For our June webinar, speakers Michael S. Seaver and Lindsay M. Smith shared how to engage the modern workforce through awards. Among the topics were employee engagement, celebrating rewards, building communication and the influence of awards on employees. The webinar gave attendees valuable insights into how they can encourage employee engagement through organizational awards.

How winning awards influences retention and engagement

First, a live poll was used to learn about the webinar attendees’ biggest employee engagement obstacles. The greatest challenges faced were employee retention and implementing positive communication practices. Though may come as a surprise, a Gallup study found that only 33% of the American workforce is actively engaged.

Michael analyzed this statistic through the use of Gallup’s 12 Elements of Great Managing. Next, Michael used these elements to show how winning corporate awards help to recognize and connect employees to your organization. Furthermore, recognizing employees results in a higher quality of work.

In addition, Michael reviewed AZCentral’s Top Companies to Work for in Arizona from June. He shared about the key tactics that the 125 winning organizations used to encourage engagement. Michael also presented examples from BestCompaniesUSA’s “5 Ways to Develop a High Trust Workplace Culture,” which covers the actions you can take to strengthen employee communication.

How you can celebrate employees through awards

Next, Lindsay shared the key actions you can take to build momentum and develop areas of opportunity. She went on to discuss how organizations can strengthen their workforce through awards. Lindsay referenced key clients such as Charles Schwab and Habitat for Humanity about unique ways to celebrate winning an award regardless of your organization’s budget.

Lindsay is a big fan of how organizations leverage their survey data to create strategic plans, cross-functional implementation teams, and continual metrics tracking. She reminded us that we should be focusing on evolving and growing rather than focusing on the actual number of our ranking.

After the webinar, attendees said that winning awards increased employee pride in their employer, made employees feel unique, and strengthened camaraderie. Even more, attendees said that winning awards validated employees’ confidence in their employer.

In conclusion, Michael highlighted how winning corporate awards makes employees feel a sense of pride, a personal validation for choosing an employer, and respect for their workplace.

So, maybe you’re like our webinar attendees? They said they were going to find new ways to recognize employees and encourage engagement. Please feel free to watch this webinar on our website or listen to it on our podcast.

Resources Used In This Webinar:

Retiring the Generation Gap by Jennifer Deal

Goldman Sachs’ review of millennials

Mass customization

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

Influence by Robert Cialdini

These days, companies are increasingly conscious of the importance of employee retention. Having employees stay and invest their time, knowledge, talents and creativity in an organization contributes to the stability of a company and ensures firms see a return on investment with the people they hire.

While many factors contribute to employee retention, one thing is clear: an employee’s engagement level and connection to the company’s culture play a huge role in whether or not they choose to invest in a long-term career at the company.

Our May webinar, Transforming Culture for Employee Retention, explored the relationship between employee engagement and employee retention. Lindsay, M. Smith, Michael S. Seaver, and Brian Stinson hosted the webinar, sharing valuable lessons for companies interested in creating cultural change for their organization. The trio discussed data from the azcentral.com Top Companies to Work For in Arizona in 2018 report and engaged webinar attendees through live polls.

Here’s a look at what you missed:

1. Biggest Employee Retention Challenge? – The Manager-Employee Relationship

During the webinar, we polled attendees to learn what they believe is their biggest employee retention challenge. The manager-employee relationship came out on top, with employee benefits, cultural fit, and career growth opportunities coming in a close second. Later on in the webinar, Michael Seaver shared about how having 1-on-1 employee meetings and talking about work-appropriate aspects of their personal lives can help build trust between managers and employees, and increase engagement.

2. Only About 1/3 of Employees are “Engaged,” or Happy At Work

Brian Stinson, co-founder and principal of the employee engagement consulting and coaching company The Peak Fleet, shared the findings of Gallup’s State of the American Workforce report. According to the report, right around one third of the American Workforce is happy at work and more than 15% is actively disengaged. Stinson highlighted that the actively disengaged employees are twice as likely to look for a new job.

