The Recruiter Files

News and Advice from the Recruiting Industry!

The Recruiter Files is a Select Group of Recruiting Professionals sharing their experiences, knowledge and thoughts regarding the Recruiting Industry.

Nothing like a good Potluck…

Do you work in an office setting with others?   You probably have had a Potluck, where your co-workers would bring different food items, for everyone to eat.   Some are good at making desserts, others a main dish and still others liked to bring the plates, cups, napkins and drinks.    Everyone was good at something and brought that to the meal.

I learned how to Recruit, by Potluck.    When I started recruiting, it was a full working desk.   I needed to get and find the jobs and then find the candidates to fill the jobs.    That is a lot to learn for anyone who is new to the industry.   As I looked around the room at the 10-15 other recruiters -What was Recruiter 1 good at?   What was Recruiter 2 good at?   And so on…   

If I knew Recruiter 1 was good at cold calling, then I would walk over to their desk and listen to them on the phone.   I would sit for 15-20 minutes and pick up what I could.   Next, if Recruiter 2 was good at coaching interviews, I would sit and listen to them on the phone, talking to the candidates.   And so on…

My point is not everyone is an EXPERT at EVERYTHING.    As a Recruiter, I look at my desk and my work.   Maybe I have gotten into a rut and my interviews have not been getting hired.   Then go back to the basics – learn from your peers.   How are they doing interview prep.   In Recruiting, it has evolved and has changed;  we need to evolve with it.    But don’t forget the basics.    Pick what you can from the experts/co-workers and make it your own.  

 

 

 

Job Seekers and Recruiters: Are you on about.me?

A friend showed me About.me this week.   What a great site and a way for everyone to have their own splash page.   This is a great new site that allows the person to display their background, specialities and contact information. (My page is here)

 

Job Seekers – Recruiting is evolving and we search the internet for candidates before we even put ads on the job boards.   Why not have your background, specialities and contact information all in one place, easier for us to contact you?   In a paragraph or 2 explain your background and tell your story.   Everyone has a story and you need to tell yours.   As a Job Seeker you should make it as easy as possible for recruiters and hiring managers to find you and contact you.  

 

Recruiters – We are a dime a dozen, there are recruiters everywhere.   I try to differentiate myself to my client companies and the people who I represent.   This helps me do just that.   This gives them a background of me and how to contact me.   I plan on using this as a personal brand tool.   Not all recruiters are the same and work the same.   I want everyone to know what to expect from me and what I expect from them, if I am their recruiter.

 

Question – What do you do to separate yourself from the pack?

 

 

Bruce Rowles

 

 

 

Do you accept a counter-offer?

Would you accept a counter-offer?   You need to answer this even before you start interviewing elsewhere.    But please note:  Most people are interviewing for a reason.    So think about it – why are you looking for another job?

The Best Advice I can give is to Google the words “Counter Offer.”   You need to read all of the literature out there.   First, read the articles and blogs about accepting it.   Next, read the percentages of you staying with that company, if you do accept it.   Finally, read the Pros and the Cons.

Accepting a new job is a life decision and I will not push you to do it.   I will give you all of the means so you can make the right decision for you and your family.   Go and Google “Counter Offer” and see what you find.

Perspectives of a New Recruiter Part 2 of 2

     I have encountered all types of people thus far in my short recruiting career.  I’ve heard people tell me that they aren’t really looking for a job because their unemployment is paying too well right now and they don’t want to give that up, no matter how good the position I am presenting to them.  I’m sure every recruiter has unlimited outrageous stories of things they’ve heard from candidates, clients, and interviews gone awry.  I have some of these same stories however they all seem to involve the people that do not get the job.  I prefer to focus on successes and how wonderful it makes me feel to not only please our clients, but to also help someone achieve a goal which is central to their quality of life.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy hearing/sharing my stories of weirdness when it comes to this profession however, I think that is another blog post altogether. 

In my opinion I work with some of the best recruiters in the business.  Bruce has been an integral part of my success.  He has served as an amazing mentor and confidant.  He has always taken the time to answer all of my questions, which must seem endless at times.  He has been in this industry a long time and loves what he does.  He helps to keep me motivated and to keep things in perspective.  He always provides words of encouragement and constructive criticism which make me a better recruiter.  Todd is another recruiter who has helped me in numerous ways as well.  He has a great report with everyone he speaks with and has also helped to mentor me.  His advice and help have been invaluable and an integral ingredient in my success.  I work with a great team and my success is a direct reflection of their skills, abilities, experience, and unending support.

