Friday, August 24th, 2007 at 2:43pm by JRed

The sky is falling! National Geographic says the clock is ticking for Redheads and that our kind is set for extinction as early as 2060. 

Apparently, less than 2% of the world’s population has natural red hair - - created by a mutation in Northern Europe thousands of years ago. Global intermingling, which broadens the availability of possible partners, has reduced the chances of redheads meeting and so producing little redheads of their own.

Who are these people that come up with such things? Why do they even care? Not that it matters much to me though. I mean, I’ll be well into my 80’s by the time that happens.

This news, however, got me thinking about a common issue we all face - - first impressions.

I know that I’m not breaking any new ground by saying that in Sales and Recruiting (as in life) we are often judged on first impressions. Fair or not, it’s the reality of the world in which we live and no set of rules and regulations will ever entirely eliminate the subconscious reaction we have to others when we first meet them. The rules and regulations will simply force us to internalize such thoughts rather than verbalize them.

In the end, it should ALWAYS be about hiring the best person for the job or partnering with the Sales Rep who has proven that they can best deliver on their promises to you and your organization.

Many will agree with that philosophy, but a majority will never follow through. We see this time after time and it’s a challenge we will always face and a reminder we will always have to give to our business partners.

In recruiting circles, this is the reason why weak candidates who look good get hired and the strong ones, who might not look the best, don’t. Additionally, just as I would never use my newfound label as an ”endangered species” to try and generate sympathy and new business (”…please partner with my firm before I’m extinct!”) we should never use superficial factors (like hair color and body shape) to influence our assessment of future performance indicators and to make conclusions about one’s ability.

Reminds me of the time my Boss needed someone to lead a nation of people and defeat a brutal giant named Goliath. If I remember correctly, it was a meek looking young boy named David who got the job and exceeded everyone’s expectations.

If you want to be the best, hire the best and surround yourself by the best. Stop proclaiming you are the best and begin acting like it. 

In this Age of Transparency perhaps we’ll finally toss the antiquated stereotypes out the door and become a part of the solution, not the problem.

We better, because if this mode of thinking continues unchallenged in corporate circles it will be your boss who one day sends you packing simply because you’ve added a few more pounds and decided to get a tattoo. 

Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 11:42pm by JRed

What will the future hold for professional social networking sites?

Building off of yesterday’s presentation of a world in which everyone had a Career Score that allowed them access to certain companies and jobs, I wondered what it would be like if those same professionals gathered in one place to showcase their Career Scores. 

Somehwat similar to eBay, what if there was a place where professionals with “above average” Career Scores gathered to publicize their personal Career Scores with the intent of having various organizations bidding on their services? This place could be aptly called rBay allowing businesses with a unique way of recruiting the best of the best.

Candidates would only sign up for an account if they were in need of a job or seriously looking to leave their current employer. A time limit would be imposed and interested parties would have to submit their bid before the clock ran out.

The candidate would be at the mercy of the company that offered the best offer of employment and the system would be set up for them to be required to join the company that offered the most for their expertise, skills/abilities and experience.

Talk about a war for talent! Could you imagine several Fortune 500 organizations getting into a bidding war over a particular Senior Executive who’s well-known throughout industry circles?

Is it too far-fetched?

Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 7:52am by JRed

What do you do when a client says that a great candidate is “too jumpy” for them? The obvious answer is to provide that client with the reasons why the candidate moved on from one position to another (verified of course).

What if that doesn’t work?

We’ve had one client tell us that despite the legitimate circumstances there’s just no way that they can determine a consistent pattern of success since the candidate “was never anywhere long enough to build a track record of success.”

Clearly, this was inaccurate. We have a 5-step process that using multiple screenings, interviews and checks and balances so we knew that this candidate was a Peak Performer in sales. In fact, they were an ideal match for the position.

The solution? For whatever reason, this particular client equated credibility with hard copy proof. Once we identified this preference we simply submitted recent Stack Rankings, Pay Stubs and Awards for candidates in addition to their Resumes and Profiles.

MOUNTAIN TOP TIP #2: CANDIDATES - GET IN THE HABIT OF SUBMITTING A STACK RANKING OR TWO WHEN YOU APPLY FOR A POSITION. RECRUITERS - GET IN THE HABIT OF SUBMITTING HARD COPY PROOF TO CLIENTS TO SUPPORT YOUR CLAIMS AND TO CONTRIBUTE TO BUILDING TRUST.

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 at 10:00pm by JRed

We’ve all seen those commercials. You know, the ones where the smiling, clean-cut young man asks if we know our Credit Score. That got me thinking. What if our industry created a national system that assigned a Career Score to each member of the workforce?

