• Innovative recruiting strategies and tactics
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Thought Leadership |
Discovering What Your Hiring Managers Really Need in a Candidate
I bet you’ve encountered this situation before: you have a new hiring manager with his first open requisition. He only wants the best candidates, so he’s given you a laundry list as long as your leg for the job description. You start to read it, and realize he’s asking for a developer who also knows everything about testing, as well as the intricacies of a specific software configuration management tool. The description ranges from low-level…
Recruiting Begins with Retention
It’s no secret that we are currently in a candidate-driven marketplace. Employers worldwide are competing for the same top talent. Most companies realize that retention starts with the hiring process. In this competitive marketplace, it is important to implement new techniques as part of your strategic staffing plan. McDonalds and Wal-Mart were two of the first companies to target the “aging” population, realizing the shortfall and competition for their normal employee profile. Ask yourself the following…
With Immigration, History Repeats Itself
The current outpouring of concern over immigration to the United States is nothing new. Indeed, the history of North America, from early Viking settlements in Canada to the mostly Latino and Asian immigration of today, often centers on the conflict between newcomers and those who have previously staked their claim to the American dream. Though it may sound naïve, I believe the current wave of anti-immigrant sentiment will soon subside and that the United States will…
Play Ball!
It’s amazing how many great lessons about recruiting and managing you can learn from your kids’ sports activities. For instance, I’ve been helping coach my younger daughter’s “rec” softball team for five years now, and I’ve learned that the approach I typically use to manage a team when times are good don’t fare as well when the going gets tough. Sound familiar? I’ll explain. At the start of each season, the coaches gather together and attempt…
In Health Care Recruiting, Imaging is Everything
Though I am relatively healthy, over the course of my life I have visited many physicians for one ailment or another, and never has one of them said, “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.” Nevertheless, there is a reason why that phrase serves as a punch line to a lot of old doctor jokes. For many years, the treatment options that physicians had to offer their patients were limited. Telling patients to take…
How to Structure an Effective Employee Referral Program
The benefits of an effective employee referral program are huge. In fact, referrals are not just good workers – they also stay longer, reducing costly turnover. On Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 1 p.m. (ET), Recruiting Trends’ Managing Editor, Jeanne Sturges will lead a panel discussion with four of the top thought leaders and active professionals in recruiting today: Dick Finnegan, President, Finnegan Mackenzie, The Retention Firm; Barbara Bruno, President, Good as Gold Training, HR Search, and Heidi Zimmer, Whirlpool...
Run HR “By the Numbers”
Human Resources (HR) executives want a seat at the strategy table, but most do not consistently deliver the bottom-line data on human capital management necessary to support a strategic role. The lack of meaningful data is not for want of tools. Human Resources technology, specifically HRMS (human resource management systems), has dramatically increased the ability of HR departments to collect and manage employee data efficiently and effectively. However, the failure of HR professionals to consistently…
What Do Interns Want?
Those engaged in college and university recruiting recognize that as winter transitions into spring, another transition is also taking place. But rather than being driven by rising temperatures, the other transition is driven by the type of recruiting effort. You see, fall/winter recruiting has traditionally been dominated by organizations who are trying to hire college seniors for entry level, permanent positions. Winter/spring recruiting, on the other hand, is split between organizations that are trying to…
Getting to Know You… Who is the “boomer employee”?
A core principle of marketing is to listen to the voice of the customer: identify the needs, wants and expectations of the customer, then build the product and service strategies to connect with the customer. A recent report by Towers Perrin prepared for AARP titled The Business Case for Workers Aged 50+ draws upon extensive studies of issues and interests of employees in the 50+ age group. Key findings from the report give “voice” to…
Executive Recruiting: Where it’s Going And Where It Will Be In 2020
Predicting the future is a blurry prospect at best. But when we peer into the year 2020 it’s clear that the recruiting business will at once remain essentially the same and be fundamentally different. This may seem contradictory but it isn’t. At its core, recruiting and staffing is based on personal relationships in which providers identify, qualify and deliver the right people with the right skills for the right positions. That won’t change regardless of…Are Your Recruiters Ready for the Recession?
