THE CAREERBUILDER RECRUITMENT GUIDEBOOK FEATURING THE Q U.S. JOB FORECAST

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1 THE CAREERBUILDER RECRUITMENT GUIDEBOOK FEATURING THE Q U.S. JOB FORECAST

2 FROM THE DESK OF ERIC GILPIN THE END OF THE YEAR IS ALWAYS AN IMPORTANT TIME TO FOCUS, push your business through the last quarter, and work hard to gear up for a successful year ahead. As we head into 2015, CareerBuilder is here to help you anticipate the changes that are coming to the industry, adapt accordingly and create a foundation for success. According to the newly released 2014 Opportunities in Staffing study conducted in partnership with Inavero, only 50 percent of candidates say that their staffing firm follows up and resolves requests within 24 hours. Furthermore, just 31 percent of clients report that their staffing firm always submits candidates that meet their specifications. With these challenges and others in mind, we have sharpened our attention to four key areas: talent engagement; marketing and branding; technology innovation; and data and analytics. With our recent acquisition of Broadbean, we are evolving faster than ever into a software as a service (SaaS) provider. Our integration of data, software and advertising solutions enables us to help you stay engaged with your candidates throughout the recruitment life cycle and provide you the resources you need to deliver outstanding service to your clients. Our success is tied to yours, and we always strive to provide you with the data, insight and resources you need. ERIC GILPIN President, CareerBuilder Gilpin@careerbuilder.com INSIDE THIS ISSUE 02 From the Desk of Eric Gilpin 03 INSIGHTS & TRENDS Q U.S. Job Forecast 05 INSIGHTS & TRENDS Key Economic Indicators & Staffing Industry Statistics 06 INSIGHTS & TRENDS Q Staffing & Recruiting Pulse Survey 08 TALENT ACQUISITION Talent Acquisition: 10 Tips To Create An A+ Candidate Experience And Improve ROI 10 TALENT ACQUISITION Recruiting Recruiters: How to Get the Best Talent for Your Staffing Firm 12 TALENT ACQUISITION The Five New Staffing Challenges And How To Overcome Them. 02 FROM THE DESK OF ERIC GILPIN

3 INSIGHTS & TRENDS Q U.S. Job Forecast Workers who are in the market for a new job before year-end may have more opportunities to choose from, according to CareerBuilder s latest forecast. Nearly three in 10 employers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees in the fourth quarter, up four percentage points over last year. One in four expect to hire seasonal workers, including 43 percent of retailers. FULL-TIME, PERMANENT HIRING IN Q After experiencing incremental improvements over the past few years, the U.S. labor market is nearing a tipping point. The jobs outlook for Q4 is now more in line with prerecession forecasts as employers cast a greater vote of confidence in both permanent and seasonal hiring. What s also encouraging is that recruitment plans for small businesses with more than 50 employees are keeping pace with larger organizations. We ll continue to see a spotlight on jobs and wages in the upcoming elections and beyond as we strive for an even stronger employment environment in MATT FERGUSON, CEO of CareerBuilder and co-author of The Talent Equation There was a notable year-over-year gain in hiring in the third quarter. Thirty-four percent of employers added full-time, permanent headcount in Q3, up from 28 percent in the same period in Ten percent decreased headcount - a slight improvement over 11 percent last year while 54 percent made no change to staff levels and 2 percent were unsure. THIS QUARTER (3RD QUARTER, JUL. 1 - SEP. 30, 2014), IS YOUR COMPANY, AT YOUR LOCATION, INCREASING, DECREASING OR MAKING NO CHANGE TO ITS NUMBER OF FULL-TIME, PERMANENT EMPLOYEES? 2% 54% 34% 10% Increase Decrease No change Undecided The national survey, which was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from August 11 to September 5, 2014, included a representative sample of 2,203 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes. INSIGHTS & TRENDS Q U.S. JOB FORECAST 03 Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding or the ability to choose more than one response.

