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Mobile Recruiting Success: Panel Discussion

Join us for a panel based webinar on mobile recruiting including the early adopters discussing their own mobile recruiting successes and failures.

Mobile Recruiting Success: Panel Discussion

Sponsored By Work4 Banner

By now you probably already know that when it comes to attracting today’s best candidates, mobile matters in recruiting. If you’re like most organizations you’re probably just now starting to move.

The move is one of the most complex  and crucial parts of making sure your organization can hire the talent required.

Watch this webinar for an exclusive panel of these early adopters.  As a result you will learn so much.

  • With so many mobile recruiting platforms to choose from, selecting the right technology can be critical.  We’ll look at some of the products and providers on the market.
  • We’ll hear some of the best ways to engage candidates and amplify your message on social media. Also learn how technologies like are changing the way employers engage with candidates on the go.
  • Learn different approaches for measuring, analyzing and reporting mobile recruiting results.
  • Learn how to build mobile into your existing processes and workflow.  See how to optimize existing systems and solutions.  Figure out how to incorporate mobile into your current talent acquisition strategy.

We’ll be taking questions from real recruiting and talent practitioners throughout the discussion. If you’d like some expert advice and specific tips & tricks to ensure your mobile recruiting success, this is one webinar you won’t want to miss.

Budget Impossible: The Case For Recruiter Training

budgetWe all spend a lot of time online dealing with nonsense from half-assed recruiters, at some point or another. Regardless of our years of experience, we will inevitably come across someone who is doing our profession a disservice just by sharing the space. So we shun, mock and rant against them in public forums. It’s akin to being really sick.

We’re treating the symptoms, but not the root cause of the disease. What if recruiters were receiving more training – up front AND ongoing? It might not eradicate the disease, but we’ll be able to minimize it.

Few companies invest in enough any training for their recruiters. It’s as if the perception is that recruiters magically appear, equipped with all the tools and know-how to be wildly successful. When in reality, the very nature of recruiting (whether rightly or wrongly) is that it is virtually all “trial-by-fire.”

Conventional wisdom is that if someone can last through that first year, they will likely last at least a few more, and the weak will be filtered out as being “not cut out for this field”. Fair or unfair, it’s the prevailing perception.

Let’s not forget that, there isn’t exactly a Bachelor’s degree in Talent Acquisition. So in a function with no clearly defined educational path, it would stand to reason that it’s a function that requires some core fundamentals training.

If recruiters could get on the right track early and understand the different facets (read: fundamentals) of recruiting, it would have multiple benefits. Among them, it would increase the credibility of recruiters (assuming they can then apply this training) and it will lend some structure to an industry that is in desperate need.

It wouldn’t be so ground breaking. There are certification courses for designations that you want to achieve in various other fields. Want to be a public accountant? Read up for the CPA. Want to manage certain large-scale projects? The PMP is only a certification away. Heck, even auto repair has a technician certification to attain.

Why not recruiting?

So, why? Why invest in recruiter training now? It’s been working to this point, right? Right? Yep, recruiting has carved out a niche for itself. But, with so few barriers to entry, an oft-times lack of defined measurement, we’re becoming a profession of “fell into it” instead of “strove for it”. Take into account the wide variation in practices across companies and industries, and you have a compounded problem.

The benefits for organizations that want to invest in the mechanism that delivers their most important asset – people – are plentiful.

Huge Upside For Cost Savings

With some core recruitment and sales (that’s right) knowledge, these recruiters can apply this knowledge to aid them in recruiting and closing talent. More work being done in-house, means a reduction of cost for external recruiters or agencies.

So, using round numbers, let’s say the average salary for a role they are recruiting for is $100k. With a 20% agency fee, that’s going to be 20k in addition to what you are paying that person. When the smart money is on adding that into your budget, so they can be trained. They’ll save more than one agency fee, and the majority of training out there will cost a fraction of agency fees.

Recruiting Becomes More Budget And Finance-Friendly

How-to-Save-MoneyCost savings isn’t just a victory that Recruiting can savor in. Finance takes notice as well. Saving money for the company is a language that they understand. They can quantify it. In addition, having a reputation for being able to mitigate costs is helpful when at the annual budget bargaining table.

Increased Productivity And Performance

Well-skilled recruiters can find people for those “hard-to-fill” roles; roles that would typically be filled by agencies. They can have more in-depth and high-level conversations, adjust their communication to the intended audience, and they can CLOSE.

They can also become more of a strategic partner in the execution of the organization’s growth strategy and employment branding.

Lacking the right knowledge, they are merely performing rote, task-driven functions – with what is arguably an average success rate.

Grow The Talent You Want

Many companies want “junior” recruiters. Frankly, it’s because they come cheap. But if we want them to stick around – heck, if we want them to succeed – we’ve got to build them up and help them evolve into what we want. That’s where the training comes in.

Don’t misunderstand me; I think there is always merit in having a senior level recruiter(s) in the mix with any less experienced ones. That’s part of training too, creating mentoring opportunities. Training isn’t always on a webinar or in a classroom. The best training is done right in the office, as it happens.

But this is America. We’re lucky that we get to make choices. We can make good recruiters who can execute and also participate in the discussions throughout the industry. They can be prepared to do it with tact and bring credibility to their company and to themselves, IF we give them the tools.

Or, we can just leave the “expertise” up to people who haven’t “been there”, and that leaves us with guys like this. 

radloffAbout the Author: Pete Radloff has over 13 years of recruiting experience in both agency and corporate environments, and has worked with such companies as Comscore, National Public Radio and Living Social.

With experience and expertise in using technology and social media to enhance the candidate experience and promote strong employer brands, Radloff also serves as lead consultant for Exaqueo, a high-end workforce consulting firm.  An active member of the Washington area recruiting community, Radloff is currently a VP and sits on the Board of Directors of RecruitDC.

Follow Pete on Twitter @PJRadloff or connect with him on LinkedIn.

 

What About The Recruiter Experience?

Nice_resume_Mr_Hendrix_but_are_you_experienced-Craig_Swanson-2004As recruiters, we talk a lot about the candidate experience and its importance.  And I don’t disagree with that – so I want to state upfront that this post isn’t going to disagree with the common knowledge that candidate experience counts, and we should all be committed to improving it. Now, that I’ve got that little disclaimer out of the way, I want to go on a little rant about a much more overlooked – but almost equally pervasive – problem in our industry: “The Recruiter Experience.” Contrary to popular belief, recruiters actually do have emotions, pet peeves, and some certain things that candidates do that can really piss us off during the process.  We’re just as human as you are (well, most of us anyway). That’s why I want to share some insight into what the recruiter experience looks like, and a few simple things recruiters would REALLY like candidates to do to help improve the experience on both sides of the proverbial desk. Deep breath. OK, ready, set, and here we go…

Recruiter Experience & The Resume

resumeI’m not going to be super specific on this point, but please know this – I HATE Adobe, and most recruiters I know disdain any file ending with a .pdf extension.  It’s a major pain to open in most systems, both for recruiters and our clients.  I need to be able to send the resume for review to managers who, at times, are only accessible on their phones. If you’ve ever tried to look at an Adobe file on a mobile device, you already know that they rarely open or render properly – which is probably not the way you want a hiring manager reviewing your resume. It’s not the way I want my clients looking at them, either. Yeah, I can convert the files to something more accessible, but that’s more work for me, and trust me, as a recruiter we’ve got enough of that as it is – and we’d be starting off our recruiting relationship on the wrong foot, frankly. So please – just stick with another file format. Second thing, unless you’re an artist or applying for some sort of design job, I don’t really need to see cutesy graphics on your resume or some sidebar format that you happen to think is pretty cool.  Spoiler alert: it’s not. In fact, I look at resumes all day, and the only thing that’s going to make you stand out is whether or not your resume fits the position I’m trying to fill. Finally, tell me what you actually did in your jobs – did you lead a team? Did you manage a project or P/L?  Skip the soft skills and spell out the stuff you’ve done – not what you’d like to do or think you’re good at.  There’s no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ resume, so it’s important that your resume represents what you’ve done as relates explicitly to the role I’m recruiting for. If you’re a JAVA developer, you’d better put it ALL OVER your resume; I’m not a mind reader and if I can’t find what I want on your resume almost immediately, you’re going in the “thanks but no thanks” pile.  Period.

