Hiring is hard. We make it easier.
Savvy Hires is a consulting and workforce development firm that helps companies develop Strategic Internship and onboarding programs for pipeline development.
80% of employee turnover is due to bad hiring decisions. $136.5M/ yr in the US is wasted on bad hires. The result of a poor cultural fit can cost 50-60% the person’s salary. This turnover can be attributed to poor fit, or poor on-boarding/ training tactics. Savvy Hires was created to help.
A Strategic Internship Program, when done correctly, is invaluable to a business’ recruiting strategy and bottom line. The difference between having an intern and hosting a Strategic Internship Program gets boiled down to business objectives – what are the goals for the program, and are they achieved? The most impactful goal of any program is having an intern convert to a full-time hire – studies have shown employees who were interns are 40% more loyal (have higher retention rates) than their peers who were hired at an experienced level. They also have a higher ability to work cross-functionally, and are more likely to be a strong cultural and skill-set fit, because the company and student have an opportunity to evaluate each other during the Intern Program, prior to committing to a full-time offer. Large companies know this – they employ entire teams to create and manage Strategic Internship Programs and have large hiring “classes” that stem directly from their Intern Program. But for mid-size companies who don’t have the internal resources to manage such a program, the ability to hire this way was out of reach, until now.
Enter Savvy Hires. Savvy Hires uses our 3-phase approach to create and execute our Intern to Employee Program. It starts with a deep dive in to company culture, understanding the company’s long-term growth needs (what functions are growing, where will they need talent in the future, etc.), writing job descriptions, and creating advancement paths for the positions. We then work with our client to recruit and evaluate candidates, and build and execute an Intern Program. Our Intern to Employee program usually consists of pre-internship training for Hiring Managers, creating a Mentor Program, Orientation for the students, weekly development and networking events, and a work assignment/ evaluation process. Feedback is integral to any successful program, and we measure success through bi-weekly online 360 reviews with our performance analytics software, as well as formal mid and final program reviews.
Why Pledge 1%
The Founder of Savvy Hires (Felicia Fleitman) knew from the beginning that she wanted a mission tied to her company, and that her company should “give back” to the community in some way. Not only did the opportunity emerge quickly after she launched, but it has even opened a new line of business for Savvy Hires.
It all started at a networking event Felicia attended a few days after launching Savvy Hires. The keynote speaker was Priscilla Arena, Founder of SASI (Suffolk Asperger & Autism Support & Information – www.sasiny,org), and mom of a son on the Autism Spectrum. Felicia immediately “connected” with Priscilla, mother to mother – she was trying to create a better life for her son – every parent can relate to that. Felicia was surprised to learn how challenging it was for parents with children on the spectrum to support their children in public school, find sensory-friendly activities, etc. A new mother herself, Felicia understood how hard it was to be a parent, even more-so when the “system” is working against you. Then Priscilla said something that really struck a chord: over 90% (not a typo) of people on the Autism Spectrum are unemployed or under-employed. Felicia knew she could help. Felicia began volunteering with SASI to conduct job search strategy training to their population, and is working on the candidates’ behalf to help them find jobs. The work is incredibly rewarding – “we’ve volunteered for other things before (raised money for walks, packed gift bags for fund-raising events, etc.), but this is the first time we are using our skillset and business contacts to impact so many people,” Fleitman said.
The volunteer work has also led to a new line of business. Through a connection with SASI, Savvy Hires was retained by the Bridges Program at Adelphi University. The Bridges Program is for students who have been accepted to the University who are also on the Autism Spectrum. Bridges provides an additional layer of support to ease the transition. One of the best Bridges Programs in the Country, they have two national NASPA awards: The Gold Award for the best College Student Health, Wellness, and Counseling support program in the country; and The Grand Bronze Award for the third highest rated program in all categories. They want to build out their job placement program, and hired Savvy Hires to help. “We created relationships with two employers: Northwell Health, New York State’s largest employer) and Enterprise Holdings. Working with Bridges and the employers, we were able to “tweak” the employers’ hiring practices to make them more inclusive for our students, and get the students interview/ career ready. We’ve also provided training for employer staff, and will provide job coaches through the internships as needed,” said Fleitman. The students are working in several functions, including: IT, HR, Research, Marketing, Management Training, and Customer Service.
“As more employers recognize the benefits of having inclusive hiring practices for people on the autism spectrum, I expect this line of business to grow exponentially,” Fleitman said. “And it all started with our volunteer work.”
To learn more about Savvy Hires, visit www.savvyhires.com.