This number would be carried with you throughout your career and it would change based on a number of factors until you retired. In general, points could be awarded based on your education (those with Master’s degrees getting more points than those with just a High School Graduation), level of experience (those with more years of experience would get more points, but they would lose points if they were too “jumpy”), and skills (have you created, published and managed your own personal blog? great! you just earned more points then the person who only knows how to sharpen pencils).

Perhaps bonus points would be awarded to those working at Fortune 500 organizations when compared to those who work at a mom-and-pop shop. It might even become necessary to develop scoring systems that are unique to a particular type of profession. Thus, those in Sales would have different ranges of scores than those in Accounting. Of course, the general scoring ranges would be customized slightly to fit with each unique assignment and so there would always be a small variation in the scores.

Obviously, this is an underdeveloped concept (I haven’t spent nearly the amount of time I’d like to in order to think this through some more) and maybe I’ll revisit it again one day, but what I like about this idea is that if Resumes truly are becoming obsolete and we’re trying to place a greater emphasis on the interview and doing it right then this makes perfect sense!

Imagine being a Recruiter and knowing that all you have to do is look for candidates who have a Career Score in the range you desire. Imagine specializing in Sales Recruiting and knowing that all the A-List performers score in the 800-1,000 range and that the B-List professionals fall in the 500-800 range. Therefore, any candidate who comes across your desk with a score that’s less than 500 is unqualified.

Is this where we’re heading as an industry? If so, it’s clear from just my random thoughts above that there would be many issues to consider as well as many potential pitfalls.

For instance, what if the system was designed to give you the most possible points to your Career Score based on the length of time you spent with an employer? How would Recruiters ever be able to entice a candidate to leave their current position if they knew that all they had to do was remain in that role for one more year before receiving x-amount of points and being in a position where they would be able to virtually choose to work anywhere they wanted to based on their exceptional Career Score?

Well, there you have it.

Tuesday, August 21st, 2007 at 1:03pm by JRed

This series is dedicated to generating some alternatives to traditional recruiting. Today, I would like to suggest a solution that saves both time and money because that’s really what we’re all after isn’t it?

WHY NOT? RESUMES-ON-DEMAND

What if Recruiters used Recruiters? No, I’m not talking about networking for future candidates or splits. What if Recruiters used a third party to help them identify potential candidates?

I think it would be pretty cool if you could hand-pick individual Resumes at wholesale prices. Now, imagine that you could preview only qualified candidates for the position you’re looking to fill and then pay only for those candidates you wish to contact.

In a world where Job Boards are one in the same (none delivering quite the reasonable return for your investment) you can’t afford to spend hundred$ or thousand$ of dollars doing the same things over and over again, but expecting different results? What do they call that again?

I realize that this suggestion is a slight variation of existing business models. For instance, Jobster made news back in June with their Pay-For-Performance job advertising.  

A more accurate description is that it’s a Pay-Per-Good-Applicant model where you only pay a small fee if a candidate is interested and responds to your job posting. I like that idea, but I think there’s room to grow.

I disagree with Jobster’s assessment that “the problem with bringing cost per hire online though is that hiring is not a transaction that will be actually closed online. It’s not like buying a product where you pay at point of sale and then get your goods shipped.” Why not?

What if a company created a Pay-Per-Resume business model where qualified candidates matching your detailed job description were added to a shopping cart of sorts by a Search Specialist from that company? 

You could then preview each individual Resume/Candidate Profile to verify a match on your own, but the specific contact information for each candidate would be hidden until you actually purchase that Resume. 

The cost would definitely be based on supply and demand and the more you buy, the more you save (and you can buy single Resumes if you choose to).

The Pay-Per-Resume pricing could also be determined by a service level you select (i.e. signing up for the “Gold Qualified” level means that every candidate in your shopping cart is a match, but just like existing job boards, the company cannot guarantee that they will be interested in your position until you contact them; signing up for the “Platinum Verified” level is the same as above except that the company’s Search Specialists have contacted each candidate in your shopping cart and confirmed that they have an interest in your career opportunity). 

Why Resumes-On-Demand? Because it’s foolish to do the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. Newspaper Classifieds and Job Boards are one in the same - - they perpetuate the problem. There has to be a better way.

Why Resumes-On-Demand? Because you can’t afford to spend hundred$ or thousand$ of dollars just to spend countless hours trying to find the right candidate in an entire database where the output is only as good as the information inputted. Let someone else do the searching for you while you focus on the recruiting.