4 FULL-TIME, PERMANENT HIRING IN Q Looking ahead, 29 percent of employers plan to add full-time, permanent employees in Q4, up from 25 percent in the same period in Nine percent expect to reduce staffs, on par with last year. Fifty-seven percent anticipate no change and 5 percent are unsure. IN THE FOURTH QUARTER (OCT. 1 - DEC. 31, 2014) DOES YOUR COMPANY, AT YOUR LOCATION, PLAN TO INCREASE, DECREASE OR MAKE NO CHANGE TO ITS NUMBER OF FULL-TIME, PERMANENT EMPLOYEES? HOW WILL YOUR SALARIES FOR SEASONAL WORKERS COMPARE TO LAST YEAR? 13% 61% 27% Increase Stay the same Decrease 5% 57% 29% 9% SEASONAL HIRING IN Q4 Increase Decrease No change Undecided Two in five retailers (43 percent) plan to hire seasonal workers in Q4. Last year, 39 percent of retailers had expected to add workers for the holidays. While retailers typically take center stage when it comes to seasonal employment, companies across industries are looking for extra hands on deck. Twenty-six percent plan to hire seasonal employees in Q4, and 42 percent of these companies expect to transition some seasonal staff members into full-time, permanent roles. WHAT WILL YOU PAY YOUR SEASONAL WORKERS THIS YEAR AT YOUR LOCATION? 3% 5% Less than $8 per hour 6% $ $ % 14% $ $9.99 $ $ % 17% $ $15.99 $ $ % $ $24.99 $25.00 or more Nearly half (46 percent) of companies hiring seasonal employees said they re boosting staffs to help with the busier holiday season, while others are focused on wrapping up the year (25 percent) and ramping up for 2015 (24 percent). Popular seasonal positions companies will be recruiting for in Q4 include: ARE YOU HIRING SEASONAL EMPLOYEES IN THE FOURTH QUARTER? 74% 26% Yes No Pay for seasonal workers will increase over last year, according to 27 percent of employers. Thirteen percent anticipate it will decrease. Sixty-three percent of seasonal employers will pay $10 or more per hour, while 19 percent will pay $16 or more. Customer Service 15% Administrative/Clerical 13% Shipping/Delivery 12% Accounting/Finance 12% Inventory Management 11% Technology 11% Sales (non-retail) 10% Gift Wrapping 7% Marketing 7% Hosting/Greeting 40% INSIGHTS & TRENDS 04 Q U.S. JOB FORECAST Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding or the ability to choose more than one response.

5 PERMANENT AND SEASONAL HIRING BY REGION Permanent and seasonal hiring is expected to pick up across U.S. geographies in the coming months. The South is leading in the percentage of employers planning to add full-time, permanent employees in Q4, while the West is leading in the percentage of employers adding seasonal staff. The Midwest continues to trail other regions, but still has nearly one in four employers expecting to hire permanent and seasonal employees. SPOTLIGHT KEY ECONOMIC INDICATORS EMPLOYMENT SITUATION UPDATE FROM BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS Total Nonfarm Payroll Employment (Month-over-Month) Sept Sept K (P) 164K SOUTH Permanent Hiring in Q4 33% Seasonal Hiring in Q4 25% NORTHEAST Permanent Hiring in Q4 27% Seasonal Hiring in Q4 25% WEST Permanent Hiring in Q4 31% Seasonal Hiring in Q4 29% MIDWEST Permanent Hiring in Q4 24% Seasonal Hiring in Q4 24% Source: U.S. Department of Labor p: preliminary Many indicators monitor both the pace of recovery and the health of the staffing industry. This page provides a snapshot of some of the indicators available to educate you and plan for the future. FOR MORE INFORMATION on payroll employment and government data, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics at STAFFING INDUSTRY STATISTICS PERMANENT AND SEASONAL HIRING BY COMPANY SIZE Small businesses with more than 50 employees are keeping up with larger organizations in regard to the percentages of employers hiring for permanent and seasonal roles. Those with 50 or fewer employees continue to proceed with caution. Permanent Hiring Seasonal Hiring Get more details on TechServe Alliance s IT Employment Index at 34% 27% 36% 27% 35% 31% 16% 17% Find the latest report from the American Staffing Association s weekly Staffing Index at 50 or fewer employees 51 to 250 employees 251 to 500 employees More than 500 employees *Due to the slight delay between when this report was written and when it was released, some industry statistics included in this section may not be the most current available. Please reference the actual source to verify. INSIGHTS & TRENDS Q U.S. JOB FORECAST 05 Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding or the ability to choose more than one response.

