Sales professionals are approaching the coming year with a sense of guarded optimism because the next months are an opportunity to return to normalcy. As a result, more sales teams are gaining the confidence to finally start making long-term plans again. For most, these plans include developing new selling skills to capitalizing on a global recovery.

As the recovery takes shape, selling organizations will need to become:

1. More agile to track changing customer needs
2. More influential to guide the customer’s thinking
3. More adept in virtual outreach

These three skills will be critical for success in the environment that awaits in 2021. Customers change direction faster than ever, more factors shape their thinking, and their expectations for streamlined virtual engagement are high.

Read the full article at: www.richardson.com

As business slows down across industries, it’s likely that your team is facing thinner pipelines and longer sales cycles. But that’s no reason to sit idly. How can you help your sales team stay motivated through this crisis?

Your management style is critical. Keeping your team engaged now ensures they’re set up for success when the situation recovers.

Lead with empathy and action

Leading with empathy and action is the best way to support your team right now.

Read the full article at: resources.doubledigitsales.com

“She looked so good on paper.”

Sound familiar? In your haste to fill an open position to keep your company running smoothly, you make a hiring decision that turns out to be a big mistake.

If this is the case, you are certainly not alone, and the problem isn’t a lack of judgment. A US Chamber of Commerce Foundation study released earlier this year confirms what many of us on the front lines of recruiting candidates already know: There is a skills gap in the current labor market. The study found 48% of respondents lamenting that candidates lack the skills to fill the jobs at hand.

In an uncertain economic environment where every employee must perform at the highest level – it’s important to understand what you can do to uncover top talent.

Read the full article at: www.entrepreneur.com

As the spotlight has brightened on racism. In response to recent miscarriages of justice, the emphasis on identifying racism within other aspects of life has also grown. As business leaders, it is vital to stand with the advocacy for change. Although oftentimes difficult, encouraging honest discussions around diversity and inclusivity in the workplace is crucial. 

For many, this conversation is not new. Dated ideologies and racist operations have influenced hiring practices regularly. Those out-of-date paradigms have also permitted a single race and gender to employ higher positions for decades. According to Fortune, high-ranking officials within 16 of the Fortune 500 companies are 80% men, and 72% of those men are white. In order to break this flawed mold and implement diversity, much work has to be done by industry leaders. 

Read the full article at: talentculture.com

If there really is a generation war raging in the workplace, millennials may have already won.

Seventy-two percent of talent professionals say they plan to focus on recruiting millennials (ages 24-39) over the next five years as opposed to other age groups, according to a LinkedIn survey of 2,406 U.S. hiring managers conducted Aug. 24-Sept. 30.

Gen Z (under 24) came in second (57%), followed by Gen X (41%) and baby boomers (13%). The results are part of a global talent trends survey of 7,000 hiring pros in 35 countries.

A report on the survey suggests it’s no surprise millennials and Gen Z are the most coveted pools of job candidates since they “make up roughly half of the world’s population” and are “the newest generations on the scene.” Boomers, meanwhile, are retiring in large numbers, with about 10,000 a day hanging it up.

Read the full article at: www.usatoday.com

Generation Z, or Gen Z, are true digital natives. They’re born between 1995 and 2010, and they’ve been exposed to the internet, technology, social networks from the earliest of their youth. They’re quite comfortable with modern workplace trends and can adapt to them with much ease and dexterity.

As global connectivity sees a rise, generational shifts can play a crucial role in setting hiring standards. There could be plenty of hiring options, and a possible conflict between hiring more established millennials and Gen Z that are just entering the workforce. To resolve such conflict, recruiters could look at how well these two generations are when it comes to productivity and dealing with workplace distractions. 

A study from Future Workplace commissioned by Plantronics Inc. revealed that 35 percent of Gen Z are comfortable with using headphones so that they can deal with distractions. In addition, about four in ten Gen Zers can relocate to comfortable spaces like cushions to work.

Read the full article at: www.hrcsuite.com

It’s no secret that the pace of digitalisation in the mortgage sector has been slow compared to other financial services sectors like banking or insurance.

By and large, our sector has been reliant on pen and paper for far too long. However, Covid-19 lockdowns have forced the hands for many in the mortgage industry to integrate technology into their businesses.

What was an evolution now shifted into a full technology revolution and transformation out of necessity.

At the beginning of the March lockdown, the industry adapted well to remote working. In just a few short weeks, the mortgage market quickly moved to equip their workforces to operate from home.

Read the full article at: www.mortgagefinancegazette.com

What a year it is has been.  It has been tough for many – from small businesses, to big high street retailers. We can’t however ignore the fact that the pandemic certainly forced companies to adapt and learn to be agile quite quickly. To not depend on typical lines of communications, funding, and ways of working. We witnessed legacy banks and financial services push for innovation at record speeds for their own workforce, and to stay connected with customers.

The more innovative and agile fintech companies have this year explored new territories to help business operations, provide quick and easy access to capital, and better the overall customer experience, especially in times of need.

Read the full article at: www.globalbankingandfinance.com

You want your sales team to dominate their quotas and close deals. But there's a challenge: due to the  COVID-19 crisis, all of a sudden your all-star sales team is now working and selling remotely from home. Now what?

And to be frank: for a first time manager, managing a remote team is not a walk in the park.

As of 2019, the amount of companies with a remote workforce is getting larger. 66% of companies allow remote work, and 16% are fully remote.

Read the full article at: blog.close.com

A company with top performers has a more prominent reputation than the competitors. One top performer in a company is enough to increase the production manifold as the person can deliver as much productivity as up to four average employees.

