Absolutely. This is a much talked about topic. Many of you have probably already heard stories about companies that use innovative benefits to attract staff. In Silicon Valley, some companies have gone as far as to allow employees to bring their pets to work. A few ideas that you might be less allergic to include:

• Move your company's headquarters to an easy commute location. If most of your employees live in the suburbs, why make them commute downtown every day? Take space in a suburban office park near where most of them live. Locating your company near public transportation can also boost your recruiting efforts.
• Allow employees to take sabbaticals. Why not give your employees three to six months off once they have worked for your company for five years? Having a sabbatical policy will sound good to those you are trying to recruit and will no doubt keep many employees from seeking other employment as they approach their fourth and fifth years with your company.
• Job sharing. There are a lot of talented people out there - successful, well-educated moms; experienced workers nearing retirement age who just aren't ready to give up working - who could be very valuable to your company on a part-time basis. Pair them up and bring some invaluable experience to your company.
• Onsite day care. No one likes to leave their child across town, and let's face it, most workers have childcare issues. Give your company a leg up in the recruiting race by offering a strong, in-house childcare option.
• Telecommuting. Many workers don't like to waste time commuting to work. Let them work from home - at least part of the time.
• Flex time. Some people are early birds. Let them start work at 7:00 a.m. Allow the night owls to arrive at 10:00 a.m.

Small companies can get personal in the hiring process and assemble different compensation packages. By allowing workers to take off the time that they need and sign up for the benefits that suit them, small companies can outfox large companies and attract top talent.

This article is courtesy of Careerbuilder.com

Think the promise of promotion into management would motivate most employees? Not so, according to a survey by staffing firm The Creative Group, which found 71 percent of workers surveyed would not want their manager's job. "A manager needs to get to know his or her employees," says Carol E. Gilson, vice president of human resources and client services for EMPO, a human resources services firm. "By being genuinely concerned about each employee, the manager will learn what motivates each individual."

Some workers respond to private compliments on their work, while others thrive on formal recognition, Gilson explains. Still others -- particularly salespeople -- work hardest when a generous commission program is offered. And some want to work on special projects.

Study these guiding principles to become a more effective motivator.

Six Big Motivators to Remember

Sharon Jordan-Evans of Jordan Evans Group and coauthor of Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay cites a revealing job-satisfaction survey of more than 15,000 people. All of them named at least one of the first three of these six big motivators:

• Exciting work and challenge.
• Career growth.
• Learning and development.
• Working with great people.
• Fair pay.
• Supportive management/good boss.

"So while fun matters most to one talented employee, another is motivated more by autonomy and yet another by flexibility," Jordan-Evans says. "Motivation -- engagement and retention too -- is therefore largely an individual activity between the boss and employee."

Individual Attention Pays Dividends

Jordan-Evans recommends going to lunch with team members individually to help understand them better. What does each one enjoy most and least about his job? What does he want to learn next, and how would he like to learn it? Ask what you can do as a boss to make their jobs more enjoyable or satisfying.

If Sally would be pumped by learning desktop publishing and taking a crack at the company newsletter, send her to a class. If Jose wants exposure to the senior team, invite him to the next staff meeting. Watch their performance soar as workers get involved in what they really want to do.

Gilson says effective managers all seem to have one thing in common: They invest in their employees psychologically. They truly believe in them and spend quality time finding ways to raise their level of personal and professional self-esteem. Most employees will spare no effort to achieve recognition from someone who truly appreciates their work.

Motivate Every Day

Managers should remember to practice motivational tactics on a regular basis, not just once a year at a team-building seminar, Jordan-Evans advises.

Tracey Turner, executive director of The Creative Group, says, "It's especially crucial to keep motivation high during times of change, such as when a company is expanding or downsizing. Businesses that wait until morale is tangibly lagging to address motivation suffer the costly consequences of reduced productivity and increased turnover. It's much easier to maintain high motivation than rescue a demoralized or unhappy team."

Editors Note. You may not copy, reproduce or distribute this article without the prior written permission of Monster worldwide. This article first appeared on Monster.

Behavioral Interviewing

You may feel that two short interviews and a three page resume are not sufficient for you to make an important hiring decision. Perhaps you should consider the kinds of questions you are asking the candidate in your interviews. Behavioral interviewing is a very good technique to help you identify the right person.

What is behavioral interviewing?

It is a style of interview that forces candidates to answer questions which demonstrate their competencies (knowledge, skills and abilities) by giving specific examples from their past experiences. The focus on the interview is less about what they can or could do (ie, hypothetical situations), and more about what they have done in specific situations in the past.

Behavioral interviewing is based on the assumption that a person's past performance (in previous roles) is an excellent predicator of their future performance.

How to prepare for a behavioral interview

To prepare for a behavioral interview, take the following steps:

• Make sure you have clearly defined the competencies for the role. General competencies include:
• • Enthusiasm
  • Knowledge/skills
  • Problem solving
  • Team building
  • Personal attributes
  • Leadership
  • Communication
  • Flexibility
  • Decision making
• Develop a series of questions which will enable you to find out if the candidate has these competencies.
• Questions might take the form of:
• • Give me an example of how you have .
  • Tell me about a situation where you .
  • In the past, how did you deal with a situation where .
  • Given your past experience, how would you best deal with .