Be Patient.

yodaThe job search is a marathon, not a sprint – you’ve heard that before, I’m sure, but I’d like to reiterate that patience is a virtue that you’d better bear in mind when working with a recruiter. Everyone in this business is busy, and even though our top priority is to fill our open roles, most of us are juggling multiple positions, processes, candidates, and clients.  So, if you’re a good fit for a job I’m working on, guess what: I’m going to connect with you. No, really. That’s our job – recruiters make hires for the companies we work for.  And when someone happens to apply for one of my positions who I think actually could result in that hire, you’ll hear back from me within 48 hours of your application (almost without exception). I may e-mail, I may call, but I usually do both.  The e-mail you get from me might well thank you for applying, but let you know you’re not a fit.  Which I think is fair. I know a lot of candidates are frustrated at the perceived lack of feedback or even communications from recruiters, but come on – if you’re a dishwasher applying for a database developer position, you already know you’re not a fit.  At this point, you probably shouldn’t bother applying, but since that doesn’t seem to be a deterrent for many applicants (spray and pray isn’t just limited to recruiters, you know), know this: If you’re not even remotely qualified for a position, then you’re not only wasting your time, but mine, too.  And you do not DESERVE a two page mea culpa as to why you aren’t a fit – you already know why if you bothered to read the requirements clearly outlined in the job description.  Seriously. So, if you do hear from me about next steps, you might be qualified, but you’re going to end up creating more animosity than advocacy if you do either of the two things I’m going to talk about next. 

You applied but…

wait-who-the-hell-are-you…when I call to introduce myself and my company, you have no idea who the hell I am.  C’mon, man.  Really?!?! You freakin’ applied to work at my company. That would indicate you had some interest in the position, and hopefully read the job description and know what we’re looking for – and since you’re hearing from me, you’re actually someone I want to talk to (see above). So why, when we do talk, do you seemingly have no recollection of the position, company or anything else about the application you took the time to fill out. This isn’t a definite deal breaker, but seriously – how seriously are you taking your job search, much less this opportunity?  Are you just applying to every job posting under the sun and spamming your resume all over the place? Yeah, they say recruiters are spam artists, but if you apply to a company without even bothering to read the job description or anything about the role, you’re more or less doing the same thing to a recruiter. Difference is, your spam won’t get you a job – only a strike against you for what’s probably a pretty good role or career move. Don’t be that guy.  Seriously. At least keep a list of where you’ve applied and maybe a cut and paste description of the company from the JD so you can have that handy to reference when a recruiter does call.  I don’t need you to give me a freaking corporate history or know every detail about our financials or business model, but give me at least something that says, “yeah, I would consider working here.” This brings me to my next professional pet peeve… You applied and… ooto…and you don’t call me back.  You don’t respond to my e-mails.  Why?  We haven’t even connected yet.  What have I done to offend you at this point?  Seriously?  There’s nothing more frustrating than the “black hole” for recruiters, either. You’re someone I WANT to talk to.  I keep reaching out to you, but you never get back to me, even though you were the one who originally applied for the role. What the hell is that all about? I’ve already talked about the virtue of patience.  I’m not patient, and neither are my hiring managers – I need to fill my positions, and guess what?  I’m measured on how quickly I can get that done – time to fill is one of the most important metrics in recruiting at most employers.  So, let’s make an agreement. DO NOT apply for a position with me and then leave for an extended holiday – which has happened to me (more than once, I might add).  If you’re not working, and you’re looking for jobs, that is your job.  Don’t fill out an application, click submit, and then drop off the face of the Earth. Even if it’s for a little vacation, this can be a definite deal breaker for me.  It tells me that you’re one of two things: arrogant or ignorant.  Either way, anyone who falls into either of these buckets is never going to meet any hiring manager I’m working with. Yeah, there’s that old cliche about the job search being like dating, but playing hard to get – AFTER you applied, at that – won’t endear you to any recruiter.  Being coy may work in a bar, but not when it comes to the employment game.  And as a side note: I take notes.  So pull this crap once, and even if you’re a great candidate, if you ever bother applying for another job with me, I’ll return the favor. Because no matter how good you are, you’re not good enough for me to waste more time on. Negotiation ScroogeOK, let me explain this to you as simply as I can – and be straight with you upfront: I don’t get paid any kind of bonus, win any sort of prizes or get any kickbacks or additional compensation if you accept an offer. So I’m not trying to hard sell you for my personal gain – the thing is, I’ve got a hard number in terms of salary that the position pays.  So let’s stop wasting each other’s time on the compensation game. Be honest about where you’re at, what you feel you’re worth, and what your expectations are in terms of both salary and overall package.  Realize that your current compensation is more or less your current market price – a kind of personal MSRP – and realize that there’s no way any employer is going to bump that number up by 30%. OK, there are a few occasions when that happens, but only in the rarest of conditions or most unusual of circumstances, and even then, only conditionally. But when those huge pay bumps do happen, that should be a red flag in the first place. Consider why the company would be willing to pay you so much more – it could be they just need your skillset for a project, and once that’s over, you’re back out on the market.  Or it could be either the job or company sucks so bad that no one else in the market wants to work there, and they’re desperate. Of course, not all recruiters are completely reputable when it comes to comp – they’ll keep you in process for as long as possible, and won’t tell you that “DOE” (compensation is dependant on experience) really means that they have maybe a few thousand dollars in wiggle room to get the deal done. I negotiate salary upfront and so should you.  Don’t wait until the end of the process or after our first conversation to reveal what you make or what you’re looking for, and I’ll return the courtesy.  If you’re making 100k and the position pays 90, then you’re either willing to take the cut or you aren’t. Sure, that decision is driven by numerous factors, and there are recruiters out there who shy away from candidates whose current comp is out of range because they fear either you won’t accept the ultimate offer, or are a flight risk since you could be making more somewhere else. But I’ve had many conversations – and hired many candidates – whose focus on the company culture, the projects or work they’ll be doing or the long term opportunities associated with a particular role is worth more to them than money. So while you shouldn’t hide your compensation history or expectations, if the numbers aren’t too far off, you should at least be receptive to hearing a little more about the role before completely writing it off. I hope you’ll join me next week for the second part of this post, where I’ll finish off the full cycle by discussing what recruiters really want from candidates when it comes to the interview, the offer process, and some final thoughts on the Recruiter Experience.  Stay tuned.’


Derek ZellerAbout the Author: Derek Zeller draws from over 16 years in the recruiting industry. The last 11 years he has been involved with federal government recruiting specializing within the cleared Intel space under OFCCP compliancy. Currently, he is the corporate manager for Advanced Resource Technology, Inc. He has experience with both third party agency and in-house recruiting for multiple disciplines and technologies. Using out-of-the-box tactics and strategies to identify and engage talent, he has had significant experience in building referral and social media programs, the implementation of Applicant Tracking Systems, technology evaluation, and the development of sourcing, employment branding, military and college recruiting strategies.

You can read his thoughts on RecruitingDaily.com or Recruitingblogs.com or his own site Derdiver.com.  Derek currently lives in the DC area.

Follow Derek on Twitter @Derdiver or connect with him on LinkedIn.






Strategic Sourcing: Bullhorn Procures VMS Provider

vmsFrom Taleo to Monster, from ADP to Doostang, companies who successfully create and own their own categories often shift their focus away from the model that helped them get to the top – a relentless focus on building the best technology to make life for recruiting and HR end users easier, more efficient or more effective.

Once that focus on innovation and building a brand reverts to renewals, up-selling and increasingly incremental changes that turn products’ roadmaps into a dead end, these companies market share, viability and even existence tend to suffer from the malaise that comes with being a clear market leader.

It’s hard to see the landscape changing from the top of the mountain.

Despite being an established player – and clear market leader – in the staffing and search sector, Bullhorn has avoided the fundamental trap of sticking to the status quo – which, in this industry, never lasts long – but the trap that so often affects the innovation and evolution of major players in the HR Technology market.

Bullhorn was established in 1999, or approximately as long as many legacy systems and solutions that have succumbed to stasis and SaaS, but unlike these technologies, Bullhorn was built for the cloud. Its 117% growth over the past 3 years – despite an overall decline in overall agency and 3rd party spend proves their success at continuous reinvention and relentless product development to deliver the best possible technology to their clients – who reward them with one of the best renewal rates in the business.

While Bullhorn has long been adding point solution integrations and functionalities to its core CRM platform, their announcement last week that they had acquired The Code Works Inc. shows not only their commitment to the cloud, but also the desire to level the playing field for third party recruiting and staffing firms.  With The Code Works Inc. Bullhorn will be able to provide their mostly SMB user base with an enterprise class big data solution that further enhances an already best-in-breed suite of service offerings.

“There are a number of reasons that this is a fantastic acquisition for Bullhorn and its customers,” said Bullhorn CEO Art Papas. “The way in which The Code Works Inc. integrates CRM platforms with disparate CMS solutions … is truly innovative.  We se much broader applications for this technology in integrating other disparate systems in the future.”

By acquiring The Code Works Inc., a longtime Bullhorn Marketplace partner, Bullhorn not only has a proof of concept and case use for the integration’s efficacy, but the fact that a majority of The Code Works existing customers were already Bullhorn users promises a much quicker, more effective and seamless post-acquisition integration of both customers and code bases. This should preempt many of the bumps in the roadmap and client concerns which presented major challenges to other Bullhorn acquisitions like MaxHire and Sendouts.

It also addresses a huge area of opportunity – and growing market need – by adding vendor management services to its technology.  As Glen Cathey noted in his #Talent42 keynote earlier this year, recruitment – particularly for the contingent workforce – has increasingly shifted from an HR to a supply chain function.