6 INSIGHTS & TRENDS Q STAFFING & RECRUITING PULSE SURVEY In the third quarter of 2014, CareerBuilder surveyed more than 250 staffing industry professionals from across the nation to assess the state of the staffing industry. The results of this survey contain the insight necessary for you to determine where you stand among your competitors, make smarter business decisions and serve clients and candidates better. The following pages provide key findings from the results of the study. If you would like to participate in future research efforts, contact us at GROWTH/SPEED OF BUSINESS OPEN JOB ORDERS Q Q % Sixty-nine percent of respondents indicated their average number of open job orders increased from Q to Q (up from 65 percent in the previous quarter). 69% Q % Q % Of those who saw an increase, 46 percent of job orders increased by more than 15 percent (down from 49 percent in the previous quarter). Q % Q % When asked how they anticipate their average number of open job orders to change from Q to Q4 2014, 58 percent of respondents anticipate an increase (declining from 72 percent in Q2 and 84 in Q1). INTERNAL HIRING BY JOB TYPE Companies planning to increase their number of full-time employees by job type. Q Q % 45% 55% 58% 17% 17% Internal Sales Recruiter Manager Internal Sales Forty percent aren t planning any changes. Recruiter Thirty-two percent aren t planning any changes. Manager Sixty-seven percent aren t planning any changes. It seems increasingly harder to recruit good people for recruitment roles. 30% Of those who anticipate an increase, 30 percent anticipate the number of job orders to increase by percent. Contractors will continue to be a major hiring group in the coming three to five years. 06 Q STAFFING & RECRUITING PULSE SURVEY INSIGHTS & TRENDS

7 RECRUITMENT PROCESS OFFER ACCEPTANCE/DECLINE How often do candidates decline an offer? 70% Seventy percent of respondents said candidates decline job offers less than 10 percent of the time (down from 73 percent in Q2 and 77 percent in Q1). The following graph shows the most common reasons candidates declined an offer in DATA & ANAYLTICS 17% < 10% 17% of respondents said that they are consistently tracking their candidates placed on assignment. Less than 10% of respondents consistently track mobile track to their firm s website, percentage of candidates redeployed, and candidate/client satisfaction score. Received another offer 40% 43% 32% 27% Compensation/benefits not in line with expectations 13% Q % Received a counter offer from their current company Q Companies are taking too much time to make key hiring decisions, leading to fall-offs and loss of critical candidates. This is a candidate-driven market. The hiring companies need to move quickly when a candidate has been found. We are seeing an increase in the number of offers a candidate receives. Not since early 2000 s have I seen this kind of market. COMPENSATION EXPECTATIONS Q Q % 69% 29% 28% Exceeds In alignment Sixty-nine percent of respondents say job candidates salary expectations exceed employers offers (same as previous quarter, but down from 71 percent in Q1). Twenty-nine percent say salary expectations are in alignment with employers offers (up from 28 in the previous quarter). Health benefits and relocation benefits weigh heavily in candidates decisions! When it comes to the compensation, clients are still trying to take advantage of the fact that many candidates are still unemployed or unhappily employed. INSIGHTS & TRENDS Q STAFFING & RECRUITING PULSE SURVEY 07

8 TALENT ACQUISITION IN ORDER TO PROVIDE THE BEST POSSIBLE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, YOU HAVE TO FIRST PUT YOURSELF IN THE CUSTOMER S SHOES AND TEST YOUR OWN PRODUCT. As an employer, your candidate is your customer, and providing the best possible candidate experience is what will set you apart from your competitors. But how do you know what your experience is like if you don t test it yourself? That s just one of the many thought-provoking points CareerBuilder uncovered from a recent survey of 690 job seekers, hiring managers and recruiters. HERE ARE 10 TIPS TO CREATE AN A+ CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE: TIP 1 RESPOND EARLY, RESPOND OFTEN. When asked to define a good candidate experience, 61 percent of candidates said it happens when Employers respond quickly throughout the process and 56 percent say it involves employers keeping them updated on where they are in the consideration process. TIP 2 BE THE BEARER OF BAD NEWS. Don t have good news to give an applicant? Don t believe the myth that ignorance is bliss or no news is good news. The vast majority of candidates (61 percent) want to hear from an employer either way even if it s to tell them they are not the right fit for a position. TIP 3 PUT YOURSELF IN JOB SEEKERS SHOES. Never testing your application process is like being the head chef of a restaurant and never tasting your own food and yet only 63 percent of employers have taken the time to do so. Of those, half said the exercise opened their eyes to the need for improvement. 08 TALENT ACQUISITION: 10 TIPS TO CREATE AN A+ CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE AND IMPROVE ROI INSIGHTS & TRENDS

