3 Talent Acquisition Lessons from Americas Fastest Growing Companies

3 Talent Acquisition Lessons from Americas Fastest Growing CompaniesEach year, Inc. releases its list of the 5000 fastest growing companies in America. And each year, those companies prove theyre capable of some amazing things. The top 10 companies showed growth percentages between 13,927 and 50,059 percent in the last year.While they represent a wide variety of industries and locations, there are similarities in how they are approaching talent acquisition. When your company is facing rapid growth, its important to get things right. Its your chance to find as many rock stars as possible and keep you upwards trajectory.In order to give you a better idea of what it takes to succeed in growth recruiting, we took a look at what set some of these companies apart. Heres what three of Inc. 5000 companies are doing to excel at talent acquisition1. Rethink the rules2017s fastest growing company was Skillz. The San Francisco-based software company brought in $54 million in revenue, meaning tha t it grew by over 50,000 percent. The company is a gaming platform where players can play for free or pay to enter a game with a prize pool.But whats interesting in Skillzs growth is how its managed to succeed while maintaining a desirable workplace. The company encourages employees to play video games on their phone at least 35 times a week. People actually receive incentives if they play more than 50 times a week.While many employers might think this leads to lower employee productivity, Skillz has proven the opposite is true. The company decided to challenge preconceived notions about the work environment and as a result, theyve created a place that is succeeding and making talent acquisition easier.Follow in those footsteps. Think about what youre offering your customers. How can employees benefit from those offerings in a more interactive way? For example, if your company offers curated online education material, encourage employees to take time out of the workday to learn. Thi s perk will help you attract talent who are interested in a core company value, giving you better fitting candidates.2. Focus on true believersComing in fifth place on the 2017 Inc. list is Halo Top Creamery. The company grew by 20,944 percent last year. Since the beginning of 2018, its sales have surpassed those of established ice cream companies like Ben Jerrys.What has set Halo Top apart is its unconventional take on a beloved frozen dessert. By using natural sugar alternatives, Halo Top has developed low sugar, high eiweistoff ice cream that averages around 240 caloriesfor the entire pint.In order to successfully disrupt an industry that has been around for ages, Halo Top needed employees who truly believe in the companys mission. The same is true for all companies experiencing rapid growth. You need to look for people who are dedicated to the change the company is creating. This will help you identify employees who will be treugesinnt and push the company forward.But how do yo u do this? Start by looking at your customer base. If a person is willing to pay for your product or services, then you know they believe in what youre doing. Include job openings with your customer emails. This will help you tap into great talent that wants to help you succeed.Want to hire people who will help your company grow? Hire true believers. companycultureClick To Tweet3. Showcase the teamThe ninth most rapidly growing company was the Los Angeles-based, Greenspire. The startup helps to make homes more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. It also receives almost 85,000 job applications a year from qualified talent.One of the ways Greenspire has achieved this is by building a loyal and happy team. The company goes out of its way to recognize employees performances with attractive prizes. They also go on company dinners to build team camaraderie.The company is a place employees are proud to tell others about. As a result, word about the organization spread, and job s eekers are eager to be considered when a position does open up. You can achieve similar results by focusing on the employee experiencein your talent acquisition process. Ask your team about what they love about the company. Build on those foundations so employees will see that their happiness is important to you. Then encourage them to share their opinions online. This will help the company appear more attractive to talent.Have jobseekers flocking to your company by creating a strong, collaborative workplace.Click To TweetWant to learn more about hiring for rapid growth? Watch our webinar

Looking for a Job on the Job

Looking for a Job on the JobLooking for a Job on the JobJob seekers must use discretion when seeking new employment while holding a full-time job.Of all the obstacles jobseekers could be dealing with, having to look for work while keeping busy with a full-time job is one of the better problems to have. Being gainfully employed automatically takes a lot of the pressure off and frees you from the desperation that makes many unemployed people take jobs they dont want.But there is still a unique set of problems that comes with searching while employed. Its challenging to look for a job when youre working full time, said Tammy Gooler Loeb, a career and executive coach in the Boston area. People who are working full-time have to come up with a really clear plan and understand that it might take them longer because they already have a full-time job.For one, theres much less free time. Since your job search should be its own full-time job, there simply dont seem to be enough hours in the day to search all the job boards and hit the networking circuits. Many times, people with full-time jobs will use their work hours to research other companies and make connections that have nothing to do with that responsibility. Some will even use their employers equipment and resources to assist then and even go on formal interviews while on the clock.These practices go too far and can be borderline criminal, Loeb said. Its not really OK to use work time for your job search, she said. If youre getting paid to be there, you have an obligation to do what youre paid for. The consequences of using your employers time to try to leave your present job can range from getting fired to being brought up on fraud charges. At the very least, Loeb said, itll make things awkward for you at work - especially if youre caught pitching a competitor.If your employer even has an inkling that youre looking for other work, that could have repercussions in the workplace, she said. Your employer could feel youre less loyal they could marginalize you. People are funny about those kinds of comings and goings.But that doesnt mean you have to put your job search entirely on hold. As an engaged member of the workforce, youre likely to have access to lot more information in your field that could benefit you than if you were unemployed. Keep your eyes and ears open for things and make mental notes, Loeb said. You may have the opportunity to get more information about whats going on that may feed your job search. She added that the heavy lifting can be done on your time off - either after work hours, on weekends or during personal and vacation days if need be.Loeb said working jobseekers can also utilize their lunch breaks as a free period to network or make follow up calls on resumes. There are a lot of creative ways to access people in your network possibly grab a drink or cup of coffee after work, she said. The trick, she said, is not to cross that line where youre betraying your employ er.