Similarly, the rising demand for contingent workers has led to the rising need for third party recruiters to work directly with procurement, who today are tasked with making the ultimate decisions – and driving the process – of managing external recruiting vendors.

According to Bullhorn, 70% of “large buyers of temporary labor” use VMS solutions to manage their contingent workforce – giving third party staffing and search firms access to a market today dominated by global MSP and RPO providers with the tools and technologies required to successfully win and manage enterprise procurement deals.

This should enable many staffing firms using Bullhorn to expand their service offerings and capabilities into contingent hiring without adding a new system, point solution or services group – a low cost of entry with a potentially high ROI.

“We’re enabling companies to move their front office solutions to the cloud and to take advantage of Web-enabled services that power better decision-making and additional revenue opportunities,” said Papas:

“This vendor neutral solution extends Bullhorn’s product portfolio and will allow us to develop new offerings to help improve customer productivity. Long-term, the Bullhorn VMS Access development team will help drive the development of Bullhorn’s data integration offerings, fundamental to our cloud-based Big Data offerings.  To drive better decision-making, companies are looking to integrate data from a variety of sources online; Bullhorn VMS Access will provide that engine for our customers.”

Which makes this acquisition good news for recruiting professionals – and a market play that likely will have other HCM providers forced to develop or acquire their own solutions to compete with Bullhorn’s value proposition for customers, candidates and clients.

Why Content Marketing Matters for Recruiting & Hiring

tmpContent marketing has been the topic of choice across the marketing and digital media world for some time now. Last year, LinkedIn reported that 93% of surveyed marketers currently use content marketing to some degree, and 58% plan to increase their content marketing budgets in 2014. 

Due to the success and positive impact of using social media at opportune moments (think Oreo’s timely tweet during last year’s Super Bowl “blackout”), strategies around “moment marketing” and especially the phrase “agile”, have recently achieved buzzword status.

Being “agile” now stands proudly, using its own balletic feet, among the ranks of ad viewability, responsive design, and big data.

As it pertains to recruitment and talent acquisition, agile means using real-time interactions and behavior monitoring to drive a more limber approach to creating and deploying branded content focused around the company and its employees, which provide value to those interested in joining the team. Any effective approach to careers content generation has to put candidate interest at the center and must be able to adapt based on current staffing needs, the job market and talent audience insights. In the consumer world, marketers and strategists have devised elegant thinking around content creation, often comparing brands to publishers and media companies.

It’s certainly safe to say that there’s now a lot of commentary out there around agile approaches to content creation–much of it informative and interesting. But how this relates to actually building the bridge, which demonstrates credibility, trust and the promise between employer and employee, leaves much to be desired. Where the gap exists is at the crucial point where hiring managers and recruiters stop and say, “This all sounds great, but where do we go from here?”

Thinking can only make a difference when it is actionable. And while it’s one thing to think agile, the action of being quick-to-market with compelling company content based on real-time cultural trends, as well as the organization’s current and future skills gaps, are a much tougher challenge.

In working with leading organizations and their brands to navigate through and succeed in agile content development, we find there are three key things employers should consider to set themselves up for great results and better engage desired talent.

Begin Internally

When brands come to agencies for agile content development, the main criteria is usually that the content must be high quality, low-cost, high frequency, and quick-turnaround. But often their internal structure and processes aren’t yet optimized to embrace this type of approach. In agile content marketing, timing and efficiency are everything.
Stage.jpeg

Employer brands can optimize themselves for agile content development by making internal adjustments that improve communication, the first of which should be to empower a small team to manage the process – whether it’s the marketing department or HR. This team should have the authority to secure and approve budgets, as well as weigh in creatively and strategically on careers related content as it goes to market. Creating a nimble group that has real ownership of the process will make things more efficient and reduce the chances of unnecessary stress being put on your talent acquisition team as a whole.

This exercise will help your employer brand get into the right mind-set. Think of your marketing/HR group as the show producer, and your agile content group as the stage director.

Select The Best Content Partner

Choosing a smart content strategy and partner who can produce great careers content is the foundation of agile content marketing. Agile content development is best executed by a partner that has creative, strategy, production, and analytics under one roof. This eliminates the communication slowdowns of older traditional models (between employer brand, agency, production company and media), and makes the process more effective, cost-efficient, and more cohesive for the candidate.

As digital evolves, it’s imperative to seek out a partner who embraces technology and software to automate as much content generation and distribution as possible. Ensuring careers content is SEO and mobile, as well as developing a means to connect the dots amongst created and curated content with open requisitions that best match the story being told, provides a better user experience for the prospective candidate and streamlines the entire process.

When strategy, creative, and production teams can sit side by side and collaborate fluidly, agile content is the by-product. A perfect example of this is Red Bull, which revved up and energized its consumer marketing initiatives by combining brand, agency, and production company into one.

Develop A Living, Breathing Content Strategy

20percentSince a brand’s content strategy is often established at the very beginning of the process, the ongoing challenge is to make sure that strategy stays true to the objectives that it was built around, while also being fluid enough to evolve as job markets and hiring needs change.

The most important part of setting your brand’s agile content strategy is having a clear idea of why your brand is creating content to begin with and what you’re aiming to achieve. For example, Whole Foods calls itself “America’s healthiest grocery store” and has created an entire content platform to back up that claim.

Whole Foods has established itself as more than a place to get food; it is officially an important part of customers’ lifestyles and a part of their image. It has done this, in part, by introducing an entire educational platform where it offers custom content on topics such as sustainability, animal welfare, and GMOs in food. What is especially notable is its aggressive use of all social media platforms as an engagement and distribution tool for its content and its deep understanding of the visual web that permeates its digital assets via beautiful photography, graphics, and design.

While Whole Foods and Redbull, both of which offer food and beverage products, vary greatly on what they deem their audiences find interesting and crave (nutrition vs adrenaline), each brand understands its audience, the type of content which resonates best and further establishes each brand as leaders in their niche.

Once your brand’s content strategy is set, it should be seen as a living framework and playbook that should evolve over time. Recognize that your brand and content both live in a dynamic world that changes constantly. Though the company’s main areas of hire may not change, the skills needed and actual content you create, and where it’s published, probably will. With digital, you have the ability to monitor and understand your candidates, and deliver to them exactly what they want when they want it.

The main takeaway and key to success for all talent attraction stakeholders in agile content development is that you have to be comfortable knowing that you can’t know everything that lies ahead. Agile content development are for those who persevere and adapt.

Employer brands that plan ahead and train accordingly, will continue to rendezvous and dance with desired candidates, while theorists and educators will continue to “get it,” but while watching from the side of the stage.

Read more at Meshworking from TMP

unnamed (3)About the Author: David Gardner is TMP Canada’s Director of Digital Strategy and works with clients throughout the Great White North in enhancing their employer brand reach.

Leveraging a decade’s worth of digital marketing experience, he has helped clients in various industries, including oil and gas and healthcare, to optimize, socialize and mobilize their careers content and jobs messaging through integrated recruitment strategies.

Prior to joining TMP, David worked as Communications Manager for Theatre Junction GRAND, Calgary’s culture house of contemporary live arts where he merged his passion for live entertainment and technology, hooking him on social media and mobile communications that he applies today at TMP.

Follow David on Twitter @David11Gardner or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Veteran Recruiting: A Basic Recipe For Hiring Success

veteran recruiting basicsWhat’s the very best meal you could make right now using nothing but the items currently found in your kitchen?  Could you pull off a four course meal?  Whip up a deep dish lasagna?  Soup and sandwich?  OK, maybe just soup?

How you answer this questions depends more on what you have in your cabinets and refrigerator than it does your cooking abilities and it’s a great analogy for today’s veteran – and veteran recruiting.

A military career, whether it be for four years or twenty-four years provides multiple opportunities to acquire skills and experiences. Some which become permanent and others, not so much.

Of course, it’s not just about stocking up willy-nilly. To make a smooth transition into the private sector it’s about acquiring and maintaining an inventory of skills and experiences that will fit the needs of another organization.

Looking at the situation through the lens of the grocery store allows us to see that skills and experiences, like food, can be classified as staples, semi-perishable, and perishable.  We need some of each, and we need to make sure they work together.

Veteran Recruiting: A Shopping List for Success

Staple Items: Professionalism, flexibility, and sense of duty are cans of soup.  Once you have them, they really don’t go bad.  These things can make a good meal better, and in a pinch they might even serve as a small meal.  As great as soup is, though, nobody relies on a pantry full of soup as their only source of nourishment.

Semi-Perishable: These are your technical skills.  A loaf of bread or box of pasta may last a while, but not forever. The same can be said for knowledge. Perhaps you were certified in a particular program or have a degree.  This looks good on a resume, but there will eventually become a point that it gets stale.  Did you get a degree in something other than the job you’re doing? Maybe the last time you actually worked in the field you got certified in was ten years ago. Degrees and certifications are important, but by themselves they don’t get jobs any more than two slices of bread make a sandwich.

Perishable: This is where experiences come into play.  Like fruit and vegetables, they’re great when fresh, but the more time that passes the less desirable they become.

