The use of automated resume scanning with  Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) has skyrocketed, with nearly 99% of large companies and half of mid-size firms using these technologies to screen applicants. While the practice certainly makes it more efficient for HR to find the right candidates, it can be a minefield for applicants when it comes to getting their resume “past the bots” and into the hands of an actual human. In fact, some 75% of resumes are automatically deleted or rejected by ATS platforms, eliminating candidates regardless of their qualifications. Do’s and Don’ts for optimizing your resume to make the first cut.  1. DO keep formatting simple. Software scans for keywords and other relevant data, but they cannot detect relevancy if the document is incompatible. Don’t let yours be one of the nearly 45% rejected due to incompatibility. Send only Word files (never a PDF) and keep it simple. Some colored text might be ok, and bold, italic and underline fonts, and bullets are fine, but use a standard typeface and a consistent font size. Leave the header/footer blank, don’t use tables or columns, and avoid using templates, all of which result in outright rejection or a jumbled mess the…

The job market has been wild. We went from firing and furloughs during the early days of the pandemic to fighting a war to find talent. With the new Omicron variant, we now have another curveball to worry about. To gain a sense of the job market, GoCo, a leading provider of flexible software solutions for HR, benefits and payroll, conducted a survey of human resources professionals, asking them about the “current state of retention, hiring and pressures on HR to fill vacant positions.” Spoiler alert: the study shows that companies that hesitate to increase wages, enhance benefit choices or offer retention bonuses to attract and keep good workers will have a hard time recruiting and retaining top talent. Nir Leibovich, CEO of GoCo, said about the findings, “HR is under tremendous pressure to fill job positions in one of the most brutal job markets of our time.” Leibovich continued, “It will be critical for companies to listen to HR professionals and leaders about what is working and not working in talent acquisition right now. This survey reveals some critical insights into how companies can retain top talent and bring in new people despite the current challenges.” Here are some…

Nonprofits facing a sluggish recovery from the pandemic might find an opportunity to bounce back with a stronger lean on digital maturity. If 2020 was a shock to the system for nonprofit organizations large and small, 2021 offered an opportunity for rebuilding that many nonprofits tried to embrace throughout the year. But the recovery has been inconsistent, according to research from Independent Sector, with nonprofits serving significantly fewer people and pre-pandemic employment levels not expected to return to normal until July 2022. Given the nature of the recovery, organizations can use this moment to make changes to position them for improvement when the recovery returns in full force, and technology can play a key role in this. There are four main trends to keep an eye on. A New Focus on Digital Maturity Throughout 2021, a common theme emerged with nonprofits: Those that put an emphasis on improving their digital maturity — whether through their marketing, their program management, their data collection or their fundraising strategy — excelled, despite the continuing challenges of the nonprofit landscape. Salesforce’s Nonprofit Trends Report found that nonprofits with high digital maturity were more likely to exceed their goals for fundraising, program delivery, marketing and…

PNP’s Annual Nonprofit Salary Report reveals competition for staff is a key focus as the demand for talent exceeds supply and salaries continue to rise. 77% of respondents reported plans to hire full time staff in 2022.   PNP Staffing Group has just released its 2022 NONPROFIT SALARIES AND STAFFING TRENDS REPORT. This is the 20th year that PNP Staffing Group has published the report, providing salary ranges for 43 key positions across five nonprofit budget sizes. PNP’s report shows demand for talent is exceeding supply, driving salaries for some positions up by an unprecedented 20%. Most highly in demand are senior program managers and experienced fundraisers. Almost two-thirds (61%) of organizations surveyed anticipate paying higher salaries in 2022. “It is clear that the challenge for nonprofit leaders will be to pay attention to offering competitive salaries to fill critical positions in their organizations”, said Gayle Brandel, CEO, PNP Staffing Group. A major trend evident in this report is a stronger emphasis on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). 58% of respondents said their organizational culture is now more focused on inclusivity, with 45% reporting DEI training being implemented throughout the entire organization. 42% of respondents reported that diversity strategies…