ratchet. 😱 You feel betrayed, angry, and sad. 💔 Shift shock is caused by recruiters and employers who lie or exaggerate about the job and the company culture. They also don’t warn you about the potential problems, such as nasty bosses, sketchy practices, or a toxic work environment. This leads to a lot of dissatisfaction and bitterness among new hires, who end up quitting their jobs within the first six months. For example, imagine you apply for a job as a social media manager at a hip startup. The recruiter tells you that you’ll get to work on exciting projects, have a lot of autonomy, and enjoy a fun and flexible work culture. You’re thrilled and accept the offer. But when you start working, you find out that the projects are boring and repetitive, you have no say in anything, and the work culture is stressful and rigid. You feel like you’ve been catfished by your employer, and you want to get out as soon as possible. That is shift shock. The top tip on how to prevent shift shock: 👉    Be transparent and truthful with candidates. Don’t hide or embellish anything about the job or the company. Tell them both the good and the bad, and let them decide if they’re interested. Shift shock is a serious problem that affects both employees and employers. It’s like catfishing, but with jobs. Don’t let it happen to you. For more tips on avoiding shift shock, check out The Muse article linked in the comments below.   #futureofwork | #humanresources | #jobsearch

🦃 Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK! That sneak up on anyone else!? 🤯 Dear Employers, As we approach the final stretch of 2023, it's the perfect time to set the stage for a triumphant year ahead. 2024 will be here before you know it! Don't wait until the New Year to assemble your dream team—start thinking about hiring now! Your success in 2024 begins with strategic planning and securing the right talent. Here's why you should act today: 1️⃣ Stay Ahead of the Curve: Beat the competition by securing top talent before they're snatched up. Early planning ensures you have the pick of the best in the industry. Candidates know it takes them 3-6 months on average to find a job. They are looking today! 2️⃣ Build a Strong Foundation: Starting the hiring process now allows for thorough candidate evaluation and seamless onboarding. Your team will be ready to hit the ground running in the new year. 3️⃣ Shorten the Lead Time: We know that it can take a few months to find, vet, interview, hire, and onboard the right candidate! Waiting to look until the week after New Year's means your position could not start to produce until the end of the 1st Quarter. You've already lost 1/4 of your year. 4️⃣ Strategic Growth: Lay the groundwork for strategic growth by identifying key positions that will drive success in 2024. Proactive hiring sets the stage for a dynamic and flourishing workplace. 5️⃣ Hit the Ground Running: The early bird catches the worm! By starting now, you position your company to be at its most productive right from the start of the new year. Remember, success is not just about goals; it's about the people who help you achieve them. Let's make 2024 your year of unprecedented growth and achievement. Don't wait—start the hiring conversation today! 📩 Connect with me to discuss your hiring needs and make 2024 a year of unparalleled success! https://lnkd.in/dTWK3RkA #HiringNow #Indyjobs #2024Success #StrategicPlanning #RecruitmentExcellence

I want to share a personal story from my HR journey - one that taught me the profound importance of hiring for culture before skill. A few years back, in the early days of Boostpoint, we were on the hunt for a new team member. We found someone who seemed perfect on paper. Impressive skills, extensive experience, you name it. We were thrilled. But we missed something crucial. In our excitement over their skills, we overlooked how they'd mesh with our team culture. To say it was a misalignment would be an understatement. From day one, the energy shifted. What was once a vibrant, collaborative atmosphere turned tense and uncomfortable. The team, known for their positivity and teamwork, was impacted by the negative energy of our new hire. One thing we got right was realizing this quickly and helping the person move on within their first two weeks. This experience hit me hard. It was a wake-up call on the importance of cultural fit in the hiring process. Skills are teachable, but attitude and personality aren't as flexible. Since then, I've shifted my approach. I prioritize how a candidate will gel with the team, align with our core values, and contribute to the positive energy of our workplace. Skills are still important, but they come second to cultural fit. And guess what? This approach has led to more cohesive, happier teams and longer-lasting hires. So, to all the HR professionals, recruiters, and hiring managers out there: remember, a resume tells you what someone can do, but it's the person behind the resume that tells you how they'll do it. Let's focus on building teams that thrive not just on paper, but in real life too! #HR #Recruitment #TeamCulture #HiringTips #StartupLife