Why Resumes-On-Demand? Because you don’t hire someone without interviewing them first so why not begin the process the same way by previewing candidates before making an investment in time and money?

Why Resumes-On-Demand? Because Newspapers aren’t new, Hot Jobs isn’t so hot, and Monsters are scary!!!

Monday, August 20th, 2007 at 1:58pm by JRed

What are some of the things you like and/or dislike about the recruiting industry? What new innovation would you like to see? Is there a particular tool/service that you wish some organization would create or redefine?

This week I’ll be presenting the things that I would like to see. I will offer a new idea each day. These aren’t things that I’m necessarily working on or developing myself, but things that I would personally like to see someone create, develop and launch in the near future.  At the very least, I think the evolution of such things would be fun to watch.

Introducing the first in a series I like to call “Why Not?”

WHY NOT? A JOB BOARD I’D LIKE TO SEE

I realize that it seems as though a new job board pops up every day, but this might be something entirely fresh. The concept? Job Ads meets Personal Ads.

Basically, the Job Ad reads like a Personal Ad. The candidate, instead of posting a Resume, would post a candidate profile of sorts.

The greatest potential may lie in making these profiles actual video ads and it could become the answer to solving the problem that people have with introducing Video Resumes into the recruiting/hiring process.

I figure the candidate would describe their “ideal job/career/employer” (just like they’d describe their “ideal mate” on a Personals website) and the employer would also describe their “ideal employee/candidate” using the same approach.

The goal is to make it all fun and catchy in a tongue-and-cheek sort of way in order to appeal to Gen-Yers, the target audience. One potential name could be www.ilovemyjob.com for instance.

The timing of the concept seems just right with the growth and popularity of social networking sites, but it wasn’t until I recently stumbled upon a promotion from Dice called ”The Rant Banner”.  Additional information and a good summary of the promotional campaign can be found here.

Dice gave Modem the assignment to create a concept to increase awareness of their site among their newly redefined target audience. Modem’s solution was “The Rant Banner”, an interactive blog style banner which asked the question, “Does Your Tech Job Suck?” and encouraged users to vent their frustrations directly in the banner.

The casual, edgy attitude of the banner hit home with the target audience - - it was essentially a perfect fit.

The key is that Dice understood their target audience extremely well and they gave them a platform (a worldwide stage really) that fed their desire for self-expression even in 9-5 corporate America.

In a world where the future of America’s working class has popularized TV shows like MTV’s “Jackass” and immortalized comedians like Will Ferrell, I gotta think they would flock to a professional careers website masquerading as a tongue-and-cheek dating service.

Why wouldn’t a variation of the Dice campaign expanded slightly to become a stand-alone job board work?

Seems like a no-brainer to me.

Friday, August 17th, 2007 at 2:57pm by JRed

Being a Peak Performer means constantly striving to improve until you’ve become the best that you can be. It’s reaching for the top of the mountain with one hand while helping others who want to join you in your pursuit with the other.

Our stated goal from day one is to improve the recruiting process as well as the recruiting experience. This is a give-and-take relationship where I do my part and others I interact with (whether clients or candidates) will do their part. That’s the hope anyway.

Communication is the key. Without it, success is forever locked and hidden away. I encourage my business partners to approach me when they feel I need correction for “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise” (Proverbs 12:15).

In that spirit, consider this the first in what I hope will be an on-going series of discussions crucial to creating better experiences in the recruiting industry. If we can first assess, then address and finally put into practice these things perhaps we’ll all play a part in changing it all for the better.

Since everything’s more fun when you give it a name let’s call this our Mountain Top Tip #1.

Fridays are typically the one day of the week when we try to track down and follow-up with any potential candidates who failed to get back to us after expressing an interest in one of our career opportunities at some point during the week.

In most cases, we’ve already established direct contact with one another based on our policy of responding to all candidates within a 1 hour timeframe. For whatever reason, the candidate simply refused to respond.

