Lessons in Recruiting: Lesson #2
It isn't just business, it should be personal
Whoever Said "it's just business, it's not personal" must never have been a recruiter or a job seeker. Don't get me wrong. Recruitment is about business. I am not suggesting a business vs. personal relationship with your clients or job seekers. I AM suggesting you should know the jobs you are filling better and the people you are placing better.
The Job Order:
The outside or contract client recruiter is responsible for working through problem solving and meeting staffing shortages for businesses. The recruiters learn the scope of the job and ascertain the skills needed for placement. BUT, the really good recruiters go a bit further. Those recruiters find out the little things that make the difference between someones skills being a fit for the position and someone being a complete match for the company.
How do you do that? By taking recruitment beyond business and making it personal. How do the employees get along? What energy level does the staff have? How does the front office operate? Is the group detail oriented or laid back? Can you imagine putting an aggressive personality into a low energy office?
These are just some places to start. Get the details of the job and then go further. Ask the client to describe their ideal candidate not just in terms of skills, but in terms of personality. I am sure your client will shake his/her head and say they have never been asked that before. Let them know you want to place the very best candidate and placing the best candidate is more than just skills. They have to fit into the company culture as well. Try it see what happens when you make business personal.
Next Time..... The Candidate!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Lessons in Recruiting: Lesson #1 All I Ever Needed to Know About Recruiting I Learned From My 6 Yr. Old
Recruiting isn't easy. Anyone that has been a recruiter or is currently a recruiter will tell you that this is a tough industry. Certainly in today's economy recruiting is harder than ever. Regardless of the industry you are recruiting in the challenges are the same.
But, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of finding the client, getting the details of the job, locating and presenting the candidate do we lose the essence of what we, the independent recruiter are all about? I wonder?
My daughter is 6 years old and taught me a valuable lesson this week. Hannah is going into 1st grade and needs a little help with her reading. So she started working with a reading tutor this summer once a week for an hour. After the first session Hannah was able to tell me several things that were important to her tutor such as her tutor's favorite color, the names of her children, what she liked to eat and that she liked to drink Dunkin Donut Coffee. I really hope I didn't pay $25.00 for my daughter to learn what kind of coffee her tutor likes to drink!
I asked Hannah why she asked her teacher all those questions. Her answer? "I had to know who I was working with Mommy." "Don't you ask people your working with those questions too?" Wow, right? We get soo caught up in the details of our jobs that we forgot we are in the people business. Our clients are people and our candidates are people. Maybe if we knew a little bit more about the people we are working with we would do our jobs just a little bit better.
So the next time you are talking with your clients and your candidates take a moment to get to know the person. Build a relationship. It might improve your business. Find out where they like to buy their coffee. Maybe they like Dunkin Donuts too...if so tell them Hannah says hello :)
But, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of finding the client, getting the details of the job, locating and presenting the candidate do we lose the essence of what we, the independent recruiter are all about? I wonder?
My daughter is 6 years old and taught me a valuable lesson this week. Hannah is going into 1st grade and needs a little help with her reading. So she started working with a reading tutor this summer once a week for an hour. After the first session Hannah was able to tell me several things that were important to her tutor such as her tutor's favorite color, the names of her children, what she liked to eat and that she liked to drink Dunkin Donut Coffee. I really hope I didn't pay $25.00 for my daughter to learn what kind of coffee her tutor likes to drink!
I asked Hannah why she asked her teacher all those questions. Her answer? "I had to know who I was working with Mommy." "Don't you ask people your working with those questions too?" Wow, right? We get soo caught up in the details of our jobs that we forgot we are in the people business. Our clients are people and our candidates are people. Maybe if we knew a little bit more about the people we are working with we would do our jobs just a little bit better.
So the next time you are talking with your clients and your candidates take a moment to get to know the person. Build a relationship. It might improve your business. Find out where they like to buy their coffee. Maybe they like Dunkin Donuts too...if so tell them Hannah says hello :)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
IN-House Recruiters: Are you Getting Extra Value from Your Outside Recruiter?
