(By TODD BOSSLER)
For what seems like the longest time, video interviewing has been touted as the “next big thing” in the world of hiring, for both companies and recruiters.
However, video interviewing hasn’t really taken the world by storm, for whatever reason. That doesn’t mean it still won’t eventually become the rule, as opposed to the exception—but we haven’t reached that point yet.
Still, companies (and recruiters) are looking for ways to do things more quickly, more easily, and with better results, and that includes the interview process. (Actually, it might especially include the interview process, which can tend to bog down if let to its own devices.)
Recently, Inc. magazine published an interesting article regarding video interviewing. The title of the article is “3 Tools for Conducting Video Interviews,” and it looks at three new tools available in the world of video interviewing.
The three tools included in the Inc. article are as follows (you can also click on the link to visit each tool's website):
The magazine reviewed each one of these tools, addressing the pros and cons and also listing the cost involved with using them.
Click here to read the Inc. article reviewing these three tools.
Have you used any of these tools? Have you utilized video interviews in any of your searches? Do any of your clients use video interviewing?
Do you think that video interviews are still the “next big thing”? Do you think they’ve already arrived . . . or that their time is past?
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(Todd Bossler, the Internet Strategies Manager at Top Echelon, is a regular contributor to the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog.)
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(By MATT DEUTSCH)
Are new graduates making the grade in today’s fast-paced business environment?
According to a recent study by the Global Strategy Group (on behalf of architectural firm Woods Bagot), the answer to that question is a firm “No!”
The study included the opinions of 500 senior managers and C-level executives, the kind of business people who know what it takes to get the job done.
Let’s start with the skills that these executives value the most in new graduates (and potential new employees):
- 49%—Problem-solving
- 43%—Collaboration
- 36%—Critical thinking
- 31%—Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively in writing
Okay, but what about social media skills and recent graduates' proficiency with technology? Those should be valued, too, right?
Wrong. Only 5% of the senior managers in the survey rated those as highly sought-after attributes.
These results are somewhat surprising, especially if they’re indicative of seniors managers at companies everywhere—because what new graduates and younger candidates are bringing to the table are not what these managers are craving in new employees.
As you might expect, those who participated in the survey are less than impressed with recent grads. Here are the numbers to prove it:
- 65% indicated that people applying at their company right out of college are only “somewhat prepared” for success in business
- 40% indicated that these people are “not prepared at all”
- 47% believe that just 21% of new grads will advance past an entry-level position
These are sobering statistics, to be sure, especially since logic would dictate that these types of candidates will be more difficult for recruiters to place, no matter how much of a rock star they were at their institution of higher learning.
What’s been your experience with recent graduates? If you haven’t had any, did what the senior managers say they value in this study correspond with what your hiring managers say they value in new employees? If they differ, how are they different?
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(Matt Deutsch, the Communications Coordinator at Top Echelon, is a regular contributor to the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog.)
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Top Echelon’s first FREE recruiter training webinar of 2012 was a great success! Jon Bartos of Jonathan Scott International presented this session, which was titled “Creating a Culture of Performance by Using Metrics,” live on Tuesday, January 24.
If you didn’t see the training webinar live, click here to watch the recorded version of the session for FREE.
We’re pleased to announce that our next recruiter training webinar of the year is scheduled for 1 p.m., EST on Tuesday, February 14. (Yes, we know . . . it should be a sweetheart of a training, you’ll love it, etc., etc.)
Rob Mosley of Next Level Exchange will be the presenter for this upcoming webinar, which is titled “Negotiating Client Tactics and Demands.” A description of the session is below:
In tough times, clients and prospects can become very tactical and demanding. They use tactics, either consciously or subconsciously, to influence your perception of what is right and what is fair.
This training session is about your ability to create your own future circumstances with clients and prospects through a more effective negotiation process based upon better responses to client tactics and demands.
In this session, you’ll learn how to:
- Understand the connection between your client relationship and the negotiation process
- Recognize, prevent, and respond to the top 20 client tactics
- Counter the top 10 demands of both client and candidates
- Leverage the framework for negotiation to arrive at a win-win situation
Join Rob Mosley for what’s sure to be an informative session packed with insight that you can use to improve negotiations with your clients and increase your billings in 2012!
You can attend this FREE recruiter training webinar by using the Microsoft LiveMeeting client. You can also sign up to receive an email reminder on the day of the webinar. That email will also contain instructions for joining the session.
Click here to sign up for a reminder email to join “Negotiating Client Tactics and Demands” on Tuesday, February 14.
