tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78893312161038447922024-03-13T11:36:00.537-05:00The Recruiter's SpaceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7889331216103844792.post-16598957123678659022009-06-09T11:20:00.005-05:002009-06-09T14:53:14.050-05:00Uncertainity in the Driver's SeatOne of the messages that I've been preaching to the hiring teams I am supporting is that uncertainty is the only predictable element of today's candidate market.<br /><br />The recent trend of our <span style="font-style: italic;">slowing</span> unemployment rate, our <span style="font-style: italic;">slowing</span> foreclosure rate and our <span style="font-style: italic;">slowing</span> home-price decline is a perfect example. This is all being trumpeted as good news. I suppose in a wacky, reverse-world kind of way it is.<br /><br />This uncertainty is evident in the staffing and recruiting world, too. Hiring managers are eager for a late-90's like surge in candidate interest and willingness to consider new opportunities. Many hiring managers perceive that if they have an opening on their team, candidates should be abundant.<br /><br />Not really. While I am seeing spurts of candidate hyper-activity; it is relegated to sectors hardest hit by actual lay-offs and closure. Think automotive and banking/investing/finance.<br /><br />Holistically, however, what I am seeing is actually a frozen candidate market. Hiring managers are concerned that requisitions to replace terminated employees will not be approved; so mediocre-performing employees are kept in position instead of terminated. Employees who are drained by low-job satisfaction are staying in position, regardless of their self-satisfaction. In short, openings aren't being created, employees aren't going out to the open market. Compound this with recent announcement that more people than expected <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">are retiring</span> after layoffs; we are will soon be looking at a candidate shortage.<br /><br />An interesting comment heard from my local <a href="http://www.ktsa.com/">KTSA</a> radio-host <a href="http://www.JackRiccardi.com">Jack Ricardi,</a> seems to sum up the feelings of many today. Jack commented that it made sense that unemployment has slowed down; there are too few people in most organizations left to cut.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Stephanie Kelly is a recruiting systems evangelist,
and owner of SSK HR Consulting.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7889331216103844792.post-52494796005912635672009-04-09T13:43:00.005-05:002009-04-10T10:47:37.610-05:00Job Seeker Tools - pass it onI was honored to host a Job Seeker seminar last week at <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.schertzunitedmethodist.com">Schertz United Methodist Church</a>, here in Texas. There were lots of great questions from the participants - most importantly, there was hope.<br /><br />I've started to intermittently listen, watch and read the news to deflect most of the pessimism and gloom in the media. So instead of caving into the hype and memorizing messaging, I'm going to do something.<br /><br />First, I'm actively recruiting for folks in many disciplines, and geographies. If you haven't already, feel free to send me your resume.<br /><br />Second, I'm keeping an eye out for all things new and useful to help all my friends who are in search of a new or better career opportunity. I'll pass them along as they come up - but here are some of my favorites so far:<br /><br /><ul><li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.jobangels.org">JobAngels</a>- a grass-roots effort to help those looking. Not a typical job board, rather, a community encouraging Job Karma. Know of a job? Pass it on. Need a job? Put yourself out there. <br /></li><li>Social Networking - ahem, read my earlier blog. Put yourself 'out there'. Some very recent data shows that Twitter, MySpace, FaceBook, and LinkedIn are here to stay and people like it! Try it - you don't have to blatantly ask for a job - but it's a great way to connect and tire-kick. PS - JobAngels is on FB and Twitter, too.<br /></li><li>Create your <a href="http://www.visualcv.com/">VisualResume</a> - like your LinkedIn profile on steroids, but transportable (pdf downloadable) and dimensional. Oh, and it's free, too. </li><li> Streamline your search process - use aggregator tools like <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.indeed.com">Indeed</a>, or really jump into web2.0 and follow this <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?q=+%23jobangel+OR+%23jobangels+OR+%23jobangles+OR+%23jobs+OR+%23job">hashmark jobsearch query</a> on Twitter.</li><li>Go old-school. Actually ask two new people a day to think of you when they hear about job opportunities. Who knows what they might hear...</li></ul>Finally, keep the faith in yourself and the what your future holds for you. Or, in the words of the very sage <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.daveramsey.com">Dave Ramsey</a>, "refuse to participate in the recession."<br /><br />Go get 'em!<div class="blogger-post-footer">Stephanie Kelly is a recruiting systems evangelist,