9 TIP 4 - RESPECT CANDIDATES TIME. When it comes to the application process, less is more. Job seekers don t have the time or patience to spend hours on one application. Keep the application process under 20 minutes (62 percent of job seekers will thank you for it). TIP 5 KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET. The more hoops candidates have to jump through, the less likely they are to finish the application process. For 70 percent of job seekers, the ideal application is no more than five pages long, and (for 83 percent of job seekers) asks fewer than 15 questions. TIP 6 GO BACK A FEW STEPS. When your application process is complicated, so is your relationship with candidates. Of the 60 percent of job seekers who they have abandoned the application process, 82 percent say it was because the process contained too many steps. TIP 7 MIND YOUR MOBILE MANNERS. Is it easy to search and apply for your company s jobs from a mobile device? You d better hope the answer is yes: Sixty-five percent of job seekers say they rarely return to a job on their desktop after trying (and failing) to apply from a mobile device. TIP 8 GET PERSONAL. Though automated responses have become the norm, 40 percent of job seekers find them impersonal, and 60 percent still expect to receive a personal phone call. Be the exception to the rule and blow candidates away with a quick phone call or personalized . TIP 9 BUILD YOUR BRAND. More than half of candidates (53 percent) said they didn t know anything about a company before they researched them through the job search process. Take steps to strengthen your employment brand so job seekers will seek you out specifically. TIP 10 GIVE THEM AN ALTERNATIVE TO APPLY NOW. Give job seekers who are interested in your company but not ready to apply the option to save their information so they can come back and apply later without going through the entire process again 2 in 5 job seekers will appreciate it. VISIT OUR TALENT ADVISOR PORTAL TO GAIN ACCESS TO MORE INSIGHTS: Who is a Talent Advisor? A Talent Advisor is someone who Takes a proactive, strategic role in an organization s talent management needs. Is both a strategic partner to the business and an advocate for the company s employees. Works to align talent acquisition and workforce planning strategies with business goals. Understands the crucial role of software, sourcing technology and workforce data play in finding the right people at the right time. INSIGHTS & TRENDS TALENT ACQUISITION: 10 TIPS TO CREATE AN A+ CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE AND IMPROVE ROI 09

10 TALENT ACQUISITION RECRUITING RECRUITERS: HOW TO GET THE BEST TALENT FOR YOUR STAFFING FIRM AS A STAFFING INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL, YOU PUT TIRELESS EFFORT INTO FINDING YOUR CLIENTS THE BEST CANDIDATES POSSIBLE. Therefore, it makes sense that you should put just as much effort into finding the best candidates for your own organization. After all, these individuals are vital to your firm s success, as your firm is only as good as the quality of your internal employees. 45% Now is the time to start focusing on a recruiting strategy for your own talent. The demand for recruiters is increasing job postings for recruiters have grown 45 percent from Jan April. 2014, according to Economic Modeling Systems Intl. (EMSI) data which means competition for top talent is getting tighter. In today s competitive marketplace, staying ahead of the competition and recruiting the very best talent for your firm requires a proactive, data-driven and innovative recruitment strategy. That means not only knowing where to look for these candidates, but also knowing what to look for in potential employees. FOLLOW THESE RULES TO GET THE BEST TALENT FOR YOUR STAFFING FIRM: MIND THE DATA. When it comes to finding the right people, the right data is key to knowing where to focus your recruiting efforts and how to manage your expectations. The chart below, for example, shows the 10 metropolitan areas with the largest growth in recruiter positions over the past four years, along with average hourly earnings. Information such as this will help you understand where the competition for these individuals is highest and what constitutes competitive compensation. LARGEST % GROWTH (100 MOST POPULOUS METROS) METRO AREAS 2010 Jobs 2014 Jobs % Change 2012 Avg. Hourly Earnings Fresno, CA % $28.51 Provo-Orem, UT % $26.80 Raleigh, NC 2,065 2,480 20% $28.30 Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 1,135 1,346 19% $25.32 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 2,918 3,455 18% $38.81 Winston-Salem, NC % $26.35 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 7,829 9,160 17% $32.36 Austin-Round Rock, TX 3,187 3,662 15% $28.87 San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 7,395 8,451 14% $36.21 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN 1,966 2,218 13% $ TALENT ACQUISITION: RECRUITING RECRUITERS TALENT ACQUISITION

