Friday, December 28th, 2007 at 1:04pm by JRed

My apologies for not posting before leaving for the holiday break, but Mrs. Claus forgot to help me with my Christmas shopping this year and that kept me from tying up a few loose ends late last week.

Peak Performance will return to action next year, which is really just another way of saying next week.

We anticipate resuming things on January 2nd and will unveil our plans for this community in 2008.

Be sure to check back with us next week for more information. Until then, have a fun and safe holiday break!

Thank you to EVERYONE who has helped make 2007 a banner year for Paramount Recruiting Partners, LLC.

We couldn’t have done it without you!

Thursday, December 20th, 2007 at 3:10pm by JRed

Wow! It’s 2:35pm and I still haven’t had a chance to put something here. I’m blaming the end of the month/year, the weather and Mrs. Claus for not helping me with my shopping this year!

Perhaps this quick Christmas joke from Basic Jokes will suffice…

What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?

It’s almost Christmas, Eve!

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007 at 12:12pm by JRed

Yesterday’s commentary created some buzz.

However, I want to briefly respond to the charge that I unfairly criticize and/or attack Hiring Managers regularly on this site.

Au contraire mon ami!

I understand that you have a job to do as well and that many times the way you choose to interact with a Recruiter is based off of past experiences that were often very negative.

Furthermore, it’s not your fault that we haven’t taken the time to clearly describe for you our process and how your level of engagement is crucial to our success or failure.

How can we expect things to change on your end if we don’t give you a fighting chance in the first place?

Whenever I choose to write a piece on how to deal with difficult Hiring Managers I simply mean to speak the language of my constituents.

It was nice to see ERE Daily publish a column yesterday titled “5 Ways to be Naughty Instead of Nice” by Sue Danbom.

She astutely observes, “I feel Recruiters are similarly inclined as a group. In an effort to please the Hiring Manager, we bend over backwards trying to comply and be as unobtrusive as possible. We’re ever service-oriented and trying to deliver to the end. What results is that the Hiring Manager has very little time for us and doesn’t value what we do.”

This is EXACTLY the point I was trying to make yesterday.

She suggests that we, “Quit being nice. I don’t mean that you have to be nasty. Quit being subservient. Take the lead and control of the staffing process. Push back when appropriate.”

This is the mark of a Peak Performer. If done right, the result will be that you’ll earn respect as a leader - - an expert - - in your industry.

I encourage every Recruiter to take some time to read her column. Then bookmark and save it for future reference because I guarantee you’ll need it in 2008 unless you change your approach and truly become a partner with your clients.

Tomorrow we’ll begin looking at the 5 different types of Hiring Managers she highlights and discuss her advice on how to improve your interactions with them.

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007 at 1:41pm by JRed

A customer sent an order to a distributor for a large amount of goods totaling a great deal of money.

The distributor noticed that the previous bill hadn’t been paid. The Collections Manager left a voicemail message for them saying, “We can’t ship your new order until you pay for the last one.” 

The next day the Collections Manager received a collect phone call, “Please cancel the order. We can’t wait that long.”

(c)2007, Marty Marsh, The Successful Soul Proprietor

Tuesday, December 18th, 2007 at 12:57pm by JRed

I recently read that one of the challenges faced by a majority of Recruiters these days is that they are juggling too many REQs.

Not surprisingly, they cite another major challenge as having to work with “difficult Hiring Managers” (decision-makers).

You can read the full article by Lou Adler here.

Perhaps these two common complaints are linked more than we realize. I would suggest that the one circumstance causes the other.

First, I’m all for high-activity and making sure that you develop a skills set that allows you to manage several searches at the same time. The best Recruiters can handle more than one search. However, overextending yourself and juggling too many REQs is simply asking for trouble and it will have an adverse effect on your effectiveness as a Recruiter.

Instead of being a Recruiting Specialist (a Peak Performer; an expert) that companies turn to when they’re in a crunch, you’ll inadvertently position yourself as an order-taker. Who wants to work with order-takers to fill strategic positions within their organization?

The natural result is that, in time, you’ll simply begin to send any old candidate and hope that their Resume “sticks” and makes an impression with your client. Why? Because you don’t have the time and energy to do your job the right way, the way it was meant to be done.

Is this effective recruiting?

Second, calling the Hiring Manager ”difficult” simply says to me that you recognize that the decision-makers you work with are unhappy because you haven’t lived up to their expectations.

They partnered with you because they thought you were different. Instead, you’ve contributed to the negative stereotype that accompanies our industry and you’ve let them down.

“But Jeff, they keep hounding me for candidates and asking me for more, more, more! If I don’t send them candidates on their terms, their timetable, they’ll think I’m not doing my job or that I’m not good at it! What am I supposed to do? It’s a no-win situation.”     

