As the war for talent continues to gain steam, the need for the allusive ‘passive candidate’ continues to increase. According to the United States Department of Labor, 16% of the current workforce is considered active, leaving 84% of the labor force classified as passive. These passive candidates are not looking for a new career opportunity, are gainfully employed and are generally content with their role and their employer. Organizations spend thousands, even millions of dollars each year on identifying who these individuals are and where they can be found. Yet many of these same organizations do not experience success in recruiting from this highly successful pool of candidates. I witness this almost every day with the many companies that I work with. It is important to understand that even the most passive candidates can begin to show active candidate behaviors once presented with a compelling career opportunity. This blurring of profiles can end in disaster for the employer and recruiter if not understood and handled appropriately....

Millennials, Generation Y, The Net Generation.  You have heard them called lots of things, but one thing about this group of 70 million plus people today remains the same – the top half of that generation is starting to enter the workforce.

The years represented by this group vary depending on the source, but overall this generation, second largest only to the baby boomers, is said to contain those born roughly between 1977 and 1996 (in some reports, it is taken all the way to the year 2000).  Now ranging between ages 11 and 30, this generation is the first to be brought up from early childhood and adolescence with the Internet, e-mail, text and instant messaging, and cell phones.  Technology is integrated in such a prominent way into the daily lives of these individuals that no one of this generation can really remember what life was like without it.  What does this mean for the workplace?  In any given office, there are four generations working side by side, the Traditionalists...

Qualigence has a partnership with Pathway Family Center, a substance abuse treatment center for adolescents, with offices in Southfield, MI; Milford, OH; and Indianapolis, IN. They provide drug screening, substance abuse assessment and referral, out-patient services, and a unique long-term treatment program. Most importantly, they are a family centered facility that focuses on teaching adolescents coping strategies, life skills, and strengthening both individual and family relationships.

Every quarter, Qualigence employees volunteer their time to help teach a workshop series called “Plan Your Path,” which are career and college guidance workshops focused on getting the students involved and actively thinking about their future. At our last workshops in July, we had one of our biggest classes yet. Furthermore, the Detroit News and Free Press appeared and did a Community Involvement story that focused on the workshops and the relationship between Pathway and Qualigence....