What should you look to evaluate in a behavioral interview?

There are three types of competencies you should look for:

• Content competencies - which are work/role specific.
• Functional/transferable skills - which are used generally with people, information or things, regardless of the specific environment.
• Adaptive or self-management skills - which are personal characteristics.

All too often the job seeker is focused on what he or she is looking for in a job (i.e. income, benefits, location, function, responsibilities, title, stature, drive time, industry, and corporate culture). On the other hand, hiring executives have an entirely different set of standards for what they are seeking in candidates. If you, as a job seeker, fail to recognize the difference, your chances of being the 'candidate of choice' are lessened.

Let's explore the minds of decision makers and find their hot buttons. When you focus your search on these factors through your resume or resume portfolio and through your interviews, you are more likely to become the standard by which all other candidates will be measured.

Employer hot buttons:

Ability to do the Job.
Sounds simple enough, but you would be amazed how many people apply for jobs for which they are not qualified. Before the decision makers dig deep into a candidate's background, or invite him or her in for an interview, they must first confirm this very basic criteria. Establish your ability through your resume or resume portfolio by placing your emphasis on accomplishments, results, performance and insights into emerging trends, opportunities and challenges.

Initiative.
Unless you are entry level, most decision makers are looking for someone who can "hit the ground running." They do not want a long learning curve that requires costly training and where the new hire cannot produce quick results. Today's decision makers have very little patience. Demonstrate how you quickly identified a problem or need project, initiated an action plan, and produced bottom-line results.

Job Growth.
Decision makers look for people who go beyond their defined "job description." Show that you are adaptive and willing to take on additional responsibility and that you will go the extra mile to achieve success. You don't want to be perceived as someone who is stuck in the comfort zone and always content with the status quo.

Self-Confidence.
Decision makers want to know that they can totally put their trust in you to perform the job and produce the desired results. They develop this trust by seeing your confidence. Confidence can be displayed in numerous ways. Here are just a few of the things that decision makers look for: A) Speak with authority. Use phrases like "I can," "I will," and "I know." Avoid phases like "I think," "In my opinion," and "I feel that." B) Demonstrate a commanding presence by your appearance, posture, eye contact, and body language. C) Show your track record of ongoing success. Decision makers will not have confidence in you if they can only see a few accomplishments scattered over several years.

Leadership.
Leadership is not reserved for senior executives or managers. For example, a janitor can show leadership by finding a better way to do his/her job, by setting a great example for his/her peers, or by finding ways to cut costs through more effective cleaning equipment or a new supplier for less expensive cleaning materials. Leadership is a rare commodity. Show decision makers that you have the courage to take a leadership role, regardless of your level or function.

Compatibility.
Much to the regret of some people, decision makers look for a certain amount of conformity. This does not mean you must be the quintessential "Dilbert." Rather, organizations seek people whose personality style and behavior match the requirements of the job and the corporate culture. For example, we all know about the employee who is never happy with anything, is a continual whiner, and always finds fault with everyone else. During your interviews, avoid criticizing your former employer or placing blame on others for why things didn't get done. Always demonstrate your positive mental attitude (PMA).

Attitude.
OK, we wrapped up number six by mentioning your PMA. Let's build on that. If you want to be the standard by which all others are measured, then walk in the door with a high energy level, tons of enthusiasm, a zest for living, and the determination to be the very best at whatever you do. Enthusiasm is infectious. Others feed on it. It is motivating and drives others to higher levels of productivity and success. Show your enthusiasm every chance you get and you dramatically increase your chances of being hired.

Social Skills/Interests/Involvement.
In today's business world, it seems that professional courtesy and conduct are from another era. You can never say please and thank you enough. Give credit and praise to others. During your interview talk about the team's performance and the contribution that everyone else brought to your projects or your job. Show your interest in what others were working on and how you were willing to help. Show your involvement in organization activities; both social and professional.

Integrity.
Over the past few years we have witnessed the tragic abuse of authority and total lack of integrity by many of our nation's top senior level executives. Many have gone to jail and others will probably soon follow. Needless to say, this is a powerful message to everyone. Demonstrate your uncompromising integrity, professional ethics and personal morals. If a decision maker wants you to "wink" at laws or professional conduct, you don't want to work for that company.

Communication Skills.
We can't ever communicate too much. I admit that companies often have too many meetings, but I don't equate those meetings to communication. A good communicator possesses outstanding written and oral skills and knows how to use them effectively. Demonstrate to the decision maker how you continually use communication skills to achieve your goals. There is a lot of information here to absorb and it is difficult to hit all of these hot buttons through your resume and interviews. But by being aware of these hot buttons you can consciously try to touch on as many as possible. Instead of focusing on what you want, focus on what the employer wants and you will land that next job.


This article is courtesy of Careerbuilder.com