Remember, there will be a FREE recruiter training webinar every month throughout the rest of this year, so make plans to join us—starting with our session in February.
(By MATT DEUTSCH)
Now, more than ever, companies are looking to hire skilled workers on a contract basis. Contract staffing isn’t just a now-and-again phenomenon or stop-gap measure—it’s a way of conducting business for companies in the new economy.
If you’re a recruiter and you place direct hire candidates, you should seriously consider adding contract staffing to your business model. If you already place candidates on a contract basis, then you should consider placing recent retirees. In a growing trend known as “retiree re-staffing,” companies are tapping into the immense experience and expertise that these types of candidates can offer.
According to recruiting industry trainer Greg Doersching of The Griffin Search Group, recent retirees (and workers at that age) are very attractive to companies looking to hire on a contract basis.
“That’s going to be your contract candidate pool for the next five to 10 years,” said Doersching, “especially in areas like IT and Engineering.”
And why are recent retirees good candidates for contract work, besides the knowledge and experience that they’ve cultivated over the past 30 to 40 years?
“They can work six months on a contract, and then cruise around in their RVs to the local casinos,” said Doersching. “Their houses are already paid for, and their contract assignments provide them with income.”
According to Doersching, the retirement of the Baby Boomer Generation has left companies depleted in terms of experience. “Retiree re-staffing” is the chief way in which these companies are choosing to retain as much of that experience as they can.
“Companies are losing way too much experience with the retirement of the Baby Boomers,” said Doersching. “Some companies are sucking that experience back in on contract. They don’t have enough people to replace all of that experience.”
What about your recruiting firm or desk? Do you place candidates on a contract basis, and if you do, have you placed recent retirees? Are your clients asking for these types of contract workers? For more information about how you can offer contract staffing to your client companies, visit the Top Echelon Contracting website.
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(Greg Doersching is managing partner and founder of The Griffin Search Group, a national search firm working in the direct hire placement industry. Recognized as one of the most cutting-edge voices in recruiting, Doersching has presented training sessions for the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS); the American Staffing Association (ASA_; and the Association of Canadian Search, Employment, and Staffing Services; among many others.)
(Matt Deutsch, the Communications Coordinator at Top Echelon, is a regular contributor to the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog.)
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn.
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(By MATT DEUTSCH)
In my previous blog post, I discussed the results of a recruiter poll that we recently conducted, one that asked recruiters how 2011 compared to 2010 in terms of their recruiting business.
Overall, the results of that poll were quite positive, with over 63% of respondents indicating that 2011 was a better year than 2010. Not a huge amount, mind you, but definitely over half of recruiters responded in a positive fashion.
So after we asked that question in our weekly recruiter poll, we decided to ask a follow-up question, one that looks toward the future rather than reflects on the past. After all, if 2011 was a better year than 2010 for a lot of recruiters, then they should possess some measure of optimism about the upcoming year, as well.
Consequently, here's the question that we posed in our most recent recruiter poll:
Which of the following phrases best describes your thoughts regarding 2012 and your recruiting business?
The choice of answers that we provided is listed below, along with the percentage of recruiters who selected each one:
- I’m very optimistic—33.9%
- I’m cautiously optimistic—50.8%
- I’m decidedly neutral—11.9%
- I’m a little pessimistic—3.4%
- The world really IS going to end—0.0%
These results represent overwhelmingly good news! Why is that? Well, because nearly 85% of respondents are either “very optimistic” or “cautiously optimistic” about their recruiting business in 2012. However, that doesn’t mean the remaining 15% is pessimistic—no, quite the contrary. In fact, almost 12% indicated that they are “decidedly neutral.”
This means of all the recruiters who participated in our poll, only 3.4% expressed pessimism. Not only that, but they indicated they’re only “a little pessimistic.” Here’s even more good news: NOT ONE recruiter thinks that “the world really IS going to end!” (Silly Mayans.)
What about YOU? What are your thoughts regarding the upcoming year and your recruiting business? Are you optimistic? Neutral? Pessimistic? Is the world really going to end? If it is going to end, how is it going to end? You know . . . if you have access to that kind of information.
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(Matt Deutsch, the Communications Coordinator at Top Echelon, is a regular contributor to the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog.)
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Welcome to our ongoing series of blog posts in the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Center: “Jeff Allen’s Collection Tip of the Week.” Each week, we’ll highlight one collection tip from Allen, JD/CPC, the world’s leading placement lawyer.