Yesterday I went to a pricy shoe store to buy shoes for a wedding that I am in that I had no intention of wearing EVER again. The young (And I mean YOUNG) lady that sold me the shoes instantly recognized my distaste at paying $150 for these shoes. She knew I had to buy them and could have simply sold me the shoes and been on her way. Instead she did something completely unexpected.
This girl talked to me about my wardrobe and how I could wear these shoes with jeans, office wear, fancy go out to dinner clothes, this that and everything. In fact I don’t thing there is one thing in my closet (well maybe my sweat pants) that I CAN’T wear these shoes with. By the time I am done with these shoes they won’t have cost me $150.00 they will have cost me nothing because I will completely get my money worth from this purchase.
Now, What does this have to do with working with a recruiting firm? EVERYTHING! If you aren’t getting that kind of service from your recruiter then you are working with the wrong recruiter. Time is valuable today.
When In-house recruiters are on the phone talking to a recruiting agency they could be missing a call from a candidate wanting to apply to their position. SO the call they are taking from a recruiter better mean something. It should involve more then just the general details of the job. That is just buying a pair of Silver shoes. We are talking about people and how they interact, how they get along with each other. There is so much more to know.
How many jobs have fallen apart because all the job requirements were met, but the people just couldn’t get along? If we spend more time on the front end getting to know more what is going on at the site, with the people, with the location we might all do a better job working together filling each other’s needs. Recruiting IS consulting. If you don’t know what is in the closet all you really are doing is buying a really expensive pair of shoes that you will only wear once.
Yesterday I went to a pricy shoe store to buy shoes for a wedding that I am in that I had no intention of wearing EVER again. The young (And I mean YOUNG) lady that sold me the shoes instantly recognized my distaste at paying $150 for these shoes. She knew I had to buy them and could have simply sold me the shoes and been on her way. Instead she did something completely unexpected.
This girl talked to me about my wardrobe and how I could wear these shoes with jeans, office wear, fancy go out to dinner clothes, this that and everything. In fact I don’t thing there is one thing in my closet (well maybe my sweat pants) that I CAN’T wear these shoes with. By the time I am done with these shoes they won’t have cost me $150.00 they will have cost me nothing because I will completely get my money worth from this purchase.
Now, What does this have to do with working with a recruiting firm? EVERYTHING! If you aren’t getting that kind of service from your recruiter then you are working with the wrong recruiter. Time is valuable today.
When In-house recruiters are on the phone talking to a recruiting agency they could be missing a call from a candidate wanting to apply to their position. SO the call they are taking from a recruiter better mean something. It should involve more then just the general details of the job. That is just buying a pair of Silver shoes. We are talking about people and how they interact, how they get along with each other. There is so much more to know.
How many jobs have fallen apart because all the job requirements were met, but the people just couldn’t get along? If we spend more time on the front end getting to know more what is going on at the site, with the people, with the location we might all do a better job working together filling each other’s needs. Recruiting IS consulting. If you don’t know what is in the closet all you really are doing is buying a really expensive pair of shoes that you will only wear once.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Why Do Job Seekers Lie to Their Recruiters?
Who doesn't tell a white lie now and then? Sometimes you just have to. We have all been confronted with the age old question :Do I look fat in these pants?" There is no easy answer to that question. If you say yes, you risk someone being upset, if you say no (and they really do look fat) then you risk someone else telling them the truth and there are still tears. People, if you have to ask how you look then you probably already know the answer.
But what about the job seeker that pads his/her resume or is less than truthful about why they left their last job? Or how about the person that has an idea about what they want in a new job and they don't tell you? Then there is always the person that has made a mistake in their life choices and they don't tell you until you get the criminal background check comes back. Come now, we are in the 21st Century and nothing is private anymore!!!! Let's get real and let's be honest with the people that are working really hard to find you a job.
