Notable Quotable

Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 8:26am by JRed

Here’s a good quote I recently stumbled upon from Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.:

“Recession proof your job by making sure that others, above and below, know about your recent achievements.”

Good advice from the best-of-the-best.

Posted in Archives, Motivational, For Recruiters, For Candidates, April 2008 || Comments Off

Viva La Revolucion!

Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 12:46pm by JRed

In his recent article Let’s Revolutionize the Standard Recruiting Model Mark Bielecki aptly sums up the frustrations that many of us Contingency Recruiters experience on a regular basis in his very first sentence:

“THERE’S GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY TO DO THIS.”

While it’s true that we have the power to select the types of companies we do business with that’s no guarantee that they will be the type of client you’ll want to continue doing business with once all is said and done.

Something strange can happen from the start of the process to the Start Date. Unfortunately, often times the end result is a complete disaster!

A complete lack of communication, untimely feedback, doing a poor job of making a positive impression with candidates during an interview, late paying clients (in some cases non-paying clients), and sometimes just plain unprofessional decision-makers can make a Recruiter think twice about continuing a career in this industry.

Sometimes despite our best efforts to form a true partnership we instead bend over backwards too much for a client and thus find ourselves taken advantage of.

Bielecki is spot on when he addresses the harsh reality that it’s insane for us to continue to give away our precious and valuable time, resources, expertise, and candidates for free without getting a single thing in return from our so-called business partners.

How is that fair? How is a company to thrive and survive under those circumstances?

So, what are we to do in these instances?

Bielecki suggests that “it’s time to retire the contingency recruiting model and replace it with a model that reflects alignment of responsibility and control” and he’s absolutley right.

But how?

I’m not sure what the answer is at the moment, but you can be sure that we’ve already begun thinking about some possible alternatives since I’m becoming more and more convinced that the future of our industry hangs in the balance.

Posted in Archives, Pet Peeves, Why Not?, In The News, For Recruiters, April 2008 || Share Thoughts

Hump Day Humor 4/23

Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 at 8:08am by JRed

Today’s cartoon comes to us from Grantland. For over 20 years, they’ve been creating buiness cartoons (specifically for the workplace) as a unique way to reach large audiences and their work has been used by thousands of organizations with great results.

With 2,900+ cartoons in their archives give them a call today to get their permission to use their materials if you need help spicing up your presentation, newsletter, or blog.

Posted in Archives, Funny, April 2008 || Share Thoughts

Gut Feelings

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 1:19pm by JRed

Every now and then we’ll have a client who will talk to us about their “gut feelings” following an interview with one of our candidates.

Quite frankly, that’s one of the more common challenges we run into as a Recruiting Firm especially when dealing with new business partners.

Consequently, it’s one of the most common hiring mistakes made by employers and I’d say it’s even more pronounced when it comes to hiring Sales Professionals.

Has this happened to you?

I find that when this happens the first discussion we have is a brief one that reminds our client that they need diverse people with diverse personalities and a diverse mix of experiences.

Not hiring a candidate because they had a “gut feeling” about them, and using that as a main qualification, ignores the client’s need for particular skills and experience.

Once that point has been made we hammer home another truth.

In his book A Rational Way To Make A Gut Decision, Recruiting Industry giant Lou Adler made the point that while you can never learn everything you’d like to about a candidate, you should try to find out as much as possible before you resort to your gut.

The only time you should make a gut decision is when you don’t have any. Time, that is.

Facts, examples, and details must be provided to justify a ranking - - “good” or “bad”.

“I don’t think the person would fit…” is inappropriate. On the other hand, a comment like, “The environment, pace, available resources, and the lack of a formal decision-making process at the person’s last two employers is a clear indication that this person would not survive here…” is certainly sufficient.

Bottom line, a hiring decision of any kind is too important to leave to chance.

So, the best professional advice I can give is don’t do it!

I won’t speak for every Recruiter and/or Agency, but I can assure you that Paramount Recruiting Partners, LLC will always provide you with enough information to make an informed decision without having to rely on your gut feelings from an interview.