and owner of SSK HR Consulting.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7889331216103844792.post-70300815291405602742009-02-23T08:43:00.006-06:002009-03-04T12:11:46.977-06:00Fast Forward on 2009Lexus just introduced it's newly-updated SUV, the RX for 2010.<br /><br />While I am not what you would call a car hound, I certainly have an appreciation for fun and sexy cars (my personal all-time favorites would definitely be the '85 BMW 635csi and a vintage '55 VW Kharman Ghia coupe), Lexus' have never captured my attention.<br /><br />So while the Lexus RX has always seemed a little staid to me, what really made me stop was, the marketing approach for the RX: <span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">2009 is a write-off, let's skip it and look ahead to 2010</span></span>. Wow, it's going to be a long year.<br /><br />This approach makes me wonder - is 2009 going to be like a TiVo show that you end up fast-forwarding to the end (or maybe wish we could)?<br /><br />I was speaking to a friend who just returned from a leadership conference his employer held this month. The friend's employer is tightening its belt and settling in for a bumpy ride. But even more frightening was an off-hand comment from an official of the organization that employee's are 'frankly just lucky to have a job.'<br /><br />Having spent the better part of the last month interviewing candidates (about 75% of them unemployed from the auto or allied industries), the pragmatist in me agrees.<br /><br />The HR strategist in me is worried - employers that embrace this 'be thankful or else' attitude are going to have a rude awakening at the end of our recession/depression/whatever-you-call-it.<br /><br />Employees 'left standing' at the end of 2009 will likely have been surrounded by layoffs in their organization. According to a recent (<a href="http://www.leadershipiq.com/index.php/news-a-research-/recent-studies/150-layoff">Dec 2008</a>) scientific study (4000+ employees from 3100+ companies) conducted by <a href="http://www.leadershipiq.com/">Leadership IQ</a>, these 'survivors' are 87% less likely to recommend their organization as a good place to work and believe (61%) that the companies prospects are worse.<br /><br />So, fast forward to 2010 (or for the real pessimists in the crowd, 2011). If the survivors remaining in organizations mirror the finding above - will they stay when new opportunities come up? Or, will they 'be thankful' to leave?<br /><br />My bet is that employees told they should be thankful, will be thankful - to leave.<br /><br />And, after all is settled from this economic tsunami, we are still left facing an inevitable reality: the bulk of our workforce is aging and still anticipating retirement (perhaps pushed off a few years), we haven't produced the scientists, engineers, nurses, doctors, technicians, etc that our economy and organizations need to be optimized.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Stephanie Kelly is a recruiting systems evangelist,
and owner of SSK HR Consulting.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7889331216103844792.post-39519049645546060292009-01-27T13:43:00.001-06:002009-01-27T16:49:37.593-06:00Creativity = Compensation?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">While lurking around FaceBook, a</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.facebook.com/ac.php?i=6002247863153&meta=AAAAAQAQ4KyZ4QiwtY4KNCim62uR3wAAApfqNBdTsAwFtNnFo3Np48BMrS5n1lJNiGImDjZqSSbYEjA6WjqmVf37nTN-NPA4xQtvd2_Tt2VkVdtMnJNXfy8FAaVEfrdnEZyMMT5hP6V1PbGv5TzbOedo8gkQPDQRATyWMn0X6S0hVLRp-m-oOmyp4Y_-MZkg5qjfSSAoZKmeDEhx5kR56Fjyv26mfNj1gUbCwe6K6H38W6SQgLEKWFfwW8cDqt3Fz0yhz1dYpjbqekqHpF-smQ57wWk59P3olvDU5k0o2BfsRfC08fohTAVkBT_y46MBoXdi-i8CLp3eExaqJyWemNiXq3IbCvoPSVK24aSKQUopUpMnaHjeE5WnbgNLgR5xBXfsQowsVKJKINqCjoT_WAg4qFnG7JFbYeeLEPanlv8KtDhmtoh-BDFI1dey3LISQIfPwSBaVjheVNRp8eb4UK8l2u7iigcl3Hw17KIwDtRmvnh9c4Gs6c1oh2aC2nB6t1YbUryxQ2iymAtxSrXMzHWkIG5IdC6gePtuZjePbN5qBwMJXdI7BnXxMI7sa82XHJ-h0SyvFL6b9oJmizfFAyIFfXJ15j-AYjpx7VxZc0RZcppYisujglY4eH1zgazpzWjuhhonlkHxEHnIXExl-3te_zfAwMylVaJaC_Gz2PxcF1ZyHfVUTLoYd33u4TjdnYIaUERYBBm5HOQI1DvusYeirbRGOuD-W78LJnq6IwcUHF-x1wlgu97zsDpDRxzcYpGFUt9nl90IEIKo8CtuDYPdMkRMFL29hxco5qFl3W-o5vQrlm78o1eX37shPVbRpLjlQKs0wfF7oGMzhNlPniZ4rCZcwk2HDARY7vvcbpF7dUInYpBltZls6mE6dnhCNwSGt3kyv7yWYHqIx7hhRd8b"> pay-per-click ad</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> popped up on my screen for a Quality Engineer for hire. Since I am perpetually (it seems) on the look out for strong Quality Engineering candidates, I was drawn like a moth to a candle to at least look and see if there was a potential talent match. So, I ended up downloading the resume of Kaz Haque, an independent quality consultant (If you are on the hunt for a quality expert, check out his home page at </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://gqat.com/">http://GQAT.com</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">While Kazs' approach isn't entirely novel (we've heard crazier self-promotion tales), it does show just how active and engaged a good career search will need to be in current times. It boils down to the most basic of selling techniques "A-B-C" (Always Be C(s)elling). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Just the other day, a morning show on TV showcased a young, laid-off, widowed-mom talking about her floundering career search. What was she doing? </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Occasionally</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, sending out her resume. After six months (she was intelligent, educated and presented well), she was still unemployed. Surprised?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Interestingly, a career coach recommended hand delivering her resume to 'get in the door.' Frankly, I question the efficacy of the hand-delivered resume technique. After all, I (like lots of other recruiters) run searches for positions all across the country for hiring managers far flung across the map. In today's world of technology, I would reccommend other techniques of getting seen and heard.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So, for all you job hunters out there, here are some low-cost, high-return ideas to amp-up your career search:</span><br /><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Attend networking meetings</span>. Might seem obvious - but broaden your horizons. If you are an accounting guru, don't just go to the mixer for your local CPA chapter - especially if all of you are there to finds leads on a new career opportunity. This is an over-saturated market. Instead, look up the next mixer for the local APICS or SHRM chapter, and get to know decision-makers and influencers outside of your expertise. Or, attend a local Chamber of Commerce speed networking breakfast. Remember, break-out.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Video Resume.</span> Not for the faint of heart - and, no, not on VHS. Think <a href="http://youtube.com/">YouTube</a> or <a href="http://iviioo.com/">iviioo.com</a>. Keep it brief, think elevator speech. Avoid anything that would remotely resemble an <a href="http://www.americanidol.com/auditions/">American Idol</a> audition tape. Ikes. Good taste and common sense will prevail.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beef up your resume.</span> If you copied and pasted your last job description onto your resume (you know who you are), your laziness will be reflected in the lack of zeal employers show in your paper. Your resume is about YOU and what you DID. Not what you should have, or were expected to do. Include <a href="http://www.seekingsuccess.com/articles/art110.php">action words</a>, show results (or metrics). If you worked for a series of small, unknown or obscure organizations, include a hyperlink to the company webpage or <a href="http://hoovers.com/">Hoovers</a> summary. This will help recruiters/screeners who are looking at your resume draw relevancy between you, the search and the other qualified applicants.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Create a Blog with a mini-bio and online resume to start crafting your <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/10/brandyou.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Personal Brand</span></a>.</span> <a href="http://blogger.com/">Blogger</a> and <a href="http://wordpress.org/">WordPress</a> are two very friendly, free tools that you could use to get up and running within hours. Be sure to include 'key words' on your online resume (so spiders can find you).<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Create (and freely distribute) your personal calling card.</span> Include your email, cell and blog URL.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Register yourself with online directories and networking sites.</span> Make sure you are available to be found in membership directories for any associations to which you belong. Create and own your profile in databases like, <a href="http://www.zoominfo.com/Registration/Register.aspx?type=6">ZoomInfo</a> and <a href="http://www.jigsaw.com/DS.xhtml">Jigsaw</a>. Make sure you are up-to-date in FaceBook, LinkedIn, Namyz...<br /></li></ul><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Market, market, market yourself. You have one goal, making your career search the most succesful marketing and promotion campaign you have ever seen. This takes work and effort; all of which will be rewarded.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">If you ultimately insist on (or someone else compels you) pounding the pavement to deliver resumes and get interviews - think strategically. Target smaller companies who are more likely to recruit locally and who have hiring managers in town. A satellite office for a major employer is rarely going to house a recruiter; and it is not uncommon for hiring managers to work remotely or be on the road.