Over the past few months, and truthfully over the past few years, I have been involved in conversations and have read numerous articles inciting fear of the impending "War on Talent." People cite things like job growth, the baby boomers retiring, etc, as a basis for their fear. I disagree with the concept. With many companies downsizing, consumer spending down, job growth stagnant, and unemployment on the rise, I do not see the call to…
How Interviews Contribute to High Turnover Rates
My favorite quote about statistics is, “If you have one foot in scalding hot water and one foot in freezing cold water on the average you are comfortable.” With this quote in mind, according to a Hudson Survey, 75% of all employees surveyed label their interview experience as either good or excellent. Only 5% rate the interview as poor. However, and here is the other foot, 20% say the job they took did not match…
How Executive Recruiters Are Deciding Who Leads and Changing the Course of Global Business
“Executive recruiting is arguably the most important task in the world of business…”So begins the endorsement by Wharton School management professor Peter Cappelli for Deciding Who Leads: How Executive Recruiters Drive, Direct & Disrupt the Global Search for Leadership Talent (April 2008, Davies-Black Publishing) by former Recruiting Trends editor Joseph Daniel McCool, the first book in more than two decades to explore executive recruiters’ unparalleled influence on corporate performance, culture and profits. It has…
What Is Your Social Networking Strategy in 2008?
Are you LinkedIn®? Do you Spoke®, Ryze®, Jigsaw® or ZoomInfo®? In 2008, will you get a Second Life®? If these social networking concepts are not in your radar, you are ignoring a dynamic trend that could have a profound impact on key areas of your business such as profitable revenue growth, talent acquisition and development, and operational efficiency and effectiveness. Wikipedia defines a social network service as one that focuses on the building and verifying…
Why HR Professionals Must Think like Marketers
Why does HR need to think like a marketer? Easy. Marketers see the value chain from start to finish. Think about sales flyers or coupons you receive in the mail, or that “free” download via the Internet. They will most often have an event or incentive code that you need to enter in order to receive your free gift or discount. This is the tracking system marketing professionals use to identify the exposure, acceptance, and…
Use All Avenues to Win Talent Battle
The battle for top talent is being waged, and the ones who are innovative, tenacious, and realistic about how best to fight it will emerge victorious. Recruiting has been forced back into the forefront in recent years, as the economy, job market, and company revenues have bounced back in a big way. During the early part of this decade with the dot-com bust, jobs were being lost at a record pace while…Preparing for the Talent Shortage
Beginning in 2010, baby boomers will be retiring in vast numbers, subsequently leaving tremendous gaps in the workforce. In fact, every level of the job spectrum will be affected, especially in key leadership positions. A company’s recruiting apparatus must prepare itself to enter the war for talent, to draw and retain employees from four generations who are working alongside each other for the first time in American history.
A combination of demographics and economic and technological change has meant shorter job tenures across the board. The average tenure for baby boomers in 1980 was fifteen years. According to...
Best Practices in Recruitment Networking
If you ever wanted to ask the pros how they use the new networking technologies to uncover top talent – even among the Gen X and Y crowd – you couldn't assemble a better team to ask than this...
College Admissions Officers Using Facebook, MySpace, and Other Social Networking Sites to Block Students
It has been pretty well documented that about 75 percent of employers admit to looking at information that candidates post to Facebook, MySpace, and other web pages as part of the hiring process. In other words, today’s college students and recent graduates are often finding in their race to find career opportunities that the finish line is being blocked by the risqué photos or stories about drunken parties that they or their friends posted on-line.…
Using Writing and Speaking to Recruit Candidates, Part 2
Now that I’ve piqued your curiosity about using writing and speaking to recruit, let’s discuss the details of who speaks and writes, where to speak and write, and when. Who should speak and write? The best people to speak and write are your hiring managers. I realize that this statement puts you recruiters in a difficult position. But you can’t represent the hiring managers—potential candidates require the authenticity of…
The Reluctant Candidate
Every recruiter can cite conversations with prospective candidates that included phrases like, “I’m not interested….I’m not looking right now…or…I’m OK right now.” Those conversations matter if the prospect is a potentially viable candidate for a client. But those conversations, especially cold calls, sometimes end when an issue/objection is raised by the prospect but not effectively addressed. If we adopt some ideas from sales management, there are constructive ways to respond to “objections” to the “sale” of a new career direction.