To this point I think the most important lesson I have learned is this; recruiting is not easy.  It’s stressful, aggravating, tiring, at times infuriating, and taxing.  Recruiting is also fulfilling, gratifying, and a source of great pride for me personally.  You cannot be successful in this business if you are not self-motivated.  There are so many ups and downs in this profession that I feel that I’m on a rollercoaster most weeks however, it keeps me on my toes.  With everyday comes a new challenge and reward.  I love the diversity in my work and not knowing what kind of situation will arise with each ring of the telephone or e-mail in my inbox.  For me, this is where I want to be and what I want to be doing.  I am an Associate Recruiter for Experis and I’m very proud of that.

In Recruiting the little things DO matter…

I was taught and learned early on the little things do matter.   Everything in this business is a process and has a sequence.   Follow that process and sequence and you will have a greater success.   I have found that when I “short-cut” or rush through, my candidates have less of a chance of getting hired. 

Your sequence may be different than mine – do what works for you and your desk.     Write out your sequence and post it on your desk.   Keep it in-front of you to see daily.   As you are talking to a candidate, setting up interviews and speaking with clients – did you do everything listed?    Was everything covered and discussed?    Most times when a person is not hired it is because something was missed.

 

 

Bruce Rowles

Perspectives of a New Recruiter Part 1 of 2

“Hey Chris, have you ever thought about working in recruiting?”.  That’s how it all started.  This was a question posed to me by my now Managing Director at a local networking event I attended.  I had recently graduated with my Masters degree in Human Services and was actively looking for an entry-level position in Human Resources.    I had considered going into recruiting but most of the positions I had seen  were in-house recruiting positions and they all “preferred” experience within the field.  I discussed the field of recruiting with my now Managing Director and did some homework on my own.  After a few interviews I had my first job in the recruiting industry, I was a contract sourcer. 

I worked as a contract sourcer for several months before being hired on permanently as an Associate Recruiter with Experis.  I currently have the opportunity to go through a one year certification/training program which will eventually lead to being one of the first Certified Recruiters for my company.  While I have only been working in the recruiting industry for 10 months, I have gained great insight into the recruiting world.  I have learned what a unique culture it is and how many challenges go along with this industry.  Every day I continue to have my eyes opened, in both good and bad ways, to the adventure and challenges of putting people to work.

  I learned very quickly that recruiting is sales.  As someone who swore they would never work in sales I found this truth to be ironic.  But what I realized is that I had a very negative stereotype of what I thought “sales” was.  I have learned that while we are sales people, we are ultimately helping people improve their lives.  While I understand this may sound a bit dramatic, I truly believe this and it is reaffirmed every time a candidate thanks me for helping them land a job, improve their resume, or refer them to a resource that is useful to them.  I take great pride in this role and it is one of the main aspects which keep me highly motivated to do what I am doing.

I understand that as recruiters we “work” for our clients.  They give us the opportunity to work for them and ultimately trust us to help them achieve their business goals.  In fact, my Managing Director has a saying that rings true to this fact.  When asked what we do, he says “We help our clients win in the world of work in the most economical way”.  I’ve learned our clients are the reason we are here however; I also believe that we wouldn’t be able to do what we do for our clients without our candidates.

Providing a positive experience for our candidates has been of stressed importance since my first day on the job.  I have always witnessed and been trained to give the candidates we speak with a great experience and great service.  This will ultimately set us apart from our competitors but also will show our candidates that we want to get to know more about them than what is on their resume.  We want to know what they WANT to do, where they want to go, what their situation is, and what is going to be the best fit for them.  This helps us not only to connect with our candidates, but also helps our candidates connect with us.  Ultimately, this also helps us provide the best fit possible for our clients by having a deeper understanding of our candidates.  We want to help our candidates feel like a person and not a number or just another resume in a database.  

To Be Continued……..

The Importance of: Networking Events

 Networking Events are completely underutilized! I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to tell people Networking and Networking events are NOT ONLY for the unemployed. There are few people in this world that didn’t get to something they wanted without the help or knowledge of another person.

When you attend a Networking Event you never know who you will meet. And you never know how you might be able to help them or they might be able to help you! And the help I am referring to does not just have to be about a “need” you have today.

Create connection because you have no idea what you might need in the future!

