Something Called Recruitment

5 Tips on How to Do the Daunting and Equally Challenging Task of an Employment Search

2008-03-02T21:08:00.000-08:00

It can be a daunting experience, for many reasons, to do an employment search. Equally challenging, you might feel, is the employment search you do online. You might have caught on by now to Craigslist, but if not—or if you want to extend the search—you either start there and/ then consider the many kinds of networks and job banks and boards that fit your skill sets, income needs, and other particulars.

This can get intense. Employment searches can lead you to agencies, advice, and attitudes you feel overwhelmed by. Breathe. There’s a way to “narrow” your search, making efforts pay off, literally and figuratively.

Now, as a freelance writer, I access specific banks and boards, but my example will hopefully help you clarify your own employment search process.

1) COMPANY and LOCATION SEARCHES

Find job boards that have updated classified for employment in your area and in major companies you might be interested in working with.

For the Bay Area, for instance, Tribe (sanfrancisco.tribe.net) features a search engine and drop-down menu to look for jobs by company and category (field).

Considering your area of expertise, find the companies who employ your type, and visit their help wanted/employment search/seeking XYZ pages. For example, I consult many sites—like Pearson Education-- belonging to publishers, visit their employment/jobs section, and look from there for any gigs I might be good for.

2) CAREER SEARCHES

That is, for example, if you are a journalist, seek journalist, press, news, magazine, periodical ads at such places as NewsJobs.net, which offers postings for NewsJobs in the U.S., NewsJobs in Canada, and NewsJobs in the U.K.

In the same respect, when you do an employment search on a major search engine and are typing in different and varied words and phrases, be as thorough and thoughtful as you can. If you are a carpenter, look for more than just carpenter jobs. Type in all the variations you can think of for the word carpenter—“carpentry,” “builder,” “building,” “construction”—and all the different words you can think of for jobs—“careers,” “help wanted,” “needed,” “places for.” I found, for instance, a great publication called Places for Writers, which is not dens and coffee shops and what we would likely first think of when we read the word “places”, but which is places calling for submissions.

3) SUBSCRIBE to NEWSLETTERS in YOUR FIELD

Newsletters are one of the greatest cogs in the Internet machine. They are used by webmasters and web mistresses to get visitors to their sites, but they are—unlike a lot of advertising that drives us nuts—most valuable sources. Besides plugs for doo-dads and stuff to buy or pay for, they have advice columns, special interest sections, and calls for experts/job announcements. And they are free!

I subscribe to five different newsletters for writers. Because of those, and because I read every little box, frame, passage, entry in every one, I have garnered about 50% of the job/gig leads I followed up on and landed.

4) GO DIRECTLY to the SOURCE

Well, sort of directly. The newsletter editor is the one who runs a site that centers on your field. Visit the website. (Don’t gloss over the many links that say “click here”, in other words, no matter how many filters you have up to visually block all that linkage.) Those same writer newsletters have vested interest (creative, intellectual, financial) in doing the same work you are making an employment search for, and typically feature a job board exclusively for professionals in your field. A daily newsletter with writing leads also features high-paying and low-paying (ugh) job sections on the parent site, Freelancewriting.com. In fact, besides a super archive of articles on writing, the site is primarily one great, great (in size and quality) job bank. I have gotten at least 25% of my gigs there.

5) OPTION: NETWORKERS

Just as many other professionals care enough about humans in the workforce and getting them into that workforce that they have built businesses to connect employers with employees and free agents with clients. Yes, they usually cost something, so you might want to be the kind of person who believes that it takes money to make money. But many are quite successful at what they do. I have—in my reading and employment searching and career developing hours—read many accounts of how beneficial these networks are…networks such as ScriptLance.com, Guru.com, ELance.com, for specific types, and, for general sources, such network solutions planners as Careers.com, HotJobs.com, JobSeeker, and Jobvertise will work for you and with you to find you a job in your area of expertise, location, emotional and intellectual setting, and income bracket.

Of course, the other 25% of my income comes from doing my own employment search elsewhere: in-person networking, word-of-mouth (be good at what you do every time you do it!), and, of course, the beneficent, beneficial, benefiting and fitting Craigslist!!!!

Source

It can be a daunting experience, for many reasons, to do an employment search. Equally challenging, you might feel, is the employment search you do online. You might have caught on by now to Craigslist, but if not—or if you want to extend the search—you either start there and/ then consider the many kinds of networks and job banks and boards that fit your skill sets, income needs, and other particulars.

This can get intense. Employment searches can lead you to agencies, advice, and attitudes you feel overwhelmed by. Breathe. There’s a way to “narrow” your search, making efforts pay off, literally and figuratively.

Now, as a freelance writer, I access specific banks and boards, but my example will hopefully help you clarify your own employment search process.

1) COMPANY and LOCATION SEARCHES

Find job boards that have updated classified for employment in your area and in major companies you might be interested in working with.

For the Bay Area, for instance, Tribe (sanfrancisco.tribe.net) features a search engine and drop-down menu to look for jobs by company and category (field).

Considering your area of expertise, find the companies who employ your type, and visit their help wanted/employment search/seeking XYZ pages. For example, I consult many sites—like Pearson Education-- belonging to publishers, visit their employment/jobs section, and look from there for any gigs I might be good for.

2) CAREER SEARCHES

That is, for example, if you are a journalist, seek journalist, press, news, magazine, periodical ads at such places as NewsJobs.net, which offers postings for NewsJobs in the U.S., NewsJobs in Canada, and NewsJobs in the U.K.

In the same respect, when you do an employment search on a major search engine and are typing in different and varied words and phrases, be as thorough and thoughtful as you can. If you are a carpenter, look for more than just carpenter jobs. Type in all the variations you can think of for the word carpenter—“carpentry,” “builder,” “building,” “construction”—and all the different words you can think of for jobs—“careers,” “help wanted,” “needed,” “places for.” I found, for instance, a great publication called Places for Writers, which is not dens and coffee shops and what we would likely first think of when we read the word “places”, but which is places calling for submissions.

3) SUBSCRIBE to NEWSLETTERS in YOUR FIELD

Newsletters are one of the greatest cogs in the Internet machine. They are used by webmasters and web mistresses to get visitors to their sites, but they are—unlike a lot of advertising that drives us nuts—most valuable sources. Besides plugs for doo-dads and stuff to buy or pay for, they have advice columns, special interest sections, and calls for experts/job announcements. And they are free!

I subscribe to five different newsletters for writers. Because of those, and because I read every little box, frame, passage, entry in every one, I have garnered about 50% of the job/gig leads I followed up on and landed.

4) GO DIRECTLY to the SOURCE

Well, sort of directly. The newsletter editor is the one who runs a site that centers on your field. Visit the website. (Don’t gloss over the many links that say “click here”, in other words, no matter how many filters you have up to visually block all that linkage.) Those same writer newsletters have vested interest (creative, intellectual, financial) in doing the same work you are making an employment search for, and typically feature a job board exclusively for professionals in your field. A daily newsletter with writing leads also features high-paying and low-paying (ugh) job sections on the parent site, Freelancewriting.com. In fact, besides a super archive of articles on writing, the site is primarily one great, great (in size and quality) job bank. I have gotten at least 25% of my gigs there.