Sure, you can lean on the fact that you operated a certain piece of machinery, or lead a specific type of unit eight years ago.  Thinking this is good enough, however, is like comparing a bag of frozen corn to the fresh ears available at the local farmers market. Yes, at one time the frozen stuff was just as fresh, but nobody will ever mistake one for the other.

All military careers eventually end, and while there are many programs to help transitioning veterans translate their skills, it’s also important to recognize that the best cookbook in the world is useless without the right ingredients.

Thinking about your career strategically means regular trips to the grocery store. It means frequently replenishing the skills and experiences, while at the same time maintaining the staples of leadership and professionalism.  It means making sure all of the ingredients fit together.  Fresh strawberries taste great, but they still don’t belong in a lasagna.

Now is the time to get ahead of the power curve. Make a list of what you need and shop often. Keep your kitchen well stocked. Company is coming over and once they do it will be too late to run the grocery store.

Read more on the Veteran Transition Diary.

bobwheelerAbout the Author: Bob Wheeler recently retired from active duty where he recruited physicians for the US Navy.

After retiring from the service in June of 2014, Bob has launched BW Career Services, a consulting and coaching firm designed to help assist other veterans with their transitions into the private sector, a topic he’s been blogging about extensively on the Veteran Transition Diary. http://veterantransitiondiary.wordpress.com/.

You can find Bob on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @sailordoc.

Recruiting in the Middle East: What Employers Need To Know

randstadIf you’re like many multinational companies, chances are you’re looking at the Middle East as one of the most explosive global growth markets – and if you’re establishing or expanding your presence in the Middle East, you’ll need to exercise a little finesse.  After all, it’s not exactly a short commute, and the cultural differences can be daunting.

The thing is, successful recruiting in the Middle East is incumbent on understanding the perspective of potential candidates; areas like Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, for instance, are among the most affluent in the world (and also among the most accepting of Western business norms).

For booming markets like these, Doha, Kuwait City or Riyadh, the opportunity for expatriation presents professionals willing to the jump with not only the chance to make real money and a real difference, but also enjoy an extraordinarily good quality of life, even by Western standards.

Recruiting professionals to open positions in the Middle East, in fact, isn’t so different than doing so domestically.  Of course, with factors like distance, cultural and linguistic differences, there are some obstacles to placing top talent in the region – but these obstacles can easily be overcome.

In today’s interconnected, networked world of work, here are some tips for changing these challenges into opportunities – and bottom line recruiting results.

Online Recruiting in The Middle East

As with any highly specialized occupation or competitive local job market, a variety of online recruiting resources have developed to offer specific expertise – and reach – for hiring in the Middle East.  These sites provide a blend of local knowledge and proven, industry leading expertise that will help partner with your business to translate your open opportunities into compelling, culturally specific job descriptions that target the right talent at the right time.

Many of these specialized recruitment sites are also operated by global recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) firms which act as a bridge between recruiters and employers by employing by providing overseas recruiting support, providing a front line in the field, and the ability to help both candidates and employers navigate the potentially confusing landscape of the Middle East and turning that expertise into real enticing, exciting career & business opportunities.

Focus Your Recruitment Programs

Traditionally, face to face meetings with prospective employees would have been accomplished through job or recruitment fairs, and this approach is still more than viable. Setting up a stand at a general recruitment fair certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea, as it would give you access to a range of undecided job hunters, who may be interested in making a change and experiencing some different scenery.

Career fairs such as this ‘Graduate Careers in Africa, Asia & Middle East Event’ hosted by TARGETjobs, for example, allows for many companies to simultaneously target, meet and engage recent graduates and other members of the emerging workforce in the UK who might be interested in pursuing international vacancies.  Events like career fairs are great ways to bring your global opportunities to local talent.

Similar to recruitment websites, for best results specialized events like these, as well as professional conferences and trade shows dedicated to a specific industry or market sector (or ideally, some combination of both), tend to yield much better results than more generalized in-person outreach.  By focusing on these kind of events, you’re able to target candidates without overcoming the most difficult recruiting objection of all, which is trying to convince top talent to consider opportunities abroad.

With this hurdle already cleared, you’ll be able to better focus your time on explaining your employee value proposition while building the foundation for a successful recruiting relationship.  By focusing on what your company offers and how it aligns with their professional goals and aspirations, you’ll be able to create excitement and awareness of your employment brand, even for those industry insiders who already are experienced (or at least open) to continuing their careers in the Middle East.

Build The Right Network & Connections

A far less labor intensive, but equally engaging, way to find and attract potential candidates for opportunities in the Middle East is ensuring you’re able to scale your messaging and reach online.  Popular professional networking sites such as LinkedIn, or social networks like Facebook and Twitter, allow proactive employers to build a buzz while building a community of candidates, current and future employees, and subject matter or industry experts.

Exposing these communities to opportunities in the Middle East while also providing a platform to showcase both vacancies as well as company culture and real employees already working in the region can be key to directly connect with the right candidates in real time while providing additional insight on what working in the region is really like.  This will help proactively pre-empt, or screen out, the most ubiquitous hurdle in any overseas recruitment operation, the willingness to consider opportunities abroad.

Recruiting In The Middle East: Conclusions

The key to recruiting for vacancies in the Middle East, as the above examples suggest, is to focus on delivering a consistent, compelling message through specialized channels, communities and networks which are the most receptive to your recruiting message.

By demonstrating not only the professional growth and development opportunities inherent to adding experience in the Middle East, but also dispelling entrenched myths and misconceptions about the region while underscoring its quality of life and vibrant business environment, you’ll lay the foundation for recruiting success – and future growth in one of the world’s fastest growing job markets.

nickbushAbout the Author: Nick Bush has been writing since he could hold a pen, and has been working in marketing since graduating from the University of Portsmouth.

He has a wide range of marketing experience, across a diverse array of fields; from recruitment, to medical technology and property.

Nick currently resides in his adoptive city of Portsmouth, in the UK.

Follow Nick on Twitter @nbushvl, or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Industry Insiders: Breaking Down the Best Employee Referral Programs

employee-referral-programsNo matter what industry, niche or specialty skill set for which they happen to be hiring, any organization’s growth is inextricably intertwined with the quality of its people.  The intellectual capital of an organization’s employees, their experience and expertise, form the core of any successful business, making talent acquisition one of the most critical challenges faced by every employer, from fledgling startups and mom & pop shops to the world’s biggest brands.

With competition for quality workers heating up across industries, companies are increasingly turning to employee referral programs, which are surging in popularity, usage and overall share source of hire.  Employee referral programs provide a highly cost effective and highly efficient means for attracting, engaging and hiring top talent.

While most studies or surveys on employee referral programs have historically focused on tech recruiting and the IT industry, these programs are not limited to industry or vertical – and, in fact, represent a huge opportunity for employers in specialized industries like healthcare, retail, professional services and ecommerce to succeed at hiring better talent faster.  And that’s a pretty compelling business case, no matter what kind of business you happen to be in.

Here are how some of the most competitive industries for recruiting and hiring have implemented employee referral programs as part of their overall talent acquisition strategy:

Employee Referral Programs & Healthcare Recruiting

The healthcare industry has always suffered from a shortage of skilled staff limiting growth of the industry as a whole. Referral programs have proven to be a highly effective means of hiring in this highly competitive industry. 78 percent respondents who participated in The Bernard Hodes Group Healthcare Talent Metrics ranked employee referrals as one of the top five highest yielding sources of Registered Nurses hires. Also, The Employee Referral Index Report 2013 shows that referrals were the leading external source of hires for the health care industry.

A mobile workforce who is typically not tied to the desk presents one of the biggest challenges in successfully implementing an employee referral program in healthcare organizations. Fortunately with the integration of mobile capabilities within the referral technology, healthcare employees can access the referral platform from any device anywhere and at any time.   Healthcare organizations have also come out with mobile referral websites as well as technology to make it extremely easy and convenient for healthcare employees to share job postings as well as upload resumes online from their smart phones to give a further push to their employee referral program.

Employee Referral Programs & Retail Recruiting

The retail industry have always preferred hiring through employee referrals more than any other hiring source as referrals tend to be hired and trained much faster and get productive much more effectively. Most retail organizations have embraced social media to build their recruiting presence and employer brand, and have therefore also integrated social media capabilities into their employee referral programs, making it easier  for employees to share opportunities online while spreading the word to their personal and professional networks.

A relatively new yet rapidly growing industry, the ecommerce or online retail industry has been quickest to capitalize on the advantages offered by employee referrals in terms of access to a global pool of high quality candidates without incurring huge costs. The ecommerce industry relies heavily on technology and internet savvy individuals who rely heavily on word of mouth references to purchase goods or services. Referral programs where employees act as the medium between potential candidates and employer work perfectly to attract the kind of talent they are looking for. Moreover, since ecommerce industry generally works on low margins, they typically do not have deep pockets to spend on recruitment and prefer to hire through referrals to keep recruiting expenses within control.