Stinson connected the report’s findings to his personal journey and professional experiences, explaining how he came to be passionate about helping people find purpose and meaning work.

3. Companies Need Benchmarks

It’s one thing to want to do better when it comes to employee engagement. However, during the webinar, Michael Seaver emphasized the importance of setting benchmarks and recording current employee engagement numbers. He provided a number of ways to do this and shared ideas for companies to connect an employee’s personal mission to the organization’s mission.

4. Employees Have to Be Able to Say “I Feel I am Valued At This Organization”

Everyone wants to feel valued. Lindsay M. Smith shared why it’s important for employees to be able to say they feel valued at work, have made progress at work, and have confidence in the leadership of the organization. She unveiled insightful data from the 2018 Top Companies to Work for in Arizona award winners, unpacking the 10 key drivers of employee retention.

If you missed the webinar, you can watch it on our website. You can also listen to it on our podcast. Don’t forget to register for our upcoming webinars and reach out to us with your questions about employee retention!

Written by: Klint McCoy, Sr. Team Manger, Charles Schwab Trade Support

While I certainly cannot take credit for coining the phrase “fail forward”, I proudly live the ideal that in order to first succeed; you must try and try again. My Schwab story is not unique, however I hope to define a clear picture of how embracing failure is engrained in Schwab’s DNA, and without it you simply limit your personal and professional growth.

My career started at Schwab at a critical point in my life. I was recently married, a first time home buyer, even had thoughts of expanding the family, past the four legged kind. These first few years out of college were truly the first chance in life where I had command of the decisions and choices I made, afforded by a promising career in banking and investment sales. Things were falling nicely into place by design. The only problem was, I failed to factor in how things like the economy and my baked in over confidence and self-worth, could easily become disrupted. In 2008, I was building relationships door to door, providing fee based investment advice in an economy that was supercharged to implode. I’ll never forget the day I witnessed true fear and panic in the faces of so many. Fear easily spread and I caved, resorting to questioning my line of work and worse, my assumed confidence up to this point in my life. Fast forward 7 months and this fear of failure resulted in a layoff and my first taste of career hardship. After a few weeks of angst, I began to reflect on the key choices that led me to my current state. I decided that by making no choice at all, I was in fact, making a choice. I made a decision to “fail forward.”

I reached out to an old contact in banking and she was kind enough to provide a referral to Schwab, working in Austin, TX on the Client Service and Support team. A few short weeks later I came to Schwab to engage with clients on trade strategies and general service needs. Schwab was challenging, yet not for the reasons one may think. With that same misguided confidence, I still had it in my mind that post economic recovery I’d move to be a financial consultant, and quite possibly at another competitor. Thankfully, my first manager recognized the engagement opportunity and worked with me to develop a career action plan. This was the first time in my life I was willing to accept I did not have the answers. I owe Schwab, and most importantly my first manager, for lifting the veil on my first critical failure since joining Schwab.

Failure #1: Believing that I had all the answers: My manager was brutally honest, yet equally supportive. This level of transparency was brand new and it felt great. I knew where I stood and had a clear picture of what success could look like. I decided to fail forward by becoming coachable.

This led to several opportunities, one being a taste of the behind the scenes of Client Service and Support trading operations at Schwab. Because I’d been so closed-minded and laser focused on “sales”, I overlooked a passion of trading risk, education and support, as well as sheer knowledge of trading mechanics at Schwab. Fast forward a few years and I found myself passionate about resolving conflict, leading training efforts, and oddly, something I’d never considered – leadership.

Failure #2: Believing that change was an insurmountable task: At Schwab, you wouldn’t believe the amount of channels that support client or employee feedback for change. Recognizing and championing an idea that helps a professional better serve a client or helps Schwab continue to disrupt the industry is what makes it such a great place. Embracing change is a critical lesson learned.

Failure #3: Not FAILING! Failure is present every day. There’s plenty to go around. If you truly reflect within, operate humbly, and be transparent, you’ll realize that failure is what connects us and truly makes us better.

