Top 10 Predictions for Employee Referrals in 2015

Top 10 Predictions for Employee Referrals in 2015 Top 10 Predictions for Employee Referrals in 2015 2015 promises to be another great year for recruiting in general and employee referrals in particular as organizations seek to expand and grow in all directions. While some trends from 2014 will continue to play a major role in 2015 as well, we also see a couple of new trends taking shape that will likely impact the future of employee referralsMetrics are going to exert greater influence on employee referral programs as organizations abflug tracking returns on their programs, using key metrics like cost per hire, applicant-to-hire ratio, time to fill, and ratio of participating employees to non participating employees. Employee referral programs will increasingly need to work toward achieving specific benchmark targets in order to be deemed useful by senior management.Metrics management is not possible without an automated, technology-driven employee referral program. Employee referr al programs will move toward a more automated workflow process with minimal manual intervention, leading to smaller recruiting teams and more efficient referral program responses.Mobile is going to be bigfor referral programs in 2015. As thenumber of people accessing jobs and other services through handheld devices grows, referral programs will also become more mobile-friendly, with optimized websites and tools. Employees will be able to access referral programs through any device and use their devices to share job postings and refer candidates for open positions.Employee referral programs will also become moreefficient through automated matching technology that enables auto-matching of employee connections with available openings. Employees will only be expected to follow through with the results offeredby the auto-matching tools, reducing the time and effort needed to screen resumes. Modern-age employee referral tools like ZALPuse advanced algorithms to show the most relevant matc hes for open jobs.Social media will continue its dominance in 2015, and online networks will become virtual talent hubs.Organizations and employees alike will find it easier to contact potenzial candidates through social media.The growth in social media will also lead to a growth in employer-branding activities, with employees acting as brand ambassadors to spread positive word about their organizations.Proactive targeted-referral mail will replace mass referral mail once and for all in 2015. As data tracking makes it possible to categorize employees into different referral capability levels, employees will be asked to refercandidatesbased on their ability to refer for specific skills and competencies.2015 will also see morecandidates approach employees working in specific organizations for referrals in order to get their foot inside the organization. Employees will be more sought-after than ever before as candidates look to get referred for the jobs they want.Referral programs will no longer limit themselves to employees, but will expand to include virtually anyone able to provide the organization with good candidates. By advertising open positions on social media and encouraging everyone to share these positions and refer anyone who might fit the role, organizations will draw out the best talent available in the market.Lastly, employee referral programs will move from standard response times to real-time feedback. Employees will receive instant feedback on the quality and fit of the candidates they refer. Employees will be asked to participate actively in the screening and interviewing processes to ensure that they have a realunderstanding of the kind of people that the organization is looking for.Employee referral programs are likely to become far more effective in 2015 as organizations start focusing efforts on inward sourcing, rather than seeking external partners for recruiting. Adopting one or more of these key trends in 2015 will help you make your sou rcing process a competitive advantage for your company in the war for talent.

The hidden costs of working from home you forget about

The hidden costs of working from home you forget aboutThe hidden costs of working from home you forget aboutEvery day when I leave my apartment, I turn my thermostat down, congratulating myself on saving money for the next ten hours or so Ill be away from my apartment, working and commuting.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

The Record Labels Role in the Music Industry

The Record Labels Role in the Music IndustryThe Record Labels Role in the Music IndustryRecord labels are the companies that market recorded music and music videos. Record labels engage in a wide range of functions in the music industry including new artist recruitment and development (known as AR), music publishing, and copyright enforcement. Marketing is one of a record labels most important functions, as public awareness of the brand is the way they make money. Record label logos and their contact information once figured prominently in the center of vinyl records, which is how labels such as Arista, Capitol, and Epic became household names. Major Labels Major record labels offer deals to the worlds most successful music artists. These record labels, such as Sony and Universal Music Group, own distribution networks that put the music of the artists they sign to exclusive contracts in the hands of the millions of consumers sometimes in a matter of days or even hours. Major labe ls sign a range of agreements with their artists, including licensing and distribution agreements, which give them significant cuts of the artists earnings worldwide. Major record labels may also own sub-labels that specialize in publishing, recording, and promoting various music genres such as country, Latin, jazz, and hip-hop. Independent Labels Often with barely enough money to keep their office lights on, independent, or indie, record labels sit on the cutting edge of the music scene, giving low-paying deals to up-and-coming artists, which help them become known. These indie record labels are known as such because they are independent companies without corporate backers. True indie labels have smaller distribution networks than their big label counterparts and typically reach consumers one at a time. However, indie labels have a strong reputation for having their fingers on the pulse of upcoming music trends and for giving chances to unknown artists who eventually become int ernational sensations. AM records, founded in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, stands as one of the most successful indie labels of all time, having signed artists such as Sting, Sheryl Crow, and Joe Cocker during its four-decade run. Record Label Control Record labels typically set the terms and conditions of artist contracts in their favor. In the case of newly signed artists, record labels can control the type of music they record, which can include everything from the way the music sounds to the song lyrics. They may also control album cover art. Depending on the contract structure, record labels may also have the ability to set the amount of money their artists earn. While the relationship between an artist and their record label is most often mutually beneficial, there is always the possibility of that relationship becoming contentious. The mora successful artists get, the greater their ability to renegotiate contracts to include more favorable terms. Labels Today T hroughout the 20th century, record labels were the dominant force behind the most successful artists. Record labels had the power to make or break artists, depending on the amount of money they invested in promoting their music. The internet has freed artists from dependence on record labels, and many artists market and distribute their music independently, through social media and streaming platforms, at a much lower cost. To stay in business given the reality of the digital age, record labels now offer so-called 360 deals to artists that give them a cut of all the artists work, including album sales, media appearances, and product endorsements.