Employee Referral Programs & Professional Services Recruiting

In the world of professional services like consulting and accounting, employee referrals, in fact are the driving force behind the entire recruiting strategy for many organizations.  Organizations like Deloitte, for instance, use referral programs extensively, which have led this global organization to generate over 40% of its annual hires through their employee referral program, a percentage the organization only expects to grow in the years to come.

Accenture, one of the biggest names in the consulting and accounting industry is one of the pioneers in the use of employee referrals to drive talent acquisition. Through the use of innovative techniques like adding gamification elements through referral cards, which allow employees to track their success at referrals relative to their colleagues and counterparts within the company, Accenture has managed to keep employees excited, engaged and active in their employee referral program. Keith Halperin, a veteran recruitment consultant, adds:

“Throughout my career, I have been working with highly diverse clients, from established Fortune 50 firms through new 20-person start-ups. Employee referrals, once the ‘neglected stepchild’ of recruiting, are now increasingly discussed as being the most cost-effective means of recruiting quality candidates, while simultaneously increasing employees’ morale. Employee referrals can provide 40-55% of hires if designed, implemented, and managed in the right way. When created with the input and buy-in of the existing recruiting staff, ERPs can result in dramatic improvements in recruiting’s hires.”

Of course, the examples above are just a few examples of how employee referral programs can help shape recruiting and talent acquisition strategies across some of the most competitive industries for recruitment today.  But now matter which company, industry, geography or specialty you’re recruiting for, successful employee referral programs are an integral component for building a successful recruiting strategy for today – and tomorrow.

saviosavio

Don’t Be That Guy: Turning the Table on LinkedIn Losers

linkedinloserI recently received this InMail from a certain LinkedIn user – and if you’re even tangentially connected to HR or recruiting, then you’re probably already recoiling at this all too familiar awkwardness. But if you think this is a good way to build your network on LinkedIn, think again.

Here’s how I interpret Rod’s plea for help – and how I think most recruiters feel about these sort of shady worst practices that swell the burgeoning ranks of LinkedIn losers.

Let’s start at the very beginning (a very good place to start).  First, he addresses this connection request to “Dear Recruiter.” Which, clearly, shows old Rod clearly took the time to personalize his message.  This salutation is an instant trigger for that “oh, goodie – another GENERIC message from someone I don’t know and who obviously doesn’t know me or anything about me” face palm.

The thing is: I’m not a recruiter.

The problem is that by addressing me as a recruiter, Rod clearly shows he has no idea what I actually do.even if it’s explicitly spelled out, in bullet points, even, right there on the same profile he’s trying to connect with.  Thanks for the carefully researched request, Rod.  You’re not only sending me a highly impersonal note, you’re likely sending at least the 70 “recruiters” you’re referencing the wrong message – which is OK. You’re probably targeting the completely wrong crowd, anyway.

The second and third line of this message made me throw up in my mouth a little.  Personal branding is a necessary evil, particularly on a platform like LinkedIn.  But to go on about all the recruiters and amazing professionals you’re connected to (connections you’ve already demonstrated to be dubious at best) just reads like an obnoxious blend of bragging, arrogance and comes across as just plain annoying.

EEEK! Not quite the way to sell yourself to the reader there, Rod.

Finally, the fourth and fifth lines include the question about the ethics of contracting recruiters – which, given the previous paragraphs in this poorly constructed and off-putting introduction, are truly puzzling.  On the one hand, I guess we should applaud his concern for behaving ethically.  Then again, on the other, he comes across as blatantly expecting to exploit a shortcut in networking for a new position (and you’d think IT professionals would at least know how to network).

It looks, frankly, like he’s avoiding actually avoiding any type of personal effort or due diligence in his job search. That’s not the message anyone wants to send recruiters, on LinkedIn or otherwise.

Rod references the work he does in his introduction, and the usual cover letter laundry list of what he can offer an employer and the kind of job he’s hoping an employer offers him.  The problem is, even if Rod and I were old friends and I was familiar with what he does, deciphering all that from this message would be burdensome at best, impossible at worst.

No recruiter on earth can translate this kind of ambiguity into a tangible career opportunity.

Digging Deeper: Profile of A LinkedIn Loser

Of course, I wanted to learn more about this guy who clearly is going to open the doors to a whole network of highly connected recruiters and maybe some A-Players he’s worked with in his previous roles – OK, I’m kidding, I was just curious who sends this kind of message to begin with – and then saw the real problem with Rod.  His last position ended in 1999.

There’s no explanation for that 15 year employment gap, but you’d think that if you were going to even consider using this platform for connecting with recruiters, you might maybe mention why the heck your profile has a gaping hole in it that sends up so many instant recruiting red flags.  This is why, on LinkedIn, at least, it’s so important to be aware of not only the direct content, but its context, too.

According to the information I had available – like any other recruiter Rod might have reached out to – it appears Todd may be the kind of candidate whose professional cohort are getting fought over by recruiters after showing off their skills on Ruby-on-Rails, Java or whatever other programming language or coding capabilities happen to be hot this week.  Instead, Todd is spending his time begging recruiters to come knocking with poorly constructed InMails that are pretty much the reason that LinkedIn has become a pariah for so many recruiters and candidates alike.

I mean, come on – it’s not like top tech talent is sitting around optimizing their LinkedIn profile in the hopes of scoring a gig.  Those guys, in fact, are likely posting on 4Chan and in user groups explicitly to bitch about avoiding recruiters and their stupid tricks and hacks on LinkedIn, not proactively reaching out to them through InMail, which everyone knows no one actually looks at anyway?

Don’t Be That Guy.

HelloLoserPX1How To Stop Being A Loser On LinkedIn

I’m sorry if it sounds like I’m being harsh on Rod, but he initiated the message, and asked for help, so while I’m dissecting his message on a public blog (although LinkedIn is sure trying to become one of those, too), I want to be fair and explain the reason I’m doing this is to fulfill Rod’s ask for a little help with LinkedIn etiquette. I’m hoping that by explaining how Rod – or the many job seekers in similar circumstances – can improve their chances of getting a real response from a real recruiter.

First and foremost, please stop connecting to total strangers if your sole rationale for doing so is to request a favor or attempt to blatantly sell a product or service (don’t worry, their new “direct sponsored content” offered by LinkedIn will take care of that for you).  Next, just because LinkedIn for some reason allows bulk messaging, this doesn’t mean that this is a particularly effective – or even professional – way to communicate.

How would you like it if some company just started sending you spam without at least giving you the chance to opt out, first? That’s how this bulk messaging comes across, especially with strangers and particularly to those who actually can offer the kind of advice, information or assistance you’re looking for. You’re just going to piss them off by asking for value immediately instead of creating a compelling case of why you’re able to add some for them, too.

Third, don’t make people guess (or try to remember) who the hell, exactly, you are and why you’re contacting them in the first place.  If they have to try to come up with an immediate reason for trying to establish a relationship or re-establish a long lost connection, then they’re unlikely to even pay attention to your asks, much less deliver the help you’re hoping for.

Finally, Rod – if, indeed, I were a recruiter, you know that recruiters make money by connecting candidates with jobs.  If you’re asking anyone to do for free what they rely on to make money professionally, particularly when those people are strangers who owe you nothing and you’ve done nothing for, you’re inherently crossing over that ethics line you seem so concerned about.

How To Turn Being A LinkedIn Loser Into A Winning Networker

My main advice to Rod, or anyone else for that matter, is simple.  Fill out your profile.  Seems pretty obvious, right?  But when you’ve got 15 years of an unexplained hiatus from the world of work, then stop sending recruiters spam and focus on the small stuff that will go a long way – like putting pertinent professional information on your profile.  Get busy building your presence on LinkedIn and other sites where recruiters are actively searching for digital footprints and stop connecting to recruiters.  If you provide the information they want from you or you happen to have the skills they need, they’ll be the ones connecting with you.

I guarantee it.  If not – you’re still better served networking with professional peers, colleagues and coworkers within your own area of expertise instead of targeting recruiters – they’ll be far more valuable in your job search than a bunch of random strangers you’ve collected in your digital rolodex simply because their LinkedIn profile happened to contain the word “recruiter.”

For everyone else, if you think your job search may benefit from working with recruiters, then take the time to actually do some digging and target the ones who are the most likely to place someone like you.  Most recruiters have niche focuses or specialize in particular industries, functions or skill sets, which is why finding a recruiter who can help you is imperative.

Once you’ve taken the time to carefully read their profiles, do a Google search or try to find a common connection or talking point, then use that information to properly and professionally craft a compelling, properly personalized introduction.  Whether there are 7, 700 or 7,000 recruiters out there who might be able to help with your next step, make sure you make it clear to each and every one why they should keep you top of mind for opportunities instead of buried in the bottom of their junk mail folders.

It’s important to remember that recruiters are employed by clients or companies.  They get paid pretty much exclusively for finding and developing qualified candidates.  In most cases, recruiters aren’t just sitting around, twiddling their thumbs and waiting for that magic message to pop up from a job seeker and then figuring out how or where to place them (that’s why they have job boards).  Nor do they have the time or resources to respond to incoming requests like the cautionary example set by our old buddy Rod.