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Finally, keep in mind, the outcome of a National Association of Sales Executive survey:</span><br /><ul style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"><li> 48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect </li><li>25% of sales people make a second contact and stop </li><li>12% of sales people only make three contacts and stop </li><li>Only 10% of sales people make more than three contacts </li><li>2% of sales are made on the first contact </li><li>3% of sales are made on the second contact </li><li>5% of sales are made on the third contact </li><li>10% of sales are made on the fourth contact </li><li>80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact</li></ul><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Translate and apply these statistics to your career search in </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >any economy</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, and you will prosper. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Drop me a line if you implement one of these techniques and let me hear about your successes.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stephanie Kelly is a recruiting systems evangelist,
and owner of SSK HR Consulting.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7889331216103844792.post-84886695499006495712009-01-22T16:30:00.000-06:002009-01-22T16:37:16.915-06:00Are you feeling it?It seems impossible to go through a day without hearing something about the economy, job loss, banking turmoil, you name it.<br /><br />But how is the economy actually impacting your career? What have you experienced? Job cuts, salary cuts, 401k-match cuts, overtime eliminated?<br /><br />Tell us your story - drop a line (linktosteph@gmail.com) with comments on how the economy is impacting your career to, or answer our <a href="http://polls.linkedin.com/p/18152/vttgn">LinkedIn poll</a><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stephanie Kelly is a recruiting systems evangelist,
and owner of SSK HR Consulting.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7889331216103844792.post-72571337849823256802008-09-05T09:29:00.000-05:002008-09-05T23:40:35.164-05:00How do they do it?<div> Is your organization challenged by employee turnover? Perhaps struggling to get find qualified, interested, motivated applicants? Just looking for ideas on how to shore up your employee retention platform? In the 2008 Forbe's Top 100 Companies to Work For report, you'll find plenty of clues on what other companies are doing right. A space on this annual report is coveted by the select companies that make the list, recruiters looking to identify 'the best' talent sources on the market, and candidates wanting to make career moves to find greener pasture.<br /></div><br /><div> </div>Savvy executive leaders know the well-documented links between employee engagement, operational performance and shareholder value/profitability.<br /><div> </div><br /><div>But, take a look at the list... and maybe you'll see something that I contiually do. Absent from the list (as they have been for MANY years) are the 'big boys' of Wall Street - no IBM, no GE, no 3M.</div><br /><div> </div>Instead, we see.... retailers, lots of them. Surprising still, no Saks, Target or other 'world-class' operations. When I look at the list of retailers I see companies like Wegmans who has long provided one of the best GROCERY shopping experiences you could have - like my fond childhood memory of being a part of the Cookie Monster Club. (As an adult, one my required stops when I go home to visit my family includes a stop of Wegmans simply to bask in the presence.) What do they do to inspire loyalty of customers and employees alike?<br /><div> </div><br /><div>Let's face it, retail is NOT glamorous. In my high school and college years, I performed my stint of retailing. Had I been part of team for a company like a Wegman's or Starbucks, I probably would have had a much better perception of the retail opportunity as a career. Instead, I got out of retailing as quickly as I could for my own greener pasture.<br /></div><br /><div> </div>What do these retailers do that other companies can replicate? They don't pay huge salaries (Wegmans ranks #82 in pay), they don't offer massage treatments, they don't offer fancy cars or free cell phones. Simply put, they have followed the fundamental rule so easy to forget in business and at home - KISS! Or rather, I mean Keep It Simple, Stupid!<div> </div><ul><li>Offer flexible schedules's. My hometown favorite, Wegmans, is a bastion of opportunity for students, mom's, and people seeking second jobs - in addition to providing high-longevity career paths for employees looking for career options.</li><br /><li>Offer health and welfare benefits. I know, benefits are expensive. But, companies that get the COST of absenteeism, and poor employee health understand the return on this investment. And, Maslov's theory requires our basic needs to be fulfilled before allowing us to reach higher levels of 'actualization' - if you don't have good employee health, you won't have good employee performance. Some industry leaders (like the List's 12th place mention, Nugget, another supermarket) offer 100% paid benefits.