5) OPTION: NETWORKERS

Just as many other professionals care enough about humans in the workforce and getting them into that workforce that they have built businesses to connect employers with employees and free agents with clients. Yes, they usually cost something, so you might want to be the kind of person who believes that it takes money to make money. But many are quite successful at what they do. I have—in my reading and employment searching and career developing hours—read many accounts of how beneficial these networks are…networks such as ScriptLance.com, Guru.com, ELance.com, for specific types, and, for general sources, such network solutions planners as Careers.com, HotJobs.com, JobSeeker, and Jobvertise will work for you and with you to find you a job in your area of expertise, location, emotional and intellectual setting, and income bracket.

Of course, the other 25% of my income comes from doing my own employment search elsewhere: in-person networking, word-of-mouth (be good at what you do every time you do it!), and, of course, the beneficent, beneficial, benefiting and fitting Craigslist!!!!

Source

Just not an other Post

2008-01-29T03:32:00.000-08:00

Creating an attitude of gratitude is one of the easiest steps we can take to improve our lives. The happiness that we create for ourselves by showing our appreciation has far-reaching effects, both for ourselves and for those we come into contact with. The potential for gratitude to spread beyond those people also increases significantly – it can be highly contagious. There are so many different ways that we can express an attitude of gratitude. Here are just a few:

Say “thank you”. This is the most basic and well-known way to show appreciation to others. Saying “thank you” is a great way to express your gratitude and can be done in several different forms. You can say it in person, over the phone, in a note, or in an email. Using this when it’s least expected can have significant results in lifting someone’s spirits. For example, a quick note to your child’s teacher thanking her for her hard work and patience might give her the boost of energy that she needs right when she needs it most. You may never know what effect this has had on her, but it will have an effect.

Stop complaining about your life. Even as tough as life can be sometimes, remember that there is always someone that has things worse than you do. Constant complaining about what is wrong in your life will keep you focused on that. The opposite is true as well – focusing on what is right in your life will keep you focused on that. Focusing on the negative will bring you down while focusing on the positive will lift you up.

Focus on what you have, not what you don’t have. This is very closely related to not complaining about your life. Being grateful for what you do have keeps you in a positive place, whereas focusing on what you don’t have keeps you in a negative place. Focusing on what you do have, regardless of how little or how much that may be, is a great expression of gratitude.

Model your attitude. Modeling your attitude of gratitude is a great way to spread it to others. We’ve all heard the Golden Rule to “treat others the way you want to be treated”. Showing your appreciation to others shows them that you like to be treated this way too. An attitude of gratitude can be quite infectious!

Be satisfied with simple things and be mindful of little things. Being grateful for the little things in our lives is just as important (if not, more so) than being grateful for the big things. Our lives are filled with little things every day that we can be grateful for. What about that front row parking spot you found when you were running late? Or the beautiful weather

Give to someone else. This is the best way to spread your gratitude of attitude. There are so many different ways to give to someone else. You could volunteer your time to help those less fortunate or give you time to children by mentoring them. The possibilities are endless but could make a huge difference in someone’s life without you evening knowing it. If they in turn give to someone else, the cycle could continue without end.

Keep a gratitude journal. Let’s just be honest here: there are some days when it is hard to find anything to be grateful for. Keeping a gratitude journal can help with that. There are preprinted journals so you can just fill in the blanks or you can make your own. The important thing is to find at least 5 things each day to be grateful for, no matter how big or small those things are. A gratitude journal can serve two purposes: it will help you stop and remember what you are grateful for or it can serve as inspiration on days when you find it difficult to find anything to be grateful for by reading over past days.

Practice random acts of kindness. This can be one of the most fun and rewarding ways to live a life of gratitude, especially when it’s done anonymously. Surprise someone with something unexpected. You may never know what it meant to them but it will likely make their day. Try putting a note in your child’s lunch or bringing treats to the office to share. Even a small gesture can mean so much to someone.

Living a life of gratitude is one of the easiest ways to live a happier life. It takes very little effort to show someone you appreciate them but will mean so much to them. There are so many ways to make gratitude a part of our life and to spread that attitude to others. Make today the day you start living a life of gratitude and spread your light to the rest of the world! outside? How about the store clerk that went out of her way to help you? This may take a little practice, but there are many little things throughout the day that we can be grateful for if we take the time to notice them.

The Science Behind Psychological Marketing Tactics

2008-01-29T03:07:00.000-08:00

Abraham Maslow presented a theory that ordinates wants and desires in a comprehensive, consecutive, arrangement. According to Maslow, a person's desires develop from the lower order desires, such as feeling safe, to the higher order desires, such as a sense of belonging and feeling loved. After these desires are developed and fulfilled, a person begins to desire esteem and self-actualization. The higher order wants only begin to develop after the lower order wants, like the physiological needs for food and shelter, are satisfied.

When we understand that markets, as a whole, with common human emotional tendencies, act like individuals whom that market represents, we can examine markets and trends in the same way we would examine an individual. The most appealing aspect of Maslow's theory of needs is that it can be applied by proxy to an entire market.

It's not that complicated to trace how these requirements tend to play themselves out in a small number of technologies with obstacles such as the primary advances in communications. These requirements convey themselves in aggregate across all persons within the market. When there is an assortment of an official body that expresses the will of the people, the requirements can be assessed and reviewed on a most-needed basis. In an elected government, an individual's wants and desires can be pinpointed openly, or by proxy in a democracy by electing somebody who almost reflects their views.

Maslow's hierarchy states that the need for survival is the most fundamental need for all humans. As a result, branches of society which are entrusted with the authority to ensure this survival through physical means are allotted the lion's share of tax money. This applies to such branches of society as the military and fire defenses where the activities engaged in by members of that group ensure the continuation of basic survival.

If you go further into the Hierarchy of needs, you will notice that after the biological needs are met the next need is safety. This is when an individual's fight or flight will emerge. If you're looking at it from a marketing prospective, during the cold weather a commercial for jackets is the most appropriate. Timing is everything in the marketing aspect of this level. The next level describes relationships as brand recognition.

A person is more likely to purchase a jacket from a company that they've had superior experiences from and as long as you're doing an ad for a reputed company then that part of the job is completed for you. If not, this is where the marketing player comes into play. The job of a good marketing group is to promote sales to new clientele and make new sales from existing clients. Starting off in a fresh company, this is where the artist desires to communicate the marketing team's ideas visually in order to please this third need.

Good, efficient visuals build a sense of belonging and communication with the buyer. Belonging moves beyond our basic needs to live and beyond our need for safety. Belonging moves to the area where we choose what we love based on our feelings and our previous associations with a product or service and this is what a company's marketing machine is trying to link to.

Officer Duties:

2008-01-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

What so people talk about Recruitment on Internet. READ the passage below.