As a people leader at Schwab representing technology and trading, I regularly ask the question “What have you failed at today?” Maybe: “If one advances confidently in the direction of their dreams, and endeavors to live the life which they have imagined, they will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” – Henry David Thoreau If you have a full appreciation of your faults and a willingness to try, not only will you embrace change, but you will recognize the kind of personal and career growth that Schwab has afforded my family (including my Schwamily) and many others.

Click here to learn more about #SchwabLife!

–

0518-8USR

Written by George Myatt, Business Process Analyst, Charles Schwab.

When someone is presented with a challenge, one of two things happens: you shy away from it, or you embrace to meet the goal behind it. Most default to not wanting to face the unknown, but if you accept the challenge, rewarding moments await you. At Charles Schwab, I don’t shy from accepting big challenges. Instead, I see them as opportunities to make a difference and grow; I have learned some important lessons make the outcomes successful.

The first challenge I accepted was to continue building out an internal team performance recognition website since the previous creator was moved to another assignment. An interactive gallery was on the site titled “Recognition Winners of the Week,” which was reminiscent hall of fame with each winner’s image in a framed picture. I was tasked with expanding the gallery as new winners were announced weekly. There was one problem: I had no idea how the gallery was made online. Instead of running away, a simple thought came to mind: look at the issue in a different way. This meant examining the properties of the graphic to see how it worked. After a little poking and prodding one day, I figured out how to access the design code. Then, I faced another hurdle: I don’t know how to interpret website code! But, I didn’t let fear of failure scare again me. I studied the code, and to my surprise, I was able to read it, and began understanding how it was built. Through some copy + paste and old fashion experimental trial and error, I found out how to continue building the online gallery. I learned my first lessons with accepting challenges: don’t be afraid, dive in, keep going, and you might discover skills you have always possessed.

Though I was the sole hero of a big challenge, down the road of my career, I learned that you need the support of multiple peers to cross the finish line. When I became the leader of the Schwab Pride Austin Employee Resource Group (ERG), my biggest challenge immediately visible: increasing our walker count in the Austin Pride Parade. It looks easy when you notice all those people walking down a street waving rainbow memorabilia and cheering. But, it actually requires careful and advance planning with multiple people behind the scenes working together. It was vital to get more Schwabbies to participate in this event: our presence in Texas was growing, and LGBTQ+ people were becoming more visible in the fabric of our country. Without panicking, I contacted the ERG members, and recruited volunteers to take on the two main areas of the event: registration and marketing.

To increase participation, we invested in a simple online signup process to track Schwabbies registering and deliver email notifications to remind them about the event or other important messages. We also needed to keep people engaged by marketing the event to Schwabbies and clients. With the help our creative services team we created a Schwab branded rainbow shirt with the phrases “Investing in Pride” on the front and “Together for good” on the back. We had a healthy registration of walkers signed up, the shirts were handed out, and all logistics were finalized. However, Mother Nature threw a curve ball: Hurricane Harvey. I organized a call with our volunteers, and we built a contingency plan. No one was going to walk in the parade that day. But, organizers of the Austin Pride Parade event quickly rescheduled everything, so we drummed up the base again. We were ready, again.

The final result was a 483% increase in walkers! Yet, the biggest reward was witnessing crowds lined up down Congress Avenue cheering us on with “thank you,” “we love you guys,” and “y’all rock!” That was the best sign that taking on this challenge was worth it in so many ways. Organizing Schwab’s presence in the parade provided me these lessons: some challenges require partnership with multiple people, and plans can change, so be ready to adjust. And, I realized another thing I was rewarded with: making more connections with my peers at the firm, and inspiring the next generation of leaders.

Our spirit at Schwab is built on the foundation of taking on big challenges to make a difference. I believe in this foundation because I saw it immediately when I first walked through door, and it will always continue to flourish.

To learn more about Charles Schwab’s career opportunities and culture, click here.