<br /></li><br /><li>Respect, respect, respect, respect. Rember the addage, people quit managers not companies? Look at the home builder David Weekly (#17). They don't offer many perks of employment compared to most on the list. But, according to the writers at Forbes "when the homebuilding industry slowed, the privately held firm canceled its annual reward trip and tripled severance pay for laid-off employees." Huh.<br /></li><br /><li>Career Pathing. How do you start out as a high-school student bagging groceries, and end up managing a department or a retail store? Wegmans has this figured out; with great success.<br /></li><br /><li>Support Continued Education and Personal Growth. Let's talk Paid Sabbaticals (#31 Alston & Bird). Or, how about robust tuition reimbursement programs (#42 Mitre)?<br /></li></ul><p>So, does any of this sound unreasonable? Many organizations balk at flexible scheduling, citing fears that scheduling needs won't be met, mass chaos will ensue, and that western civilization will fall. Ok, it is more work to schedule a dynamic staffing plan (and there is very little more challenging than staffing a 24/7 retail operation). But how productive is a staff that is distracted by being at work when outside obligations are calling them? Not very.</p><p>The take away from all of this is simple, each of these companies has found a message that was important to their business (retailers looking to reduce churn, consultancy looking to retain thought leaders) and created programs (great medical benefits, incredible work-life balance options) to stand shore up business need AND human need.<br /></p><p>These companies identified issues that mattered to the bottom-line, connected it the issues of their employees all to find a win-win solution. Look into your own organization, find one employee issue and I'll bet you can find a solution that yields bottom-line success.<br /></p><div> </div><br /><div> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stephanie Kelly is a recruiting systems evangelist,
and owner of SSK HR Consulting.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7889331216103844792.post-44698017906858496232008-07-28T16:58:00.000-05:002008-09-05T23:43:34.114-05:00Where are all the candidates?<p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Recruiters are buzzing about a growing trend of candidates becoming increasingly hesitant to explore new opportunities unless they are being <b><i><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">forced</span></i></b> to do so. A number of factors are contributing to this change in the candidate’s job market, none of which will be surprising, including:<br /></span></span></p> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;font-family:trebuchet ms;" start="1" type="1"><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><i><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">rising fuel, food and living costs</span></span></i></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> – we are consistently hearing candidates discuss this as an issue at all levels (yes, even in senior-level exempt searches). Candidates are voicing their flexibility of sacrificing title, salary and prestige in order to reduce, eliminate or avoid increasing their commutes. Likewise, we are seeing candidates reject opportunities that would require increasing commutes.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><i><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">retracting housing market </span></span></i></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">– with the stalling to collapse of the housing market, we are seeing candidates less willing to consider opportunities which require relocation. This is further decreasing our available pool of candidates (again at all levels – but most especially at professional to senior management levels – the bigger the mortgage the bigger the bust)</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><i><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">general market and political uncertainty – </span></span></i></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">regardless of a personal opinion on the state of the financial market or politics, the general consensus heard across the spectrum from candidates is that we are in an environment of uncomfortable change, uncertainty. This perception ranges from a general sense of indecisiveness of what the future holds to an entirely negative perception of the near future. This uncertainty is being fed by increasing layoffs, continued financial market turmoil, and the looming presidential election.