Holiday bonuses can go a long way to making employees happy, but they should be about more than compensation. They should be about appreciation.

Big holiday bonuses are a longtime tradition for some industries, and the National Labor Relations Board has allowed unionized workers to make holiday bonuses a contractual obligation. But small businesses operate in a different realm, where owners need to use personal discretion to set a precedent for holiday extras.

In a survey last December, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an outplacement consulting firm, found that 64 percent of employers planned to give holiday bonuses, up from 54 percent in 2008, when most industries were strained by a bad economy. Greater economic conditions certainly play into whether to give a holiday bonus, but it’s always good form to show employees appreciation for a successful year.

How to Structure a Holiday Bonus: Decide its Purpose

What role will a holiday bonus play in your overall, yearlong pay scheme? Is it a substitute for a year-end bonus? Is it a substantial contribution to annual pay? Or is it a token of holiday spirit?

If you already pay a year-end bonus, a holiday bonus can be more a gift of appreciation than part of your employees’ annual pay and benefits package. If the company had a good year and your employees all worked hard, make a statement of gratitude by presenting them with a nice gift.

How to Structure a Holiday Bonus: Budgeting the Bonus

Holiday bonuses meant as tokens of appreciation shouldn’t be part of a business plan. Just look at revenue from the first 10 months of the year to decide how to approach bonuses each holiday season. But use generosity in moderation, because being too generous in a good year could make for an embarrassing downgrade in a bad year.

How to Structure a Holiday Bonus: Cash versus Gift

If a holiday bonus isn’t an established part of annual pay, a gift is just as meaningful as a little cash — sometimes more so if the cash gift is going to be small. If you give someone a really small amount, they might be insulted. But give them a good bottle of wine and something that costs $10, along with a nice note, it’s an expression of thanks and of holiday spirit and cheer.

So as you decide how to handle the holidays, keep in mind that whether it’s cash or wine, to employees, it’s your appreciation for their service that counts.

After several months on the job search, it comes as a huge relief to be offered a position in your respected industry. As easy as it is to get ahead of yourself in the acceptance process, it’s important to take a moment to sit back and re-evaluate the position to ensure it is the best possible fit for your career. The job search process is a long, tedious and exhausting journey, which is why many people find themselves in less than ideal roles that they commonly accept out of simply the pure excitement of the moment. It’s important to take the time to ask yourself serious questions about the position you are about to accept. Some questions to consider: Read the rest of this entry »

Being a people person is a great quality—it can take you above and beyond in the professional workplace. However, what happens if you aren’t particularly good on the phone? In today’s job market most pre-screening takes place over the phone, which is why it is important to know the best way to engage in phone interviews. There is currently a lot of competition in nearly every job market due to the down economic situation. We have compiled several tips that will help you to put a better step forward when faced with your next phone interview. Read the rest of this entry »

 As a student, you worry about your GPA and how it will affect your ability to get a job. But how much does it really matter? Is your GPA an accurate indicator of what kind of employee you’ll be?

Grades are the determining factor for performance in school. But in the professional world, that’s not how it works. The GPA you achieve in college doesn’t matter once you join the rat race.

Here’s what does:
1. Knowing how you learn

Spend time during college determining how you best learn and retain information. Some people need to see it, some need to hear it, some need to write it and some need to practice it before it sticks. As an employee, you’ll need to learn new things as you go, remember them and prove you’ve absorbed the information.

2. Applying theory to real-life situations

It’s one thing to recite the 4 Ps of marketing or learn how the purchase decision funnel looks on paper, but things won’t always happen in the marketplace the way they do in your textbooks. Learn how to take fundamental information and proven best practices and apply them in new situations or projects. The real world will always throw new variables at you, so knowing how to adapt theory to practice is crucial.

3. Time management

Learn how much time you need to research and write a paper, get to your classes and jobs on time, fit a workout in your day and still have something of a social life. Time management is a vital skill. In your professional life, you’ll need to know how to manage your time to meet deadlines, tackle to-do lists, and avoid banging your head against the wall in the process.

4. Relevant professional experience

Jobs, internships, student organizations and volunteer projects in your industry will prepare you for the working world. Work in your field as much as you can during college and learn about what you want to do (or in some cases, what you don’t want to do). Your experience will be a much better indicator for your potential in a new position.

5. A portfolio

Keep samples of your best work from classes and internships. Many employers will want to see your work before hiring you. If you’re not building a portfolio through things you’re required to do before you graduate, then produce these things on your own time. Practice writing articles, press releases, pitches, designing publications, compiling clip reports, research summaries or anything else you might be hired to do.

6. The ability to give and receive feedback

Learning to accept praise and criticism is important. You’ll participate in employee reviews with your boss someday, so the ability to hear different types of feedback, internalize it and adjust accordingly will matter to your job performance. It’s also important to learn to how to give feedback to others. When you collaborate with colleagues, you’ll have to offer positive and negative comments on others’ work.

7. Presentation skills

Offer to be the speaker on behalf of your group in your classes, and learn how to present your projects as an intern. The ability to convey ideas clearly, speak confidently with your bosses and discuss your experience in interviews will be an important part of your professional life.

8. Writing skills

Too many students leave college lacking solid writing ability. Focus on developing this skill, because it will matter in everything from reports to pitches to emails.
9. Your network

You’ve heard it many times: “Who you know is more important than what you know.” It’s true. Start building your network right away. Get in the habit of meeting new people, nourishing your relationships and helping others by making introductions. You are most likely to find job opportunities through your network.

“Can you help find me a job?”