As a recruiter I hold many titles; marriage counselor, financial advisor, tour guide, child psychologist, editor, friend, parent oh the list goes on. All of you recruiters out there in any industry know what I am talking about. But, what I don't do is lie to my clients or my job seekers. And I can't stand it when people lie to me. I mean I understand not wanting to say that you were fired from your last job because you were searching the Internet or that you had 2 DUI's. None of those things are very flattering. But, as a job seeker, you HAVE to tell your recruiter the TRUTH. Sure, some companies are not going to hire you as a result of your past bad behavior, but there are plenty of companies that will. Maybe you have to take a job that you don't like for awhile to rebuild your reputation.
Job Seekers do not lie to your recruiter. We are out there working really hard to find you the job of your dreams. After all, that is how we earn our living. Yes, I know for some job seekers knowing that your recruiter gets paid from your placement is difficult to understand. Many think that what we do is from the kindness of our hearts. For most of us it is a labor of love, but we do get paid for our labor.
When a job seeker lies to the recruiter it makes everyone look bad and the perfect job will never happen. Everyone makes mistakes in their past employment, some of us in our current employment. But, if we tell the recruiter everything then the recruiter can put the best light possible on your situation. Putting a job seeker and a client together is akin to being a match maker in marriage. The more you know about both parties the better your chances are at making the marriage happen.
Besides, being less than truthful with your recruiter will eventually make you miserable in your new job. What if you are a really conservative person and your recruiter offers you an interview with a company that markets itself as liberal? The money is great, the benefits are amazing, you tell your recruiter that you can be liberal in your ideas as well. You take the job and 6 months later are just miserable. Now you are back talking to your recruiter again because you need to find something new.
The moral of the story is that job seekers need to tell the truth to their recruiters. Otherwise everyone ends up unhappy.
Next Blog: What about the recruiter that doesn't tell the job seeker everything about the client????
But what about the job seeker that pads his/her resume or is less than truthful about why they left their last job? Or how about the person that has an idea about what they want in a new job and they don't tell you? Then there is always the person that has made a mistake in their life choices and they don't tell you until you get the criminal background check comes back. Come now, we are in the 21st Century and nothing is private anymore!!!! Let's get real and let's be honest with the people that are working really hard to find you a job.
As a recruiter I hold many titles; marriage counselor, financial advisor, tour guide, child psychologist, editor, friend, parent oh the list goes on. All of you recruiters out there in any industry know what I am talking about. But, what I don't do is lie to my clients or my job seekers. And I can't stand it when people lie to me. I mean I understand not wanting to say that you were fired from your last job because you were searching the Internet or that you had 2 DUI's. None of those things are very flattering. But, as a job seeker, you HAVE to tell your recruiter the TRUTH. Sure, some companies are not going to hire you as a result of your past bad behavior, but there are plenty of companies that will. Maybe you have to take a job that you don't like for awhile to rebuild your reputation.
Job Seekers do not lie to your recruiter. We are out there working really hard to find you the job of your dreams. After all, that is how we earn our living. Yes, I know for some job seekers knowing that your recruiter gets paid from your placement is difficult to understand. Many think that what we do is from the kindness of our hearts. For most of us it is a labor of love, but we do get paid for our labor.
When a job seeker lies to the recruiter it makes everyone look bad and the perfect job will never happen. Everyone makes mistakes in their past employment, some of us in our current employment. But, if we tell the recruiter everything then the recruiter can put the best light possible on your situation. Putting a job seeker and a client together is akin to being a match maker in marriage. The more you know about both parties the better your chances are at making the marriage happen.
Besides, being less than truthful with your recruiter will eventually make you miserable in your new job. What if you are a really conservative person and your recruiter offers you an interview with a company that markets itself as liberal? The money is great, the benefits are amazing, you tell your recruiter that you can be liberal in your ideas as well. You take the job and 6 months later are just miserable. Now you are back talking to your recruiter again because you need to find something new.
The moral of the story is that job seekers need to tell the truth to their recruiters. Otherwise everyone ends up unhappy.
Next Blog: What about the recruiter that doesn't tell the job seeker everything about the client????
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