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><i><span style=""><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">on-going candidate population trends – </span></span></i></b></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">the start of the baby-boom retirement wave, shrinking availability of well-prepared college students and ‘mommy drain’ continue to stress the available candidate pool.</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></li></ol> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">The combination of these factors is leading to a fairly typical ‘grounding’ effect on the candidate pool. As these trends move through their life cycles, candidates will have a greater tendency to ‘go to ground’ by choosing to maintain their status-quo (even it is mildly to intensely uncomfortable) rather than exploring then unknowns of a new career opportunity. In other words, from the perspective of a candidate, a major life change of a new career move in the midst of escalating living costs, depressed housing market and peak layoffs is not an ideal market to make a career move. Think a depression mentality – a bird in hand is better than two in the bush.</span></span></p> <p style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">We are going to see reduced volume of applicants and an increased rate of withdrawals of candidates from the application/consideration process.<br /><br />What can you do to encourage, engage and retain candidates?</span></span></p> <ol style="margin-top: 0in;font-family:trebuchet ms;" start="1" type="1"><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Sell the opportunity – the real opportunity, its challenge and growth.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">While selling, be genuine.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Provide candidates the opportunity to connect with the best fit voice of the hiring team. This might be the person they resonate with best; it might be the CEO; it might not be the hiring manager.<br /></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Engage with the candidate after the offer has been made, during the decision-making process and routinely before the start date.<br /></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Focus on retention: Have a smooth first day of work planned, with business cards ordered, computer booted and a warm reception to joining the team. Spend a few dollars for a decent lunch either one-on-one or with the team.<br /></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Focus on retention: provide a new-employee with an advocate/mentor to help them transition onto your team.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="">Don’t assume that you have a better opportunity – from the perspective of an employed candidate a new job is RISK with unknown reward. Even if offered a better salary than they currently make, we are asking candidates to give up seniority (even informal/perceived seniority), benefits, 401k vestings, profit sharing, etc.</span></span></li></ol> <span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" ></span></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:10;" ></span></span><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stephanie Kelly is a recruiting systems evangelist,
and owner of SSK HR Consulting.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7889331216103844792.post-66232395911041743892008-02-16T00:59:00.000-06:002008-02-18T12:46:29.996-06:00Playing in the Sandbox... Part II<p style="font-style: italic;" class="MsoNormal">(NOTE: This is a continuance of my first blog "Playing in the Sandbox Part I")</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">And, what is the easiest way to understand what makes the Third-Party Recruiting (TPR) world tic? </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br />1) Easy, they are selling a product. Some are selling a relationship, and some are peddling candidates. They have to hustle - they are working against the clock, in a dynamic, faster than light world.<br /><br />2) They have to be resilient and persistent. At a minimum, a TPR has to be resilient to listen to 100's of "no's" from candidates and clients alike. So, they keep on calling.<br /><br />3) For as good as any recruiter might be, there is always an element of timing. Timing to land a candidate who is finally looking for their next opportunity; the timing to connect with an elusive HR department. Hence, the value of persistence and resilience.<br /><br />4) Turnover in the staffing world is very high. When I started my career in the staffing world, with one of the premier companies in the world, by six months, I was a veteran. By year two; I was a leader. It is tough, competitive, unforgiving world of long, long, long (did I say long?) hours. Compensation is feast or famine - you only get the paid on a search after you make a placement - and then you can keep it if the candidate stays in role for at least six months to a year.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What are my hints to work effectively with a TPR?