0418-8VJX

You are looking for a new financial analyst or financial advisor, but you want to make sure that you hire the perfect candidate. Below, we have compiled a list of 15 of the best interview questions for advisors and analysts. We have included interview questions from BestCompanieTexas most successful companies. You are sure to find the best candidate for your company if you utilize these interview questions!

1. What is your process in a sales conversation?

The success of an advisor or analysts is influenced by their ability to create new clients. For companies like Charles Schwab, this interview question is vital to their decision making because it determines if a candidate is equipped to grow their client base.

2. How would you direct a conversation with a customer that has never worked with a financial advisor or analyst before?

Companies draw in new clients every day. Many clients have never worked with a financial advisor before, making them unsure of where to begin and curious about what the client-advisor relationship is like. At Ryan, LLC., a candidate’s ability to answer this interview question is an important indicator of a his or her communication skills.

3. Please share about a time or situation where you established trust with a customer. How did you go about establishing trust?

Handing your financial information off to a financial advisor can be scary. Establishing a trusting relationship with a client is essential in maintaining and growing your client base. Employers should look for candidates that can confidently answer this interview question.

4. Tell us about a time you cross sold?

Within large companies like Charles Schwab, many different products and services are available to potential customers. A candidate that has experience in cross-selling is a great asset to a team because they can capitalize on their company’s offerings.

5. Have you ever worked with a client who had a negative experience and turned it into a positive experience? If so, share your process.

Unhappy customers are unavoidable. No matter how successful or popular your services are, there will always be customers who are unsatisfied. This is a popular interview question for companies with large client bases, such as USAA. A financial advisor or analyst should always be prepared to change a negative experience into a positive one.

6. If you had $1 million dollars to invest in a company, what are some key things you would consider?

Financial advisors and analysts will work with many clients that are looking to invest. Candidates should be educated on investments and stocks. When applying to large financial firms in the likes of Ryan, LLC., and Charles Schwab, candidates should be able to answer this interview question with ease.

7. What is the difference between an ETF and mutual fund?

It is essential that candidates are educated on financial components. Questions that give insight into a candidate’s financial knowledge are important for companies that specialize in financial services, such as Vanguard.

8. How would you handle finding a discrepancy in details?

A discrepancy in details can happen one of two ways: purposely or accidentally. Working with numbers and figures can often lead to mistakes, so it is important to ask about the candidate’s process of addressing and analyzing these types of errors.

9. What are key factors financial analysts should consider when evaluating prospective investments?

This question is important when hiring a potential analyst or advisor because it assesses the candidate’s financial analysis skills. The candidate’s knowledge on the financial analysis process can be determined through their answer to this question.

10. Which statements on the balance sheet would you reference to assess assets and liabilities? Why?

Financial analysts and advisors must have a vast knowledge on finances and balance sheets. Clients will rely on your candidate to provide insight and advice. The candidate’s analytical and decision-making skills will shine through based on their answer to this interview question.

11. What is net present value and future value. How do you use them?

The goals of investing or purchasing stock are to increase the monetary value of the money being invested. To determine the present value of the investment or stock, a financial advisor must calculate the present value and future value. An educated candidate can not only answer this question, but also explain the importance of these calculations.

12. If you had to make a lending decision based on one part or type of accounting statement, which would it be?

Knowledge of balance sheets and accounting statements is essential in the daily tasks of a financial advisor or analyst. Decisions based on the accounting statement should be made easily.

13. How would you go about creating a client base from scratch?

Often times, financial advisors are responsible for creating for own client base. Whether it be through personal communication or going into the community, gaining new customers is essential to an advisor’s success. A candidate with a plan of action to build their client base shows that they have the ability to drive and succeed  amongst obstacles.

14. What would you say to a client that is fearful of the current economy?

In the world of finances and business, it is no secret that the economy is constantly in flux. Often, clients with investments or stocks become fearful of their financial stability. The answer to this question provides insight on the candidate’s ability to resolve conflicts and build trust with clients.