Avoiding Common Hiring Mistakes Did you know that 80% of employee turnover is due to bad hiring decisions? Hiring the wrong people or failing to keep the right ones can waste time and resources, leaving founders worried about their first crucial hires. But it doesn't have to be so tough. Every day, we chat with startup founders facing similar challenges and recruitment questions. In the coming days and weeks, I'll highlight common pitfalls to help you avoid them. #1 Pitfall: Just posting a job ad on your website and LinkedIn page and hoping the right people will see it might not be enough. Your perfect candidate could easily miss it. Consider sharing the backstory of the role through PR channels and make sure it's visible where your ideal candidates are most likely going to see it.

I've been looking at A LOT of job descriptions lately. 👩🏼💻 For many roles, I'm noticing "minimum requirements" that often feel like unnecessary obstacles for companies looking to attract - and retain - top talent. Typically, this is related to needing *direct* experience in XYZ field or having a specific degree. In my former and in my current role, I've showed up as a relative "outsider" to the field and I believe it's been a superpower. That's why, today for the Next Stage blog, I've written about the benefits of hiring beyond your industry. You can find it here: https://lnkd.in/eXiTCqAM What are your thoughts? What did I miss?

How you treat people in the hiring process says EVERYTHING. (A two-part story about being people first) Last year, I wrote a few words about how I hate that I can no longer personally respond to every applicant. It's a part of the job I loved and took very seriously. Last month, we even had an applicant from 11 years ago write about it!! 🤯 "11 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰, 𝘉𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘒𝘦𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘍𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘣, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥'𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘐 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘴 𝘉𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺.” (Hey George Vanjek 👋) Fast forward to last week. We received 1,059 applicants for a single design role. 🤯 These are people taking the time to share their desire to join our mission. Fourteen years in, I'm still overwhelmed with gratitude reading their words. I also feel a touch of guilt, knowing I cannot express that personally. Thankfully, there are people on my team who can! Shout out to Kellie Groover, SHRM-CP, and Natalie Kent for leading this latest round. Check out this snippet of what Natalie shared with the Focus Lab team in Slack this past week: "𝘜𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘕𝘰 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘋𝘘𝘴. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨- 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘵." 1,059 applicants getting a timely response. This is not easy to do... It's the right thing to do. --- To all the applicants of our latest hiring round, I want to take this moment to thank you. Seriously, thank you for your interest and effort in what likely feels like a relentless, exhausting, and thankless job hunt in this crazy market. We at Focus Lab see you and appreciate you. 🙏 🙏 🙏

I've had some fantastic conversations this week with talented people who are strategically navigating their job search amidst market shifts.   It's true that December & January were slower months, but... they are every year, and February has entered with a bang 💥 - so people are taking a thoughtful approach, not hitting the brakes entirely.   They're still open to exploring new opportunities, just with a bit more caution & a few more questions.   As always, trust is key to keeping the conversation & process flowing smoothly 🤝   Here's what I've noticed people are curious about: ❓How businesses managed uncertainty during challenging times like COVID-19. ❓ If redundancies happened, what approach was taken? Were they handled with empathy and realism? ❓Did the business mass hire in panic throughout the great resignation, or did they stick to a business plan that made sense long term? ❓Flexible working policies - are they embraced or overlooked? ❓Onboarding process, renumeration & benefits - what's the deal?   ❓Leadership styles & approaches, growth plans, company trajectory. ❓Stability of the business & the role's necessity; reason for hire, team movement etc.   These people aren't actively applying to job ads, they likely aren't on job boards at all.   They're comfortable in their current roles & valued, so leaving their current employer is a big deal, not one to be taken lightly.   **But, when the right opportunity knocks & questions are answered properly, they're ready to make the move & will add immediate value 💪   So, if you’re an Employer that isn’t partnering with a Recruiter who can answer all of these questions (+ more) with a network that’s already built on trust - how will you uncover these hidden gems? #Asliisbiased 😅 #AsliRecruits #Brisbane #Tech #Recruitment