For example at an event you meet “Joe” and through small talk you find out Joe is unemployed and looking for a new opportunity, but you might not have the right opportunity for him right now, but you also find out that he is making money working at his brother’s shop fixing and towing cars. Low and behold a couple of months down the line you need service and remember Joe and give a call, while there you are talking to his brother and find out his wife is a Project Manager looking for a new BA.

Stories like this actually happen every single day. Now you didn’t meet the PM at the event, and you couldn’t necessarily help the brother-in-law but showing up to the event and networking brought you to this business.

I honestly feel that you should make an effort to go to several events a month because you never know who you will meet and how you may be able to help each other out one day in the future!

Now I understand some of us are more shy than others. And that may be the reason you don’t like Networking events. I promise you if you can force yourself to go, there WILL BE someone who approaches you to talk. And with each conversation you will feel more comfortable and before you know it, it will be time to go home with a pocket full of new connections!

I wouldn’t hire you as my recruiter…and neither would you!

Have you ever gotten the call from a friend because you are a recruiter and they need a job? As the conversation unfolds and you hear the woes of the market, the reason the current job has wronged them, and all the other reasons the work world is not kind to them. Admit it, in the back of your mind you are thinking… NO WAY is this person getting a new job anytime soon. They have to change their mindset.   

Why then do we exude the same behaviors and expect to be that GO TO person for our clients and great candidates?

Attitude:  When looking for a job, really anything good for that matter. attitude is everything. Positive attracts positive.

  1. As a recruiter are you positive with your clients and candidates?
  2. Do you think the next call could be a hire?
  3. Do you attract and teach that a great attitude is key in getting your next position?

No Excuses: When finding a reason for leaving or not being successful in a current position we as recruiters don’t want excuses we want to know how you will win in your next role and why we should bet on you.

  1. Would you bet on you? Or do you make excuses about pay rate, location; skills needed and in what combination as reasons you may not win in this search?
  2. Do you find reasons to turn no into yes, or do you find a reason to move to the next more winnable challenge
  3. Solutions not problems are what we all want to hear from someone. Do you get creative and find a way to win? OR do you just concentrate on the issues at hand.

 

Somebody will fill that position! Why won’t it be you? We coach candidates to ask for the job at the end of the interview, to show interest, to leave no question unanswered. Are we willing to do the same thing?

  1. Don’t give up
  2. Ask one more question
  3. Don’t assume you have done all you can…. Ask for feedback?
  4. Just make it happen. Set a goal, and go after it. Someone will fill that spot.

Get started using Boolean Strings, on linkedin

Are you using boolean strings in your recruiting and sourcing?   Why Not!?   What a great way to find the professional you are looking for.   You save money because it’s FREE and you do not have to post the expensive job ads that produce tons of resumes of unqualified candidates.    Boolean Strings will help your search so you can get the results you are looking for.

This post will focus on searching LinkedIn and narrowing down your search.   There are three main search engines to use: Google, Yahoo and Bing.    I would suggest using all three of them.   Each search engine has a different indexing system and will produce some different responses.  

Next we want to start narrowing the Boolean String so that it only does a Deep Dive into LinkedIn.   We start with an site command.

 

  •                site:linkedin.com

 

If you notice there are no spaces so far in this command.   Next, let’s say you are looking for a Mechanical Engineer, with a BSME, to work in Columbus, OH and they must have PLC and Lean Manufacturing Experience.    Do you know what to write next?  Try this:

 

  •                site:linkedin.com “Mechanical Engineer” Columbus (OH OR Ohio) Lean PLC BSME

 

This is a good basic Boolean String.   If you notice above, you do not have to type the word AND anymore if you are searching for different criteria and multiple keywords.   A simple space in-between your keywords will work.   If you look at the string above it says, we are looking in LinkedIn only, for the phrase “Mechanical Engineer” who lives in Columbus OH (we added an OR so it will look for the abbr. OH or spelled out OHIO) and key words lean, BSME and PLC.  

Hope this helps – this is pretty basic so far.    You can play with it and see if you can narrow it down, if you want.    Try it and see.

 

Ready to get motivated for the new year? Here’s how!

I want to start this off by saying, I did not write this. At least, not the 14 items listed. I do, however believe in the content whole heartedly. There are countless reasons to stay motivated and everyone has their own reasons to be motivated. The 14 items below can help you stay on track!

