By Miranda Miller

Before the Internet, jobseekers only had to compete with locals who subscribed to the same newspaper, saw the same classified ad and took the initiative to type a cover letter, update their resume, address an envelope and buy a stamp. Today, everyone around the world has access to job postings on company websites, LinkedIn and aggregators like Monster.com and SimplyHired, many of which allow applicants to send a saved resume with one click. Since popular employers like Google receive millions of resumes, and human resources professionals spend an average of six seconds scanning each one, you may wonder what it takes to land an interview with the hiring manager. Here are a few tips:

Tip 1: Possess the qualifications the company seeks

Optimism is helpful while searching for a job, but it won’t get your foot in the door of your dream career if you don’t have the right credentials.

“Most all of our positions are engineering or architect-related positions,” said Dawn McMahon, who’s spent the past two years of her 12 years in human resources as talent acquisition specialist at DLZ, an award-winning consulting firm that employs nearly 600 people in seven states and takes pride in the fact that 80 percent of its business comes from repeat clients. “I look at each resume to see if (applicants) meet those qualifications.” For example, a position may require a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, an EIT (engineer-in-training certification) or a PE (professional engineering license). Higher-level positions may require 10 or more years of experience. “If they meet those qualifications, I send them on to the hiring manager,” she says. “If they don’t, I don’t.”

When DLZ began interviewing in February for a lower-level structural engineer position that it posted last October, McMahon narrowed down 255 hopefuls to “about half.”

Tips 2 and 3: Research the company and tailor your resume accordingly

If you’re competing for a position in the IT field, “Education certainly plays a role, absolutely,” said Phelco Technologies President and CEO Tasha Phelps. “But in IT, it’s more about the experience and the certifications.”

Phelps also looks at community involvement, such as board memberships and volunteer activities. So while career counselors often advise jobseekers to save that information for the “What do you like to do in your spare time?” question during the interview, adding it to your resume might make the difference in getting the interview.

“I have high respect for someone who wants to give of their time, so I look for that information when I read a resume,” Phelps said. “It’s not always about going to work every day. It’s about what you’re doing in your community. At least from my perspective.”

That perspective is evident from Phelps’ LinkedIn profile and Phelco Technologies’ website, where a social responsibility page quotes Gandhi and lists nonprofit organizations that it supports. If applicants can show they espouse the same values as members of the company, they’re more likely to become one.

How to increase employee engagement outside the traditional workplace

By Benjamin Cooley

In the world of business, phrases like “employee engagement” and “company culture” have become the new buzzwords. The workplace is no longer just a place to work; it has evolved into a space where employees expect to find community, company participation and acknowledgement. Studies show that employers have started to notice the importance of adapting to these new expectations. A 2013 report by the Harvard Business Review revealed that of 550 executives surveyed, 71 percent ranked employee engagement as “very important to achieving overall organizational success.”

But unfortunately, not many companies actually succeed in this area. The most recent Gallup poll for 2014 on the state of employee engagement showed that more than half (51.5 percent) of employees were considered “not engaged” in the workforce, with 17.5 percent of those qualifying as “actively disengaged.” So what are employees looking for from their employers? In short: variety.

Empower for service

Company volunteerism has long been known as an effective strategy for boosting employee engagement. A research brief from the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship explains how team volunteering as employees can help create an emotional attachment to a company, which in turn can lead to more participation in company culture. But simply mandating a volunteer day could be missing the mark. Santiago Jaramillo, CEO and founder of Fishers-based tech company Bluebridge, has seen huge success in his organization’s employee engagement by giving employees the tools to volunteer. “We want to empower employees to start groups that are employee-led, based around passions that they want to support,” Jaramillo said. “Empowering employees to make a difference in and outside the organization and encouraging them is hugely engaging.”

Make communication easy and exciting

Planning company events can be an unwelcome burden at times for upper management. But having an intuitive and fun way to communicate about upcoming events and opportunities can change the way that engagement activities are perceived. At Bluebridge, Jaramillo has found the best way to do this is by reaching employees where they spend most of their time: on mobile devices. “We send regular push notification messages through our employee app — short blurbs, what’s going on, company announcements, sharing something awesome a coworker did. Ultimately, employees want to know where the company is headed.” Whether it’s an internal employee app or a simple weekly newsletter, communication that is accessible and consistent can lead to more actively engaged employees.

