Is using video games to recruit deceptive?

Next to the Banana Republic and Victoria’s Secret shops in the Franklin Mills Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, you can now find the state-of-the-art Army Experience Center. Complete with a Humvee, a Black Hawk Helicopter and an Apache gunship, the facility is part of a two-year experiment by the Army to boost recruiting numbers.

The Army spent $12 million constructing the facility and packing it full of computers and video games for an interactive, virtual reality experience designed to recruit new soldiers.

After four months, 33 full-time soldiers and five reservists have signed up - a figure that matches the performance of the five recruiting centers it replaced.

The army says the Experience Center is more than just a recruiting hub, and also serves to “dispel misperceptions about Army life,” according to a recent Reuters article.

"We want them to know that being in the Army isn't just about carrying weapons and busting down doors," said Jennings, who wears slacks and a polo shirt rather than a uniform. About 80 percent of soldiers are not involved in direct combat roles, he said.

But some people, including former soldiers, think the use of video games in recruiting for the Army is glamorizing war and can mislead potential recruits. Jesse Hamilton, a former Army staff sergeant who served in Iraq in 2005 and 2006, called the video games “very deceiving and very far from realistic.”

"You can't simulate the loss when you see people getting killed," said Hamilton, who left the Army after his Iraq tour and is now a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War.

"It's not very likely you are going to get into a firefight," he said. "The only way to simulate the heat is holding a blow dryer to your face."

We want to know what you think - Could the Army Experience Center be considered a deceptive recruitment technique or is it just a creative way to meet recruiting goals?

Employee engagement drives loyalty, retention

Employers that focus on employee engagement and encourage creativity will attract high-performing job candidates and retain loyal employees, giving their company the competitive advantage, according to a new survey by IMR Research Group.

“Business leaders are now recognizing the role employee engagement and loyalty plays in the financial health of a company,” Stacey Randall, IMR’s workplace futurist, said in an IMR story.

“Employee engagement directly impacts profitability and you are wasting resources – human and financial – unless you are focusing on the policies and practices that are going to give you the most bang for your buck.”

Survey results revealed that the workplace attributes with the greatest impact on employee loyalty and retention are:

• Trust between managers and employees
• Influence on goals and strategy as they relate to the job
• Opportunities for professional development
• Employee empowerment for decisions
• Encouragement of creativity
• Passionate and motivated employees
  

Keeping employees engaged and management focused on the key factors affecting loyalty, will increase job satisfaction and decrease the number of employees searching for opportunities elsewhere.

“The future of the American company rests on our ability to innovate, and workers understand how brainstorming and other creative thinking sessions can contribute to the company’s bottom line as well as make employees feel their input is valued,” Randall said.

“This study indicates that these attributes are not standouts in employees’ minds, but efforts to improve in these areas can lead to great results.”

What’s my job anyhow?

Ever been in one of these situations?

• You need help in the office, so you post a vague job description to test the waters and see if anyone bites. A very smart, highly-qualified applicant does bite at your job posting and wins an unfitting position at your company, because they’re just so wonderful you couldn’t let them go.
  
  
  
• Your company goes through a reorganization, managers slack on planning for the change and the ever-willing college grad gets stuck in a “we’ll figure it out as time goes on” position.
  
  
  
• Management changes, and although it's clear the new manager has different ideas in mind, the employee is never told exactly what those are.
  

After a few weeks on the job, the employee in any one of these situations may be asking themselves - What’s my job anyhow?

Neither your company or the employee will benefit from the directionless position they’re in. When an employee doesn’t understand their role at work or are unclear about their job description, you will be left with a very stressed and anxious employee on your hands.

The main reason why employees leave a job is because they don’t see opportunities for advancement. If an employee is confused with the role they play at work, you may be giving them a good reason to jump ship.

A well written, clear job description will help you attract the right employee for the position and keep current employees on track.

Employers should ensure that job descriptions are always accurate and up-to-date. A good job description should include:

• Main purpose of the job. Try to describe this in one sentence.
• Main tasks of the job. Use active verbs, like “writing,” “repairing,” “calculating,” instead of vaguer terms like “dealing with,” “in charge of”
• Scope of the job. Expand on the main tasks and importance of the job. Note how many people will be under their supervision and what major skills are important to the job.

Employees can often feel that what they do is pointless if they can’t see how it fits into the big picture. Keep a direct line of communication between managers and employees to make sure everyone stays on track with company and personal goals.

Managers should give employees constant feedback, complete with expected job performance and monitor employees' progress. When employees know what is expected of them, with goals to achieve, they're more likely to stay on track with a clear picture of how they contribute to the bottom line.

Jobs- supply, demand & unemployment rates

How long did it take you to land your current job? Are you currently looking to get a job, sending out hundreds of resumes, searching all the job posting sites and asking around and still can’t find anything? Well, don’t blame yourself because you might not be the problem.

State Unemployment Factors

Check the unemployment rate in your state ---that rate is directly related to the length of time it takes an employee to land a job.

A recent article from CNN.com listed the top ten worst states to find a job, ranked by their unemployment rate. If you're are in one of those states you can expect to spend more time on your job hunting efforts in order to land a job.

You may have the right skills and experience but the jobs are just not there. And if they are, there are too many qualified applicants, so your odds getting that job significantly decrease because there are many competitors competing for that position.

As a job hunter, this situation obviously works against you.

What does it mean for HR mangers?

From the recruiter and HR manager side, this situation is better.

For every job opening in these states, you will probably receive piles of resumes from qualified candidates.

The results are twofold:

A better selection of applicants

High unemployment means you can afford to be very picky about whom you choose to fill out a position.

Lower salary expectations

You may be able to offer a lower pay for the position, knowing that someone qualified will be willing to take it. But be careful. Employees who feel they are seriously underpaid tend to have lower performance, despite the dire job situation.

The plus for recruiters in better job markets

If low unemployment in your state is making qualified applicants difficult to find, consider focusing your advertising and recruitment in states on CNN's list. With or without relocation benefits, you might find the perfect candidate for those hard to fill positions.

The other side of the coin

If you are a job seeker, check out this article about the top 15 great cities for job seekers. You may want to relocate!