Combating Cultural Conflict
A lot of articles are written about candidate sourcing, applicant tracking systems, competencies, assessments, and a number of other tools and tricks we as recruiters use to find, attract, and validate candidates. So once all of this is done and the employee shows up for their first day, are they really ready to make an informed decision about your company? So many times we get wrapped up in our really cool tools or legally compliant…
Solid Job Growth on the Horizon
While the health and well being of the U.S. economy has become increasingly clouded by turmoil in the financial markets, soaring energy prices, and the upcoming Presidential election, executive recruiters remain confident that the first half of 2008 will be marked by an increase in six figure job growth. According to a recent survey of more than 138 recruiters conducted by ExecuNet, 59 percent are confident that the executive employment market will improve during the first…
Recruiting Russian Roulette
Every placement you make has the potential of putting you out of business It’s a sobering thought, but every time a recruiting professional makes a placement, there is the possibility that new hire can put them out of business. Why? Because if a dangerous, unqualified, unfit, or dishonest candidate is placed in a job – and harm occurs, the hiring firm risks a lawsuit for negligent hiring. Perhaps just as importantly, a bad placement can result in…
Have Your Candidates Present to You
Even with a list of behavioral questions asked by multiple interviewers, an interview is a highly unstructured interaction. This lack of structure lowers predictive accuracy and increases stress for both the candidate and the interviewer. The challenge, as a recruiter, is to increase the predictive ability of an interview by increasing the structure, yet maintain enough flexibility for a good conversation to take place. One strategy to achieve this ideal balance in structure is for…
The End of the Michael Jordan Era
As the years pass, we at Checkster attempt to forecast what will come next in the talent management industry. One important shift that has taken place in the last 10 years involving talent management could be called the end of the Michael Jordan Era. Handling the change Ten years ago, the new Internet marketplace was creating overnight wealth and the talent that drove it was considered the core fuel for this economy. It was not uncommon…
Recruiting by Job Families
When it comes to recruiting from the ranks of people who have been displaced or laid off, recruiters who understand job families can help determine whether or not a person’s personality profile will aid in his or her new career. As the subprime lending collapse continues to echo and spread, taking jobs with it, there are more than just commissioned mortgage brokers affected. Others affected include everyone from information technology staff, human resource specialists, accountants,…
The Immigration Debate in 2008
Immigration is shaping up as one of the key domestic issues in the 2008 presidential elections. One of the only issues rivaling it is health care, and the two topics are connected in some ways, as I discuss in this column. There will be a lot of talk about immigration in 2008, but what are the odds that substantive immigration legislation will be passed this year? A look at the recent past indicates that the odds…
Four Ways to Succeed With Your First Intern
Innovative internship programs are the number one concern for students interested in gaining experience in their desired fields. You can integrate a great internship program into your company, but you need to learn the basis of how to succeed with the first intern. Here are four ways to succeed with the first intern in companies of all sizes, though primarily in small or mid-sized businesses. Create an intern responsibility sheet for the intern to abide. Interns…
Recruiting or Diversity Recruiting –There Is a Difference
One of the most important human capital issues continues to be the recruitment of a diverse workforce. This is driven by a number of factors. First, the reality is that the talent pool from which to source is increasingly more diverse along race, gender, religion, age, social, sexual orientation, gender identity, ideological and other lines. Second, organizations have taken the position that diversity is a reality that must be harnessed for superior organizational performance. Third,…
Stunt Recruiting
Do you want to live dangerously? Do you want to make headlines? Do you want people to remember you as someone who takes risks? If you said yes to any of these questions you should become a Stunt Recruiter! I did a Yahoo! Search to see if anyone had used the term Stunt Recruiting to describe unique recruiting events or activities. I found references to activities that stunted recruiting efforts, but nothing cool. I think we…
Health Care Reform: There’s a Missing Piece to the Puzzle
As the old joke goes, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything.” The same might be said about health care reform, which has been batted about by political leaders and policy pundits for years without any observable result. Thanks to this year’s presidential elections, what to do about healthcare is a hotter topic than ever. Everyone, it seems, including the leading Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, wants to change our health care system so…
Recruit Guaranteed Leaders from the Military
“To the uninitiated, management and leadership practices in armed services…may appear rigid…and hierarchical. Not true…the civilian world of business can learn much from the military.” — Susan M. Heathfield, a consultant with 35+ years’ experience in human resources, training, organization development, consulting, facilitating, education, counseling, and coaching. I am reminded of Ms. Heathfield’s remarks in an everyday paradox: everyone speaks about the “war for talent,” yet too many hiring decision makers hold stereotypes about the military that…
Job Search Success
When it comes down to the final candidate, the recruitment process is a lot like a negotiation between two parties, ideally arriving at a “win/win” for both. There’s a great deal of sharing of information, a search for common ground and a resolution of issues to reach agreement on the job, compensation and joining the company. Recruiters fully understand what it takes to get things done on their side of the “win/win” process. Like every…
The Immigration Debate in 2008
Immigration is shaping up as one of the key domestic issues in the 2008 presidential elections. One of the only issues rivaling it is healthcare, and the two topics are connected in some ways, as I will discuss later in this column. There will be a lot of talk about immigration in 2008, but what are the odds that substantive immigration legislation will be passed this year? A look at the recent past indicates that…
Striking a Chord
I’ve been writing columns for newspapers, magazines and web sites for more than 20 years, and it’s amazing when you create a column that truly strikes a nerve. When I wrote last month about my Dad’s passing and the incredible work ethic he instilled in me, I thought of it as a cathartic experience allowing me to summarize to myself how I felt now that he’s gone. Frankly, I wasn’t too concerned about how readers…
Knowing it All
Knowledge can be put into three classes:
What you know
What you know you don’t know
What you don’t know you don’t know...
