We are in the midst of switching over to a new association management system (AMS) to manage our business. It’s been 10+ years since we were last down this path. Things have changed. Not only have our business, and our business needs, changed: the AMS world has changed significantly as well. I know the same is true in the ATS world. If you are considering an upgrade to your existing recruitment database, here are some basic “data” things to think about. These are all items that have changed for us and need to be done differently moving forward. Read the rest of this entry »
Recruitment Database Considerations
by Veronica Blatt5 Essential Survival Skills for Recruiters
by Veronica Blatt
Today’s guest blogger is Bill Benson with WilliamCharles Search Group located in Grand Rapids, MI. WilliamCharles is an executive search and professional recruiting firm specialized in finding managerial and executive talent in finance, HR, operations, sales/marketing as well as president/CEO roles. They have a concentration of clients in Michigan but they also work across the US. Bill is the past chairman of the NPAworldwide Board of Directors.
Where in the hell is my cheese? Survival skills for recruiters are tested right now. Anyone who has survived in our business for a long time has found the ability to grind their way through difficult times. I feel bad for the restaurant owners and other small businesses that are literally shut down. We are fortunate to work in a profession where we can re-invent, change, pivot and grind our way forward. I am not downplaying the challenge right now! In my 40 years I have been through several difficult economies and other challenges. Here are five survival skills for recruiters that I have found important. Read the rest of this entry »
Good Onboarding Can Make or Break Placements
by Dave Nerz
Recruiting has never been easy, regardless of what your clients think. You are typically asking someone to leave their employer to move to a new and unknown situation, and we know people do not like change. This is a huge unknown for most candidates you place. They research, they hope and in the end they take a risk and accept the position. Lots of fear, lots of change headed their way. An effective onboarding process can ease the transition. In these times, onboarding has become more difficult, but significantly more critical to making a new hire work for the long-term. Read the rest of this entry »
Best Practices for Recruiters Returning to Work
by Dave Nerz
We are in Michigan so maybe a bit behind others in North America and around the world, but if you are not back to your recruiting office or visiting clients, you might be soon. So here are some ideas to consider for returning to work. Read the rest of this entry »
Now Is the Time for Collaboration Between Recruiters
by Veronica Blatt
It’s no secret that the recruiting landscape has changed dramatically with the pandemic — and not in a good way. With fillable jobs in short supply, collaboration between recruiters can help determine which agencies survive and which are forced to shutter. If you’ve been open to splits in the past but have relied on them less frequently in the recent strong market, have shied away from splits altogether or have embraced them in your business, there’s good reason to increase that activity now. Read the rest of this entry »
Post Lockdown: 10 Tips for Recruitment Leaders
by Veronica Blatt
Today’s guest blogger is Don Leon, managing partner of Donald Leon Search, who has been recruiting for over twenty years. Having worked in New York City for a small boutique search firm as well as a top ten global firm, Don has partnered closely with digital technology, data and content companies for most of his career. He is actively involved in representing and recruiting for a variety of technology-related verticals and founded his own executive search firm four years ago. Don joined NPAworldwide in 2018.
As we begin to move out of our quarantined work environments and get back to some level of normalcy, it is important to consider these 10 factors as we move forward. Read the rest of this entry »
10 Reasons Why Our Recruitment Firm Will Deliver Results
by Sarah Freiburger
Our network, NPAworldwide, offers the prestige recruitment firms that belong a number of unique characteristics that define each one as a leading specialist recruitment agency.
1) A Large Pool of Professionals
Our consultants are professionals and work as a team to find the best candidate for your company, as opposed to competing against one another for commissions.
2) Global Reach
With 600 offices in over 50 countries, our 1,500 plus consultants are able to source candidates from around the world.
3) Depth of Experience
We have over 60 years of experience as a specialist recruitment brand.
4) Consistency of Service
We will not compromise on quality in order to secure a commission. Our focus is on finding the right people for our clients with a view to establishing successful long-term relationships with a single point of contact.
5) Industry Specialists
Our brand prides itself on having specialists in nearly every industry your hiring needs may be in.
6) Training and Development
Our firms invest heavily in training and development to ensure they are up to speed with the newest and most innovative ways to connect with talent.
7) Reputation
Since 1956 our reputation proceeds us and we primarily grow by referral and repeat business.
8) Maximum Exposure For Your Ad
As one of the largest recruitment networks, we offer our clients priority positioning in the market through our network.
9) Managing Candidate Response
We pride ourselves not only with the relationships maintained with our clients, but candidates as well. Every candidate receives a timely response that represents your company as you would like to represent yourself.
10) Proven Case Studies
Reach out to us or one of our firms to learn more about real case studies that have resulted in high level and cross border placements.
Don’t Miss These Recruitment News Headlines
by Veronica Blatt
As the global pandemic continues to cause rapid changes in work environments around the world, it’s important for recruiters and employers to stay informed of the latest updates. Here are some recent recruitment news headlines worth reading:
People Analytics Are More Important than Ever During Pandemic — Data-driven decision-making is critical for both recruitment and retention. Companies need to understand how a candidate’s past performance – and how they respond to stressful environments – impacts their success and overall fit within an organization. Performance metrics may need to include soft skills that are sometimes difficult to measure. The right analytics can help you reduce implicit bias in your hiring process – key to building a diverse workforce AND attracting candidates who want to work for organizations that are committed to diversity and inclusion.