11 GIVE HARD THOUGHT TO SOFT SKILLS. While 40 percent of today s recruiters have their bachelor s degree, 41 percent have either some college education or a high school degree only. These findings indicate that a college degree does not necessarily predict staffing industry success. Moreover, of those recruiters who do hold a college degree, the majority (65 percent) have a degree in an unrelated field, which underscores the importance of taking background, soft skills and personality into account when sourcing recruiters for your firm. CareerBuilder Supply & Demand data shows that over the last year, candidates looking for roles in the recruiting industry had degrees in the following fields: 1. Business Administration and Management 2. HR Management 3. Psychology 4. Communication Studies 5. Marketing 6. General Studies 7. Liberal Arts and Sciences 8. Political Science and Government 9. Education 10. Sociology Individuals with degrees in the above-mentioned fields tend to have the transferrable soft skills that prove invaluable in the staffing industry, making them top candidates for staffing firms to consider. GO OUTSIDE YOUR COMFORT ZONE. Many of the best recruiting industry professionals come from the most unexpected places, in terms of prior industry experience. Data from CareerBuilder s Supply & Demand Portal shows that candidates currently looking for work in the recruitment industry have a background in the following industries: 1. Temporary help services. 2. Employment placement agencies. 3. Computer systems design services. 4. Administrative management and general management consulting services. 5. General medical and surgical hospitals. 6. Executive search services. 7. Business support services. 8. Commercial banking. Professionals in these industries often have the technical skills and experience that transfer well to a successful career in staffing. For instance, computer systems design and medical industries workers make great recruiters due to their technical backgrounds and organizational skills. CAPITALIZE ON REFERENCES. References are consistently found to be among the most effective ways to source job candidates and find quality hires and the recruiting industry is no exception. According to the most recent Staffing and Recruiting Pulse Survey, more than one-third of current recruitment industry employees found their jobs through a connection in the field: 18 percent had a friend or former colleague referred them to their role, while 19 percent said they knew someone in the field and it seemed like an interesting career path to pursue. Take this information as a cue to ramp up (or create) your employee referral program. Encourage your employees to refer friends and former colleagues they feel would be a good fit for the firm, and offer incentives for doing so. PUT YOUR BEST BRAND FORWARD. Nearly half of current staffing industry employees admit they did not initially set their sights on a career in staffing. 46% According to the Staffing and Recruiting Pulse Survey, 46 percent of staffing professionals say they found their current role by chance. This should come as no surprise, considering earlier-mentioned findings that professionals from a variety of industries and educational backgrounds are looking for work in the recruitment industry. These findings suggest many professionals are open to a career in the staffing industry if given the right opportunity. The right employment branding efforts and recruitment marketing efforts can go a long way in attracting talent with the right transferrable skills your organization needs. TALENT ACQUISITION TALENT ACQUISITION: RECRUITING RECRUITERS 11