Global Talent Forces of Tomorrow
The changes in behavior, technology, demographic, natural resources and global competition are forcing businesses to strategically adapt to new ways to fill talent scarcity gaps. And the changes are coming fast. It is interesting to note how different companies around the world are sourcing talent to fill their needs. These clearly indicate changes for the immediate and possibly long term future. A few are concepts that many would not have forecast just a couple of years…
Use Consumer Advertising Principles to Attract More Top Performers
(Note: The following is based on the 3rd Edition of Lou Adler’s Hire With Your Head (John Wiley & Sons, June 2007 and the results of The Adler Group’s recent outrageous advertising contest ). The Internet has dramatically increased workforce mobility. Job satisfaction appears to be at an all-time low. Turnover is rising. People change jobs on a whim. Counteroffers are more prevalent and more are being accepted. No wonder. To find another job nowadays,…
Using Writing and Speaking to Recruit Candidates, Part 1
I have a colleague—a development manager—who blogs about once every week or two, speaks at one or two conferences each year, and gives local talks to professional groups in his area. He says candidates send him email asking for a job. Not all those candidates are reasonable candidates for his open positions, but many are. And he’s pretty sure those people will fit into his culture with the rest of the team. He’s convinced the speaking…
Training Recruiters to Survive in China
The passing of the Employment Contract Law, drafted by the National People's Congress of China, will go into effect in 2008. The law, the first of its kind, allows the AFTCU (All-China Federation of Trade Unions) to have a say in many company policies including how employees are evaluated, termination of employees, and the procedures published in employee manuals. The law also restricts companies from laying off more than a certain number of employees at…
Can I Get Back to Recruiting, Please?
Over the past few months, I have been involved in building a brand new recruiting department. This has been an interesting project and has provided its share of opportunities. However, it has given me the opportunity to reflect on a few things. Mostly, when are recruiters supposed to recruit? We spend so much time and energy trying to come up with creative ways to show the value add and how to measure the recruiter, along…
When It Comes to Interviewing Women, Men Can Be Stupid
When describing Checkster’s online questionnaire to others, we’re often asked how can it be better than a face to face interview? This article will explain how online tools can actually be better than face to face or telephone interactions and should always complement them. Most importantly, we will see how face to face interactions can lead to “stupid” decisions by highlighting research that proves what we suspected all along: in front of an attractive woman,…
Recruiting Whole Teams Instead of Individuals
A successful team is more than a collection of skill sets. When faced with a task of recruiting members for a team, it is essential to focus initially on the appropriate skills, learning, and experiences that are needed to accomplish the tasks at hand. However, more than hard skills alone are needed to configure a successful team. The “art” of team making is selecting those individuals who while possessing the necessary hard skills are able…
Who Drives the Bus in Healthcare?
Total annual healthcare spending in the United States topped the $2 trillion mark in 2005, according to Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and is projected to exceed $3 trillion in 2011. That’s more than the gross domestic product of every country in the world except the U.S., Germany, Japan, China and Great Britain. In an industry this huge there naturally are a lot of powerful players, including the federal government, insurance companies, medical equipment…
Who Says You Need to Recruit Entry Level People for Entry Level Jobs?
Well, I do. And so does one of our clients whose identity will remain anonymous for reasons which will become apparent a little later in this blog entry. I recently learned from one of our clients that they've hired several thousand outside sales representatives since 2000 but only 7% are still employed by the client. Of the 93% who turned over in the past seven years, an astonishing 70% left within a year and 96%…
Hiring for Multiple Intelligences
The definition of a “good hire” is a person who will contribute to the success of the company both financially, by doing a good job and culturally, and by getting along with others. According to Wayne Johnston, a staffing professional responsible for hiring scientists at a major pharmaceutical company, a “high potential” hire is someone who will also progress through the ranks of the company, take on increasing responsibility and who will actually enhance the…
A Father’s Life
Herbert H. Lee: 1921 - 2007 My Dad passed away in November, just three weeks shy of his 86th birthday. He had a terrific life filled with love, accomplishments and many friendships. And like the majority of his generation, he lived to work. My Dad held at least one part-time job every day after retiring in 1987. In fact, he had recently started a second part-time job that he truly enjoyed. Like my Dad, I gain…
The Big Idea: Netflix
Company career pages should attract the job seeker to the company, and entice them to want the job. Pretty simple. Well, there are plenty of pretty unappealing sites out there, so Jim Stroud decided to highlight the one he likes best. His nomination for outstanding Company Career Page goes to…Netflix.