Since 1975, Allen has collected more placement fees, litigated more trade secret cases, and assisted more placement practitioners than anyone else. He’s also the author of 24 books and a regular columnist for The Fordyce Letter, one of the leading publications in the recruiting industry.
Below is this week’s collection tip for recruiters, courtesy of Jeff Allen.
What the Client Says:
"The candidate answered an advertisement."
How the Client Pays:
It's amazing how many cases come to us—all the way to collection—without the recruiter checking whether the client even posted an Internet ad. Actually, it's over half the time!
As with salary misrepresentations, employers will freely say an ad was running. But they know they'll get nailed if they write it. When they're pressured, they try to figure out something else.
So as a rule, if the client doesn't proudly send you a copy of the ad, it probably didn't run. You should, though . . . to your lawyer.
If you receive the actual posting, review it and ask yourself the following questions:
1. Did the ad look the same as the job order?
2. Did the ad run just before the interview?
3. Did the candidate really respond to the ad?
4. Did you set up the interview?
5. Did the employer notify you that the candidate responded to the ad?
And then here's the clincher question to ask the candidate:
6. Did he or she write that you were the source of the referral on the client's application?
These are highly-collectible fees, because an ad is a passive recruiting device. It rarely incites a client to hire. Ads flood employers with resumes, and the attempt to read them electronically generates very funny mismatches.
Identifying, inciting, and igniting is what incendiary recruiters do. We're on fire and that causes the hire!
It's very difficult for an employer to connect an ad with a hire if a recruiter was involved.
That's why these disputes often result in the client paying a full fee.
(Know how to collect your well-earned fees? Test yourself! Visit Allen's Placement Law website and click the "Placement Fee Collection Quiz" button. Allen can be reached via telephone at 310.559.6000 or via email at jeff@placementlaw.com.)
(By BARB BRUNO, CPC/CTS)
Recruiters, do you find yourself easily distracted at work? That lack of focus will destroy any chance you have of developing good time management skills.
Imagine arriving at work and your entire office is covered with $100 bills from the floor to the ceiling. As you find your way to your desk, on the loud speaker you hear your owner announce, “From 9 a.m to 11:30 a.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. today, you can keep all the $100 bills you can gather—no strings attached.”
Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Would you wait until 9 a.m. to start?
2. Would you really go to lunch?
3. Would you take personal phone calls?
4. Would you send or read emails?
5. Would you go on social networking sites?
6. Would you even go to the bathroom?
You probably answered “No” to most of those questions, because you would be extremely focused on gathering and keeping as many $100 bills as you could.
REALITY
Those $100 bills are in your office right now. In fact, they're on your desk, attached to your telephone. If you're on the phone making planned results-oriented calls, you can make more money than you've ever thought possible.
We have people on both sides of our sales, and our co-workers can also be a distraction. If we’re being quite honest, we often distract ourselves when our attention switches from work to family, friends, vacations, etc.
The best way to prevent distractions is to plan out your day, before you leave work each evening. If distractions or urgent issues take you away from your plan, you can easily get back on track focusing on results-oriented activities.
Inform your friends and family members that the best hours for you to make money are during prime time: 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. (they can vary from specialty to specialty). During the hours when you have the best opportunity to contact your clients and candidates, you don’t want to be distracted by personal phone calls.
Often, family members and friends don’t realize they're taking money out of your pocket when they distract you during prime selling time. It's important to limit those distractions by just letting people know they should call you before work, during lunch, or at the end of the day!
For the next five days, write down when distractions occur that take you away from your primary focus. Review this list and then write down solutions to eliminate those distractions the following week.
If you limit distractions, you will earn more money!
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(Barb Bruno, CPC/CTS, guest writer for the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog, is one of the most trusted speakers, trainers, and experts in the staffing and recruiting profession. If you'd like to contact Barb to schedule a free demo of her "Top Producer Tutor" web-based recruiter training course, call 219.663.9609 or send an email to support@staffingandrecruiting.com. Click here for a video demonstration of "Top Producer Tutor.")
(By MATT DEUTSCH)
In these continually challenging economic times, recruiters are becoming more creative in their efforts to be productive, and of course, profitable. According to recruiting industry trainer Greg Doersching of the Griffin Group, one of the innovative things that recruiters are doing is finding new niches for themselves, in some cases unique niches that they might not have thought about before now.
Doersching mentioned two niches in particular that are hot at the moment, niches that could surprise recruiters. Those two are listed below:
Pyschomatricians—According to the definition posted on FreeDictionary.com, “Psychometricians design and administer psychological tests, both to generate empirical data on mental processes and to refine their understanding of measurement techniques and the statistical analysis of results.” Doersching had a much simpler take on the profession: “These are the guys who write SAT tests.”