Nonsense! Did you notice I wrote that you work WITH your Hiring Manager and not FOR them? This is an important distinction and once you let this become your mindset you’ll become a better Recruiter.

For instance, if you work FOR a Hiring Manger you’re simply at their beckon call. Everything will need to be on their terms all the time. That is truly a no-win situation.

A Recruiter who works FOR a Hiring Manager is definitely just an order-taker and they will never distinguish themselves as being more valuable than any other Tom, Dick or Harry.

However, an interesting thing happens when you work WITH a Hiring Manager. Together, you’ll form a partnership where there’s some actual give-and-take. You trust that they’re the expert in their line of work and they trust that you’re the expert in yours. When conflicts present themselves you deal with them together and neither points the finger.

To put it in terms that we can understand, consider the common complaint issued above by a Recruiter. If that person was truly working WITH the Hiring Manager they would be able to approach that person and share with them - - bluntly and boldly - - the wisdom of their experience in this industry

“I understand that this is a critical need and that every day that this strategic position goes unfilled is another day of opportunity lost for your company. However, I must stress that the costs of a bad hire are much more expensive. You hired me to do a job because you thought I was different, that I offered more value, and that’s what I’m going to do. It may take a little longer than we both expected, but in the end we’ll both look back and see that it was completely worth the wait.”   

How true indeed! Is this effective recruiting? Absolutely!

Believe me, the employers you work with are rooting for you to succeed. They have just as much at stake as you do. They may not understand all of the unique challenges you face because you rarely educate them on such things.

How differently would your relationship to your Hiring Managers be if they knew the daily challenges you face in trying to identify, attract and secure top talent for their organization? I’m willing to bet they would cut you more slack and give you more room to do your job.

Alternately, you need to make sure that you’re constantly engaged with them providing them with updates on the status of your search - - yes, even the negative reports to say that a strong candidate dropped out of the process today.

Commit to these pursuits and you’ll be better off for it.

Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 10:38am by JRed

Living in Buffalo, NY my entire life you’d think I’d be used to snow by now. Maybe what I mean to say is that you’d think I’d be more accepting of Mother Nature who likes to dump the white stuff on these parts in feet rather than inches.

Every year I say I’m going to take a new approach to the winter and try to return to my childhood years and welcome this weather with open arms. After all, open arms helps you make snow angels more easily. Besides, without the snow Christmas would feel strange not to mention that there would be no skiing, no sledding, no snowball wars, and no Frosty.

Yet, all it takes is that first winter blast to remind me to think twice because nothing good ever comes from large amounts of this white stuff. Today is no exception as yours truly is stuck trying to work from home today.

If you need me I’ll be shoveling, shoveling and shoveling.

As the Northeast digs out from our first snow storm of the season, please remember to TAKE THINGS SLOW, BE PREPARED and BE CAREFUL. I know that many of you don’t need reminding, but just in case, burn these images into your head…

‘Tis the Season

Beware of the Domino Effect 

Stuck in Snow

Friday, December 14th, 2007 at 12:20pm by JRed

I’m a big proponent of Lou Adler’s tips for turning the traditional job ad into the type of marketing piece that will grab people’s attention. After all, what good is posting your ad if no one reads it or can even find it?

Fortunately, there are some other new and exciting tools you can use to make sure more people are aware of available positions with your organization. In thinking about what the future holds for our industry, there’s one area in particular that I’m definitely going to look into - - Text Messaging Job Alerts.

With so many professionals mobile these days we would be foolish not to at least explore the idea of sending Job Alerts to potential candidates in the form of a Text Message.

In my preliminary research on this subject there seems to be many different options available and when you consider the enormous time savings each option is very affordable and cost effective.

Plus, when you consider that millions of people located around the country are actively searching for jobs via the Internet at least once a week, it seems ludicrous to risk missing the chance to talk to them. How many more individuals have cell phones, but aren’t actively looking for a change - - yet?

This was precisely the thought of pioneer MobileWirelessJobs. Using a voluntary system, cell phone users can choose to receive Open House Career Announcements, Interview Requests, info on Job Networking Events and info on upcoming Career Fairs.

So why aren’t more Recruiters and Agencies/Firms using this technology to their advantage?

This cutting edge technology allows Peak Performers to view a text message that informs them of an opening and to respond instantly with word of their interest. In industries where competition can be tough, the quick response factor benefits everyone involved in the process.

Within seconds, Peak Performers can apply for an available position by simply using the keypad of their cell phones.

I can’t think of a better way to reach Sales professionals who are constantly out in the field away from their desks and computers.

Recruiters would be wise to examine this powerful tool. With demand for top talent at a peak, Recruiters thrive to give industry leaders the quickest, most efficient solution to their hiring needs.

Real-time notification of lucrative opportunities delivered succinctly and without haste into the palms of top-notch professionals accomplishes this goal.