The Vice President of Marketing and Recruitment, in conjunction with the IFC Director of Marketing and Recruitment, serves as a facilitator and coordinator of the Greek Ambassador Program. She is responsible for organizing an application and interview process in which the Greek Ambassadors are selected by the Panhellenic Executive Council and the Interfraternity Council during the spring semester. She plans and leads training sessions for the Greek Ambassadors. These training sessions provide the Greek Ambassadors with the information and skills to answer questions about campus life and the Greek Community to incoming students. The Greek Ambassador Program will take place primarily during the summer. In order to complete all Membership Recruitment responsibilities prior to fall formal Membership Recruitment and in order to facilitate the Greek Ambassador Program, the Vice President of Marketing and Recruitment must remain in Pullman during the summer, starting from the first day of second session of summer school. She will receive a stipend from Panhellenic for her work.

As a minimum requirement, the Vice President of Recruitment and Marketing shall have participated in formal membership recruitment as a Potential New Member and a chapter member.

The Vice President of New Member Services serves primarily as a facilitator and coordinator of the Recruitment Guides (Rho Gammas). She is responsible for organizing an application and interview process in which the Recruitment Guides are selected by the Panhellenic Executive Council. She plans and leads weekly training workshops for the Recruitment Guides throughout the spring semester, and daily trainings in the week prior to Formal Recruitment. These workshops provide the Recruitment Guides with the information and skills to answer questions about campus life and the Greek Community as a whole. In addition, they are to be given training to help them deal with the many physical and emotional problems during the stressful period of Membership Recruitment. To provide adequate training, the Vice President of New Member Services must have a thorough understanding of the role and duties of a Recruitment Guide, it is therefore a prerequisite for the position that she have previously served as a Recruitment Guide herself. She should remain in contact with the Recruitment Guides throughout the summer and ensure that they receive all necessary information. She coordinates the Recruitment Guide initiation, which takes place after the completion of their training. She will work closely with the Vice President of Marketing and Recruitment to successfully coordinate all Membership Recruitment activities.

Secret number 11 in Successful Recruitment from onrec.com

2008-01-08T05:37:00.000-08:00

While surfing i came across this article by Gerard Koolen

source :- onrec.com

Passive, Active & Pro-Active Search!

Applying all passive, active and pro-active search tools is one of the biggest secrets for long-term everlasting success in recruitment. And it’s a guarantee for having an exciting and wonderful career. And an exciting personal life. And an ever-growing bank account.

I’ve experienced, learned thru mistakes and errors (numerous), with falling and standing up again:

Passivity in search loses, applying all tools is the BIG winner!

Massive total action is decisive in successful recruitment. It’s the difference between the magnificent in recruitment and the amateurs. It’s the difference between average and breathtaking. Applying as many search tools all at once is a proven success strategy which guarantees you all the candidates you need, when you need them. It’s a guarantee that you’ll have better candidates faster than your competition.

Most recruiters think they’re already quite somebody when having applied some passive tools. They’ve the feeling they’re quite active. It’s because they’ve no imagination nor the motivation to dive deep into all the recruitment tools at their disposal. Passive search tools are best described as publishing your vacancy somewhere, sitting back and wait for reply.

Active tools mean: going for it! Pro-Active tools are candidates coming to you when you need them.

I have 3 lists (sure, incomplete) with simple suggestions (and except the passive ones, they need your commitment, dedication, perseverance, creativity, experience, and constant learning):

Passive Search Tools (bwahhh):

1. Advertising in print.
2. Publishing your vacancies on the Internet (your own website and career sites).
3. Looking in your database.
4. And then, sit back, relax and wait.
5. Complaining why it takes so long and why it doesn’t work (tip: blame the labor market).

Well buddy, your customer doesn’t need you for this as they can do it themselves, and probably better. And cheaper.

Active Search Tools (now we’re talking, list not complete though):

1. Mass e-mailing selected groups of contact persons in your database.

2. Direct search, or headhunting. Selecting target companies where your candidates are working.

3. Field search. Standing in front of the factory and when people finish their job to address them.

4. Business mixers, social events, seminars, training events, where your target group is joining.

5. History cases, searching in your (companies) history of similar searches.

6. Labor office search, you’ll be surprised!

7. Campus Recruitment, distribute flyers and posters, make presentations, organize student contests.

8. Job fairs, organize them, participate.

9. Walk-in recruitment events. Rent a nice place and invite people to walk in. Give them great food and drinks!

10. Flyers & Posters, in shopping centers, Internet Café’s, Bars, Theatres, Cinema’s, places where many people come.

11. Parties, bars, restaurants, airports, hotel launches, elevators, busses. When you see a Ms. Perfect, give her your card (and take hers).

12. Special interest forums and chat boxes on the Internet, where your target group is active.

13. International Search, expatriate clubs addressing those who’d love to get back to their home country (where you need your candidate).

14. References, if you have any.

15. HR Managers, at other companies, if they love you they’ll help you (if you give help, you get help, remember?).

16. Outsourcing & Downsizing, approach companies who are in this process, they’ll love you.

17. Your own customer. Ask them for tips, they know much more than you might think.

18. Your Network. Now the fruits of your hard work of networking are yours to collect.

19. Work with the best recruitment software available on the market (TalentBase!)

The real recruiter, after having quickly applied the passive tools (taking only a couple of hours), is applying the proper selection of all the active tools. And in the meantime, always busy with:

Pro-active Tools (this is only for winners):
1. Write articles, humorous and informative read by your target group

2. Give presentations, humorous and informative for your target group.

3. Go on radio & television, talk shows, breakfast shows, do interviews with reporters.

4. Write books, become an authority in your field.

5. Become a chairman, of a club, organization, or at least become an active member.

6. Donate, to your customer’s/candidate’s charity they organize.

7. Organize events, sport events, manager of the year election, company of the year election.

8. Help, Respect, and Love unconditionally.

I know, I know, applying the active tools, require the greatest recruitment software you can find. I know a program which is called TalentBase®. That will make the active tools a peace of cake. In order to create the time to get to real mastery. Being Pro-Active! This also happens to be the most fun. The most rewarding. I know, you have a burning desire, deep down inside of you, to become the greatest. Yet not many of you will act on this. No problem if you love being average (but you don’t, unless you’re lying to yourself). I am delighted that I’m working with a bunch of recruiters who go for the extra mile!

I am curious what you will decide. Will you let me know? Thank you! For more secrets read next time’s issue or write an e-mail to gerard.koolen@lugera.com (thanks again) and you will receive regularly all other secrets (also if you work at the “competition”, I’ll be more than happy to help you). Gerard Koolen is Managing Partner at Lugera & Makler.

Recruitment services in Edinburgh

2008-01-06T10:01:00.000-08:00

As I said and would repeat that Recruitment process outsourcing is the most boomed Industry for 2007-2008, with increasing competition every recruitment outsourcing companies has to increase there expertise. One of the most ruling Recruitment Agencies named Time Recruitment has multi expertise & experience, Time Recruitment is a leading recruitment specialist in IT, construction, engineering, financial, government, distribution and retail. Recruitment services in Edinburgh is getting tougher but company like Time Recruitment makes the hiring easy and fast.

