Tag Archives: Human Resources

Education, Human Resources

Kaplan University and Leading Global HR Organization Assess What is Needed To Narrow the Skills Gap Between Job Seekers and Open Positions

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Human resources leaders often rank communication skills over tech in business and IT fields, according to Career Tips survey.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (November 25, 2014) — Professionals who can articulate well and adeptly analyze information to make strategic decisions have the edge in business and information technology workplaces, according to nationwide survey commissioned by Kaplan University School of Business & Information Technology with the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).

The survey, which highlights career tips for IT and Business Job applicants was distributed to 3,000 SHRM members nationwide in September, amassing over 350 responses from the administrator to C-Suite level. The goal of the survey was to identify the personal and professional traits that can help secure job opportunities for graduates seeking employment and advancement in the business and IT sectors.

“Kaplan University is keenly focused on making sure our graduates have the skills employers are looking for. We’re constantly evaluating and enhancing our business and IT programs to better prepare our students for the demands in the workplace,” said Dr. Thomas C. Boyd, Kaplan University dean and vice president of the School of Business & Information Technology. “The survey results reaffirm the importance of obtaining ‘soft skills’ like communication, critical thinking and team work in addition to core curriculum competencies.”

Key survey findings include the following:

• Aside from education training, communication (94%) and critical thinking skills (73%) ranked as leading skills for business and general job applicants in today’s workplace.

• Breaking it down by sector, communication (90%) and critical thinking (75%) remained as the top two business job applicant skills; technology/social and digital media skills (72%) and critical thinking (67%) addressed the top IT job applicant skills.

• Adaptability to change (31% for IT jobs; 25% for business jobs) was the one strength that HR professional deemed most important for a person to gain a competitive edge in their field or position.

• Employee referrals and national online job boards (58% and 53%, respectively, for business applicants; and equally 46% for IT applicants) were reported to be the leading resources for human resources recruiters. Internal job postings were another top recruitment source for business positions (45%), and industry-specific/niche online job boards were key for IT jobs (39%).

For more information, visit the Kaplan University School of Business & Information Technology.

About Kaplan University
Kaplan University offers a different school of thought for higher education. It strives to help adult students unlock their talent by providing a practical, student-centered education that prepares them for careers in some of the fastest-growing industries. The University, which has its main campus in Davenport, Iowa, and its headquarters in Chicago, is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (http://www.hlcommission.org). Kaplan University serves approximately 46,000 online and campus-based students. The University has 13 campuses in Iowa, Indiana, Nebraska, Maryland, Maine, and Wisconsin, and Kaplan University Learning Centers in Maryland and Missouri.

Kaplan University is part of Kaplan Higher Education LLC and Kaplan, Inc., a leading international provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Kaplan’s higher education institutions serves approximately 61,000 students online and through 56 campus-based schools across the United States and offer a spectrum of academic opportunities, from certificates and diplomas to graduate and professional degrees, including a juris doctor degree. Kaplan serves students of all ages through a wide array of offerings including higher education, test preparation, professional training and programs for kids in grades K-12. Kaplan, Inc. is a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company and its largest division. For more information, visit http://www.kaplanuniversity.edu.

Media Contact:
Amy Hawkinson
Director of Public Relations
Kaplan University
Office: 954-515-3603
Mobile: 954-459-1324
ahawkinson@kaplan.edu
http://www.kaplanuniversity.edu/business.aspx

Business

Express Employment Professionals Maintains Strong Growth, Awards 10 Franchises in 35 Days

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Express Employment Professionals has announced the signing of 10 new U.S. franchise agreements in just 35 days.

Oklahoma City, OK (USA), July 25, 2012 — As America’s workforce continues to shift from full-time employees to more contract and temporary positions, Oklahoma City-based Express Employment Professionals’ expansion efforts have gone into double time. As a result, Express has announced the signing of 10 new U.S. franchise agreements in just 35 days.