15. What does success look like to you?

Successful companies often attract employees with an intrinsic drive to excel personally and professionally. A desire to succeed leads to greater employee engagement and customer loyalty. The candidate’s answer to this question is a great indicator of how the candidate will fit into your company’s culture.

At BestCompaniesTexas, we help some of Texas’ best employers attract top talent! If you’re looking to step up your recruitment game, here’s a look at how we can help.

By Luz Beam, Administrative Support Associate at Charles Schwab.

Being part of and caring for my community has never been extracurricular for me.  It was the norm in my family.  My parents fostered a helping hand environment and my siblings and I were involved in not only organized goodwill events, but also in random and frequent acts of impromptu community service. I’m inspired by the lessons taught to me by my parents and their devotion to the community in which they lived.  They taught me to instill happiness in others and to pass on what you can, be it a dollar, a donation, a helping hand or even just a smile.  My inspiration stems from passing on those lessons to my children as my parents did to me so that we can continue the cycle of helping those in need.  I was taught to be the change I wanted to see in the world.  Partnering with Schwab to help our community see that change is why I am a proud Schwabbie.

Prior to coming to Schwab, I felt something missing at my previous places of employment. Because community involvement was so important to me, I wanted to feel that connection with my day to day work and my personal passions.  As I introduced community service to these work places, it always seemed like a foreign concept.  While co-workers and businesses were eager to get involved, there was no action.  I found that many businesses liked the idea of their name being promoted but left planning and details to one lone person to figure out.  Ideas were sparse and I’d plan events after work in between dinner and homework.  I was always happy to do it but I never realized how much working in a supportive environment with like-minded people would change how much one can impact their community.

Schwab allots eight hours of paid work time per year for volunteering or community service.  But that’s just the beginning!  There is always something in the works and on the schedule at Schwab.  We schedule time to organize and plan events.  We brainstorm on how to make our community better.  We talk to non-profit organizations and find how we can help.  We identify events around the city and insert Schwab volunteers as needed.  Best of all, we reach out to our employees to find out what their passions are.  We align people with what they love and let them bring some of that into the work place.  We get a place to share what’s near and dear to our hearts and the fact that a company can identify how important that is to me, makes me realize how much I’m appreciated.

When one can align what they are most passionate about with a job they love, find work/life balance and have a corporation behind you every step of the way, this is without a doubt the place where I belong.  I’ve just completed 14 years and in the time I’ve been with Schwab, I find that when talking about volunteering efforts, I always note that I am no longer alone on this journey to make my community a better place.  What I found at Schwab is a “we” mentality and an organization that truly cares about the communities in which it resides.  We are more than words, we are action!

To learn more about #SchwabLife, click here.

0518-8USR

In April’s webinar, Winning the War on Talent: Recruitment, recruitment professionals discussed a variety of topics. Speakers Michael Seaver, Lindsay Smith, and Denise Gredler shared their expertise on topics such as recruitment trends, data from azcentral.com’s Top Companies to Work award, Arizona’s Most Admired Companies Award, and innovations in client interactions learned through 15+ years of serving the community.

Through a live poll we learned that webinar attendees struggled with finding finding qualified candidates. We uncovered that attendees were heavily reliant on job boards to find talent, such as Simply Hired, Indeed, and LinkedIn.

To begin the webinar, Michael Seaver, a professional in leadership consulting, discussed workforce demographics and their influence on talent acquisition. He analyzed the similarities and differences between the varying generations that exist in the workplace. Seaver shared studies from reputable institutions regarding the influence of a diverse workforce on a company’s employee retention, culture, financial performance and recruitment.

The webinar’s live poll showed that many webinar attendees were not finding success in employing an employer brand or talent CRM. But, attendees were successful in implementing detailed career pages and job descriptions. Many attendees shared that they were sourcing proactively.

