Preparing for Better Days With Recruitment Tracking Software

As a small business owner, you’ve no doubt learned by now that good times and bad times are inevitable. They’re just part of doing business. The world won’t stop, no matter what you do, so you need to be prepared for the obstacles, pitfalls, and high points that are going to come. In the case of the most recent economic recession, it has been a good time to prepare for better days ahead. Nothing lasts forever, no matter how bleak the outlook seems to be.

Recruiting tracking software may seem like a small thing when the daily news is tracking financial collapses of entire countries and foreclosure rates never seen before in modern banking, but its one of those steps you can take to ensure your company’s future is brighter than its past or present has been. Job applicant tracking is one of those areas that many companies overlook – a mistake. Inefficient tracking and poor management in human resources are two of the main contributors to the failure of small companies. You are the people who work for you. If they are the wrong people and you’re losing the right people to your competitors, you are doomed to fail.

Three years ago, when the economic downturn first began, companies began to lay off workers and downsize departments. A lot of those folks who lost their jobs were qualified workers that became victims of a numbers crunch. Now, as the economic outlook improves, they are starting to re-enter the workforce. If you post a job on a board or advertise in the local newspaper, you will get three times the response that you got just a few years ago for the same action. The unemployment rate is coming down, but it’s still high – there are a lot of candidates out there.

You can’t hire all of them – today. You can however prepare for the future by keeping careful track of those who apply for your open position. Are they the right person for that job or are they a better fit for another department where you don’t currently have an opening? Should you hire them now so you don’t lose them and then move them laterally when an opening pops up or should you tell them there might be something in the future and ask them to wait? These are all questions that go through the minds of recruiters and hiring managers as they try to project the future.

The top applicant tracking systems can help you make these decisions. They’ll give you a way to organize applicants and review them in a way that will help you plan for the future. One positive that comes out of tough times like we just went through is the prudence that business owners tend to exercise when things start to improve. It takes a while before anyone is willing to be aggressive again, but when it happens, it spreads like wildfire and we have a surging economy for a while. Those who are best prepared for that will reap the highest rewards. Do you have the people to help you do that? Recruit them now and keep track of who’s who. Job applicant software can help you.

Start a Business Online – Learn What It Takes

Setting up a business online is becoming popular, for obvious reasons, but what does it take to be successful? There are a number of ways to approach the task, Firstly, all of us get spam, ie, unwanted emails offering a variety of ways to be a millionaire over night, and these mailings actually produce results, otherwise they would not persist in sending them. Please note, I emphasize that the email works by getting people to sign up for the dream of being successful virtually over night, the programs or ideas they purvey do not. Having got the dreamers theory out of the way, let’s get down to looking at realistic ways of earning money online.

You may already be offering a service in your local area and would like to expand your business online. Creating a website promoting your business/services is vital in today’s market, and a number of companies can be found online where this is easily achieved. You will need to register a name for your site, and get it hosted ie, put online for the web search spiders to find your site.

What do we do if we do not have an existing business and want to earn money online? well a number of choices are available to us, but without doubt affiliate marketing is one of the most straight forward methods of starting your own business online. Put simply, as an affiliate, you promote another companies products via your own website or blog, when the people who visit your site go on to purchase products from the site you are affiliated to, you receive a commission. The processing of the sale and delivery of the goods is all done by the parent company.

What I have said so far sounds very simple and easy, and the basic concept as explained above is simple, however, there is much more to this than setting up a web site or blog, and expecting people to click on to your site and purchase the products you are promoting, if it was that simple, we would all be wealthy. So what are the secrets of success in affiliate marketing?. First thing to realise is, there are more sites on the web now than there are people on the planet! Therefor the ultimate task is to get your site up and noticed in front of the others. Learning the marketing methods to a successful website is therefore critical to online success, and there are a number of reputable resources online. As with everything in life to do a job properly you need to learn how to do the job well.

Lifestyle Retailing For Entrepreneurial Retailers

How is it that retailers like Urban Outfitters, Anthropology, The Buckle, Aeropostale and Hot Topic seem to be able to defy gravity? In the last several quarters, each of these retailers have very positive posted results in an environment where very few publicly traded retailers posted a comp store increase of any kind. How are these stores able to do what seemingly nobody else can, particularly in the specialty store segment?

Each of these stores is testament to the fact that a strong, focused retailer can succeed spectacularly even in the toughest of economic times. Take Urban Outfitters Inc, which operates Urban Outfitters and Anthropology. Richard Hayne, founder and chairman of the company, has been widely quoted for his belief that “big is the enemy of cool”, and many observers have pointed out that the company would rather open a new concept in proven markets than saturate every last retail corner with new stores. They go on to note that no two stores are alike, that each store is given a great deal of autonomy, and that the company places a premium on execution.

All of these are valuable points to take away from the story, but there’s another lesson to be drawn that’s specifically applicable for any small, entrepreneurial retailer building a successful, sustainable strategy into the future.

Walk into an Urban Outfitters or an Anthropology store and you immediately sense that there’s something very different going on there. They are selling apparel and accessories, that’s obvious as soon as you walk in the door, but there’s also home furnishings and décor, as well as books and knick-knacks, even furniture here and there. Then you notice the store layout, fixturing and décor, the salespeople and the customers… the customers. The customers are the giveaway to this story. This store isn’t so much about stuff as it is about a mindset, an attitude, a lifestyle.

Building a store around an attitude or a lifestyle isn’t necessarily new, but seldom has it been done on the scale and with the impact that you encounter when you walk into these stores. Here you can glimpse the future of retailing in a niche driven, Long Tail world, and in these stores you can immediately grasp the immense potential for small entrepreneurial retailers to extend these concepts around their own particular niche and strategy. It’s been called lifestyle retailing. In fact, the very best small entrepreneurial retailers have been practicing lifestyle retailing for years.