Who, I’m pretty sure, is still on the market and would love to connect with you, too!  Hey, it’s already worked on 70 suckers – er, “LinkedIn LIONs.”

For more from Kelly on what NOT to do on LinkedIn, check out her latest RecruitingBlogs post, Add This Guy To The Recruiter Wall of Shame.


talenttalks

About the Author: Leveraging her unique perspective as a progressive thinker with a well-rounded background from diverse corporate settings, Kelly Blokdijk advises members of the business community on targeted human resource, recruiting and organization development initiatives to enhance talent management, talent acquisition, corporate communications and employee engagement programs.

Kelly is an active HR and recruiting industry blogger and regular contributor on RecruitingBlogs.com. She also candidly shares opinions, observations and ideas as a member of RecruitingBlogs’ Editorial Advisory Board.

Follow Kelly on Twitter @TalentTalks or connect with her on LinkedIn.

How To Get Recognized As An Employer of Choice (and Why It Matters)

employer-of-choice2If your company is one that’s demonstrated a superior approach to human capital management, then you’re no doubt itching to earn some recognition for your efforts. If both sides are happy – employees are engaged and productive, and the C-suite is happy with the work they’re seeing – that’s when you know your company has something really special going. Isn’t it time you let the world know it?

The best companies to work for – the “employers of choice,” as they’re called – are often awarded for it. Those businesses that offer unique programs aimed at improving recruitment, elevating engagement and increasing retention will emerge with the trophies in the end.

Let’s survey the awards landscape and look at what companies do to set themselves apart and break into that upper echelon.

Employers Of Choice & Culture Change

For any company that’s looking to earn recognition as an employer of choice, it’s important to understand that this won’t happen overnight. It’s sure to be a long-term process – one that begins with reshaping your entire organizational culture, which is no small feat.

According to Edgar Schein, one of the most prominent theorists on organizational culture, culture consists of “a pattern of shared basic assumptions invented, discovered, or developed by a given group.” Obviously, you can’t just change people’s basic assumptions in the blink of an eye. You’ve got to work hard to reshape people’s thinking.

Ceridian’s viewpoint on this matter is that the best companies strive to find a culture that fits into at least one of the four C’s – collaborative, creative, controlling or competing. Will your workplace thrive because everyone works together, or because they all fight individually to get ahead? Will people have the freedom to pursue their own dreams and ideas, or alternatively will their outlook be mandated from above them on the corporate ladder?

All of these decisions are up to each individual enterprise to decide.

Employer of Choice Awards: Which Recognitions Matter Most

Once you’ve changed your corporate culture and set the workforce on the fast track to success, the next step is to set your sights on particular awards that your company may be able to win for its human capital management strategies.

This, too, is a multi-step process. First, you’ll want to determine the award that best fits the scope and focus of your organization. Then, you’ll want to carefully review your organization’s practices and determine where you excel, versus where you still fall short compared to the competition.

If you have weaknesses, shore them up! Don’t be afraid to get aggressive and change the areas where your company could still stand to improve. For every gap you see between your own company and its nearest competitors, consider what it would take to fill it, then go for it and be the best employer you can be.

Read more at the Ceridian Blog. For more good stuff from Sara, check out our exclusive Recruiting Daily Q&A with Sara: “The People Behind the Product: HR Leadership Lessons from Ceridian.

About the Author: 

sara_hill-300x300Sara Hill is the Chief Human Resources Officer for Ceridian. In this role, Sara oversees the global human resources functions across Ceridian and is based in Minneapolis.  She has responsibility for enhancing the employee experience, increasing employee engagement, and developing people and talent management strategies to bring Ceridian to the next level.

Prior to joining Ceridian, Sara most recently served as Senior Vice President, Human Resources at U.S. Bancorp, providing HR leadership for the Wealth Management and Securities Services division.  Sara has worked at Fidelity Investments as Vice President of Management Effectiveness.  She has also been a consultant with The HayGroup, where she led HR consulting engagements primarily in the areas of organizational effectiveness and management development.

Sara serves on the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Children’s Museum. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA, with a concentration in HR, from Vanderbilt University.

Follow Sara on Twitter @SaraHillHR or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Improving Candidate Experience With Digital Interviews

Improve candidate experience with digital interview techniques.

Improving Candidate Experience With Digital Interviews

It’s no secret there are a ton of compelling reasons why digital interviews make sense for employers and recruiters.  But from time and cost savings to process streamlining, video interviewing is also delivering value to job seekers and candidates.

In this exclusive webinar Gerry Crispin, David Wieland, Ed Newman and Andrew Gadomski take a look at the evolution of digital interviewing. Also look at how video is impacting the current recruitment and talent acquisition landscape. And how real companies and real recruiters are really using video interviews to make better hires while improving.

In this webinar you will learn:

  • Why Candidate Experience Matters: Let’s take a look at the topic of candidate experience. We will see and why it matters for employers and businesses’ bottom line.  We will be showcasing benchmark data from the Candidate Experience Awards and other industry studies.  Also showcased are case studies from leading edge companies already getting candidate experience right.
  • How Digital Interviews Impact Candidate Experience: With digital interviewing in place, candidates can stand out from the crowd and be more than just a resume. We’ll look at how video interviews provide candidates a chance to shine while significantly speeding up the hiring process.  This leads to giving passive job seekers increased flexibility during interviews and turning the recruiting process into a true ‘two way street.’
  • Digital Interviewing Tips & Tricks for Better Experiences; Our panelists will share real examples from companies who have already implemented digital interviewing solutions. They will show how it’s made a difference in candidate experience, as well as actionable tips and tricks that any employer or recruiter can use.  This helpsto improve experiences – and efficacy – through digital interviewing solutions.

 

Lost In Translation: Job Advertisements Gone Horribly Wrong

As you can imagine, I share the majority of my working day (and most of my down time) with words. No, that’s not a typo, I do spend most of my days working with words. As a Digital Marketing and Content Creation Executive that’s par for the course. If I’m not creating blogs with words, I’m editing them, I’m emailing with them, or I’m tweeting with them.  As I said, a lot of my time is spent with words and I’d like to think I now know quite a bit about them and what makes them pleasurable to read.

So you can imagine my interest in a certain article published by The Irish Times (originally published by The Financial Times) that dealt with words a certain company had chosen to use in its latest job advertisement for a “Thought Leader.”

stevejobs1Think Different: Apple Bites A Big One

Apple has always had a magnificent way with words. It really has. Heck, it’s even invented some! None of us knew what an iPad or an iPod was before they came along and today those words have developed Hoover or JCB-like status i.e. brands that have become nouns. Which is why it was particularly upsetting to read this article by Lucy Kellaway.

In the article, Kellaway explains her shock at how jargon-like Apple’s way with words seems to have become and goes on to juxtapose their latest literary piece with a piece from their recent past. As Kellaway points out, Apple were one of the first companies to make legal jargon well, fun!

Four years ago, in a statement about the conditions for what Apple was prepared to sell in its App Store, Apple wrote “We will reject apps for any content or behavior that we believe is over the line. What line, you ask? Well, as a Supreme Court Justice once said, I’ll know it when I see it. And we think that you will also know it when you cross it.”

An eloquent, humorous but ultimately clear, no nonsense statement that no one could misinterpret. No technical legal jargon here! Fast forward four years and to a job ad (something we know quite a bit about) written by the company in search for a ‘Thought Leader.’ Twenty seven (27) bullet points of text detailing the job included sentences like; the successful candidate must be able to “identify integration points with other teams and drive high-resolution of cross-functional issues” and that the job was ultimately there to help “drive the conceptualisation, evaluation and execution of critical sale reporting projects on time and within business expectations.” 

Like Kellaway, I was more than a little taken aback by the way in which Apple had chosen to describe the opening! What’s an integration point? Come to think if it, what are cross-functional issues? And as Kellaway so wonderfully put it, “isn’t high-resolution something to do with photographs?”

Lost In Translation: How Terrible Job Ads Turn Off Top Talent

What irks us as trainers of recruiters the world over is the lack of regard for the candidate when such jargon is used. Has the recruitment professional involved with putting this ad together, thought about how the candidate will feel when they read this? Up until this point, working for Apple would probably have seemed like an incredible, dare we say, ‘exciting opportunity’ to join a company at the top of their game (after all, Apple made its name by being different and edgy). This use of language just makes Apple seem like every other corporate entity out there, who are looking for just another employee. It doesn’t exactly make the candidate excited about the prospect of a job with Apple does it?

Instead of celebrating the history they have as a company, the legacy Steve Jobs left behind and the innovative and creative nature of their products, they are choosing to go down the lonely corporate path. But before you mistake this for a full on Apple-bash (which it isn’t), recruiters the world over are writing and publishing equally bad and often even worse job ads (a certain Craigslist job description comes to mind!). It happens every single day and as a result hundreds if not thousands of companies miss out on the “ideal candidate” they’re so desperate to find, but that their job ads just won’t let them find.