Using Writing and Speaking to Recruit Candidates, Part 1
I have a colleague—a development manager—who blogs about once every week or two, speaks at one or two conferences each year, and gives local talks to professional groups in his area. He says candidates send him email asking for a job. Not all those candidates are reasonable candidates for his open positions, but many are. And he’s pretty sure those people will fit into his culture with the rest of the team. He’s convinced the speaking…
Could You Pass the Citizenship Test?
Anyone who has watched the game show “Are Your Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” understands the no-win dynamics of this new program. Lose by demonstrating that you know less than a fifth grader and you are humiliated. Win and all you have done is outwitted a child. That hardly makes you an Einstein or an Enrico Fermi (both of whom were immigrant Americans– this is a column about immigration, after all.) Oddly enough, there is, in…
For 2008, Seven Free Ideas an Employer Can Implement to Avoid a Bad Hire
As an employer, there are a number of things that you can do now to protect you and your company from hiring a criminal, a liar, a cheat, or a drug abuser...
The Impact of Social Networking Sites on Executive Recruiting
When pondering the impact of the large social networking sites on the future of job hunting, and particularly executive recruiting, a couple of cautionary phrases ought to come to mind. “When you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail,” and, “Be careful what you search for, you might find it.” The strength of the Internet is unquestionably the amount of information it makes available. Staggering numbers of links and choices can be brought to your personal…
Increase Referrals by 300%
The fastest way to increase your candidate flow is through increased referrals. And, what’s the best way to get those referrals? Word-of-mouth advertising, which has to be earned, and lateral marketing – telling or sending something. Both of these strategies require you to develop a specific referral process (automatic questions). Remember, when you are asking for referrals, you will reduce your chances if your candidates think referrals are their competition. Do you ask for testimonials from…
In the Public Eye: Attract, Retain, Repel
I wrote in my last article about the distinct differences in how an organization can choose to respond or react in times of change, crisis or shifts in the market place. I made the point that there is a correlation between the respond – react behaviors to the Attract, Retain, Repel to increase ROI of recruitment and retention formula. We are finding in our research, in media coverage of current events, and in our client…
Ask for Annotated Portfolios and You’ll Find Outstanding Candidates
“Talent is capability multiplied by passion. It separates the professional with ten years’ experience from the drone with one year’s experience ten times.” With the war for talent heating up, those words carry more weight than ever. But an underlying paradox remains. Outstanding candidates employ their passion to develop polished capabilities in their career fields, not in communicating powerful advantages they offer organizations looking for talent. In this article, I pass along proven methods I’ve used as…
Keeping Talent's Attention
In my last article, I described the importance of Grabbing Talent’s Attention through rich media, transparency and relationships. This month we review a simple step in keeping talent’s attention. Before defining the step, I’d like to relate a story that helps me understand what it takes to accomplish sourcing and hiring talent. My daughter and son ride horses. Recently I took my son to his riding lesson and had the opportunity to sit with another parent…
Why an Effective Recruiting Strategy Hinges On A Sensible Retention Plan
Have you lost a talented and especially promising employee recently? If so, the thought of that individual’s departure probably conjures visions of all the process and procedure involved in properly facilitating their exit from your organization, as well as the time, effort and cost of recruiting their replacement. That is, if you can find and attract someone of the same caliber. For far too many employers, effective recruiting has been hampered by ineffectual corporate practices regarding employee…
Recruiting Across the Generation Gap
Generation X is all grown up, and with Baby Boomers on their way to retirement and career shifts, Generation X is now transitioning into positions of middle-management and authority. While pegged as the slacker generation, Generation X found its strengths: individualism, creativity, practicality, and a willingness to fight for social justice, albeit with a somewhat cynical outlook on the limitations of institutions themselves. The next generation to enter the workforce is the Millenials, those who have…
On the Road Again
With a little effort, I don’t think it would be hard to attend a different HR-related conference every week. In fact, I’ll bet that somewhere in the world right now, recruiters are gathering together to swap stories and soak up industry knowledge from a bevy of speakers. Interested in joining one of these soirees? There are the usual suspects, of course, such as local and regional meetings sponsored by the Society of Human Resource management (SHRM)…
What’s Important to You about a Candidate?
