When an engineer needs some downtime, there are plenty of options available—but if you’re looking to keep your brain active while you unwind, or to inspire a technically savvy youngster, video games with an engineering slant are a great choice....
The hardest part of a job search is getting a job interview. Once you have an interview, you're already a member of a very small club. If they like you and you like them, you're way ahead of the game. Don't make a last-minute mistake...
A lot of thought goes into searching for a new job. And if it doesn't, it should. Apart from deciphering what career direction you want to take, updating your resume...
Your CV has received great feedback, you’ve passed the telephone screening and finally been invited to interview. However it’s not time to celebrate just yet.
In sports, a team’s success is linked to its bench strength - the players on
the bench who can seamlessly jump in and replace a player who is pulled due to
injury or some other reason. Professional football teams don’t go into games
with only one quarterback and baseball teams have players on the bench in case
someone goes on the disabled list. It should be the same in business, where
bench strength refers to the capabilities and readiness of potential successors
to move into key professional and leadership positions. It is critically
important because organizations continuously go through turnover, restructuring
and changes in business strategy. Click to watch the video. Whenever a key person leaves - whether in leadership, management, or line
operations - the organization should have a ready successor or a plan for
replacement that will avoid business interruption. “Knowing where to build a
bench lineup in your organization requires a systematic effort to ensure
continuity, retain and develop intellectual and knowledge capital for the
future, and encourage individual advancement,” says Anne Hayden, vice president
of human resources for MRINetwork.
“That means identifying positions that are critical to the company’s
competitive advantage or are specific to your industry niche, and those with
lengthy learning curves or reliance on experiential learning.” Hayden offers these suggestions to ensure that your team is ready when it’s
time to call on your bench: Set your strategic
direction. Start with your current mission. Is your company
able to achieve its stated goals and objectives with your current team?
Consider carefully your one-, three- and five-year plan and assess the talent
you have on board in light of those plans. Your organization needs a game plan
outlining processes, deadlines and directions for completing tasks. Ideally,
departments should identify critical functions and have a game plan for each.
Fostering strategic thinking in your people can help them increase their
effectiveness in their current roles, while also preparing them to take on more
responsibility in the future. Make knowledge sharing
routine. Encourage participation in projects, teams, task
forces and committees. Develop a methodology for cross-functional training,
which really pays off when a key player is absent, making it easier for other
team members to step in. These tactics have the added benefit of providing your
team with fresh perspectives and encouraging process improvement. Additionally,
when routine knowledge sharing becomes part of the company’s culture, it breaks
down silos and employees learn from others across the company, resulting in a
stronger, more cohesive workforce. This will be especially important as we
approach a labor market that is increasingly comprised of Millennials who seek
mentorship and knowledge transfer from senior colleagues. Millennials will be
most attracted to employers that can demonstrate a culture of collaboration and
the opportunity to interact with different people at various levels in the
organization. Develop succession
plans. Succession planning is especially important not only
because of senior leadership that will eventually retire, but also because your
most valued employees make up the group most at risk of leaving for another
opportunity, particularly in today’s candidate-driven market. This process may
involve both hiring fresh talent, and identifying and nurturing high-potential
employees. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of your current organization,
including the available talent pool. Put in place a formal evaluation process
that allows all levels to communicate their interests, strengths and areas that
need improvement. This will help you to understand your bench strength - or
lack of it - and determine whether critical positions have one or more persons
ready to successfully assume the role and responsibility of each position. Don’t go it alone .
If you have to look beyond your organization to find qualified talent, consider
engaging a search firm that specializes in your niche. This will give you
access to their roster of potential candidates and to passive candidates you
cannot easily reach on your own. Be prepared for more competition for the best
people. Scrutinize your current hiring practices and procedures and overhaul
them if they are cumbersome and prolong the hiring process. It’s also important
to be interviewing top talent even when you don’t have a specific need. This
will ensure that you aren’t starting from scratch when the need arises. You may
even find that you want to create a position for a potential leader before the
need is critical. Clearly, building sustainable bench strength must be part of an
organization-wide talent management program with career planning woven into the
process. It sets the growth course, makes employee transitions less stressful,
mends gaps and develops future leaders for success. It is an ongoing, dynamic
process that helps an organization keep pace with changes in the business,
industry, and overall marketplace. “To stay ahead of the game, current leadership
must continually have its finger on the pulse of business needs and make talent
pipeline management part of the company culture,” says Hayden. “They must
concentrate on developing a strategy for an ongoing, flexible talent management
process. By doing this, organizations can ensure they have the right talent in
the right place at the right time with a committed bench of players that will
keep them on top of their game for seasons to come.”