Posted in Archives, Interview Tips, For Recruiters, April 2008 || Share Thoughts

Sales Jobs

Monday, April 21st, 2008 at 10:36am by JRed

It’s Monday.

As you begin a new week ask yourself if it’s time you thought about a new beginning?

Here are some exciting new opportunities we’re working on…

Software Sales Executive - Arkansas

Technical Sales Engineer - Cleveland, OH

Business Development Manager - San Jose, CA

Sales & Marketing Manager - Boston, MA

Customer Service Manager - Carlstadt, NJ

Inside Pharmaceutical Sales Rep - Buffalo, NY

Posted in Archives, For Candidates, April 2008 || Share Thoughts

How To Keep Going During A Slump

Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 8:32am by JRed

Everyone depends on you. Your sales efforts impact everyone. Without them, everything stops.

That’s how important you are to your company and the people in it.

Each sales week and month, you and your team will almost certainly be presented with sales challenges and periods of time that test your resolve to make the next call and, in some extreme cases, even question your career choice.

Perhaps this happens more for those of us in Recruiting and Sales because our clear occupational purpose is to get placements, move product, and drive revenue (very measurable and accountable results with no place to hide).

If we hit a slump or a particularly challenging string of rejections, it can affect us very personally.

When you hit these difficult moments in the coming weeks and months, commit to doing two things.

First, pause and remember that challenges are experienced in ALL professions, but only those in Recruiting and Sales have such an opportunity to be so directly responsible for the success of a business.

Second, focus and keep moving forward only with the sales tasks, activities, and thoughts you know are necessary to achieving your sales objectives.

Easier said than done, but practiced well - - a great habit is formed.

SOURCE: JustSell.com

Posted in Archives, Motivational, April 2008 || Share Thoughts

Hump Day Humor 4/16

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 at 8:40am by JRed

Today’s cartoon comes to us from Grantland. For over 20 years, they’ve been creating buiness cartoons (specifically for the workplace) as a unique way to reach large audiences and their work has been used by thousands of organizations with great results.

With 2,900+ cartoons in their archives give them a call today to get their permission to use their materials if you need help spicing up your presentation, newsletter, or blog.

Posted in Archives, Funny, April 2008 || Share Thoughts

Track Your Job Search

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 at 12:15pm by JRed

Do you ever feel confused or lost in your job search?

Documenting your search can help you stay organized and informed. You will probably send many Resumes during your search. By keeping notes on each opportunity, you can sound knowledgeable in case you are unexpectedly contacted by one of those employers you reached out to.

Your notes can be in any format - - in a notebook, planner, or on your computer. Just pick a process that works best for you and stick to it. Regardless of the format, we suggest you always track these pieces of information:

Company Name
Recruiter’s Name
Phone/Fax Numbers
Address
Email Address

Also, keep notes on conversations you’ve had with Recruiters and, if available, attach a copy of the actual Job Ad to your notes. This will serve as a quick reference guide for future conversations.

Posted in Archives, For Candidates, April 2008 || 1 Comment

Notable Quotable

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 at 11:07am by JRed

“When you go in for a job interview, I think a good thing to ask is if they ever press charges…”

Jack Handy (American Writer and cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1991-2003; Famous for his “Deep Thoughts” sketches)

Posted in Archives, Funny, April 2008 || Share Thoughts

Hump Day Humor 4/9

Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 at 10:20am by JRed

Today’s cartoon comes to us from Grantland. For over 20 years, they’ve been creating buiness cartoons (specifically for the workplace) as a unique way to reach large audiences and their work has been used by thousands of organizations with great results.

With 2,900+ cartoons in their archives give them a call today to get their permission to use their materials if you need help spicing up your presentation, newsletter, or blog.

Hiring Cartoon

Posted in Archives, Funny, April 2008 || Share Thoughts

Peak Performance

Notable Quotable

Viva La Revolucion!

Hump Day Humor 4/23

Gut Feelings

Sales Jobs

How To Keep Going During A Slump

Hump Day Humor 4/16

Track Your Job Search

Notable Quotable

Hump Day Humor 4/9

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