</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">1)<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Help them to be successful – give them insight into the role and hiring team so they can get the best candidates to you early.<span style=""> </span>And, give them feedback during the process, too.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">2)<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Set expectations – for instance, let them know the best way to get in touch with you, and when.<span style=""> </span>Outline your interview schedule; turn around on submissions and feedback, and the expected time to generate an offer. This not only helps the TPR coach the candidate and keep them engaged, but also will help the TPR gauge their communications with<span style=""> </span>you.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">3)<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Be respectful of submissions:<span style=""> </span>honor time stamps of submissions if you are working with multiple vendors or validating against your database.<span style=""> </span>Don’t allow a one TPR to backdoor another.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">4)<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Honor your contract:<span style=""> </span>unless you have very special, extenuating circumstances, don’t try to renegotiate terms after a candidate has been placed.<span style=""> </span>Negotiate up front, before you sign.<span style=""> </span>It is a legal document. </p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=""><span style="">5)<span style=""> </span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Don’t backdoor your TPR:<span style=""> </span>Don’t accept a resume from a TPR and they try source the candidate on your own – even if a hiring manager asks you to do so!<br /><br />In short, the life of a TPR is hard work, long hours, and one of the most grueling sales positions you could imagine.<span style=""> </span>They aren’t trying to pester, but rather close the deal.</p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><br />Finally, it isn't just the TPR/Corporate HR relationship in pain. It has become a Recruiter/Candidate dynamic, too. For instance, when I run into old-time friends and go through the catch-up of our lives; it is not untypical to get a reaction to the fact that I'm a recruiter. Typically with a drone, a roll of the eyes followed by a biting comment like, "oh I've worked with recruiters, before, and let me tell you about.... (enter some horrible recruiter story here)..."<br /><br />My first reaction is listen. Then, when they are done, I empathize and let them know how sorry I am to hear about that situation. Yes, I agree, there are some doozies out there... but, "let me tell you about this GREAT recruiter I know..."<br /></p><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stephanie Kelly is a recruiting systems evangelist,
and owner of SSK HR Consulting.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7889331216103844792.post-62624375676431435302008-02-15T10:32:00.000-06:002009-01-27T15:28:26.019-06:00Playing in the Sandbox... Part I<div> <p class="MsoNormal">Can Third-Party Recruiters and Corporate HR play together in the sandbox?<br /><br />So often, I see rants and diminishing comments on recruiting community boards. Corporate HR are accused of being bumbling, bureaucratic idiots; Third-Party Recruiters (TPRs) are likened to stereotypical, sleazy used car dealers.<br /><br />Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to sits on both sides of the fence. I've been fortunate to meet my share of world-class practitioners on both sides. It seems that lots of TPR's HR players view each other as enemies.<span style=""> </span>Here’s my take on some perspective on both sides of the fence.<br /><br />The "HR Game" isn't so difficult to understand, if you can realize that the HR Perspective isn't about being ANTI-agency, it is about:<br /><br />1) <span style=""> </span>Vendor management - as an in-house corporate recruiter, I could have spent all day on the phone with agencies looking to do work with my F500 employer. To what value? Every call was about being a specialist in X, with the best candidate ever. What was always interesting was that when I started offering to review the candidate blindly, submissions rarely followed. Were the candidates real? Was the firm concerned about me 'stealing' a candidate? I'll never know, since I rarely heard a follow-up.<br /><br />2) Vendor compliance - corporate purchasing and legal often sets criteria for the bonding, and financial stability of a firm with whom to do business, as well as reporting/invoicing compliance<br /><br />Yes, purchasing does often create a requirement of total vendors, criteria (financial stability, bonding, etc) of vendors allowed. Typically, however, it is part of an overall corporate philosophy to deal with highly-engaged vendors versus a revolving door of contracts to execute and review.