As candidate evaluations go, you gotta hand it to the 2008 presidential candidates. They are “interviewing” for the job for longer than the apprentices on the TV show. I was watching the news recently about polling results of the 2008 presidential election. I wasn’t surprised at the top few qualifications: experience, competence, values, and character. I was a little surprised at the next few qualifications: warmth, compassion, personality, and style. I don’t know what your important characteristics…
Have Stethoscope, Will Travel
Those of you who have reached a certain stage of maturity (and – why not say it? – wisdom and distinguished looks) no doubt remember the old television show, “Marcus Welby, M.D.” You may even remember that Dr. Welby had a partner, the young, impetuous, motorcycle driving Dr. Kiley. Dr. Kiley was always dashing here and there, getting involved in crises that the older and wiser Dr. Welby eventually would resolve. While classic family physicians like…
On a lighter note: Making sense of job seeker behaviors
For your entertainment, I thought I’d provide a light-hearted look at the job interview. I think we often forget the human side of our role as staffing professionals especially in these times where recruiting metrics and business impact are our focus. For a good laugh, please read on. It strikes me that the recruiting and hiring process is nothing more than a highly-orchestrated performance with lead and supporting characters working together (and sometimes apart) to find…
Uncommon Sourcing Techniques That Uncover High Value Talent
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Is HR Finally Getting the Recognition it Deserves?
With more emphasis being put on HR metrics, global recruiting, and using advanced technology to create databases and store information, HR departments are becoming more of a presence in company Board meetings and strategic planning sessions. While this is a positive step, are HR departments ready to handle the added responsibilities, and are they equipped to recruit the level of employees expected? The great metrics debate One of the reasons for this shift is the use of…
The Five Due Diligence Questions That Should Be Asked In Every Interview
The employment interview can be much more then just an opportunity to find candidates who are a good fit for an employer. It is also an important part of the due diligence process in which employers try to identify candidates who may prove to be dangerous, unqualified, unfit or dishonest. This can be done through the use of five standard due diligence questions that can be adopted for every interview. These five suggested interview questions seek to…
The Overstuffed Toolkit
In a recent article, Seth Godin noted that Starbucks offers 19,000 different ways to order a beverage, and that our beloved Oreos come in 19 different flavors. His point was to emphasize the choice and clutter faced by the average consumer. I’m beginning to think it’s not so different in the world of recruiting. Do you remember what it was like to recruit pre-Google? I started my recruiting career in Dallas, TX in 1996 …
Long Live the Resume!
I hate to contradict my respected colleague Tony Lee (“New to the Endangered Species List: the Resume,” Recruiting Trends, Aug. ‘07), but I see no sign that the resume is endangered or dying. Sure, it’s evolving, and at a fast pace to match our dynamic high-tech culture. But until online applications improve to the point that they are actually useful tools for employers, the resume will remain an essential element of the job search. Consider these…
Hire With Your Head
In this excerpt from the third edition of Hire With Your Head (John Wiley & Sons, 2007), Lou Adler explores how to find the best active and passive candidates by understanding the differences between different segments of candidates - and what top performers are really looking for. Before you write another ad or speak to another candidate, it’s important to recognize that top people don’t use the same criteria when applying, considering, or accepting an…
Proof of Discrimination in Recruiting and Hiring Procedures as Evidence of Disparate Impact
In last month’s Recruiting Trend’s article, I explained the disparate treatment method of proving discrimination. It relies mainly on exposing lies, inconsistencies, and unequal treatment as a basis for inferring the intent to discriminate. You might therefore think that an employer or recruiter could avoid discrimination liability by having a pure, prejudice-free heart, always speaking the truth, and using objective, consistent methods to identify candidates and pare down the applicant pool. You would be very…
Taking Ownership and Being Accountable
You are in the best profession in the best time in history. In order to take ownership and hold yourself accountable, the topic of attitude needs to be addressed. In recruiting your success depends 10% on what happens, and 90% on how you react. Meaning, you have 100% control over how you choose to react. No one can upset you, disappoint you, ruin your day or month, or control your emotions – unless you give them…
Intra-Company Transferees
Though I am an optimist, I must concede that this is not the best of times for U.S. employers seeking foreign-born professionals. The fact is that there are simply not enough employment based visas (specifically, H-1B visas) to go around. As a result, many U.S. firms have to wait years to recruit the computer programmers, engineers, physicians, business executives and other professionals they need. The good news is that there is no crunch in the “L-1…
Taking Your Customer from Critic to Counterpart
I have worked in the recruiting field for some time now, and I am seeing what I feel is a dangerous trend. As recruiters we appear to be more focused on tracking, metrics, and explaining why we can't find a candidate, than on actually building the relationships with hiring managers and finding the top talent they need. As a result, I have a proposal – a guide to building raving fans out of your customers.…
Gen Y Women: Are They Like Lions?