Take this ad for an Online Organiser for example. If the potential candidate didn’t die of boredom before reaching the end of this monstrosity, they’d certainly run a mile after reading phrases relating to the responsibilities involved like: “Draft talking points, pull press clips and write issue summaries to keep grassroots volunteers informed and engaged” (which, roughly translated, means “you’ll spend most of your time doing filing an intern could have done“) and “A passion for politics and an understanding of what is politically possible” (does anyone know what is truly “politically possible“?!)

soberlane-applicationBut not even the dreary job ad for an Online Organiser for a “Major Midwestern Democratic Campaign” could beat the nightmare of a job ad that is currently in circulation for a Data Visualisation Developer with Booz Allen Hamilton. After applicants who are able to “Gather requirements and lead iterative development of innovative data analytics and visualisation tools. Provide tactical support to projects, the client, and market development. Leverage a start-up mentality or entrepreneurial focus with a team that is dynamic, driven, and has a commitment to innovation” are selected, they will be “subject to a security investigation and may need to meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information“…yay.

Oh, but wait! There could be light at the end of this pitch black job ad tunnel! The company are “proud of [their] diverse environment, EOE, M/F/Disability/Vet.” Oh wait, no sorry, they’re just covering their asses.

The moral of the story: be creative.  Think outside the proverbial box. Don’t be afraid to be different and innovative with your job ads. The more creative and intelligent the job ad, the more creative and intelligent a candidate it will attract. One Irish company, however, provides a playbook that we should all take a page from.

Cork-based Sober Lane Bar and Grill are expanding their gastronomic efforts into Dublin and in an effort to attract and hire new staff with the right personality and mentality for the job, the company are permitting job applications only through SnapChat. That’s innovative. And check out that call to action: “Forget discretion! When making an impression, Sober Lane is our obsession, it’s all about the session, let’s hear your confession, if you want a profession.”

Genius! Short, snappy, fun, clever and targeted perfectly at the type of employee they’re looking to hire. Now, all we have to do is hope that Apple get a Thought Leader to help them steer their thoughts away from the kinds of job ads they’re currently running.

Learn more at Social Talent.

siofraAbout the Author: Siofra Pratt is a Digital Marketing Executive at Social Talent, which she originally joined as an intern in May 2013. In her current role, Siofra manages inbound marketing & content creation, social media management and advertising for Social Talent and is the voice of the Social Talent Blog.

A former banker, Siofra holds an honours degree in Commerce and an honours Masters in Creative Advertising.

Follow Siofra on Twitter @Sioffy or connect with her on LinkedIn.

 

 

Small Steps, But A Start: Breaking Down Employment Discrimination’s Final Barrier

New Executive Order mandating employer anti-discrimination against LGBT workers signals step towards breaking down a final barrier to workplace equality.

executive orderJust a week or so ago (July 17, if you’re keeping count), I wrote my last Recruiting Daily post, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (Seriously).  The secondary title: Why You Can Still Be Fired For Being Gay.  The reaction and feedback I received on that particular post was overwhelmingly one of sheer surprise.

With so many rules and regulations designed to ensure compliance with the complex, complicated regulations and minimizing associated risks – which is pretty much most HR generalists’ whole job – many wondered how a key diversity group could, in today’s world, remain an unprotected class.

Just four days later, however, the federal government finally fixed this longstanding challenge for LGBT professionals as President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order prohibiting federal contractors and subcontractors (the same group covered under OFCCP) from employment-related discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Here’s the full text of the Executive Order (officially Executive Order 11478, If you’re keeping score at home).  I wouldn’t recommend clicking through, however, unless you’re a lawyer or are looking for a potential cure for chronic insomnia.  It makes vendor white papers look like pleasure reading.  Seriously – it’s like listening to the Books on Tape version of your mortgage.

But if you’ve got better things to do with your time than look at line after line of legalese and annotation-heavy allusions to federal case law, no worries.  I’m here to break it down for you.

Reading the Fine Print: What the Executive Order Actually Says

So what, exactly, does Executive Order 11478 do?  I’m glad you asked.  Here’s what this landmark legislation, the first federal law to expressly prohibit employment based LGBT discrimination, means in plain English:

  1. The order amends two existing anti-discrimination laws already on the book: Executive Order 11478, Equal Employment Opportunity in the Federal Government, and Executive Order 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity.
  2. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will update the scope of its definition – and associated regulations – pertaining to employment with the Federal Government to explicitly protect both gender identity and sexual orientation.  This provision went into effect immediately.
  3. One of the existing anti-discrimination bills amended (Executive Order 11246, which covers Equal Employment Opportunity), will expand its protection clauses from only “sex or national origin” to include “sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.” Here’s a fun fact – the original regulation amended by this order was put into place in 1965 by the Johnson administration during the height of the Civil Rights movement.  I think LBJ would be proud of his brainchild’s progress.
  4. Any employer doing business with the federal government or any state government, respectively, will be required to review their FMLA and related policies for non-discrimination, and include specific provisions protecting LGBT workers where necessary.

Obama-ENDASmall Steps, But A Start: Why It Matters

This new order will affect approximately 24,000 companies that employ roughly 28 million employees, or roughly one-fifth of the nation’s workforce. That means 20% of American workers will finally have guarantees from the Federal and state governments of equal protection of gender identity and sexual orientation.

Moving. On. Up.

Of course, this is a baby step – not a giant leap forward for civil rights or employment law.

The top five federal contractors, in fact, already have voluntarily included sexual orientation and gender identity in their non-discrimination policies.  Similarly, many state and local governments across the nation also include these workers as protected classes in regards to employment discrimination.

Federal laws, however, have never before included sexual orientation and gender identity as protected classes.  This fact which allowed employers in states and local governments without similar clauses to continue legally discriminating against LGBT workers.

There’s been some speculation that the White House was waiting on executing the order until the Supreme Court finally handed down a decision in the watershed (and well covered) Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby case.  Of course, the Right’s victory threatens this Executive Order because it also excludes broad exemptions based on religion, but I’m not even touching that one.

 What The Executive Order Means for HR & Recruiting

What does all this mean for you today?  If you’re in the 80% of workers or employers not covered by the Executive Order, it might be time to reassess your policies and procedures.

Here’s what I want to ask you to ask yourself – and answer honestly.

Do you know where your company’s employment policies and HR practices stand when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity?  Do they even exist?  Because if not, it might be time to update those policies not because it’s the law, but because it’s the right thing to do, both for your company values and your bottom line results. Not to mention that discriminating against LGBT workers means discriminating against a pretty significant pool of highly skilled, well educated and extremely experienced professionals.

Discriminating against LGBT employees means closing the door on the door on the top talent your organization is investing so many resources to recruit and retain.  Continued discrimination just doesn’t make sense, no matter how you slice it. While this new Executive Order might be limited in scope and too small a step to really be considered progress, it’s important to stop and take note that one of the final barriers to full employment equality has finally started to crumble.

It’s up to all of us to do our own small part as employers, recruiting or HR leaders and human beings to do what we can at our own companies, with our own colleagues, to make sure that we finally end employment discrimination forever.

Because really? It’s about time.

When Reqs Go Wrong: My True Recruiting Story

onceIn my last Recruiting Daily post, I discussed some of the reasons I’m still a recruiter.  I detailed some of the professional challenges so many of us in this profession have to face every day.

I talked about the frequent frustrations with managers, coworkers, clients and candidates we all deal with (and the occasional crazy consultant).

I also revealed how recognition from those competing colleagues seemed largely limited to blaming us for every wrinkle encountered during every search, and how we’ve been somehow consigned to play the part of professional, white collar whipping boys.

In the post, I specifically alluded to a recent incident, writing:

“I personally have been ‘dressed down’ or ‘taken to task’ and told that I don’t know what I am doing and this is what I should do to be successful. No, really, this happened just last week after three-and-a-half years at my company.”

And this, apparently, invoked more than a few requests for me to elaborate on this particular part of the post.  We all have stories, right?  So this is mine.

Act 1: The Manager and The Intake Meeting

When hiring a recruiter, the first thing you should do is to have them do an intake meeting with the manager.  You can learn a great deal simply by seeing what questions they ask and don’t ask.  This is a method I picked up back in my agency recruiting days, but one that works for any recruiting related role.  Most of my managers today work off site, at buildings you can’t get into without first getting cleared.  I have no interest in getting a clearance.  The government already knows enough about me!

Anyway.  I get the usual, “oh my God the DBA quit and I need someone yesterday!” call.   Like is almost always  the case, this was a high priority search for an important customer, they’re freaking out, yadadadada.   When I joined this company I revamped the requisition request form required by HR.  This standard form was designed to actually hold managers accountable for the things they ask for when opening up a new req.  As a required part of the recruiting process, the manager sent over the form after a quick conversation (as alluded to above).