Take work outside of work

Sometimes a simple change of location is all it takes to create a memorable team experience. Consider planning a “hack night” event where employees can get together in an informal setting, set creative goals and work as a team to reach big milestones. Some may even want to up the stakes with a company contest. Bryan Brenner, CEO of FirstPerson Advisors, describes connecting with employees as an ongoing task of meeting them where they are. “We believe that the employers who will win in the future are those who understand how important people are, how they are motivated and how they are unique.”  For some employees, it might take a different environment to better relate to their coworkers and company.

Perks

Employee perks can be a great way to reward employees and let them know they’re valued. Company benefits are one of the main areas of focus for FirstPerson Advisors. However, Brenner and FirstPerson make it clear to each client that perks are only as good as having a solid foundation, like fair compensation, solid leadership and a reliable infrastructure. Once those are in place, this third “tier” of benefits contains the exciting perks and free stuff that employees get excited about.

“A lot of what FirstPerson does is helping employers realize what they need to do to empower people to do the things they love. It’s some of the most meaningful work we help clients with,” Brenner said.

Looking for inspiration? Here are some examples of perks that top Indiana companies are offering to employees:

Salesforce — 24-hour travel assistance

DEFENDER — online courses on wellness and financial literacy

RE/MAX Ability Plus — office bicycles for use

Eli Lilly — on-campus convenience store

Roche — dry cleaning delivery services

Chase Bank — counseling services

Appirio — pet insurance

Ontario Systems — walking clubs

Monarch Beverage Company — cooking classes

Sikich LLP — tuition reimbursement

SEP — common area with ping-pong table and games

 Welcoming a new employee

Making a new employee feel welcome at their new position can set the tone for a positive employee experience. One of the easiest ways to start is by making them feel appreciated or celebrated. At FirstPerson Advisors, CEO Bryan Brenner makes an effort to acknowledge the life events of employees both new and veteran.

“We’ve developed programs for our own employees as well as other companies to celebrate people and their accomplishments,” explained Brenner. “For example, we prepare these boxes that are customized, like one called ‘Welcome Little Peeps.’ This box has a onesie and blanket and other stuff to celebrate a new baby. So we’re celebrating life events like when they get married, when they buy a house, that sort of thing.”

Welcome packages can be a great way to start a job, but new employees will also appreciate the intangibles just as much. Here are a few extra tips for making a new employee feel welcome:

— Assign them a work buddy or mentor

— Invite them to get involved in company groups

— Plan a lunch on their first day with a few coworkers

— Give them small tasks to do (besides on-boarding paperwork)

— Introduce them personally to upper management

By Lauren Caggiano

Success doesn’t happen overnight nor does it happen by accident. Several executives from Indiana’s top-rated companies share their approaches to management.

Katy Allen currently serves as vice president of HR and organizational development at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. She’s been with the museum for 20 years and has enjoyed her colleagues. Although in senior management, she gives credit when credit is due.

“I don’t motivate them, they motivate themselves,” she said about her staff. “I attempt to help them stay motivated by giving clear direction, removing obstacles, advocating for them, acting as a sounding board and, at times, getting out of their way.”

Allen’s approach has been with great success, according to the numbers. With 472,900 square feet under roof and 120,000 artifacts, they are the largest children’s museum in the country. In 2015, they drew 1.25 million visitors, just short of the record of 1.27 million in 2011 and up 4 percent over 2014. In 2015, USA Today ranked The Children’s Museum as one of the 20 most-visited U.S. museums. The museum was named one of the 2015 Best Places to Work in Indiana.

The museum is also in its third year of a multi-year strategic plan, and there’s no sign of slowing down. Allen has made it clear she’s committed to charging forward, and that means placing a focus on staff retention.

“We are committed to investing in our staff and volunteers, and that means continuing to seek feedback and measure our return on this investment,” she said. Current efforts include perks like a professional development and training program, competitive benefits and wellness offerings, and a free on-site fitness facility.