“Staffing services are in high demand, and Express continues to work with thousands of employers and job seekers around the world to keep the economic recovery moving forward,” said David Lewis, executive director of franchising. “To meet this increasing need, we’re rapidly expanding and letting new and existing clients know that we’re here when they need us.”

Among the 10 new Express franchise ( http://www.expressfranchising.com ) owners are Jay Diaz in Meridian, Conn.; Jason and Christi Patrick in West Nashville, Tenn.; Doug Dirrim in Roswell, Ga.; Diego Lejwa in Memphis, Tenn.; Brad Collins in South Kansas City, Mo.; Jim Bartunek in Central Suffolk County, N.Y.; Fran Mackovjak in Delaware County, Pa.; Jim Sovacool in Lakeville, Ohio; Greg Lavelle in Worcester, Mass.; and Mitch Porter in West Suffolk County, N.Y.

As one of the nation’s largest privately-held staffing firms, Express put more than 335,000 people to work in 2011, providing expertise in evaluation hire, temporary staffing, professional search and human resources. As the company expands, it continues to achieve record breaking sales growth. Most recently, Express franchisees set an all-time record in average clients billed per office at 35.68 for the week ending June 24. Together, franchise owners across the country billed a record 15,271 clients for the same week. Express projects company growth to top 18 percent in 2012, and plans to award 64 new franchise locations in the U.S. and Canada, targeting Orlando, Fla.; Detroit; Chicago; Fairbanks, Ala.; and Hartford, Conn. Sales for the company reached $2.1 billion in 2011, with the average territory generating sales of $4.5 million.

Express ( http://www.expresspros.com ) began franchising in 1985 and has consistently maintained a 98 percent approval rating from franchisees on the quality and opportunity of the Express system. The company was named the No. 1 staffing franchise in the U.S. by Entrepreneur as part of the magazine’s thirty-third annual Franchise 500® list and also ranked in the top 100 on the magazine’s Top Global Franchises list in America.

“Our franchise owners come from various backgrounds such as sales, management, human resources and finance and all share a vision of controlling their own destiny through business ownership,” Lewis said. “While the Express model does not require partnerships for success, jointly owned franchises make up approximately 20 percent of our franchisees, and husband-and-wife ownership teams are common. We also have numerous franchise owners in our system who are military veterans.”

For information about purchasing an Express franchise, visit http://www.expressfranchising.com. For more information about Express and its services, visit http://www.expresspros.com.

Express EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS
8516 NW Expressway
Oklahoma City, OK 73162
Contact: Sherry Kast
Phone: 405-840-5000
Websites: http://www.expressfranchising.com / http://www.expresspros.com

Press & Media Contact:
Christine Picchietti
Sanderson & Associates, Ltd
8516 NW Expressway
Oklahoma City, OK 73162
312-829-4350
christine@sandersonpr.com
http://www.expressfranchising.com
http://www.expresspros.com

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Real Time Press Release Distribution

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In today’s Internet the real time information is already playing a significant role in how businesses and people access and consume the information online. Technologies online have emerged up to the point where 2 minutes may sometimes be the difference between having tens of thousands of people not only seen your PR announcement, but creating a long tail of reactions across the vast real time online space adding up to your overall online presence/reputation and your message being buried down among millions of other identical pieces of information.

Considering how crucial the real time information for the average business and web user appears to be, one can only imagine how great the impact of the real time information flow over the public relations business online can be.

That’s why we think it is about time for RealTimePressRelease.com — real time press release distribution online.

In a nutshell RealTimePressRelease.com is a do-it-yourself publishing platform for real time press release distribution. It’s free and you can instantly have your press release published on RealTimePressRelease.com as well as released via the Web, the Blogosphere and the Twitter. Having spent almost 2 decades within the PR industry, and currently engaged with EPR Network, one of the largest press release distribution networks online, it’s been just a matter of time for us to realize how vital a real time press release distribution service online is.