Lifestyle retailing starts from a completely different premise than traditional retailing. It may seem like a bit of a cliché to say that lifestyle retailing is customer-centric, but, as you see when you walk into an Urban Outfitters or an Anthropology store, that truly is the differentiating characteristic.

Traditional retailing starts with the products and services to be offered. This may be the result of an entrepreneur’s particular product expertise, perhaps an entrepreneur’s background in a very specific market. It is product driven, and asks the question, “This is what we sell, who can we sell it to?” Growth is often defined as expanding the customer base, reaching a broader audience, finding more customers to sell to, and is measured most directly by transaction counts.

Lifestyle retailing begins with the attitude and lifestyle itself, and all that it represents. It is, by definition, narrow and exclusive, focused on a very clearly defined niche. It is customer driven, focused on a narrowly defined customer who identifies with the attitude and lifestyle, and aspires to be a part of it. It begins with the question, “These are our customers, what can we offer them that fully represent the lifestyle they aspire to?” Growth is achieved by offering these customers a broad array of offerings, in an almost infinite possible number of categories, and is measured most directly by units per transaction.

In lifestyle retailing, the physical store itself most directly defines the lifestyle, in its décor and ambiance. The store is unique, distinctive and conceptual. It is not merely a presentation of merchandise, it is a carefully considered synergy of space, materials, textures, colors, sounds, and aromas meant to excite the senses. Stepping into the store is to fully immerse oneself in the lifestyle, to experience the lifestyle and all that it represents.

The salespeople extend the experience, with their knowledge, interest and enthusiasm, in the very way that they engage their guests. They are actors on a stage, except this is not acting; for them this is real life. Their dress, hair, manner, speech and vocabulary are an integral part of the experience, for they are the very embodiment of the lifestyle. They interact with customers as they would with intimates, for to be part of the lifestyle is deeply personal. Their customers are part of the group, in a profoundly sociological way.

And within this context, business is transacted. Price is not nearly as significant an issue as in other retail strategies, because customers aren’t merely buying merchandise, they’re participating in the community, in the lifestyle. Assortments are often broad and shallow rather than narrow and deep because the lifestyle is the driver, and new items are the key to frequent visits and units per transaction. The merchandise itself may seem to be highly discretionary, but in fact is as essential as bread and milk because it is so closely linked to the customer’s sense of identity. It is, by definition, a fashion business.

As the retail landscape fragments between large-scale corporate retailing descending further into price-driven commoditization of mass market merchandise, and each consumer’s desire for things they treasure as a reflection of their individual interests, lifestyle and identity, the opportunity for entrepreneurial retailers is clear. A retail strategy built and marketed passionately around a personally held, clearly defined lifestyle or interest is the path to building a powerful retail presence and a very successful business.

Home Furniture Safety Tips to Help Protect Your Family From Accidents and Injury

Thousands of People are treated annually for injuries associated with furniture. The majority of these injuries and deaths are to children. Here are tips you may use to make your household environment safer for yourself and your family.

1. Falls are a leading cause of injuries and deaths in the home. To lessen the likelihood of falls, eliminate clutter, be sure rugs have slip-resistant pads, keep electrical cords out of walkways and clean up spills immediately.

2. Position or Place furniture in low-traffic areas such as corners and sections of the room, out of the range of mobility so that people do not accidentally run into furniture.

3. Shelves should be strategically placed in bedroom and living room areas to limit reaching. They should be low enough to avoid using a step stool but all items should be at eye level in order to find them easily.

4. Make sure furniture is stable and without sharp corners, if possible. This will minimize the chances of injury.

5. Make sure that furniture surfaces are smooth and free of splinters or rough edges. Nails, screws and other joiners should be tight and unexposed.

6. Be careful not to overload the shelves on bookcases. In some cases, it may be a good idea to secure the top portion of the unit to the wall to prevent it from tipping over, especially if children are present in the home.

7. Use the correct size furniture to house your television. Because of their weight, especially the popular larger models, TVs can fall forward if they are not properly supported.

8. Place TVs on lower furniture, as far back as possible. Use angle-braces or anchors to secure furniture to the wall.

9. Make sure that lids have safety latches that prevent the top from falling freely or slamming shut on fingers or a child’s head. Lids also should not lock automatically. If you have an older chest without safety latches, it is recommended that you contact the manufacturer for a replacement latch or remove the lid.

10. Arrange furniture so that outlets are available for lamps and appliances without the use of extension cords. If you must use an extension cord, place it on the floor against a wall where people cannot trip over it. Remove cords from under furniture or carpeting and replace damaged or frayed cords immediately.

11. Remove rugs and runners that tend to slide. Apply double-faced adhesive carpet tape or rubber matting to the backs of rugs and runners. Purchase rugs with slip-resistant backing.

12. Lamps or switches located close to each bed will enable you to get up at night and see where you’re going. Rearrange furniture closer to switches or move lamps closer to beds. Install night lights where possible.

13. Never allow children under 6 years-old on the upper bunk of a Bunk bed. Bunk beds should have guardrails on each side of the top bunk, with the side against the wall or opposite the ladder running the full length of the bed.

14. It’s a good idea to check periodically to make sure all screws, bolts, brackets and other joiners on your furniture are tight and secure.

15. To prevent tempting your children to climb on furniture, do not place enticing objects on tops of tables, dressers or bookcases.

16. You should not place furniture near windows where children can climb or fall out.

When shopping for home furniture, choose quality furniture that is not only comfortable and beautiful, but safe as well.