Time Recruitment hopes you find this site of interest whether you are seeking advice on recruitment agencies in Edinburgh specifically or further afield in Scotland. If you have any problems with navigation or would like to offer any comments we would be delighted for you to contact them.

I would like to like to compare Time Recruitment as one of the temporary recruitment agency in Edinburgh.

So if you looking for recruitment agency in Edinburgh then make sure you look for Time Recruitment.

Wealth of information when asked for advice

2008-01-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

The best way to gather the whole story about the industry and job you are targeting is by setting up informational interviews with individuals working where you plan to be positioned.

Engaging in informational interviews will help you to gain valuable information about careers in your field and expand your network at the same time. The key difference between informational interviews and job interviews is that you have more control over the agenda when you schedule an informational interview.

Start by asking people you know for contact information

You will grab the attention of people faster when you mention the names of people they know. If you are not able to pull together the right links from your existing contact list, grab the yellow pages and contact professional organizations or associations in your region, and plan to attend the next meet and greet organized by the Chamber of Commerce in your community. You will find that most people are happy to talk about their jobs and to share a wealth of information when asked for advice.

Always point out during your initial contact that you are not specifically looking for a job with this company. State that you are seeking advice and information from successful people, and specify that you are asking for 20 minutes of their time.

Cold calls should start with your name, a brief explanation about your skills and/or experience, and the purpose of your call. For example, "My name is (your name). I have worked at (or recently graduated from) ____ and have extensive experience in (specify). Would I be able to have 20 minutes of your time to ask you about your job, and ask your advice for someone looking for a position in your industry?"

Plan to help the other person help you

Do not use a standard script for every interview you schedule. Instead, prepare questions that you know will interest the person you are meeting. Try to select topics that you discovered during your research.

For example, if you have read that the company has been awarded a sizeable contract, plan to ask for details related to the contract. Prepare questions related to the number of people that the company plans to employ, or ask for the insider perspective on the names and/or types of companies that will experience an increased workload related to the contract.

Always remember that busy people agree to informational interviews based on the trust that you are seeking career advice and that you are not asking for a specific job. Bring a couple of pens and some paper to your informational interview to write down anything you want to remember, such as the names and phone numbers of the contacts they refer, or specific job related leads that emerge during the discussion conversation. Plan to ask for at least a couple of names of people in the industry that you can call.

When you plan to contact the leads provided or follow-up on a job that was mentioned during your meeting, state your intention in the thank you letter you send within 36 hours of your meeting. For example, "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me and answer my questions about pursuing a career in the (specify) industry. I have benefited greatly having met you. I will contact (name) about the position with (company name) this week. I have also enclosed a copy of my resume for future reference should a position become available with your company, or if you decide that my information would be of interest to any of your associates."

Informational interviews may seem unproductive when you are in the midst of a demanding job search strategy, but nothing could be further from the truth. Meeting with people employed in the type of job or workplace you are targeting will actually decrease the amount of time wasted spamming employers that are not hiring.

Steps towards Passive Candidates

2007-12-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

Let’s say you found a bunch of great potential passive candidates, now what do you do? Using passive candidate leads can be the most difficult and time-consuming aspect of recruiting today with the current situation of talent crunch in most sectors it is by far a difficult time, but it is becoming increasingly necessary as fewer people utilize traditional means to connect with potential employers. With specialized passive candidate search skills, recruiters now can quickly access a few contacts and be back on the phone within minutes. This accelerates a recruiter’s ability to reach passive candidates, but it requires a different type of phone skill.

While much advice exists on addressing candidates that have taken some initiative in their job search, not many experts talk about what happens once a passive candidate picks up the phone and says “Hello?” in response to your cold call. Making that initial call to a truly passive lead can be a scary moment, so in this article we will review a handful of tips to help break the ice and overcome that awkwardness. Let us first look at the five main stages to a successful cold call, and then we can review a few useful tips:

What you need to do
What they're thinking
Establish Curiosity
Get their attention

Why should I take your call?
Break the tension
Obtain their interests
What is in it for me?

Show your credentials
Gain credibility
How do I know you are for real?
Personalize the call

Build rapport
Do you really know your stuff
Call to Action
Get them to commit
Where do we go from here?

Tip #1: Don’t Sell!

The best way to start talking with passive candidates is to engage them in conversation, not to sell them on an opportunity.
Most recruiters get an earful of “pitch the job” and “sell the opportunity:’ but passive candidates are not in the market to buy anything so selling them something is absolutely the wrong approach.
Instead of selling, try establishing your credentials and reputation. Mention connections you may have inside your organization, sector or industry, and offer these connections as a resource to them when needed.

Make a connection and listen to them. Before you call someone, learn as much as you can about them. The Internet offers you plenty of information about their company, their industry and very often even detailed information about their interest. If you found them on a passive candidate sourcing site, such as Monster.com, look at their web references and you will likely find a number of websites where they are mentioned. Identifying something you have in common with them will help you develop a genuine connection. For example, have you been to their city or town? Have you attended similar universities or conferences?

Beyond that personal connection it also helps if you know about what’s going on with their organization and even better if you utilize familiar language and jargon. For example, use “insider” lingo or nicknames for products, facilities and locations, projects, departments, and technologies. Monster.com and additional deep web research can help you gather the information that helps you understand the candidate’s milieu.

Tip #2: Email First

When possible, start your conversation with an email. It may seem counter-intuitive to begin a “conversation” with an email, particularly in the context of this article, but great recruiters will use every tool at their disposal to connect with appropriate talent and e-mail is as powerful a communication tool as the phone. Email is the quickest, most unobtrusive and most commonly accepted way to establish rapport today. Using both the phone and email strongly increases the likelihood you will make a connection.

The best method is a three-step approach where the first step is an unobtrusive, non-solicitous networking request email. Remember that you are reaching out to someone who is most likely not actively looking for new opportunities so they will not respond well to bait-and-switch messages or overt recruitment approaches. When reaching out to passive leads using e-mail do not directly solicit them for employment in any way. Your initial contact email should include:

1. Asking them if they would be receptive to networking with you
2. Mention that you are initiating contact electronically out of respect for their time and privacy
3. A clear way to get in touch with you privately (i.e. your phone number)
4. Enough detail so they can decide if you are worthy of a reply

The second step is a quick and simple voicemail the following day indicating your desire to speak with them for networking purposes. Keep it brief, inform them of your intent to network, and clearly state the best way to get in touch with you.
After your first voicemail attempt an e-mail follow-through greatly increases the chance of a return call because it bridges the gap between the “electronic” world where spammers exists, and the “live” world of phone calls and face-to-face meetings. The subject line on your follow-up email should reference the voicemail you just left by having a “date stamp” like this: “Follow-through on my voicemail from today mm/dd/yy.”