12 TALENT ACQUISITION THE FIVE NEW STAFFING CHALLENGES AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM PEOPLE WILL FORGET WHAT YOU SAID PEOPLE WILL FORGET WHAT YOU DID BUT PEOPLE WILL NEVER FORGET HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL MAYA ANGELOU FAMOUSLY SAID The late poet could easily have been talking about the staffing industry, where the ability to provide unforgettable experiences sets firms apart from their competitors. CareerBuilder and Inavero s recent Opportunities in Staffing study provides the most recent evidence of how providing exceptional experiences can increase client and candidate loyalty and generate new business. Results from the 2014 study reveal how clients and candidates perceive staffing firms and the behaviors they value most in the staffing firms with which they work. These findings provide insight into how staffing firms can create the ultimate experience, resulting in stronger client and candidate relationships, increased loyalty, new business and a foundation for continued success. CHALLENGE #1: PERCEPTION DOES NOT MATCH UP TO REALITY. While you may think you re offering best-in-class service, your clients and candidates may have a different opinion. According to the study, 89 percent of firms say they follow up on clients requests within 24 hours; however, only 55 percent of clients say the same. Nearly 3 in 4 staffing firms also say they take the time to learn about a company s culture and always submit candidates who meet their [the clients ] specifications; only 1 in 3 clients, however, believe this to be true. As far as delivering on promises, clients feel staffing firms are coming up short. 89% 89 percent of firms say they FOLLOW UP ON CLIENTS REQUESTS WITHIN 24 HOURS; only 55 percent of clients say the same. Inavero CEO Eric Gregg sees this finding as an opportunity to improve the experiences staffing firms provide those they serve. At the end of the day, what we think we know about the experiences people have with our firms isn t always accurate, Gregg says. You have to suspend your own beliefs and really try to view your firm as an outsider to understand what others see and build a foundation for consistently exceptional service. HOW TO OVERCOME IT These findings underscore the importance of soliciting feedback from clients. Not only will regular check-ins help you discover holes in your process and opportunities for improvement they will also show clients you care about them and their business needs. 12 TALENT ACQUISITION: THE FIVE NEW STAFFING CHALLENGES TALENT ACQUISITION

13 CHALLENGE #2: CLIENTS AND CANDIDATES ARE TALKING (WHETHER YOU RE LISTENING OR NOT). This news bodes extremely well for your firm if clients and candidates feel they have had a good experience with your firm, as 90 percent of those who have had a positive experience with a firm will actively encourage others to use the firm. Unfortunately, it works both ways: 72 percent of candidates and 79 percent of clients will actively discourage someone from using your firm if they have a bad experience. Those words carry weight, too: 3 in 4 clients and candidates rely on referrals from friends or colleagues when it comes to choosing their primary staffing firm. THREE IN 4 CLIENTS AND CANDIDATES choose their staffing firms based primarily on referrals from a friend or colleague. HOW TO OVERCOME IT Don t want clients or candidates badmouthing you? Don t give them anything bad to say. Take an objective look at your quality control process and make sure you are holding your staff accountable to these processes. Ask clients and candidates for feedback about their experience with your firm and listen to it. Again, even negative feedback will ultimately help you provide better service in the long run. CHALLENGE #3: YOUR WORDS AREN T AS PERSUASIVE AS YOU THINK. When it comes to matters of trust, staffing firms may be giving themselves too much credit. According to the study, 90 percent of staffing firm employees believe they are persuasive with prospective clients and candidates; however, fewer than 1 in 4 clients and candidates say they actually trust what their staffing firms tell them. FEWER THAN 1 IN 4 CLIENTS AND CANDIDATES say they actually trust what their staffing firms tell them. HOW TO OVERCOME IT In order to build trust with clients and candidates, you must first prove you are trustworthy. For instance, if your firm promises a 24-hour response time, make sure your staffing firm employees are adhering to that policy. Have candidates and clients who can vouch for your credibility? Ask them to write a testimonial for your website or Facebook page. A remarkable 58 percent of clients will promote a firm when asked for their opinion. Gregg says most staffing firms overlook the value of word-of-mouth marketing. Staffing firms are very focused on creating loyal clients and candidates, but do very little to help them share their positive stories with others. The top firms we work with see their loyal clients and candidates as their most credible lead source and invest in helping them tell others about their great experience. TALENT ACQUISITION TALENT ACQUISITION: THE FIVE NEW STAFFING CHALLENGES 13