Perhaps it was inevitable and perhaps it is a sign of improving work conditions for women, but it appears that the recent domination of college campuses by women is spilling over into the workplace as young, college educated, female adults are now earning more than their male counterparts in many of the largest metro areas in the country. I've written before that a significant majority of college students and an even larger majority of college…
An Alliance of Wizards: Overlooked Allies in the War for Talent
“wiz.ard (wizərd) n. A person of exceptional or extraordinary abilities. A person who seems to perform magic.” -New Webster’s Dictionary Wouldn’t it be grand if you had a wizard to pull off magical recruiting tricks in a hurry? I’m afraid there is no Recruiting Master on the faculty of Hogwarts. But there is an entire alliance of wizards, dedicated not to magic, but to best practices, ready to help you win the war for talent. They are…
The Big Idea: "The 120 Effect"
Learn how Jim Stroud would pique a must-have candidate's interest; something he calls the "120 Effect."
Attract, Retain, Repel
So, you think creating an employment brand will help your organization attract, retain and repel employees – you are right on! Companies large and small are seeing a significant increase in the ROI of recruitment and retention programs by creating an employment brand. This one human resources initiative can be a significant differentiator for companies who are looking to attract and retain top talent, and repel employees who just won’t fit in the first place. We…
Giving Good Phone
When I got my start in executive search in the Fall of 1999, I joined a firm that relied heavily on using the phone. They taught me how to leverage the phone for research, sourcing, and getting candidates engaged. After a few months of learning the art of the phone, the recruiters I supported said that I gave “good phone.” I should also note that this firm still used their old 3x5 card catalog along…
"Travel Nursing" Moves Mainstream
Take out a map of the United States. Close your eyes and move your index finger over the map in a circular motion, then drop your finger at random. Where did it land? Chicago, Illinois? Waco, Texas? Buffalo, New York? If you were a nurse seeking a job, it really wouldn’t matter. You could literally pick a community at random and chances are you would be able to find work there. There is a reason the…
What Can LinkedIn Do for Recruiters?
LinkedIn is a powerful professional networking tool for recruiters. Fast approaching 12 million members, LinkedIn.com can be leveraged to: Find and be found by prospective jobseekers and other business contacts Grow a referral network Build influence with clients or hiring managers Conduct Competitive Intelligence research Stay in touch with people Heighten your corporate and personal brand But what is a personal brand? Personal branding is about you, not your company. In today’s hyper-connected and over-informed world branding is not…
Why a Thorough Background Check Has Become a Recruiting Insurance Policy
In the rush to climb the career ladder, it seems that more than a few people prefer the quickest route, no matter what ethical issues they’re forced to confront or, more common, those they choose simply to avoid. Yet despite the myriad ways that resumé fraud can endanger even the most sterling of management careers, failing to conduct a rigorous background check on a new hire can put the hiring organization in serious jeopardy. One executive recruiter…
Tailoring People to Jobs, and Jobs to People
Recruiting is no easy task. A good recruiter must use every tool available, and must know just as much about who people are and where they are coming from as they do about the job that applicants are trying to get. A recruiter's primary goal is to find candidates that will fit a job, and then to determine whether or not the job fits them. This includes finding a person that will enhance the effectiveness, culture,…
Hiring the Best Recruiters
Bad hires. You've heard the horror stories. But do you know the monetary consequences of hiring the wrong people for key positions within a company? According to a survey conducted in 2006 by career-consulting firm Right Management, the cost of hiring an employee who is not qualified to do their job can cost a company two and a half times their annual salary. If your company experienced two or three bad hires each year, the…
Boomers to Gen Y: How the Times Have Changed!
The first Baby Boomers turned 18 in 1963, which was the year John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and two decades before personal computers were introduced to a panting marketplace. The first Millennials are in the workplace and some are even managers. Any human resource professional who has studied these generations at even a cursory level is aware that Boomers and Millennials are worlds apart in their career interests. Yet ask these same human resource professionals…
What Does Climbing the St. Louis Arch have to do with Proving Discrimination?