Remember, that unlike emails that could be blocked by SPAM Filters and may not be checked for days by many busy professionals, everyone you know has their cell phone attached to their hip. It’s a part of them and a natural extension of who they are.

Still not convinced? I encourage you to spend some time here.

Thursday, December 13th, 2007 at 11:23am by JRed

“Not enough of our commentaries focus on the spiritual side of selling. We are creatures of free will, but often the choices we make hold us back instead of catapulting us forward.”

This is an excerpt from an eye-opening piece I just read from the people over at DEC International. 

I thought it fitting this time of year to include it here to remind us all of what’s really important and how recognizing these things can translate to success not only in business, but in life.

Please take 5 minutes during your lunch break today to read this piece from the Leading Edge Newsletter.

It teaches that to be a better salesperson, you need to be a better person.

Wednesday, December 12th, 2007 at 10:54am by JRed

With so much talk these days of creating alternate channels of marketing in order to attract and retain talent (as well as customers and new business) it’s nice when you actually come across a primary example of how to do things the right way.

If you haven’t already, take some time to check out the ad Burger King has been running. It’s a highly effective promo that I’ve seen for the last 1-2 weeks called Whopper Freakout. The campaign was created in celebration of their 5oth anniversary.

The campaign uses a quick 30-second TV commercial to set-up the premise, “We picked a Burger King store in Las Vegas and decided to see what would happen if we stopped serving the Whopper for one day. The results were very informative.”

I’m paraphrasing, of course, but you get the idea.

The TV spot ends by asking viewers to visit a website they’ve specifically created just for this campaign. I wonder how many people took the bait as I did? I’d venture to guess that there were many who did since the Reality TV element made the whole thing very intriguing.

It’s worth noting that my wife and I actually watched the full 7 minute video even though we’re accustomed to watching YouTube clips that only run about 1-2 minutes.

It’s also worth mentioning that immediately after watching the clip we both looked at each other and said the same thing - - “I could go for a Whopper right about now! Doesn’t that sound good?” It was 10:30pm at night.

Mission accomplished Burger King.

So, how is this relevant to our industry? If your company is going to use video (especially for a recruiting campaign) everything the experts are telling us is true.

First, make sure the video is “real” and that you do not hire any actors. It has to feel like Reality TV if you want people to take it seriously and feel as though you’re not trying to hide anything. Remember, we live in the Age of Transparency.

Second, make the video compelling, creative and cutting edge. Try to do something different. And it’s perfectly ok to be funny as long as it’s not tasteless.

No pun intended.

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 at 4:43pm by JRed

In the spirit of giving this Christmas season, I have a nice gold star sticker that awaits ANYONE who can explain to me the reasons for these candidate antics recently:

“Candidate No Show” and “Candidate Not There” As long as I work in this industry I will never understand how a person could be so interested in a career opportunity (and “in desperate need of finding employment”) to the point where they will subject themselves to a written pre-screening questionnaire, multiple phone screens, and a couple of phone/face-to-face interviews, not to mention several email exchanges (in other words, SEVERAL HOURS invested!) only to fail to show up or be available for their interview with the client that was scheduled 1-2 weeks in advance. Worse is when they responded to your confirmation phone call/email the day before the scheduled interview!

The “Do-Not Call-List Candidate” Here’s another incident we just experienced. A candidate who is conducting a job search puts his Resume out their for all to see. He even proactively sends it directly to us. The Resume contains all the relevant contact information needed to reach this individual in order to present some of the details regarding an opportunity. Mr. Recruiter calls Do-Not-Call-List Candidate, introduces himself and the company he works for and Do-Not-Call-List Candidate responds by saying, “Wait, what’s your name!?! Who the F%^!@* is this!?! Why are you calling me!?!” I commend Mr. Recruiter for not replying with, “As I said, my name is Mr. Recruiter and I’m with PRP. I was calling to tell you about a six figure job I think you’re a great fit for, but that’s ok. Good luck with your job search.”  

The “Skeptical Candidate” These are my personal favorite! I understand that in today’s world you can never be too careful. Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world and to ignore the fact that there are very bad people out there who could do you serious harm is irresponsible. I also understand that there are many people who don’t even know that Recruiters (let alone the Recruiting industry) even exist. Still, there’s no reason to be so completely paranoid when we contact you to discuss a career opportunity - - especially when your information is out there telling us that you’re looking for a possible change. And when we suggest that we meet at a local coffee shop to discuss things face-to-face that doesn’t mean we’re going to kidnap you. The coffee shop is a very well-known establishment in town in a nice, high-traffic area. And no, we didn’t create a website, corporate blog and LinkedIn profile just so that we could trick people like you into believing that we are who we say we are.

With 2008 right around the corner, I was hoping that things might be different next year. However, as these cases illustrate, it seems as though it will be business as usual.