This begins to build recognition with your prospect and increases the chances of success when you attempt this three-step strategy in one week.
The third step is a follow up email sent immediately after you leave a voicemail, verifying they received your voicemail and re-stating your contact details. The best candidates are going to be aware of their value so they may not take much initiative in calling you back. Try the above steps three times and then use the “Last Ditch” approach. In your fourth call and email, state something to the effect of”I thought I’d give it one last shot” and explain how it is important that you connect with them but that you have reached out previously to no avail. In the message clearly state that this will be your last attempt to connect and you will be amazed at how many people respond to this last message.

Tip #3: No Isn’t Always No

The best passive candidates are successful and busy people so if you just accepted this initial “no” all the time then you will not likely speak to many good people. Once someone answers you may get some initial resistance to the conversation or even a very outspoken “no”, but you can often overcome this initial reaction. Once you do, a great relationship may blossom with your new contact and you will find that the effort will be worthwhile.

An initial “no” could mean many other things besides “I’m not interested in what you have to say” so it is important that you investigate a bit before giving up. For example, it could mean “I’m very busy right now:’ in which case you should simply offer to call at a more convenient time and schedule a follow up. It could also mean they are having a bad day, or are very tired, and this is just not something they want to do right now. If their tone is abrupt, brusque or negative, let this initial negativity roll off your back without reacting to it and do not take it personally. Tell them you appreciate they may be very busy right now, but what you have to say is important and you would like to call them at another more convenient time. As before, make an appointment and follow up. This initial “no” could also mean “I can’t talk right now because my boss is looking over my shoulder” or they are in the middle of a meeting or other call. Drop a few hints and if that is the case then see if there may be a better time when you can reach out.

It is important to keep in mind that recruiters are not sales people. We do not sell a “product” —we help companies find the right talent at the right time, and we help people move forward with their career goals. There are many reasons why someone may not yet be ready to move forward and thus they may not be interested in taking our call. Only by establishing a connection will we be in a position to help them once they are ready, or to obtain referrals to those who are. In our next white paper, we will discuss a number of strategies for successfully eliciting referrals.

Conclusion

In a tight labor market, a successful passive candidate recruiting program can be an essential for companies’ success. Working with passive candidates requires a major change in methodology for companies that are accustomed to working with active candidates, and recruiters who master these changes are at great competitive advantage. By breaking the passive recruiting process into steps — source the appropriate potential candidates, engage them in conversation, use a combination of communication methods, and give the prospect every opportunity to respond positively — committed recruiters can readily adapt to the new recruiting landscape.

Happy Searching!