Travel Agents—No, we’re not kidding. “You’d think that travel agents are the last people anybody would need," said Doersching. "The problem is that nobody can find them, and people are willing to pay for them.”
Doersching also indicated that any profession that has to do with math or science is in demand to some degree these days.
“Researchers, Developers, IT Engineers, the whole IT world, anything that is heavily math and science-based,” said Doersching.
Have you discovered any new or unique niches during the past 12 to 18 months? Has anything changed about your current niche? Are you considering switching niches during the next year? If so, why?
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(Greg Doersching is managing partner and founder of The Griffin Group, a national search firm working in the direct hire placement industry. Recognized as one of the most cutting-edge voices in recruiting, Doersching has presented training sessions for the National Association of Personnel Services; the American Staffing Association; and the Association of Canadian Search, Employment, and Staffing Services; among many others.)
(Matt Deutsch, the Communications Coordinator at Top Echelon, is a regular contributor to the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog.)
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn.
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(By MATT DEUTSCH)
It’s 2012—a New Year for recruiters! But how did the old year (2011) treat recruiters?
Well, we found out. How? A recruiter poll, of course!
Specifically, we conducted a poll of recruiters from all across the country, and in that poll, we posed the following question:
How did 2011 compare to 2010 for your recruiting business?
The choice of answers that we provided is listed below, along with the percentage of recruiters who selected each one:
Much better—38.0%
A little better—25.3%
About the same—20.3%
A little worse—8.9%
Much worse—7.6%
Okay, first the good news: over 63% of respondents indicated that 2011 was a better year for their recruiting desk than 2010. True, it was better for some recruiters than others, but better is still better . . . and better is definitely better than worse.
But before we get to worse, a little over 20% of recruiters chose “about the same” as their answer. Of course, we don’t know how well they fared in 2010, so that answer might actually indicate that they enjoyed a good year in 2011.
Now on to the bad news: 8.9% of respondents chose “A little worse” and 7.6% chose “Much worse.” If you want to spin these numbers in the most positive light possible, it could be pointed out that of all the recruiters who participated in this poll, ONLY 7.6% indicated that 2011 was a much worse year for their recruiting desk than 2010 . . . which means that 92.4% indicated that 2011 wasn’t a much worse year.
What about YOU? How did 2011 compare to 2010 for your recruiting business? Was it much better? A little better? Or did your year fall on the other side of the spectrum? Perhaps most importantly, what contributed to your answer during the past year?
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(Matt Deutsch, the Communications Coordinator at Top Echelon, is a regular contributor to the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog.)
Connect with Matt on LinkedIn.
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Welcome to our ongoing series of blog posts in the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Center: “Jeff Allen’s Collection Tip of the Week.” Each week, we’ll highlight one collection tip from Allen, JD/CPC, the world’s leading placement lawyer.
Since 1975, Allen has collected more placement fees, litigated more trade secret cases, and assisted more placement practitioners than anyone else. He’s also the author of 24 books and a regular columnist for The Fordyce Letter, one of the leading publications in the recruiting industry.
Below is this week’s collection tip for recruiters, courtesy of Jeff Allen.
What the Client Says:
"Another recruiter was responsible for the placement."
How the Client Pays:
Executive search is a game anyone can play, and there are no rules. So there's always some unprofessional, unethical recruiter out there who'll assist with the "undocumented candidate." A five-figure fee is motivation enough.
What does the hiring authority get in return? Let's look at a few of the most popular goodies:
1. A kickback.
2. A motivated agent to find him or her a better job.
3. A lower fee.
4. A promise to stop raiding the employer.
5. A promise to legally defend the employer and indemnify it (pay any judgment).
The best way to get paid is to track the candidate closely. It's a constant source of amazement to recruiters when they stumble on "undocumented" candidates working at clients. Show me one, and I'll show you a recruiter who:
1. Was probably told the sendout was a turndown.
2. Had no other opportunity for the candidate.
3. Went on to other searches.
Do clients pay two fees? Absolutely! You just have to show that they paid the wrong source.
There are probably many placements made that you don't know about. It's like panning for gold to go back through your sendouts, focusing on suspicious clients and candidates.
Too many "almost hires"? They're "probably placed"!
(Know how to collect your well-earned fees? Test yourself! Visit Allen's Placement Law website and click the "Placement Fee Collection Quiz" button. Allen can be reached via telephone at 310.559.6000 or via email at jeff@placementlaw.com.)
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