1. Condition your mind. Train yourself to think positive thoughts while avoiding negative thoughts.

2. Condition your body. It takes physical energy to take action.  Get your food and exercise budget in place and follow it like a business plan.

3. Avoid negative people. They drain your energy and waste your time, so hanging with them is like shooting yourself in the foot.

4. Seek out the similarly motivated. Their positive energy will rub off on you and you can imitate their success strategies.

5. Have goals–but remain flexible. No plan should be cast in concrete, lest it become more important than achieving the goal.

6. Act with a higher purpose.  Any activity or action that doesn’t serve your higher goal is wasted effort–and should be avoided.

7. Take responsibility for your own results. If you blame (or credit) luck, fate or divine intervention, you’ll always have an excuse.

8. Stretch past your limits on a daily basis. Walking the old, familiar paths is how you grow old. Stretching makes you grow and evolve.

9. Don’t wait for perfection; do it now! Perfectionists are the losers in the game of life.  Strive for excellence rather than the unachievable.

10. Celebrate your failures. Your most important lessons in life will come from what you don’t achieve. Take time to understand where you fell short.

11. Don’t take success too seriously. Success can breed tomorrow’s failure if you use it as an excuse to become complacent.

12. Avoid weak goals.  Goals are the soul of achievement, so never begin them with “I’ll try …” Always start with “I will” or “I must.”

13. Treat inaction as the only real failure.  If you don’t take action, you fail by default and can’t even learn from the experience.

14. Think before you speak.  Keep silent rather than express something that doesn’t serve your purpose.

 

    This is taken from Geoffrey James |  @Sales_Source 

2012 is right around the corner. What are you doing to prepare for the best year of your life?!?

Being Politely Persistent

Have you ever heard the phrase “politely persistent”? It’s not original, I stole it from another sales person a while back. The phrase resonated with me and I still think about being “politely persistent” almost every day. I take business development, or sales, very seriously, I always have. When I was young I read and studied every sales book I could get my hands on. I spent time talking with successful sales people in the effort to try and understand what is was that drove their success.

Equally, I have studied customers. I have worked hard to understand what motivates them, what turns them off, what their typical day looks like, how they schedule meetings, how they manage priorities, etc., etc. Several important things important things have revealed themselves to me over the years. For example, the higher level the executive, the more meetings they have each and every day. C-level executives in Fortune 500 companies typically break up there days in 15 minute increments. That’s why those who request 60 minute, even 30 minute meetings never get responses. Ask for a 15 minute introduction with a Fortune 500 executive and you’ll almost always get it, I do anyway.

That gets me back to being politely persistent. Customers are busy, some busier than ever before. They are trying to do far more with far fewer resources. I know too many sales people who write off a lead or a prospect if they do not get a response to their first voice mail or email. I follow-up, and I follow-up again, and I follow-up again. Honestly I will continue to follow-up until a person tells me to stop calling them. That almost never happens. Instead I usually receive an apology for not getting back to me sooner.

I actually had a customer that told me the reason they ended up doing business with me was because my persistence showed that I was genuinely interested in doing business with that person, at that company. They said that my follow-up made it clear I was not just a smiler and dialer like all the others sales people calling on them day in and day out. That customer turned into one of my biggest accounts ever, the contact became a personal friend, and she actually came to work for me when I launched my own firm.

Your customers, even candidates, get calls from people just like you 10 to 20 times per day. Email is even worse with them sometimes receiving hundreds per day. I know C-level executives who sort through thousands of emails every day. Persistence is one way you can stand out. Don’t mistake harassment for persistence. You need to be creative and non-intrusive. Add value to be sure you are not only persistent, but politely persistent and you will no doubt be viewed as different from the competition.

How moving to another country helped me be a better sourcer…

When I moved from Chile to the US, I could read and write in English, but speaking… well that was a different story all together. Any time you learn a foreign language, there is a lot of emphasis in the written word and being able to read, but not enough in the being able to speak part. My first year in the US was my last year of High School! Scary enough about moving in your senior year, but imagine that you know nobody, you really can’t communicate with anybody and the culture is totally foreign to you!
So I had to learn, and learn fast. I took my dictionary everywhere (this WAS before laptops) and I had to practice with whoever would not laugh at me! In about 6 months I was ready to converse and able to know enough to even get a job.
How does this relate to sourcing? In many ways, sourcing is all about understanding and being able to do research and find people who match the skills you are looking for. Once you find someone, it’s all about how that particular person can fit in the role. If you are sourcing on a position that you don’t really understand, you have to investigate and get clear understanding and sometimes that can take time. Sourcing for Niche positions can be very tiring and tedious sometimes, you have to get creative, think outside the box, figure out how to get your find those people that aren’t on the job boards and so on.
Having to work hard and fast at being able to communicate in English and learn the culture has helped me in many ways in my life and career, but now that I have to always be looking for people, and figure out if they are really a great fit for the jobs I have, going through that experience helps me on a daily basis to stay focused on the end goal which is ultimately being able to put people to work!