<br /><br />3) Cost containment - yes, some Corps have a strategy to eliminate (very few actually accomplish this, however) third-party fees. More likely, is an initiative to REDUCE third-party fees - using third party firms in high-need, niche, hard-to-fill positions (let's face it - not every position needs external recruitment support if you have an in-house team).<br /><br />And, a company is typically in business to make money (this shouldn’t be shocking). If you follow a Lean principle of business, that includes eliminating waste. It would be wasteful to spend money unnecessarily. Therefore, dollars are spent where needed. I wonder how many TPR agency/firm owners spend money without cause?<br /><br />4) Implied-agency avoidance: I have worked for a number of corporations that out of good will, would pay placement fees if a manager accepted a resume submission from a Third party EVEN if unsolicited. The downside (as a corp recruiter) was that often the resume was accepted without having a search in place - then, when a search was executed we found that same candidate in our top database searches (internal and public)! We paid the search fee, but used it as a 'coaching opportunity' to show that hiring manager the value (ie., avoiding a 25 - 30% placement fee hitting their bottom line). Every time thereafter, all submissions the hiring manager received from a third-party was routed directly through Corp Recruiting/HR for consideration to be accepted.<br /><br />5) Team-work and respect: I know of more than a few Third-Party firms that specialize in HR avoidance. Come on, we all know some of the major vendors actually train their franchisees and recruiters to do so, down to verbatim technique.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">6) Reporting and process: much of the role of the recruiter is not only coaching their client towards business objectives, but also maintaining compliance with federal reporting requirements. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span><br />Think about this... if you start the process specifically AVOIDING a part of the interview team, do you really think that part of the team is going to embrace you in the future? I heard the quotes from Third-Parties via my hiring managers as a corporate recruiter of being ". Guess what? As a competitive person who had a background in TPR, I was steamed and made it my personal agenda to prove those firms wrong. Guess what, I did! I sourced that same candidates they did - first! After two backdoor submissions from the TPR to hiring manager, without fail, the Hiring Manager was then redirecting the TPR to deal with....me. The TPR had to have a compelling candidate for me to even bother with them at that point - the relatioship was TRANSACTIONAL and a low-value COMMODITY.<br /><br />Now, flip the coin. As a Corporate Recruiter, when I found an agency that worked with me, wasn't slandering my reputation to the hiring manager, and making gross generalizations like owning an "exlusive database" - I identified searches to work with them on day one of recieving the req. They earned a premiere position in the search life-cycle, they knew about the position before I posted it externally. The didn't have to prospect for business with my team<br />once.<br /><br />Fast forward to my current role, as an external consultant to companies looking to develop their Internal Recruiting function. Who do you think I recommend to the high-growth, high need clients? The team players who approach the search as a broader relationship, or the transactional suppliers?<br /><br />The bottom line is: there ARE operational efficiencies that a company can gain by limiting the number of agencies they contract; which works BOTH ways. I mean, after all, do you really want to work on a search that is out to 20+ firms?? Do you want to have access to the best work, or do you want to take the dart-board approach to business; sending a candidate out to see if it sticks.<br /><br />When companies create a key provider list of recruiters, they can create partners in the search process who become intimate with the organization and highly vested, external advocates for their customer. Corporations gain improved efficiency in managing fewer resources that typically produce highly qualified, screened, prepared candidates and stay in the search till the end.<br /><br />I know lots of third-party recruiters who have built a lifelong, highly profitable and successful business by being the (or one of a few) search consultant for an organization. They rarely prospect for business because they have built lasting, reciprocating relationships with a few key clients.<br /><br />Top sales performers (and most world-class sales organizations) who generate sustainable, recurring revenue call this account penetration; and would also be able to tell you it is the most cost efficient sales technique they can implement. And, the world-class Third Party Recruiters know this to be true, too.<br /></p><br /><br /><br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Stephanie Kelly is a recruiting systems evangelist,
and owner of SSK HR Consulting.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0