5 Ways to Decrease Hiring Costs When the Economy Reopens — Many companies will be faced with smaller budgets when they are finally given the green light to resume hiring activity. Some key ways to decrease hiring costs while maintaining high-quality applicants include promoting from within and establishing employee referral programs. Promoting from within allows you to reduce costs associated with posting jobs, vetting candidates, and running background checks. You already know the employee, and they already know your organization, so the risk of turnover is also lower. Good referral programs can reduce the time you spend on screening interviews and vetting. Look for other hiring-related tasks that can be automated or otherwise streamlined to keep costs in check.
5 Lessons Managers Can Learn from Casinos About Reopening Their Business — As businesses begin to re-open, there is some wisdom to be gained from policies and protocols used by casinos. A good first step is to ensure that clear safety procedures are in place and highly visible. For customers who want to return to your business, they need to feel confident that you are committed to their health and safety. This can include signage, sanitation stations, and extra communication. It is OK to limit activities within your business where social distancing and other guidelines are difficult to meet. For example, many casinos in Las Vegas do not have their poker rooms available yet.
Do you have a recruitment news source that you’re finding especially helpful or valuable right now? Please share it in the comments below!
Why You Should Work With a Recruiter Right Now
by Liz Carey
When looking for a new job, candidates shouldn’t go at it alone. Even if you are armed with an impressive resume, it can be tough to even snag an interview. An experienced recruiter can be your guide and main point of contact with potential employers. But during a pandemic where many companies have enacted hiring freezes, you might be thinking there’s no reason to reach out to a recruiter. Wrong. Recruiters are proactively looking for candidates for when the economy rebounds and jobs open back up. When it opens back up, competition will likely be higher than ever due to the sheer amount of people who have been laid off or furloughed. You want to make sure you can stand out to hiring managers and increase your odds of success.
Like many, recruiters have also been hit by the down economy due to the coronavirus pandemic – many of their clients have put jobs on hold or cancelled them altogether. But some recruiters have even been successful navigating their clients through this by thinking outside-the-box and suggesting their clients do video interviews to keep the hiring process going, or suggesting they do contract-to-hire, rather than cancel a job order completely.
By reaching out to a recruiter now, you will have a leg up, as they are the ones with the insight as to where employers are in regards to hiring during the Covid-19 pandemic and after. Without a recruiter’s inside knowledge, you may see an old job posting on a job board and spend time revamping your resume and cover letter to apply… only to find out the job has been put on hold. Without a recruiter’s knowledge, you might call or email a employer several times a day for updates, potentially irking the hiring manager who views it as you not being understanding about the situation.
Despite the upheaval of the job marked due to the pandemic, some companies are still hiring, and recruiters are the ones who know who is hiring. But, it’s become an Employer’s job market and it’s very competitive, and working with a recruiter can help you from getting lost in the crowd.
Recruiters jobs are to help find the best talent for their clients’ roles – don’t be afraid to reach out to them, especially now. Some recruiters may not have as many job orders to work on right now, and may have the time to be able to further coach you, such as helping revamp your resume or prepare for virtual job interviews.
The Need for Business Continuity Planning to Make It Through a Pandemic
by Veronica Blatt
Today’s guest blogger is Art Boyle, VP of Risk Management, and Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) of People 2.0’s Global Search and Recruiting Support Division. People 2.0 is a is a global provider of employer of record, agent of record, and back-office services for recruiting and staffing firms. People 2.0 is an NPAworldwide Endorsed Program.
“He who fails to plan is planning to fail.” —Winston Churchill
Having helped organizations develop business resiliency and continuity strategies for many years, I can attest to the importance of creating a business continuity plan (BCP). A well-developed BCP can help ensure your company continues to operate near normal during times of crisis.
Overcoming Common Challenges
Business continuity planning doesn’t come without its challenges, and I believe the first step to creating a BCP is overcoming two critical “roadblocks.”
The first one is the classic “This (or that) won’t happen to me.” I’ve had variations of that sentence uttered to me thousands of times. The second impediment is “I can figure it out if it happens.”
Getting past those misconceptions can be difficult. Often, it takes a seminal event—like the one we are experiencing now during COVID-19—to change the mindset around the first roadblock about the need for continuity planning. The counter to the second argument is a simple one: “OK, but what if you aren’t around? Shouldn’t the plans be memorialized so that someone else can carry the baton if needed?”
Once you get past those issues, the real work begins.
Creating a Business Impact Analysis
In a disaster or recovery situation, not all are created equal. You need to identify critical functions, employees, and processes. You need to be able to concentrate your finite resources to ensure that they remain operating. This is done via a business impact analysis (BIA). The BIA will quickly and efficiently identify those functions, vendors, employees, and processes that are essential to ensure that vital elements of the business continue to operate with as little disruption as possible.
Constructing Your Business Continuity Plan
Once you’ve completed your BIA, the second phase of the process begins, which is to construct your business continuity plan(s). Note: Plans should be somewhat unique to each business process/function. This is not a “one size fits all” scenario.
Your plans should contain identification of the following:
- Hardware/software used in operating your business
- Critical periods within your business (e.g., month-end, quarter-end)
- Dependencies (Are you dependent on another company or process?)
- Special or unique equipment that is critical
- Vital records
- Employees (email, mobile phone numbers, computer capabilities, etc.)
- Essential vendors
The Importance of Communication
Finally: communication. Fear of the unknown can lead to critical missteps in executing your business continuity plans. Over-communicate to customers, employees, vendors, and other constituencies. Share with them your BCP plans; get their input.
You cannot communicate enough in a disaster. Even if the message is “we don’t know—yet,” your voice itself will be a powerful tool to assure those who are the most panicked that there is indeed a plan!
The COVID-19 pandemic has made business leaders more aware of the importance of business continuity planning. Business continuity planning is a critical aspect of risk management and can help ensure your company survives during times of crisis like we’re in right now.