14 TALENT ACQUISITION CHALLENGE #4: YOUR ONLINE REP IS SUFFERING. As mentioned before, clients and candidates aren t shy about discussing bad experiences with staffing firms both in person and online. Remember, the vast majority of clients and candidates will actively discourage others from using a firm they have had a bad experience with. In today s social media-driven world, everyone has a forum on which to publicly state their opinion for all the world to see, and a bad review can spread like wildfire. Therefore, it s more important than ever to pay attention to what others are saying. HOW TO OVERCOME IT Do your research: Set up Google alerts to track mentions of your firm online. Search online review sites such as Yelp or Glassdoor and popular social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to see what others are saying about you. With online review sites, you have to be proactive, Gregg says. If you wait until you have a bad review to build your strategy, you re too late and will have a hard time overcoming the initial wave of negative reviews. If there are negative comments, respond without being defensive. Acknowledge your critics complaints, thank them for bringing your attention to the issue and tell them how you are working to fix the problem or enhance their experience. Most of the time, people just want to know they are being heard. CHALLENGE #5: YOUR MOBILE SITE IS NON-EXISTENT (OR MAY AS WELL BE). Your firm s success depends on your ability to provide exceptional experiences. That rule extends to the mobile experience as well. As mobile usage becomes more common, clients and candidates expect more from your mobile site. An overwhelming 76 percent of clients and candidates say they will leave a website if it isn t optimized for mobile usage, and 63 percent of clients develop a less favorable impression of a staffing firm if the firm s site isn t useful on a mobile device. These findings wouldn t be so worrisome were it not for the fact that 2 in 5 staffing firm employees say their firm s site isn t optimized for mobile devices, and only 1 in 4 say their websites work very well on a mobile device. 76% 76 percent of clients and candidates say they WILL LEAVE A WEBSITE IF IT ISN T OPTIMIZED FOR MOBILE USAGE, and 63 percent of clients develop a less favorable impression of a staffing firm if the firm s site isn t useful on a mobile device. HOW TO OVERCOME IT Test the usability of your mobile website. If it s difficult to navigate, slow to load or has broken links, it s time to upgrade your website. The best way to ensure a quality mobile experience and keep candidates engaged on your website is though responsive design, wherein the pages of your website automatically adjust to fit any screen size. Responsive design ensures complete mobile optimization and the best possible candidate experience across any computer platform. While the staffing industry s recent share of overall employment has hit record levels, the industry faces low client satisfaction and decreasing candidate satisfaction. The 2014 Opportunities in Staffing study presented by CareerBuilder and Inavero identifies a number of behaviors that increase loyalty from clients, candidates and internal staff. Focusing and delivering on these key behaviors are the best way to move the needle with the people who affect the success of your organization the most. Get more information, key findings, and recommendations at: 14 TALENT ACQUISITION: THE FIVE NEW STAFFING CHALLENGES TALENT ACQUISITION

15 WHERE WE LL BE IN Q4 2014: National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) Annual Conference New Jersey Staffing Association (NJSA) Golf Outing SURVEY METHODOLOGY This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder among 2,203 hiring and human resource managers ages 18 and over (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between August 11 and September 5, 2014 (percentages for some questions are based on a subset, based on their responses to certain questions). With a pure probability sample of 2,203, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/ percentage points. Sampling error for data from sub-samples is higher and varies. American Staffing Association (ASA): Staffing World California Staffing Professionals (CSP) Owners Only Retreat New Jersey Staffing Association (NJSA) Annual Conference & Expo Texas Association of Staffing (TAS) Annual Golf Tournament Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) Executive Forum London TechServe Annual Conference Missouri and Kansas Search and Staffing Association (MKSSA) Owners Retreat ABOUT CAREERBUILDER CareerBuilder is the global leader in human capital solutions, helping companies target and attract great talent. Its online career site, CareerBuilder.com, is the largest in the United States with more than 24 million unique visitors and 1 million jobs. CareerBuilder works with the world s top employers, providing everything from labor market intelligence to talent management software and other recruitment solutions. Owned by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Tribune Company and The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI), CareerBuilder and its subsidiaries operate in the United States, Europe, South America, Canada and Asia. For more information, visit STAY CONNECTED AND JOIN THE DISCUSSION Facebook.com/CareerBuilderForStaffing Twitter.com/CareerBuilder Linkedin.com/company/careerbuilder-for-employers Blog: ABOUT EMSI Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. (EMSI) is a CareerBuilder company that provides industry leading employment data and economic analysis via web tools and custom reports. EMSI has produced more than 1,200 comprehensive impact analyses for colleges and universities in the US and internationally, and our web tools Analyst and Career Coach are used by thousands of professionals in higher education, workforce and economic development, and the private sector. *EMSI data is collected from more than 90 federal and state sources, such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. Census Bureau and state labor departments. EMSI removes suppressions often found in publicly available data and includes proprietors, creating a complete picture of the workforce.

16 THE CAREERBUILDER RECRUITMENT GUIDEBOOK FEATURING THE Q U.S. JOB FORECAST