Here’s a sampling of some gems from today’s phone blitz…

SCENARIO A - THE ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR ROUTINE

CANDIDATE: ”I’m not interested.”
PRP: “I’m sorry, but I’m a little confused because you contacted us YESTERDAY regarding one of our openings.”
C: “I already found a job.”
PRP: “In less than 24 hours?”
C: “Yes, I’m not interested!” –CLICK–

SCENARIO B - THE CONSPIRACY THEORIST ROUTINE

C: “I’m interested in your Sales Manager position that you have posted.”
PRP: “Great! Would you like to tell me a little about yourself or would you prefer to schedule a phone interview for another time? Either way, before we can do that though I will need you to take 15-20 minutes to complete our Pre-Screening Questionnaire and - - ”
C: “What!?! I’m not paying someone to find me a job!”
PRP: “Excuse me? I’m not sure where you got that from sir. What gave you that impression? We’re not that type of firm.”
C: “I’m not paying someone to find me a job! Don’t call me again!” –CLICK–

SCENARIO C - THE FAMILY MEMBER WHO’S A MIND-READER ROUTINE

CFM: “He has a job. He wouldn’t be interested.”
PRP: “That’s interesting because he sent me his Resume THIS MORNING and even left a voicemail message for me to call him.”
CFM: “Well, he makes good money and is happy where he works.”
PRP: “That may be, but I’m guessing he realized that the opportunity we have is vastly superior in job responsibilities and earning potential.”
CFM: “I don’t think so! Goodbye.” –CLICK–

SCENARIO D - THE “HOW DARE YOU!?!” ROUTINE

PRP: “Good morning! I’m from Paramount Recruiting Partners and I’m calling to follow-up with you. You recently expressed an interest in our Sales Manager position we have available.”
C: “Why are you calling me?”
PRP: “Like I said, you recently - - ”
C: “No! Why are you calling me at this number!?!”
PRP: “Because it’s the number you told us to call.”
C: “This is my work number and I’m at work now. I can’t talk about this here. You’re going to have to call me back some other time. I’m stepping into a meeting and have to go. Thank you.” –CLICK–

I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences. Fun isn’t it? Candidates, you need to know that we’re here to HELP YOU. I know that you’ve probably had some awfully negative experiences with other Recruiters and Agencies in the past, but please don’t hold that against us. Give us a chance to prove to you that we’re different.

MOUNTAIN TOP TIP #1: IF WE’RE CALLING YOU BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZE THAT YOU’RE A TOP PICK WHY WOULD YOU TREAT US TO A RUDE CLICK?

Thursday, August 16th, 2007 at 12:49pm by JRed

Please note that we’ve added 4 new Recruiting Blogs to our Blogroll on the right sidebar…

• Hire Calling
• Jobmatchbox
• Advanced Online Recruiting Techniques
• Turbo Recruiting

Thursday, August 16th, 2007 at 12:33pm by JRed

What criteria do you use when deciding whether or not a particular prospect is a complete waste of time? Can that same criteria be applied when it’s a CLIENT that is becoming a complete waste of time?

We’re very selective of the types of organizations we partner with and of the assignments we choose to work on. We have to be. “Time is money” is one of my least favorite cliches, but it’s so true especially in our line of work.

The last thing anyone from my firm wants to do is spend time sourcing, screening, interviewing and submitting candidates only to have the point of contact treat their hard work with a complete lack of respect.

Worse, is when the client resorts to “gut feelings” and snap judgments to determine whether or not they will see a candidate, completely ignoring our professional analysis and presentation as though it were submitted by rank amateurs.

Of course, I’m talking about the “Decision-Maker That You Can NEVER Please” no matter how hard you try. Despite meeting all the REQ changes (that seem to occur on a weekly basis despite an in-depth Needs Analysis!) there’s always a reason for turning down one of our candidates.

Currently, we’re dealing with a client that fits this description and it’s becoming quite tiresome. I have personally gotten involved and taken a more active role in the entire process and still nothing’s changed.

So why don’t we just cut ties, take our losses and move on, right? It would be an appropriate question if we weren’t delivering qualified, interested, hirable candidates on a consistent basis regardless of the changes to the job description.

Never one to back down from a challenge, my staff and I have become almost obssessed with filling this position. Plus, the fact that the placement fee is staring us in the face, taunting and laughing at us daily, makes this situation more complicated.

At this moment, I will remind all the key players that this is a partnership. We were “hired” (I feel dirty writing that as a Third Party Firm) to do a job and we’re going to deliver.  

Wednesday, August 15th, 2007 at 6:04pm by JRed

I just returned from a business trip and have been on the road and “disconnected” from the online world for nearly 1.5 weeks. So, you can imagine my surprise when I came across Jim Durbin’s mention of our firm and this new blog on his site StlRecruiting back on Wednesday, August 8th while trying to catch up on some reading.

There’s a reason why we have his blog listed on the right sidebar as part of our Blogroll. It might not seem like much, but any time a professional of his caliber offers an opinion on someone, something and/or some entity I know that people take notice and listen - - I’m one of them!

I have the utmost respect for what he’s accomplished and for what he continues to do for this industry.

That being said, we humbly thank you for taking the time to mention us.