Trust a recruiter – we can help make your interview count…

Part of my Job is to prepare you for the interview.   This includes Interview Prep and Debrief afterwards.   I understand that candidates do not interview every day – I do.    If you were just laid off from your job, after 15 years, that could mean, you have not interviewed in 15 years.   A lot has changed since then and you need to be prepared for your interview.  I can give you some helpful tips and suggestions that hopefully will help you get a second interview or better yet – the job.   

 

Interview Prep.:

Before the interview you will have all the info. you will need to be successful.  You will have the complete job description, details on the job/company and my experiences working with them, as a recruiter.   I will ask you to do your own research on them and on the Hiring Managers.  We will then discuss what you found.    

We will discuss the questions you still have and how to ask them, along with asking some great follow-up questions at the end of the interview.   We will discuss how to answer salary questions, goal related questions and how to end the interview.

My goal is to make the interview as painless as possible and hopefully you were prepared and there were no surprises.   I will let you know what to expect from me, as your recruiter and what I expect from you, as my candidate.  

 

Interview Debrief:

After the interview, you should call me as soon as possible, while it is still fresh in your mind.    I am going to ask you 100 questions about the interview.   Questions like:  What time did you arrive?   How long were you in the interview?   With whom did you meet?   What questions did they ask?  How did you answer?   and so on…   I need to understand how the interview went and what was the vibe.   

The most important question I will ask following your interview is:  “Is this still a position you are interested in and if it meets your salary requirements, would you accept?”   I am looking for a YES or NO answer.   Anything else usually means it is not the right fit for you – for what ever reason.

We are a partner in this process and need to work as partners.   I have worked hard in sourcing, finding and recruiting you for the opportunity.   I will not let a bad interview stop me in getting you the job you want, need and dreamed of.

 

How is your LinkedIn profile?

To be honest I have never written a Blog. I honestly didn’t know where to begin. So, in typical fashion I put it off and off and off, until finally I felt more like a slacker than someone who was just afraid to start. So I started to think about the fact that a great number of people probably procrastinate more because of the unknown than actual laziness just like me. So it brought me to the conclusion that I wanted to write about LinkedIn, because I am so often amazed by the fact that there are professionals that still do not use it! Then I thought maybe they are just putting it off because of the fear of the unknown! So let’s talk about it.

LinkedIn is NOT Facebook or MySpace. It is truly a professional Social Networking tool. You start by creating a profile for yourself and setting it up in the same way you would set up a resume, telling people about your past professional roles and what your accomplishments were. LinkedIn actually walks you through the whole process to don’t be afraid to get started. LinkedIn even goes and finds the people you know that already have accounts and suggests who you should connect with. It even gives you an option to request written references from people you have worked with in the past!

Once you have your profile set up you can begin to join groups that other people have created sharing your interests and backgrounds. Using a spin-off of the now common phrase there’s an App for that; trust me there is a group for that! Are you a BA in Charlotte, there’s a group for that! A JAVA Developer yup there is a group for that too. Are you a Recruiter – there’s a group for that or a job seeker yup that too. I think you are getting the point.

You can then use these groups and the network connections you make from them to socially network to get help with your current need. Are you looking for a Networking Event in your city to attend? You can find it on LinkedIn or ask group members ; someone will know! Is your neighbor’s 2nd cousin’s stepsister looking for work? You can post it out to your group to see if someone can help. Are you a recruiter with job openings? Post it on your profile and in groups and someone might know someone who will fit! Have a professional topic you would like to discuss with your peers? Start the discussion in your LinkedIn group and see how far it goes!

I think you are getting the point, but if you have any questions feel free to ask me here or on LinkedIn and I will be happy to answer or help you to the best of my ability! Now go create your profile and actually use LinkedIn to its full potential. Stop putting it off, you might actually enjoy it!

Hey! I think I just wrote my first BLOG!!!