Best Blogs of August

Our best blogs for August include stories on how to find tech talent in today’s labor market, the role of culture in a company’s success and the anatomy of a first impression. That’s a lot of great stuff to read as we appreciate the last days of summer!

Finding Tech Talent in a Tough Labor Market

Given the state of the labor market and the talent gap in the tech industry, employers are going the extra mile to recruit tech professionals. Many companies have said they plan to increase salaries for their tech positions in order to attract talent.

In addition to tech talent becoming more expensive, open tech positions can take a long time to fill. According to data from Glassdoor, the average hiring process for a tech position takes about 35 days.

Companies can and should do more to find and hire tech talent. One step employers can take is to create a supportive and vibrant company culture. Even organizations on the tightest budget should be able to compete for talent by offering an attractive business culture. Experienced technical professionals understand the value of an environment where they are supported, appreciated and respected. According to a survey of software developers by Stack Overflow, business culture a top-three priority when seeking a new job.

Read the whole story here.

Culture’s Contribution to Success

More and more, company culture is becoming the bond that brings employees together, connecting a diverse range of talent and backgrounds.

Many company leaders already know company culture has a direct impact on a company’s capacity to vie for talent in the marketplace. However, the complexity of today’s work environment and culture is even more important than ever.

Business leaders can build a strong culture by establishing an inclusive workforce that understands how to work together. Effective collaboration can leverage the power of a diverse workforce. However, collaboration calls for a “safe” culture where sensible risk-taking is allowed and employees can freely share ideas. In these kinds of environments, employees feel like they are part of a community, and are more likely to take ownership over their work.

The tone for an inclusive and collaborative workforce must be set at the top. Company leaders must engage their workforce by driving home the company mission with a strong narrative. When employees fully understand the value of the work they do and, the resulting engagement drives collaboration.

Read the whole story here.

The Anatomy of a First Impression

According to a team of psychologists who have been studying the topic for more than a decade, first impressions are developed based on snap judgments of a person’s trustworthiness and competence.

Team member Amy Cuddy has said that although people tend to believe that competence is the more important of the two, her research has indicated that trustworthiness in more prominent when forming a first impression.

According to Cuddy, this makes sense from an evolutionary point of view, as our ancestors likely lived and died based on their ability to determine if they could trust someone else.

Read the whole story here.