As I wrote in my last Recruiting Trends column, discrimination laws apply to recruiters, and their actions on behalf of clients. In this article I explain how courts analyze claims of discrimination. In doing so, I hope to help recruiters better understand the risks of employment discrimination litigation and how to best reduce those risks. I’ll explain “disparate treatment,” the most common way to prove discrimination, by stepping back to an earlier era and a much…
Exclusive Podcast: "The Big Idea: Career Site Innovation"
Jim Stroud’s latest RecruitingTrends Podcast has a simple request for recruiters. As in the old Apple Computer slogan, “Think Different,” he suggests that doing something different, something that can differentiate your firm, can have its rewards. One idea to prime your creative…
My Summer Vacation
Vacation for me (as it is for most people) is a wonderful opportunity to spend extended hours with my family. In August, we ventured up to Northern Maine to an idyllic island that offers rocky coasts, sandy beaches, the highest mountains on the East Coast, funky tourist traps and isolated communities, all within a 30-mile radius of our rental house. In other words, it’s practically perfect, especially if you like lobster and don’t mind an…
Top 10 Signs you are Hiring a Lawsuit Waiting to Happen
Employee lawsuits often catch employers by surprise. Yet, an examination of the employee's application shows that an employer could often have predicted, well in advance, that they were hiring a lawsuit just waiting to happen. Top 10 danger signs of a problematic hire Look for these signs to avoid hiring a problem in the first place Applicant does not sign application. An applicant with something to hide may purposely not sign the application form so they later…
Assessing the Impact of Social Networking Sites on Executive Recruiting
When pondering the impact of the large social networking sites on the future of job hunting, and particularly executive recruiting, a couple of cautionary phrases ought to come to mind. “When you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail,” is one, and, “Be careful what you search for, you might find it,” is the other. The strength of the Internet is unquestionably the amount of information it makes available. Staggering numbers of links and choices can be…
Taking Full Advantage of Executive Searching Expertise
An important event in any Human Resource professional’s tour-of-duty is the hiring of a new company executive. While some firms conduct the process entirely in-house, plenty of well-established executive search firms will do the job as trusted contractors. Furthermore, many search firms will go beyond the basic sourcing, recruiting, and vetting of new executives to offer additional services also useful to the typical HR department; some of these services even venture outside the parameters of…“Are We Strategic Yet?”
I clearly remember my first day in the recruiting industry at TAD Resources in Danbury, CT in 1994. My manager called me into his office and tried to summarize recruiting, how far it has come, and how much the industry had changed since he joined. He kept stressing that the goal of the Danbury office was for us to make sure we were on the forefront of what was called “Strategic Recruiting.” He then told…
Grabbing Talent’s Attention
There is a great deal written on the recruitment blogs about the lost process of “old school” recruiting. Recruiters who learned the business with just a phone and a list of companies to call learned how to source, contact and garner the attention of a working professional long enough to gain the trust and interest necessary to guide a prospective candidate through a recruiting experience that resulted in a new career for the recruit, and…
The Employment Interview: Good, Bad and Ugly
Lately, I have noticed an increasing amount of bad press focused on the interview. In fairness, some of the criticism focused on interviewing is warranted. There are some things that just aren’t working. It is true that often, hiring managers just go through the motions … and job candidates know it. In a recent survey of over 3,700 job seekers and over 1,200 hiring managers, Development Dimensions International (DDI) finds that only 60% of interviewers are…
Recruiting and Immigration Reform
Why should recruiters care about immigration reform? Because, simply stated, executive, scientific, high tech, entrepreneurial and other forms of talent are not confined to any one country or any one region. The talent pool today is global, and immigration is the key to accessing international talent. Any discussion of immigration reform begins with the understanding that there are two broad categories of immigration in the United States – legal immigration and illegal immigration. This obvious…
Exclusive Podcast: "The Big Idea: Damage Control"
Jim Stroud’s latest RecruitingTrends Podcast explores effective damage control for a employment firm with an online presence. The example given is Monster.com’s recent security breach, which compromised over a million resumes. Jim Stroud argues…
Recruiting "Failed" Candidates
I recently spoke with a recruiter new to the high tech field who told me, “So many of these people have suspect experience on their resumes. They’ve been laid off, and then out of work for several years. I can’t believe they would be good for our organization.” If you’ve worked anywhere since 1999, then you know some “failures” – people who were laid off more than once, or even fired. Am I actually suggesting you…
Looking for Gen Y? Read Their Blogs!
As the labor market continues to tighten, the conversations that we're having with our employer clients have shifted from how they are receiving too many resumes to how they're not receiving enough resumes to how the candidates who are sending resumes seem to all have multiple job offers in hand by the time our clients have interviewed them. So what's the answer? Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet but there are some alternatives. As Human Resource…
New to the Endangered Species List: the Resume
I would like to nominate the resume for inclusion on the endangered species list. As a tool for candidates to review their work histories and consider their careers in whole, the resume is fine. But so is a piece of hotel stationery on which you can list all of your past jobs, responsibilities, good work habits, solid references and the like. As a method for displaying to employers what you've accomplished in your life (which…
When Key Employees Head For the Exits
One of the biggest challenges life sciences organizations have begun to face – and one that will extend through each of the next several years – is the task of retaining critical institutional know-how at a time when the most experienced managers have or are about to retire or depart for greener pastures. Sure, experienced managers have left before. But never before have so many qualified for retirement in such a relatively short window of time.…
Thought Leaders as Allies in the War for Talent
Do you remember the good old days, when we evaluated applicants for top positions based on experience? How much easier the lives of recruiters were then, only about ten years ago. They could call for applicants with a certain number of years of experience, previous employment in given industry, even specific training or education. It was the golden age of credentials. A closer look at talent Today we must focus on talent, an innate ability to deliver…