The Basics of Balanced Recruitment Marketing -By Lou Adler

2007-12-16T11:34:00.000-08:00

The Competition for Talent
The national job market is poised for a dramatic change in the next few years. Baby Boomers are starting to retire, smaller replacement generations are entering the workforce and the available pool of qualified talent is shrinking. This situation is made more dire given the findings from a recent CareerBuilder.com survey1 stating that one-in-ten hiring managers expect to hire more than 100 new employees in the next year. In general, job openings are projected to increase by 13% or nearly 19 million jobs through the year 2014.
So the recruitment market is faced with economists what have been dealing with for eons, supply vs. demand. The supply of adults in the workforce, not to mention highly qualified talent, is shrinking yet the demand of organizations looking fill thousands of job openings continues to increase. This will become even more apparent should there be an upturn in the nation’s economic strength and companies begin expanding even further and hiring from a stagnant, if not shrinking pool of candidates.
Currently, 38% of hiring managers surveyed by CareerBuilder stated that they are facing difficulties finding qualified talent. It is evident that the competition for top-notch talent is heating up and will continue to intensify within the foreseeable future. In order to minimize the impact felt by this “perfect storm” in the recruitment market, companies must take a proactive stance to their hiring process to ensure they retain top performers and attract the new qualified talent they need, quickly and efficiently.
The Ever-present Active Candidate
“The most persistent responders to job ads and internet postings are active candidates –
often these candidates are either unemployed or disgruntled job seekers who are desperate for ANY job with ANY company”2
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, active job seekers make up 16% of the American workforce. Active candidates are widely considered the “low-hanging fruit” of the labor market. They are probably the most obvious recruitment audience because they are the easiest to target and the most likely to respond immediately to job openings. They are “in-market”, currently pursuing a new job, constantly posting and updating their resumes on job boards, surfing recruitment websites, blogs and networking sites.
Candidate Market
84%
16%
1 Careerbuilder.com, Small Business Advisor: Hiring Tips, “Will Passive Job Seekers Apply to Your Job?”
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2 HTC Research Newsletter Jan 2003, “The Value of the Passive Candidate”
Active candidates are replying to multiple openings and may have more than one opportunity in process at once. They are potentially taking the first thing that comes along regardless of fit, skills or career path. On the other hand, a passive candidate has plenty of time to truly examine how the new job opportunity will benefit his or her goals, career growth and personal life.
Debbie Goodman, Managing Director of Jack Hammer Executive Headhunters, states that “only 20% of employees in any designated market sector are actively looking for jobs and those are the ones that will respond to job advertisements. Of the remaining 80% approximately, 75% are passive job seekers who are open to hearing about alternative career opportunities…”3 Yet companies continue to rely on the smaller pool of active candidates for their staffing needs. In a recent Unicru survey4, 100 staffing managers for Fortune 1000-size companies indicated that 75% of their time and effort were focused solely on active candidate recruitment.
Active candidates are on the full–time job hunt and constantly visible in the candidate market, therefore the competition is intense even for these “low-hanging fruit”. Many smart companies have recognized this competition and have increased their recruitment efforts in targeting the elusive passive candidate.
The Elusive Passive Candidate
Dr. Michael Boyd, Human Resourcing Strategies Research for IDC refers to passive candidates as the “Holy Grail” for recruiters, “They’re among the most highly valued prospects, and yet by virtue of fact that they typically aren’t going to employment sites or speaking with recruiters, they’re the hardest to find. A job site that also functions as a regular destination… puts career opportunities right in front of candidates who might not otherwise learn about them. It’s like a win-win for the prospective employee and employer alike.”5
Passive candidates are highly skilled, happily employed individuals who are not actively seeking new job opportunities. And because most are happily employed, these candidates are also considered more loyal and more stable (on average passive job seekers stay with a company three years and seven months, compared to only 15 months for active job seekers6), therefore more valuable, than active job seekers. They have a job in which they have already demonstrated ability to make a contribution, potentially translating into a higher chance of success within your organization. As a result, they are extremely hard to target. 1543ActivePassiveAvg. Months Employed
3 Bizcommunity.com, “Best Job Candidates Slipping Through the Net”, April 11, 2005
4 Electronic Recruiting Exchange; How to Attract and Hire Passive Candidates, Part 5; Lou Adler; 3/11/2005
5 TechTarget.com Press Release, March 2001
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6 Hospitalityjobsonline.com; FAQ’s
These “Hidden Gems” are not found through an active recruitment marketing campaign on job boards, networking sites, online databases or in help wanted ads. They do not want to jeopardize their current employment by being exposed on a job board or resume database, etc. Passive candidates are busy performing quality work at their current job not actively looking for another one, however, they are proactively or passively thinking about their career path and are willing to entertain new opportunities should circumstances change.
Although job seekers become less likely to take potential risks and change jobs as they age and become more experienced, some passive candidates may become active job seekers as a result of a change in management or location that could potentially impact their quality of life or simply having a bad day during their current job. Their motivation could also come from a potential opportunity offering increased career challenge, higher salary, more attractive compensation package, a shorter commute or better work/life balance in general. A recent worker commitment study from AON, an HR consulting firm, showed that over 25% of employed workers would change jobs for a salary increase of 10% or less, 50% would change jobs for a 20% salary increase.7
Lastly, passive candidates who have reached a point in their current job which they see no career growth, expansion of skills or salary increase, are more likely to be swayed by openings that appeal to their long-term career goals. These candidates are interested in opportunities offering careers, not just jobs. A “job” normally lasts for a year where as a career offers multiple jobs with corresponding growth through many years. You do not try to convert a passive candidate into an active candidate, you make sure that they remember your company and know how to reach you when they have had a bad day. This is when they are likely to start looking at other opportunities.
Lou Adler, president of The Adler Group (a training and consulting firm focused on performance based hiring), believes that there is a 30% solution in attracting passive candidates8. These candidates look for the new job to offer 30% improvement compared to their current situation. This improvement can consist of a percentage increase in any of the following: compensation, job stretch (doing the work they enjoy and that taps into their existing skills and abilities) or long-term company/career growth.
A company’s growth prospects are an important consideration for passive candidates. The quality of the senior management and leadership teams as well as recruitment collateral and information on the website is also very important. While technically “passive”, these candidates are career focused and interested in related articles, research and stories, reading everything in the career section on your website. Therefore, it is important to maintain consistent PR and brand advertising.
7 StarTribune.com 10/21/03; We Are All “Passive Job Seekers”
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8 Electronic Recruiting Exchange, “How to Hire Passive Candidates, Part 4: The 30% Solution, March 4, 2005
The passive candidate is under no pressure to find a new job. They spend more time evaluating, the position, the company, its strategy, the hiring manager and the management team. You cannot hire these candidates quickly. Not only do they take longer to find they also take longer to decide. Therefore, you need to start looking before you need them. A strong passive recruitment marketing plan will work only if you have enough time before the position needs to be filled.
An employee’s lack of movement between jobs also directly correlates with the economy. During poor economic times, top candidates are less willing to explore different job opportunities and more likely to do so when the economy is booming. However, there is also increased demand for this talent sourcing from the same supply pool. Passive candidates are becoming recognized for their value and are more frequently targeted by recruiters, making these candidates more frustrated with these tactics. It will become harder to reach these candidates as the demand increases. That is why it is imperative that companies proactively target and recruit a mixture of active and passive candidates. This perspective will generally cost less and produce better results than relying on reactive means alone.
The Importance of Recruiting a Mixture of Active & Passive Candidates
“Consistently and regularly engaging both active and passive candidates is the best way to maintain a pool of qualified candidates. Much like a sports team, a company should maintain a “bench” of candidates who are ready to step in and do the job if one of the regular players is no longer part of the team. This requires the company to maintain a “we’re always hiring” footing to the outside world. Companies that wait until they have a vacancy before they start building their candidate pool are at a disadvantage in finding the best candidates.”9
As recruiting consultant Howard Adamsky puts it “Staffing needs can change in the blink of an eye… it is not possible for most businesses to predict what tomorrow will bring. When a call comes in to open an office in New York and staff it with 20 people by yesterday, there is no time to dally. You had better be ready to do more than look at passive candidates as a recruiting model.”10
Companies need to focus on long and short term needs to come up with a balanced active and passive recruitment campaign. According to a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of Chief Executive Officers, two-thirds of corporate executives use a planning cycle of only year or less11. Peter Weddle, recruiter and HR consultant, explains, “such nearsightedness virtually guarantees that recruiting will be an ad hoc, reactive and often crisis-driven process.”12 CEOs who responded to the survey said that their greatest business risk (except economic downturn) was their ability to acquire the talent they needed to accomplish their mission.
9 www.tidemarkprofiles.com; HiringCenter; Creating a Constant Flow of High-Quality Candidates
10 Electronic Recruiting Exchange; Howard Adamsky; The Myth of the Passive Candidate; May10, 2005
11 PricewaterhouseCoopers Survey of Chief Executive Officers - 4 -
12 Weddle.com; Peter Weddle; Cutting Corners to the Best Candidates
With such a short planning cycle companies simply do not have the time to properly attract passive candidates and must rely on the quickly attainable active candidates as almost a sure-thing to fill an urgent opening. This obviously exposes the risk that a top-notch or more qualified candidate is not filling the position, simply a candidate that is available and may have some of the needed experience.
Given that 16% of the American workforce is made up of active job seekers, “limiting an organization’s recruiting to fewer than one-out-of-every-five workers will inevitably depress its performance over the long run”. The competition for the few top performing active candidates increases rapidly, as recruitment planning timelines become shorter. Weddle refers to this as the “War for Talent”; 67% of corporate recruiters are competing for 16% of the workforce population, creating a constant demand with an artificially limited supply.
Most companies design their recruiting needs around active candidates. To keep a consistent flow of top-notch candidates you must attract a mix of active, passive and semi-active or passive candidates. You will face increased competition for prime talent from all angles of the recruitment world. You should market your organization to these candidates as if you would market your products or services to a consumer. You must go above and beyond a simple job description, duties, line of business, location, etc. Hiring the best candidates requires that your marketing mix lets the candidate know what it is in their best interest to work for your organization.
According to a WetFeet.com survey13 of more than 3,000 experienced professionals, more than a third of the respondents who were currently employed were open to accepting a new position in the next six months. 53% were not interested in accepting a new position. Concentrating your recruitment marketing campaign on the other half, a mixture of active and passive candidates, would increase efficiency and hires.
How the Total Experienced Professional Population Breaks Down
Currently "between jobs" (unemployed), seeking employment
2%
Currently employed, seeking new employment
9%
Currently employed, open to accepting a new position in the next six months
36%
Happily employed, not open to accepting a new position in the next six months
53%
Base: experienced professionals (n=3371)
Source: Recruitment Marketing Strategies: Building Employer Brands That Attract Talent © 2000 WetFeet.com
Despite the fact that passive job seekers are more plentiful, active job seekers still account for the most hires. 39% of survey respondents stated that they were extremely active when they switched jobs.
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13 Recruitment Marketing Strategies: Building Employer Brands That Attract Talent © 2000 WetFeet.com
Source: Recruitment Marketing Strategies: Building Employer Brands That Attract Talent © 2000 WetFeet.com
This demonstrates that the current hiring process is set up to recruit candidates reactively, not proactively. “It is easier to deal with applicants who come to you then try to seek out new applicants. Without doubt, that is why actives account for such a disproportionate percentage of hires.”14
Another reason for the disparity may be that top-quality candidates regularly move between the active and passive realm, even exhibiting behaviors of both candidates depending on the job market, the economy or individual needs. In the following diagram, the dashed lines illustrate the open boundaries between candidate statuses.
A successful recruitment marketing campaign must utilize a complete media mix to cover the full-range of candidates in the job market as they move throughout the boundaries. “With the right message, a strong advertising campaign will reach active candidates immediately. However, a successful branding campaign will also resonate with passive job seekers when they enter the market.”15
14 WetFeet.com; Laura Sewell; Passive Candidates: Who They Are and How to Find Them
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15 HEALTHeCAREERS.com 2/06 Newsletter; Capture Top Candidates with a Complete Media Mix
Creating a Balanced Recruitment Marketing Campaign
Transforming passive candidates into active prospects requires much more information and detail. Companies must generate awareness among passive candidates before they are ready to start actively searching. “To get these candidates the information needed to evaluate the opportunity objectively, companies must use a series of different recruiting and information-sharing approaches. The goal is to move candidates smoothly along a path of increasing knowledge and interest.”16 The point at which a candidate has enough information to realize the job is a good career move and shifts from a passive buying mode into an active selling position is referred to by Lou Adler as The Recruiting Inflection Point.
To facilitate this transition, companies must build top-of-mind awareness by utilizing various media to brand your company and educate potential employees on the benefits of your organization. Events expose candidates to your organization without the hard sell. They can meet with company representatives and get a feel for the organizational culture while recruiters can gather contact information and softly sell or evaluate candidates. News media and non-recruitment vehicles target the passive candidates while job boards or help wanted sections reach active candidates.
30% of all passive candidates in the WetFeet.com survey say they investigated employment opportunities with a company as a result of seeing their employment ad and 28% did so after seeing a general, branding or non-employment ad. 24% stated that they used news media to research employers in whom they were interested. Again, we see the significant role brand advertising plays in not only attracting clients or customers but also recruiting the quality passive candidates you need while staying ahead of the competition for talent.
Boston Globe Media can help generate a consistent pool of the qualified active and passive candidates you need through our branding and targeted recruitment marketing capabilities. We offer truly integrated multimedia marketing solutions through print, online, television, events and direct mail that cover as much or as little of the market as you need, reaching who you need, where you need them. Maintain a consistent brand presence and educate Boston’s top-notch passive candidates with the #1 news sources in the market, The Boston Globe and Boston.com, in the City region with Boston Metro and in the Western corridor with the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. And fill your openings quickly through active candidate targeting via BostonWorks print and online capabilities.
With a balanced recruitment marketing plan your company can enjoy a steady stream of quality candidates while avoiding the effects of the baby boomer retirement and increased competition for talent.

