The Chatfield Group is helping TMA strengthen its partnership with Northern Illinois University College of Engineering & Engineering Technology (CEET) in order to support professional technical skills development and to gain access to talented new hires for TMA members. TMA, Illinois’ Premier Tooling & Manufacturing Association, hosted a table at the CEET Spring Job Fair with the support of TMA volunteers Chuck Klingler, Janler VP, and Patsy Svare, President of the Chatfield Group.

Patsy and Chuck spoke with more than 50 students who stopped by with resumes in hand. They talked up TMA as a 1,000-member association with great jobs for engineers. Said Chuck, “Just about anything being manufactured today has some connection to Chicago-area manufacturing companies. The best of those companies are members of TMA.”

The NIU CEET students are on their way to bachelors or masters degrees in the following majors:

• Electrical Engineering
• Industrial & Systems Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Technology

All of them are interested in employment as summer interns or as full-time employees; some expressed interest in jobs that continue through the school year. The students were encouraged to post their resumes on the TMA Job Board (accessible via TMAnet.com). In addition, the entire stack of resumes is available to TMA members electronically.

Businesses must make a commitment to engaging the future workforce. By hiring a new grad or a summer intern, you help a new professional gain practical manufacturing experience that grounds their education in workplace realities. For students who are undecided about going into manufacturing, a positive first work experience can make all the difference.

Just as importantly, your company will gain by investing in the training of our future professionals. Your current employees can serve as an experienced mentor and demonstrate their expertise to an eager new employee. Your current employees can learn some of the latest ideas being taught in engineering school. And, your current employees can adopt a sense of excitement about the future from interacting with a new professional.

Tags: Workforce Planning — Recruiting — Interviewing — Training — Employee Engagement

Dear Workforce:

I work for a staffing firm and have been given a list of “acceptable terms” to use to describe applicants in interview notes. As one might imagine, this list is very short. Our biggest dilemma is conveying in an appropriate way whether an applicant is unfit for certain jobs because of age, physical ability, etc. Another problem is zeroing in on an applicant’s ability to lift and to what capacity. Our current rundown isn’t much help. It includes: articulate, assertive, bright, conscientious, pleasant, well-mannered, abrasive, aloof, withdrawn, poorly groomed, neat, conservative. What are some precise terms for us to consider?

-- Lacking Definition, staffing industry, Moline, Illinois

Dear Lacking Definition:

Having done a lot of recruiting myself, I can think of a few “precise terms” for some of the people I’ve interviewed. But you’re really looking for terms that refer to job-related competencies--the skills, knowledge and attributes that qualify a candidate for a specific job. Let’s focus on that subject for now.
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Tags: Dear Workforce — Interviewing — Recruiting

Dear Workforce:

I have been asked by management to develop a five-year recruitment plan that supports the company’s business plan. What should the proposal cover?

-- Starting from Scratch, services, Singapore

Dear Starting from Scratch:

Consider yourself fortunate. Your management team understands the importance of human resources in driving business strategy. Producing a great strategic staffing plan for human resources further supports your department’s credibility.

Human resources uses the same process to create its strategic plan as do other key departments--from marketing or finance to technology and operations. The human resources plan outlines the company’s people strategy, ensuring that you have the right people with the right competencies in the right jobs at the right time.

Start your plan with a big-picture overview. Then drill down into the tactical-action steps needed to achieve company objectives. Customize and personalize your plan, but remember to include the following main sections:
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Tags: Dear Workforce — Recruiting — Workforce Planning

Dear Workforce:

How do we ramp up a major recruiting drive without antagonizing existing employees? We want to prepare employees for this influx of new staff, but we aren't sure how to manage the cultural change that is sure to take place in the workforce.

-- Culture Clash, principal human resources officer, publishing/communication/ advertising, Harare, Zimbabwe

Dear Culture Clash:

The change you are facing--workforce expansion--may sound like all good news to employees whose companies are facing layoffs and downsizing. However, growth does bring its own concerns for employees who must deal with the pressures of expansion.