Seaver’s discourse was followed by a discussion led by Lindsay M. Smith. Smith, the Vice President of Brand Evangelism for BestCompaniesAZ, gave insight on the shortcomings of traditional interviewing processes. She shared about the value of non-traditional interviewing approaches like in-job auditions, events, casual interviews and virtual reality. Smith reviewed how human resources teams can use big data when recruiting. More so, she discussed the best practices for the creation and use of a talent CRM. To conclude her discussion, Smith reviewed the importance of being transparent when sharing employee stories and sharing about your organization’s culture.

In addition, Seaver and BestCompaniesAZ CEO, Denise Gredler, talked about BestCompaniesAZ’s involvement with the Top Companies to Work for in Arizona award. Gredler shared about interesting recruitment trends. She also shared about what it takes for companies to make the list of Top Companies to Work For. Seaver and Gredler concluded with a discussion on what successful companies are doing to retain employees and recruit talent.

Since the start of our company, BestCompaniesUSA has learned many valuable lessons while consulting on recruitment topics and building employer brands. These lessons include:

• Often times, the commitment to a process is more important than the outcomes
• When you expand your employee referral program you are likely to draw in a larger number of quality applicants
• Never underestimate the value of creative branding
• Your recruiters are a valuable asset- invest in your recruiters’ skill development
• Utilize your talent CRM to build community and share culture

We know our webinar attendees aren’t alone in their desire to master recruitment. They were interested in implementing more creative and defined recruitment efforts, but failed to implement successful recruitment activities. More so, they needed more guidance on how to recruit in new places. If you relate to the struggles that face our webinar attendees, watch this webinar on our Youtube channel or listen to our podcast. This webinar could be just the thing you need to spark your recruitment efforts!

To register for upcoming webinars, visit us here.

Story written and provided by Gloria Martinez, founder of WomenLed.org.

While the number of women in leadership positions is growing, only 4 percent of Fortune 500 companies are run by women. And it’s not because women are underperforming — in fact, one study of female entrepreneurs found that women had to consistently outperform their male peers to secure funding.

Women face added challenges because they must balance being attractive, but not “sexy;” direct, but not “bossy;” and assertive, but not “aggressive.” They must be calm and patient in situations where a man’s frustration would be accepted as normal, and they have to advocate for themselves while simultaneously appealing to the notion of women as collaborative. And despite all the extra effort women have to make in order to be taken seriously, they still consistently earn fewer promotions and lower wages than their male counterparts.

So, how is a young woman supposed to crack the glass ceiling, let alone break it?

Don’t be passive and hope your talents and efforts are noticed, or expect opportunities to drop in your lap. Make a plan with SMART goals for how you want to progress in your career, make your achievements known, and ask for raises and promotions. Don’t expect them to be handed to you. Come armed with examples of your successes, and be prepared to demonstrate why you deserve recognition.

Build your personal brand. Having a strong image within your industry helps you build authority and name recognition and expand your professional network. Write and pitch articles to respected publications, participate in interviews and speaking engagements, and build an online presence that reflects your knowledge, professionalism, and values.

Develop a support network. Surround yourself with other women making professional headway, and spend time sharing strategies for success. Network with women in your field and supportive men in your workplace who can endorse your work.

Keep learning. Marketing in the digital age is an ever-changing field. Stay up on the latest in big data and social media, always be experimenting with new channels for reaching consumers, and make sure you can effectively translate data into strategy so you can sell your ideas to management.

Take risks. This is especially important in marketing, where innovation is the hallmark of success. As a young woman, you’re especially well-poised to identify new strategies because you’re a member of one of the biggest marketing demographics. Be creative and let experiences from your personal life inform your business strategies, and don’t give up at the first “no.” If you believe in your brainchild but your company’s leadership isn’t on board, don’t be afraid to pitch your ideas elsewhere.

No matter what you do, believe in yourself and your skills. Instead of letting unfair pushback get you down, use it as motivation to work that much harder for your goals. Trust your instincts and don’t lose sight of the end game — and most of all, never let your gender become a reason to settle.