PeopleJam - Social Networking Site

2007-10-24T05:10:00.000-07:00

PeopleJam is launching a new social network with the goal of helping people get more out of their lives. The idea is to combine issues like career, personal finance, and relationships with social networking features. The site features a variety of experts on various topics, and lets users create profiles, blogs, and videos to share their own experiences and receive advice on different life issues. To try and focus content on life issues, PeopleJam uses structure blogging, meaning that users are prompted to make posts about their goals, to share advice, or to make entries specific types of life experiences. Professional life coaches help moderate the community and also provide feedback to members of the site. PeopleJam also pulls in professional content such as inspirational audio and video.

Employee Background Checks and Security Checks On The Increase

2007-10-21T04:19:00.000-07:00

Are you in the process of hiring employees? Have you carried out employee background checks yet? This article gives you some helpful hints on how to carry out these checks...

Employee Background Checks and Security Checks On The Increase

In the aftermath of 9-11, and the growing problem of workplace violence, the demand and need for employee background checks and security checks are now greater than ever.

Employers are turning to investigative companies in greater numbers to run employee background checks on new job applicants and existing employees, including positions where security may not have previously been given much consideration in the "pre 9-11" era.

Many employers are now requiring security clearances for many non-defense related "high-tech" positions including computer programming.

Employee background checks are required by Federal or State law for certain occupations such as jobs working with children, law enforcement, defense contractors, and any Federal employment.

Security clearances

Often, in employee background checks, especially where a security clearance is required, employers may run criminal records checks on the spouse of a job applicant as well and decide not to hire somebody based on their spouse's criminal record, even if the applicant has a squeaky clean record.

In a traditional employee background check, only the applicant or employee is investigated while for a security clearance, the spouse and other family members are investigated as well.

This holds true not just for top secret job positions within the US Military, or defense contractors, but now many "high-tech" civilian jobs such as programming as well.

Unfortunately in some situations, whom one is married to can determine their employability. A dishonorable discharge from the US Military will automatically eliminate any chances of getting a security clearance.

In an employee background check, some things cannot be reported:

Civil lawsuits
judgments older than 7 years
paid tax liens and collections paid after 7 years
bankruptcies older than 10 years
All other information except for criminal convictions older than 7 years.

While employers are prohibited from requiring applicants to provide copies of their criminal records, they can obtain this information from other sources such as private agencies or public records.

Criminal histories or "rap sheets" are not public record in every state.

In some states such as California, these are only available to certain employers where employee background checks are required by State and/or Federal law such as public utilities, child care services, law enforcement, security companies, defense contractors.

Credit checks

A credit background check is very often part of an employee background check, however employers are required to obtain the employee's or applicant's written consent under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, FCRA (15 U.S.C. §1681).

Many employers consider a person's credit habits a good judge of character.

Following any decisions not to hire somebody based on their credit report, a copy of the report must be provided to the employee, or applicant, so they may have to option to challenge it.

Employers cannot fire a current employee for filing bankruptcy, but potential employers can legally reject a job applicant.

There are two different kinds of credit checks.

A standard credit bureau report is obtained from any one of the 3 credit bureaus, Equifax, Experion, or Transunion. This reveals a person's credit worthiness, credit habits, credit capacity.

An investigative consumer report is much more extensive and delves into a person's character, mode of living, reputation, etc. This is usually acquired by contacting associates, even neighbors or friends of the applicant to inquire as to their character.

In today's increasingly security-conscious world, employers feel they have a responsibility for the welfare and safety of their employees, company reputation, and liability.

Job seekers and employees can expect more employee background checks, and be placed under the microscope more than ever before.

5 Interviewing Mistakes That Can Lead To Hiring The Wrong Person

2007-10-21T04:16:00.000-07:00

Are you in the process of hiring employees? The following article gives you an overview of 5 of the most common interviewing mistakes that you need to avoid, so that you don't hire the wrong person...

5 Interviewing Mistakes That Can Lead To Hiring The Wrong Person

Mistake #1: Going with the flow

Inexperienced interviewers sometimes fall into the trap of letting the interview become "free form", spending different amounts of time on different questions, basing follow-up questions on on how the candidates answer.

This can result in a candidate taking control of the interview and leading you where he or she wants to go, rather than where you can get the information you need.

Solution: Ask everyone the same questions.