More people coming into an existing workspace can create crowding. The conference room that was once a great place for impromptu meetings is now the office of a new employee. Relocating to larger quarters can be a hassle for employees who must pack up and reorganize their workspaces. Requests for computers can lag behind the hiring process and create frustrations for the information technology department forced to install equipment under pressure.

On top of all that, supervisors can be tied up in interviews, so current employees wait longer to get their questions answered. Job opportunities and promotions desired by your current employees may have been offered to new hires, creating jealousy and resentment. Current employees sometimes find themselves in the uncomfortable role of teaching new hires how to do the jobs they applied for themselves.

To address workforce expansion effectively, develop a plan for growth that takes into account the concerns your employees are likely to experience. Communicate about the expansion in positive terms, but be frank about the possible downsides. Let employees know you are aware that growth can also bring growing pains.

Think through your selection process, and consider some of the following strategies:
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Tags: Dear Workforce — Culture — Recruiting — Employee Retention

Dear Workforce:

What are the elements of a good internship model? We are trying to create one from scratch. Any insights on how to design our selection process and accompanying training programs would be especially helpful.

—Starting From Scratch, HR consultant, services, Sydney, Australia

Dear Starting From Scratch:

Internships are a popular way to attract new talent to your organization, with some estimates showing about one-fourth of all new hires from campuses are sourced through employers' own internship programs. In a tight talent market, a strong internship program can be a significant way to attract new hires.

It also provides many benefits to the interns selected. Students know that a successful internship can be the ticket to a great job. And the relationships built during an internship can be the basis of a professional network that helps launch a successful career.

Once you've decided to use interns in your organization, it is important to take the time to carefully plan for an effective program. Here are the key elements you should consider:
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Tags: Dear Workforce — Training — Recruiting — New Hire Onboarding

Dear Workforce:

New employees in our company undergo a six-month probationary period. During this period, some employees may decide to discontinue working for us. How do we determine an "acceptable" rate of attrition for new hires? If they leave after only three months, should we assume this is because of faulty recruiting? Conversely, if they depart after four/five months, should we evaluate our training? Finally, what if they leave after six months: Is that a reflection on their direct supervisor?
Please help us understand how to interpret the meaning of our rapid turnover.

—Can’t Keep Them, senior team leader for talent acquisition, finance/insurance/real estate, New York

Dear Can’t Keep Them:

Let’s face it: Sooner or later, everyone terminates their employment. But companies cannot afford to be cavalier about turnover, especially when it occurs before the employee has had a chance to be productive.

With early turnover, the recruiting process, your training program and the manager’s coaching generally share the responsibility. The investment you make in filling a position—simply the recruiting and training costs—goes down the drain when a new hire leaves. So understanding and addressing the causes of early turnover will have a definite impact on your bottom line.

Here are three steps HR should put in place to improve retention of new hires:
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Tags: Dear Workforce — Employee Retention — Exit Interviews — Recruiting — New Hire Onboarding

Dear Workforce:

I’m concerned about the validity of assessment tests during the pre-employment stage. The answers could be interpreted quite subjectively, depending on the different experience or education level of the person reviewing them. How do we avoid this?

—Getting a Grip on Assessments, district trainer, retail trade, Mukwonago, Wisconsin

Dear Getting a Grip:

You are wise to think carefully about the pre-employment tests you use. There’s a risk, if they are badly designed, of discriminating--or being perceived as discriminating--against a culture or gender. There’s an equally great risk of wasting valuable time and resources if the test does not help predict who would be able to perform the job.

All too often, tests are used because "we’ve always done that," or because a hiring manager took an assessment at a workshop and now wants to know the same information about everyone in the department. While assessments can be useful for understanding others’ style, hiring in the style of such a nosy manager may not be the best choice, and could in fact lead to biased decisions.

To avoid running into problems with your pre-hire testing process, do the following:
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Tags: Dear Workforce — Assessments — Recruiting