HOW TO SPOT HIGH-PERFORMING EMPLOYEES

High performing people are always:

• Filled with innovative ideas and open to challenges
• The “go-to” source for other average employees
• Intuitive and open to learning
• Accountable for their actions and work
• Transparent at their work and thoughts
• Proactive, rather than reactive people
• Self-driven people

Read the full article at: www.thehrdigest.com

Follow your passion and earn or build a career just for earning? What should you run after in the career vs passion dilemma.

The oft-quoted cliche of ‘follow your passion and you will not have to work for even a day of your life’ sounds good, but as in all such things, the reality bites.

The reality is that in most cases following your passion does not bring food to the table, so as one realist has put it; “the majority of people do what they have to do to bring the bacon in”.

The question of following your passion or career-building is an existential question. Some lucky ones; albeit mostly in the creative field (that includes the researchers, inventors and scientists) do find the answer, the rest of humanity does what it is skilled to do or has to do, or is prepared to do.

Read the full article at: www.thehrdigest.com

As an entrepreneur, you’re probably no stranger to wearing a multitude of hats to see projects through. This is especially true if your business is in its infancy, when new partnerships or investments play a pivotal role in keeping the lights on.

Eventually, though, your clientele will grow to a point where you can’t handle the influx yourself. You simply won’t be able to answer every request for your products and services in time to avoid leaving money on the table.

This is why you need a carefully curated sales team to back you up and lock in new business as it rushes in. Whether you conduct the search in house, or delegate it to a world-class sales recruitment agency, your potential hires should fit a profile of excellence that shares these major tenets.

Read the full article at: myventurepad.com

Survival of the fittest favours the dominant group and as the dominant group in many industries, men often experience far more opportunities than women to develop their careers.

Every employee needs to know he or she is there on merit, but the survival of the fittest is not a meritocracy. Male-dominated organisations need to focus on creating equitable opportunities, sustainable work environments, and driving female talent advancement from entry-level right up to senior leadership.

Different perspectives, diverse skillsets and creative, agile thinking are all critical elements for business success. Organisations must look at the typical challenges women face and clear the way for talented female leaders to reach the top. 

Read the full article at: diversityq.com

When thinking about your company's business goals for 2020, do the words talent strategy come to mind? If not, you're not alone. Most companies don't have talent strategies, and those that do aren't mapping those strategies to business objectives. In today's war on talent, businesses that align talent and business goals are more likely to attract and retain exemplary employees while also cutting costs. This year, when devising a talent strategy to achieve optimal business results, it is essential to keep the following things in mind.

Bad hires are prevalent

A recent report found that employees are a company's most significant expense and most valuable asset. While you might think this is a given, in 2019, executives shared that 51% of employees hired did not end up being an excellent behavioral or cognitive fit for the company. 

Read the full article at: www.hrtechnologist.com

During the recruiting process, the pressure is on to find your next all-star team member. But when your results are coming up a bit short, it can leave you wondering what went wrong.

From the job posting to conducting interviews, there’s lots of room for error that can keep you from hiring the best candidate possible. When the going gets tough, keep these tips in mind to make sure you aren’t falling victim to some of the most common recruiting mistakes that could ruin your hiring process.

1. Waiting for the Perfect Candidate

In an ideal world, you’d find an exact match for your job posting. And while holding out for the perfect candidate may sound tempting, you could be passing up other exceptional applicants along the way.

Read the full article at: www.business2community.com

There are a lot of ways employers can improve employee engagement, including in a time when many are working from home. For example, using personalized intranets can improve employee engagement and productivity and a connectedness to the business. With that being said, employers don’t always recognize the problem they face when it comes to disengaged employees.

Gallup reports disengaged employees have a 37% higher rate of absenteeism. They have 18% lower productivity and 15% lower profitability. Based on those calculations, the cost of a disengaged employee could be 34% of their annual salary. That’s $3,400 for every $10,000 they make.

For an employer to take the necessary steps to fix the problems, they first need to see there is a problem. The following highlights other things to know about the cost of disengaged employees and how to calculate them in your organization.

Read the full article at: gethppy.com

Traditionally, background checks have been a way for both new and well-established businesses to ensure that they are hiring the most qualified and trustworthy candidates. Used in conjunction with an in-depth interview process, background checks allow hiring managers to feel that they know a candidate before they make a final hiring decision. This knowledge can steer employers away from candidates who don’t have the right qualifications or work style for the job or may pose a risk to the business. How does COVID19 influence the traditional vetting and hiring process?  

While COVID19 briefly stalled the economy and halted hiring at most organizations, that pause has not been permanent. According to Labor Department statistics, unemployment rates dipped from 14.7% in April to 7.9% in September, which means that many employers are either bringing back furloughed staff or hiring new people.  

Read the full article at: staging.peopledevelopmentmagazine.com

Gen Z is growing up fast, and the oldest members of this generation have already begun to explore their careers and land jobs in every field. These workers have grown up working with technology and have valuable skills to offer employers. But how do you recruit the best Gen Z talent?

It’s easy to find candidates for most jobs right now. But if you’re looking for the best young talent, you’ll have to step up your hiring practices and show Gen Z talent why they should bring their skills and insights to your organization over your competitors. Here are 5 tips for recruiting up-and-coming talent.

Already Have Gen Z Employees? Use Them In Interviews! 

If you’ve already managed to recruit some great young talent, use that to your advantage. To attract the best Gen Z talent, you need to understand what their wants and needs are in the workplace. But don’t just talk to your existing young workers about how to bring on more Gen Z talent—actually bring them into interviews!

Read the full article at: staging.peopledevelopmentmagazine.com