If you are a recruiter, this is a question that you’ve been asked a hundred times or so. With the current state of the job market, job seekers are looking to all outlets for the opportunity to find job openings for résumé submissions. Along that same wavelength, due to the high volume of candidates applying to open positions, hiring firms are looking to recruiting firms to find them the most suitable candidates. Read the rest of this entry »

No matter your industry, there will always be competition in the job market. Knowing what will make you stand out from the crowd is what makes the difference between getting the interview or not, getting offered that promotion or getting overlooked. To help you get noticed by recruiters and employers, we have put together some general tips that we, as finance and accounting recruiters, look for when searching through potential hire résumés. Read the rest of this entry »

Does the holiday season make you feel less than jolly, because you’re afraid of being understaffed? Are you in charge of keeping critical projects running on schedule but wondering how to do it while losing employees to holiday-related time off?

When recruiting a high volume of employees to meet seasonal workloads, follow some standard best practices to protect your business. Here are three best practices for high-volume seasonal recruiting:

• Understand the types of candidates you are seeking. This includes knowing what kind of employee you want to hire, as well as the talent pool you will be sourcing from. If your idea of the “perfect” candidate is clearly defined, you will have an easier time sorting through potential new employees. Having all of the variables clearly defined will provide you with a smoother high-volume hiring process.
• Ensure you have filled all of the gaps in your organization. This is especially true for back-office tasks and process roles.
• Choose the best assessment tools. Whether you will have candidates complete computer testing, or a simulated work environment, test and assess each tool before you begin the hiring process. High-volume recruiting requires a large number of just about everything: recruiters, paperwork, computers, and tests – make sure that whatever assessment tools you are using, you have it fully tested and ready to go before you begin hiring.

Nine more tips:

1. Don’t assume that high unemployment will make your seasonal hiring a cinch.
2. Use sourcing channels that offer a high yield of candidates who only want seasonal work.
3. If your seasonal staff is large, dedicate substantial resources to successful onboarding.
4. Take time to ensure that job descriptions for seasonal hires are accurate, complete and up-to-date.
5. Hire for attitude as much as aptitude.
6. Give preference to candidates who have worked for you before.
7. Don’t bypass any HR or related processes for seasonal employees.
8. If you use staffing vendors, consider giving just one an exclusive for your seasonal hires, as they may be more willing to go the extra mile for you.
9. Don’t assume that all your seasonal hires are just for the season — some of them may be candidates for permanent positions.

The job market is a cut-throat place these days, but is it extra difficult for older workers? The consensus seems to be “yes”. The questions that arise may include: are they less qualified? Less hardworking? Or is it that younger workers are less expensive?  These are the questions that are instigating conversations across the job market. We have narrowed down some reasons older workers may be suffering when battling for a job against their younger competition. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you interested in making a larger salary? Before you ask your boss for a raise, you may want to review your current workplace activity to ensure you are performing at your best. The better your value in the workplace, the better the chance at a promotion and the salary boost that comes with it. Luckily, there are several tips our financial recruiting experts have pulled together to help you enhance your overall worth in the workplace. Read the rest of this entry »

These days, it’s not unusual to have gaps in your employment history. Don’t let them keep you from pursuing your job search. Here’s how to put your best foot forward.

Accept Your Reality
If you became unemployed during the last few years, it’s understandable. Since 2008, the country has experienced a deep recession during which the average unemployment rate has remained around 10% nationally. A gap from those years will look considerably better on a resume than one from 2005 when the economy was booming. Either way, be ready to be honest and address any gaps, but don’t dwell on them during interviews. Do you have an acceptable reason for the break in your work experience? Did you take some time off when you started your family or cared for a sick relative? Did you go back to school? Whatever your reason, get comfortable telling your story concisely.
In addition to a brief explanation to include in any cover letters, develop a 30-second “elevator speech” so you can quickly and confidently address your resume gaps during an interview.

Adjust Your Resume
Instead of laying out your employment history in months and years on your resume, such as March 2004 – January 2008, simply use the years: 2004-2008. First of all, it’s easier to follow and helps your resume look clear and concise. It also doesn’t raise any red flags unnecessarily, if there was an employment gap of a few months. If that comes up in the interview, by all means be honest about those months and what you were doing, but don’t point it out. You can also try featuring your achivements first, instead of the traditional chronological method of listing dates and jobs at the top, although this can also raise a red flag.

Do Contract Work or Side Projects
If you’re currently unemployed, consider taking contract or temporary work, especially in your industry. Hiring managers will like to see that you’re staying busy and keeping your skills fresh. You can still search for a permanent post while you take on project or temporary work, and it allows for you to have some flexibility. And, with income coming in, it may take the pressure off from feeling like you need to jump at the first permanent job offer to come along.

Improve Your Skills
If contract or temp work isn’t an option, you can also take the time to invest in your professional development by taking classes. Professional associations, local colleges, continuing education programs, alumni associations, user groups, online courses and unemployment offices offer a variety of low-cost training opportunities. This will give you something to list on your resume to help explain what you did during your time away from work.

Volunteer Your Time
Another way to show initiative while you’re unemployed is to find a solid volunteer opportunity. Your volunteer work should be targeted and industry- or function-specific, though, or it may not have an impact on a prospective employer. While serving meals in a soup kitchen is noble work, it doesn’t add substance to your resume. Depending on your field, you could donate your time and expertise to a charity of your choice. Many of these organizations would welcome financial, marketing, technology, management, or other business expertise.

Regardless of how you handle your employment gaps, do it in a positive way. There’s nothing you can do to change the fact that they happened, so learn to present them positively — and if you’re currently unemployed, choose a way to fill those gaps constructively!