Under-Utilized Features: Jobseeker Certifications

Under-Utilized Features: Jobseeker Certifications

In this series, we are going to explore some of the features that Deltek Talent Management offers, but that we have found are under-utilized. You may have started with the basics and planned to expand later or maybe you missed out on some of the new features that came out during software releases. No matter where you are today with your Talent Management solution we are going to shine a  spotlight on areas that will help you leverage the full solution and make it easier for you to do the things you need to do.

Did you know that you can collect candidate certification details during the application process? This standard system functionality, which was added in our recent 15.1 software release, will help you to identify the most qualified candidates faster by highlighting their professional certifications and licenses. Once you’ve found the perfect candidate, you’ll be able to take the guesswork out of allocating your new resource. This is another way to keep the information you need at your fingertips.

We are seeing a major shift in the talent marketplace. In the past, the ball was in the employer’s court, but low unemployment and a growing economy has shifted the ball to the court of the employee or candidate.

Many candidates are entertaining multiple options and routinely receive multiple offers. According to research conducted by Deltek in multiple industries; including Architecture and Engineering, Government Contracting, and Consulting, project focused organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to locate and acquire qualified talent. The organizations that are most successful at acquiring top talent know how to move fast by leveraging the technology available to them. This feature can help you to quickly sort through candidates to find the qualifications you need for your next project.

Talent Management has always supported the collection of this information, but our 15.1 release made this feature much easier to, include in your process.

Automatically adding certifications to an employee’s learning record when they are hired will streamline your on-boarding process and eliminate the need for duplicate entry. This combination of features from Deltek Talent Acquisition and Deltek Talent Learning makes this capability more focused and embeds it into the workflows of the system.

Here’s how you can leverage this great feature in your own acquisition process:

When a job seeker applies, the request to upload certifications can be added as a step in the online application process. During the application process, candidates can select from the drop-down values you’ve provided or select other to add a different certification not already in the listing. This is a simple step for the job seeker that can give you powerful visibility into the candidates applying to your postings.

step 4 highlighted as part of our application process

Above you can see Step 4 highlighted as part of the application process

 certifications screenshot add new certification image

Collect information on the type of certification and when it expires. This information will be recorded in the solution so that you won’t have to re-enter the certification or the expiration date if you hire that candidate

 

 

As a recruiter, you are now able to review the certifications that an applicant has provided, as well as search for applicants with desired certifications. This is also a great basis to use when creating candidate pools.

external certifications

Certifications and descriptions are housed in the solution and can be viewed and included as a basis for reporting

Use the solution to exclude expired certifications

project management external certification selected in dropdown menu

View and edit both internal and external certification under the employee’s learning profile

screenshot of learning profile where you can view internal and external certifications

As a final step, leverage the solution to automatically add the certifications to the employee’s learning profile and save yourself the step of manually recording this information.

Look out for the next blog in the series on underused Talent management Features.

We will continue to explore ways that you can leverage your solution to acquire, develop, and retain top talent!

Quick Tips for Implementing Continuous Feedback

Quick Tips for Implementing Continuous Feedback

team members discussing work underneath bright open window

 We get a lot of questions about engaging and retaining talent and in particular, millennial talent. Taking a good look at your performance management process can be a great place to gain some ground with your younger workers. A renewed focus on meaningful and timely feedback can go a long way toward improving your firm’s appeal to this generation. Keep in mind, however, that the desire for impactful feedback does not exclusively belong to a particular generation. All of your employees will benefit from continuous feedback cycles.

Getting started with continuous feedback can be overwhelming, especially since it is often a big departure from more traditional methods of managing performance. That being said, it’s also a very worthwhile investment whether you pair continuous feedback with existing appraisal cycles or switch to an entirely different methodology for managing performance.

Your organization, like many, may use one-to-one sessions informally, but you could be missing the opportunity to realize the results and outcomes typically associated with continuous feedback cycles. Detailed records and notes can help both managers and employees stay accountable to one another and drive even greater goal achievement. The ability to easily recall and refer to previous conversations can make a huge difference to employees and managers in the middle of an appraisal cycle. When you utilize the continuous feedback capabilities in Deltek Talent Management, you will have this information at your fingertips.

Continuous Feedback Records in Brilliant Talent Management allow you to refer to previous discussions.

Managers and employees can both view details and notes from prior sessions.

With this in mind, let’s take a look at some best practices to help you take your first big steps forward. An initial focus on training will set your organization up for success by ensuring that both managers and employees understand the short- and long-term purpose of feedback sessions. Since most of the work will happen between individual employees and their managers, it is especially important to create some excitement and buzz around this new methodology.

Here are 5 key points to emphasize when you begin training your workforce to implement Continuous Feedback:

  • There should be clear reasons why the meetings are being held
  • Create an agenda and set goals for the meeting
  • Never meet just for the sake of meeting or to check a box 
  • Keep employees engaged by asking them to drive
  • Give employees some control over their goals, development, and outcomes

Deltek Talent Management can enable both the preparatory steps and the effective execution of continuous feedback sessions. Managers will be able to schedule and add notes or files with the solution to allow the employee to prepare for the upcoming session.

Sessions can be scheduled, accepted, or declined within the solution. Add notes when the session is created to help both parties prepare for the meeting.

When a session is taking place, start by reviewing the purpose of the meeting, along with prior meeting notes, keys wins and noteworthy challenges since the previous meeting. Spend some time on progress toward development and goals that have been previously established. Part of this discussion may focus on past concerns, issues and lessons learned, but the larger focus should be around how to move forward, and what future goals should be.

Look to new project assignments for opportunities to create future goals that stretch performance to a new level. Also, take the time to understand where the employee wants to go in the organization. Are there ways that current or future projects can help prepare the employee for a new direction or even a new role in the organization? At the end of the session, make sure to review the topics that have been discussed, along with action items, takeaways, and expectations of progress before the next meeting.

Conducting these meetings face-to-face, as much as possible, will help your managers and employees build the solid and trusting relationships necessary to be truly effective during these discussions. And, make sure that you do this for all employees, including those that work remotely. Making use of video conferencing solutions can help you make certain that all employees receive the same treatment regardless of where in the world they work.

Here are an additional 5 tips to share with your managers to help ensure that their sessions are as impactful as possible

  • Be on the receiving end more than the giving end
  • Be ready only to steer, like assisting from the front passenger seat, rather than doing everything for the employee
  • Practice active listening with the intent to understand, not just waiting for your turn to talk
  • Use the time to build and strengthen relationships
  • Energize and motivate employees by making sure each session is personalized to the employee – know your employees and make sure they get what they need from the sessions.