Although in a different industry than Allen, Duke Realty’s Denise Dank takes a similar approach to management. The chief human resources officer has been with the company 20 years and has seen great success by “collaborating with others, being confident about what (she has) to offer (and) not being afraid to stand alone with (her) opinions.” She also said motivating employees and keeping them happy means involving them in decisions, delegating and supporting their development. She cited specific efforts like associate development, diversity and inclusion, community support and sustainability that foster a positive environment for staff.

The company performance positively impacts morale, no doubt. According to Dank, Duke surpassed all of its financial and operating goals in 2015 and ended the year with an 8.8 percent total shareholder return.

Angie List’s co-founder and COO Angie Hicks said her Indianapolis-based company exists to help people, and that intention has served them well.

“For most of us, our home is our biggest investment,” she said. “It’s where our heart is, too. So this is a key need nearly every person will have. We work really hard to highlight the best companies in town so it’s easy and convenient to find that help.”

This is only possible through the hard work of associates — a point Hicks takes to heart. “There’s no way we could have grown Angie’s List as we have without having a terrific team. So attracting and keeping great talent is one of our highest priorities.”

To that end, she said they work hard to maintain a culture where hard work is rewarded and successes are celebrated. Case in point: “We are serving more than 3 million members today, have more than 10 million verified consumer reviews and are publicly traded. This from our days as a start-up where I worked from a card table, using my princess phone from home and going door-to-door to sign up members.”

On the more technical side of the spectrum is Eaton Vehicle Group North America. Simone Eichemberger, vice president of human resources for the North American division, has been with the company for 25 years. She said the key to success is to never stop learning and empower staff.

“At Eaton, we strive to hire the best people for the position, and by succeeding with that then it is a matter of providing a vision of where we want to go and why,” she said. “I don’t have to micromanage; we have self-motivated, highly accountable people who know what they need to accomplish.”

And the proof is the pudding. In spite of tough market conditions throughout the world, she noted the Vehicle Group delivered a profit in the fourth quarter of 2015 of 18.4 percent and a total profit of 17.5 percent for calendar year 2015.

“This speaks to collective focus of the Vehicle Group employees on managing our business with discipline and delivering value to our customers each and every day,” she said.

HR professionals talk interview tips

By Brittany Baggett

Racquel Harris, corporate director of human resources at NeuroPsychiatric Hospitals

“A job candidate should never come to an interview inappropriately dressed. This seems to be a growing trend among applicants and does not make a good impression on employers. Blue jeans are never appropriate. Additionally, candidates should not arrive late to a job interview. This causes the employer to think you will be late for work.”

Derek Vitatoe, human resources talent lead at Johnson & Johnson 

“It always disturbs me when candidates have no clue about our organization’s mission, what we value, what our purpose is, sometimes even what products we make. Candidates should make sure they do their homework and do as much research as possible about the organization they are applying to.”

Christy Whitney, human resources at JMFG — Smithfield Foods

“It’s OK to be nervous, but know your personal habits. If you talk a lot when you’re nervous, you will tend to tell us something we don’t need to know. If you aren’t able to talk when you’re nervous, then we cannot determine if you would be a good fit for the position. Tell us you’re nervous, and we will try to help you relax. Probably the most important guideline is never lie to us. Your body language changes, your voice changes and your breathing patterns change when you are lying. We would much rather deal with an honest applicant who may have made some mistakes in their past than to find out we are being lied to.”

Joycelyn Jones, human resources manager at Minnetrista

“Do not come unprepared. When you are interviewing for a company, you should have researched the company, their mission, vision and values. Companies nowadays want to know that you are not just looking for a job but are looking for a career.”

Melissa Walker, Human resources manger at O-I

“Job applicants should not speak negatively about a previous or current employer. Derogatory or disparaging statements about experiences at a previous place of employment will raise red flags to recruiters about a person’s problems resolution skills and ability to work effectively with others.”

Paula Wood, director of human resources at MIS Logistics Center

“Job candidates should not be disrespectful in their interviews and need to either leave their phone in the car or shut them off during the interview.”