Prepare a list in advance, based on the information you need, and use it as a guide throughout the interview. Put each question on a separate sheet of paper and prepare one set for each candidate.

As you move through the questions, use the appropriate sheets to make notes of the answers and your own observations and impressions. You can vary the follow up questions as necessary, but keep your notes on the main question page.

When you have followed this structure with all the candidates, you'll be able to compare them on an "apples to apples" basis.

Mistake #2: Asking predictable questions

Job applicants have many sources of help for interviewing, and it's easy to learn acceptable answers to the standard questions.

That means even the wrong candidate for your position could answer the questions in a way that fools you into thinking he or she is a fit.

Solution: Ask candidates questions that force them to expand on their answers, illustrating their thinking skills as well as their attitudes and job competencies.

Such questions might include:

If you could design your own job, what would it look like?
What's your favourite part of the work you do now? Why do you like that?

Ask questions like these and, instead of practised responses that tell you virtually nothing, you'll get insights into who these people really are.

Mistake #3: Whitewashing the job

If you have a candidate in front of you who seems like a great choice, you obviously want that person to accept your job offer.

Sometimes, though, you know the job has inherent challenges or downsides, and you may be afraid if you talk about these thing you will lose a good employee.

The trouble is, if you hire them and they discover the negatives themselves, you may well lose them in the first week!

Solution: Be candid about challenges in the job or within the company.

Watch for candidates who embrace and relish the challenges, and who can see beyond the negatives. These can become your most valued employees.

Mistake #4: Ignoring the question of "fit"

Every organization has a culture.

It comes from a blend of the industry you are in, the ages of those who work there, the size of the company, the number of people, the geographic location and many other factors.

But that culture creates its own work environment, and if employees are not comfortable with that environment or do not work well within it, they don't "fit". This person will never be an asset to your company, and may in fact leave very quickly.

Solution: Ask questions whose answers will demonstrate the candidate's personality and character, their attitudes towards the workplace.

An example of that type of question might be: Do you prefer a structured environment or a more loose, easy-going one? Why?

Mistake #5: Letting a candidate's one major positive blind you to the negatives

Sometimes a person might have one outstanding positive: worked for your major competitor, attended a university with a track record of successful graduates, or even just comes from your home town.

If you also instinctively like the individual, it is tempting to be overly influenced by this fact, and not pay enough attention to others that are not so attractive.

Solution: When recording your notes on each candidate (see solution to Mistake #1), be sure to record negatives as well as positives on the appropriate pages.

When you review your notes after the interview is over, you will be better able to balance the pros and cons impartially.

Candidates are often sophisticated job seekers, who are well prepared for the interview. To avoid costly hiring mistakes, hiring interviewers must be equally prepared for the process.

Beyond Recruitment

2007-06-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

What is Recruitment:

Recruitment refers to the process of finding possible candidates for a job or function, usually undertaken by recruiters. It also may be undertaken by an employment agency or a member of staff at the business or organization looking for recruits and BLAH BLAH BLAH.

Lets forget about the definition for a while and talk about Recruitment in my language – oh and about me, I am a layman who have been walking in recruitment cycle in my day to day life. I started with technical recruitment for big companies Like IBM, EDS, Bank of America and many more. I know what you are thinking but I am not an expert recruiter, I am neither in States nor too old. It is said recruitment is an ongoing cycle as one day even recruiters would need a job.

Let’s put recruitment in meaningful sentence, recruitment refers to process of finding people for a particular job vacancy for a particular company. The position arises due to retirement, promotions BLAH BLAH BLAH

Okay enough of the crap on recruitment, I know everyone is aware of recruitment but hey – I am here to talk about recruitment on higher scale. How many corporate have heard about outsourcing recruitment process? I guest most of them know! But do you know that your job roles/functions you outsource to local recruitment agencies are outsourced again.

Strange right? Well… its true, local recruitment companies work faster then the corporate Companies.

Let see how.

Recruitment is grouped in two categories

1) Non- Core Recruitment

2) Core Recruitment

I would start with Non Core Recruitment, where one needs to spend 60% of their time searching and screening candidate profiles on job boards, internet, and head hunting or by networking. Job boards cost fortunes so logically not possible to have 5 to 6 job portals for a single organization. You won’t search more on internet as you can’t waste more then 70% of your time and networking takes longer then your defined time. Head hunting can be useful to you, which you think you will be good but you also miss all the other opportunities to find candidates, by not buying many job boards or not searching and giving more time on internet and networking.

Core recruitment includes calling candidates you have sourced, taking details, interview preparation, submitting candidates to client and all other procedures to earn money out of what you have and most important part is to develop your business.

Now you might not outsource your core business to companies as that is your business but you can surly outsource your non-core business to companies who are expert in searching on internet, they know where to find right candidate on right time. They have access to all the job boards as they have many clients to pay there gain and expenditures.

These companies are called offshore recruitment process outsourcing companies. 70% of fortune companies out source to local recruitment agencies in the same state and that local agencies outsource there requirements to India or China.
Other 30% directly outsource there requirements to India to China and save cost by not giving to local recruitment companies.

There are many benefits of outsourcing your recruitment processes to ORPO (offshore recruitment process outsourcing) companies and if you want to know how contact

Mail on tihsur@gmail.com OR

call

Robert Drake at 646 429 0905 (US) 08454 666600 (within the UK) or Company website

Os2i Limited

Recruitment Outsourcing - gaining ground in India

2007-06-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

Next in line after the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) boom, it is Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) that is steadily gearing up for a new role.

RPO- it aims at taking the burden out of the head-hunting business of the corporate sector, particularly at a time when the dearth of talents is estimated by half a million in the coming years, RPO comes with lots of prospects. New and varied opportunity like retailing etc. has opened fresh horizon for RPO to play a major role to bridge this gap between demand and supply. This will increase RPO service providers role in India.

There is an intense war for talent. The hiring estimation for India is growing at an alarming state, and the clients are demanding higher quality candidates with increased efficiency. The RPO theory has been proved in the Western countries, however in India, the sector is currently at its infancy stage. Only few RPO firms currently cater to the needs of various domestic as well as multi-nationals in hiring employees for them.

RPO is primarily being practiced in two models - one is pure sourcing and providing support services to on-shore based recruiters to enhance their productivity and effectiveness. Second one- is a full cycle recruiting from sourcing, screening and on-boarding for both temporary contract as well as permanent positions. This is to reduce the overall cost of recruiting process and to improve competence at the same time.

The industry is expected to grow at around 30 to 35 percent in the next five years. It is estimated that within the Indian market, the total annual spend on recruitment is Rs.700 crore. This can supposedly be considered the potential size of the RPO business in India.

With the shortage of qualified talents and growing attrition rate, companies are forced to outsource the entire recruitment process, ranging from needs assessment to screening, and interviewing candidates.

The growing pressure to fill in vacancies every now and then, 80 percent of the HR personnel fail to concentrate on the real HR activities, including training, staffing needs, ensuring performance. So when it comes to RPO that takes care of the entire recruitment process and saves time and cost of companies, its a welcome move.