And we were off and running with our search for the candidate.  Well, almost.  There seemed to be a few, shall we say, problems with the req:

5 Years Microsoft DBA (database administrator) 2003 to 2007 experience.

Needs a Security+ certification

Needs a SECRET clearance

Can only pay $$

OK. So, if you’ve ever had any experience with tech recruiting you should already see some issues here. If not, I’ll break it down for you.  First up, old technology sucks and most people want growth, not to stay dormant or go backwards.  Second, DBAs (that’s database administrators, if you need tech translated) don’t generally get Security + certifications. It just doesn’t fit their skill set. Third, a SECRET clearance is pretty standard in the DC Metro market, so this isn’t necessarily an issue, but it brings me to the biggest block of all.

Fourth, finally, the position only pays $$k?  (my company told me not to disclose the actual amount).  What?  Are you kidding me?  With all this stuff added up there is just no way that this is fillable.  I mean, I’ve made some recruiting magic happen in my lifetime but this was just crazy sauce.  I called the manager to clarify the comp and see if there was any wiggle room.  I also wanted to know more about the certification requirements and what the scope of the project would be.  At the end of the conversation, I tossed out the certification from the requirements list, replacing it with an understanding they be open to obtaining and could be clearable, which meant they had to be US citizens.

So that was cool, but I was still stuck with old tech and an unrealistic price tag. To say this was going to be a challenge would have be an understatement, to say the least.

Act 2: The Search

recruitingI posted the job description per OFCCP regulations and internal rules, rolled up my sleeves and started sourcing.  I hit the boards, internal database, my own network of contacts (or what I call my ‘Hot 100’ list), and doing the whole referral thing.  Biggest two problems I was having were…you guessed it…the tech and the money.  I actually found some peeps who could and would do the job, but they had been in the business for a while, which means they were making WAY too much money!

One person actually replied to an e-mail I sent that stated, simply: “I don’t know anyone that would work for that low.  I work with people that are out of school for a year or two and make more than that.  Good luck on your search.”

Act 3: The Recruiting Resolution

GREAAAAATTTTT.  This went on for almost two weeks. I found three people I could present. I was pretty happy about that. All three went down in flames.  I know you’re probably wondering the same things I did at first.  What the heck is going on here?  Are you ready to find out? Here we go then.

The manager was wrong.  The project was a 2008 to 2012 migration, papow! He also tells me that he actually brought in the other DBA at a much higher dollar amount than the one I was stuck with, kablam! I can’t say how much, but let’s just say it made the job look a LOT more attractive than the package I was peddling.

The previous interview failures finally started to make sense.  I tell him this would have been great to know two weeks ago.  But now I’d have to start from square one, repost the role, start a completely new search with a completely new sourcing strategy, and so on.  An hour later, my boss and I get this little gem of an e-mail form the Program Manager (who happens to be the Manager’s boss):

“You cannot post the vacancy and just wait and “they will come.” I know it takes time, but CareerBuilder and Dice need to be searched thoroughly. The manager has not been receiving qualified candidates. It would be helpful if the candidates are screened [recruiter talking to the individuals] more carefully prior to being referred. I don’t expect Derek to perform a full interview, but some basic questions about their qualifications required for the position may also have helped screen out some of the candidates. If you tell me this occurred, then Derek needs to have another discussion with the manager on the position.”

So to CLARIFY: I was given the WRONG information, the WRONG salary and I am sending UNQUALIFIED candidates.  Lovely.  Due to a complete breakdown in communication between the Program Manager, the Project Manager and me, I am the one that is not doing the job right.  Thank you so much for telling me I should be actually sourcing instead of just relying on the post and pray method.  Never mind that we’re required to post every job, every time.  We have rules, you know, and if you don’t, then it shows you know nothing about how recruiting really works.

The Moral of the Story

Now, I cannot discuss something that I know nothing about.  I can’t pretend like I’m an expert in something I have zero experience with, because that would be one hell of a superpower.  Also, last time I checked in with you, EVERY PERSON you’ve hired in the last few months came from SEARCHES I have conducted, and I have made you very aware of this.  Yet again, it’s my fault.  Never the manager’s.  Another refusal to put the onus on themselves, another flat out denial of at least some of the responsibility for something.

Well, in the end, it worked out.  2 interviews, 2 well qualified candidates.  1 offer.  1 acceptance.  All within 1 week.  You see, when you get the right information to the recruiter, the recruiter has the right information to make placements.  If you can’t communicate what you want to a recruiter, how can he be expected to do so successfully with a candidate?

C’mon on, man, this isn’t rocket science.  It’s recruiting.  #truestory

Derek ZellerAbout the Author: Derek Zeller draws from over 16 years in the recruiting industry. The last 11 years he has been involved with federal government recruiting specializing within the cleared Intel space under OFCCP compliancy. Currently, he is the corporate manager for Advanced Resource Technology, Inc. He has experience with both third party agency and in-house recruiting for multiple disciplines and technologies. Using out-of-the-box tactics and strategies to identify and engage talent, he has had significant experience in building referral and social media programs, the implementation of Applicant Tracking Systems, technology evaluation, and the development of sourcing, employment branding, military and college recruiting strategies.

You can read his thoughts on RecruitingDaily.com or Recruitingblogs.com or his own site Derdiver.com.  Derek currently lives in the DC area.

Follow Derek on Twitter @Derdiver or connect with him on LinkedIn.

 

 

Meet Mode: Bringing The Future of Data To Recruiting Today

mode_logoWe talk a lot about “big data” a lot in recruiting, but while we know it’s a big deal, most of us aren’t really sure how to make the most of it in our talent acquisition processes and programs.  The problem is that recruiting practitioners rarely find themselves in this field because of their outstanding mathematical and analytic abilities – most of us fall squarely on the right side of the lateralization of brain functioning. We’re people people, after all – and prefer, on the whole, infographics and imagery to spreadsheets and statistics.

That’s part of the intrinsic power of Mode, a new web based app that creates stunning visualizations designed to provide a clearer picture (literally and figuratively) of your data while providing meaningful, actionable insights even for recruiters and staffing professionals mystified by most math.

In other words, it actually makes numbers start to look sexy, something few tools on the market do as effectively as Mode, despite their claims of drag-and-drop dashboards and automated analytics.

Last month, Mode opened for public beta, and I had the chance to take the product for a test drive.  In the intervening weeks, they’ve continued to roll out new functionalities and features, including new chart formatting options and the inclusion of public datasets covering everything from the start-up scene to UFOs and everything in between.  Of course, the tool works with any structured or unstructured data inputted by the user, and also looks at connected data sets from different sources and systems, amalgamating these statistics into a single, simple solution.

Here’s an example of how Mode handled the public dataset that shows how venture capitalists invest:

how vcs invest

 

In this example, each of the circles represents a different cluster of VC related investments, such as VC-backed firms focusing on design-related plays (23), for example, or even analytics (23), and how those investments are connected between various funds and institutional investors.

Of course, you can create custom visualizations and interpret any data set from a number of different queries to help transform that visual into a real story backed by real numbers.  For example, if we looked at that same data set – in this case, indexed from Crunchbase – to pose the question of whether or not these investments are impacted by age, the same data returns a completely different visualization altogether (and a completely different story begins to emerge):

VC Age Bias

The Future of Big Data, Served Ala Mode

What really excites me – and points to the possibility that Mode represents the first platform to really bring the “future” into business today is that it can link to data from any source or stream, including dynamic data such as social profiles or ATS pipeline reporting, capturing these constantly evolving inputs and data points.  For example, if you collected your investment data about certain stocks from a tool like Bloomberg, Mode will create a clean, clear visualization of that data, but it will also constantly refresh its representation in real time, changing along with the markets.

Of course, the obvious question in the back of my mind as I explored mode is its application to recruitment, but that should be obvious to anyone who gets the fact that meaningful metrics and actionable analytics matter to talent acquisition.  For example, if you were tracking the number of applicants to each of your open positions by their current job title, all you’d have to do is upload any public .csv file or a database like Oracle or .SQL Server, and get a real time breakdown of this data that’s constantly updated, reflecting an up-to-the-minute look at your talent planning and pipeline.

Mode, a San Francisco based startup just launched in October 2013, has secured $2.6 million in VC investment and continues to refine its product offering, features and functionalities at an impressive clip, meaning that while it’s already a required recruiting tool which can be utilized by any sized employer or agency, it’s only going to get better.

According to the company, their product enables “better data analysis through sharing and collaboration,” and accomplishes that lofty goal as much as any other player in the analytics market.  The future of big data is Mode, and the future is only getting started; while the public beta test continues, the product hasn’t been officially launched, but if you’d like to learn more and get a sneak peek, drop a line to [email protected] or click here.


dean_dacostaAbout the Author: Dean Da Costa is a highly experienced and decorated recruiter, sourcer and manager with deep skills and experience in HR, project management, training & process improvement.

Dean is best known for his work in the highly specialized secured clearance and mobile arenas, where he has been a top performing recruiter and sourcer.  Dean’s keen insight and creation of innovative tools and processes for enhancing and changing staffing has established Dean as one of the top authorities in sourcing and recruiting.

Connect with Dean at LinkedIn or follow @DeanDaCosta on Twitter.