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How tech recruiters can overcome the new H-1B visa changes

by Veronica Blatt

Today’s guest blogger is Kate Ashford, Monster contributor. Monster Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:MWW), is the global leader in successfully connecting job opportunities and people. Monster uses the world’s most advanced technology to help people Find Better, matching job seekers to opportunities via digital, social and mobile solutions including monster.com®, our flagship website, and employers to the best talent using a vast array of products and services. As an Internet pioneer, more than 200 million people have registered on the Monster Worldwide network.  Today, with operations in more than 40 countries, Monster provides the broadest, most sophisticated job seeking, career management, recruitment and talent management capabilities globally. For more information visit about-monster.com.

Anyone who’s relied on the kind of talent afforded by the H-1B visa program (think programmers, engineers and scientists) is probably feeling the pain of recent changes—and struggling to fill the hiring gaps these new rules have created.

The H-1B visa program provides temporary visas to educated foreign professionals to work in “specialty occupations” – think mathematics, engineering and technology. For the tech industry, workers on H-1B visas are a huge commodity, as the U.S. doesn’t have enough skilled tech workers to meet demand. Read the rest of this entry »

How to Prep Your Client for an Interview

by Liz Carey

Recruiters know to prep their candidates for an interview – a great resume only gets you so far. Sometimes, the best person for a job isn’t the best interviewee. Similarly, hiring managers aren’t always the best interviewers, and may not leave the best impression on the potential hire they interview.

At the end of the interview, the hiring manager often asks “so, do you have any questions for me today?”, and many recruiters take this opportunity to arm their candidates with penetrating questions in order to make a lasting impression. So if you have a hiring manager who isn’t prepared to answer these questions, the candidate might doubt the leadership at this company and lose interest in the role. It’s a candidate’s market, and in today’s fierce recruiting environment, you have to make sure your client sells not only the role, but themselves, to the candidate.

Here are some tips to give your client regarding the interview process:

  1. First, is making sure everyone is on the same page by using a calendar invite or similar software to get the interview on both your candidate’s and client’s calendars. Trying to coordinate calendars by calling or emailing back and forth with available times is a big hassle and time-waster. Get interview scheduling under control with something like Calendly or SimplyBook.me to find times that work for everyone and reduce cancelled or missed interviews. With scheduling software, your client can set their availability preference, share the link with you and the candidate(s) they want to interview, and let them pick a time, which is automatically added to you and the candidate’s calendar. It’s efficient and simple.
  2. Second, the interview itself. Sometimes recruiters are so good at prepping candidates that the interviewer isn’t prepared for the interviewee’s questions! A corporate headhunter told me a story of a time the hiring manager was at a loss for words when a interviewee asked about potential financial risks of the company’s that they garnered from the company’s public financial statements. Be prepared to answer questions about the company, its culture, career development, reductions in force, ethics, etc.
  3. You want every interview to be a dialogue, not just bombarding the candidate with questions. You want the candidate to feel comfortable opening up to you. Build in time during each interview for candidates to ask questions, and for the interviewers to thoughtfully respond to them.
  4. If you don’t know the answer to a question, tell the candidate that you will get back to them. …And make sure you actually do follow-up within 24 hours.
  5. Many candidates do not want to waste time waiting, as they may have other interviews/offers on the table, so be prepared for direct questions like “When may I expect an offer?” or “When will you decide on filling this position?”

And importantly, if a candidate doesn’t ask questions, that is a huge red flag. It shows they didn’t take the time to research the company and shows a lack of interest. You want candidates who ask questions because that shows they have a genuine interest in your client and its success.

 

Only Real Leaders May Apply

by Veronica Blatt

image of group leadersOur guest blogger is Clair Bush, Strategy Director Logic Melon. Inspired by job seekers, designed by recruiters and built by experts, LogicMelon is a refreshingly different recruitment solution. Find out more at logicmelon.com

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been looking long and hard at my own skill set as we embark on a new chapter of growth at LogicMelon. As the business is set to transform, I’ve found myself wondering about my role in helping the business get to the next level, more specifically I want to make sure we have the best people in the right place to help us to achieve all we can – and that includes me. Read the rest of this entry »

What Is Important to Hiring Managers?

by Dave Nerz

There are millions of jobs openings that go unfilled each month. The global talent shortage is one reason, but other factors contribute to this condition.

Studies done by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) have shown there is a disconnect between what job seekers, recruiters and hiring managers think is important to secure a job interview. The interview is obviously a critical step in the process of filling a job. Candidates are focused on work experience as the most critical factor, while only 37% of recruiters say work experience is the top factor in filtering candidates. In still other studies, hiring managers list “accomplishments” as the top consideration and “skills and abilities” before “work experience” as determining factors. Read the rest of this entry »

Global Hiring Plans Show Q4 Growth

by Veronica Blatt

global payroll outlookManpowerGroup has released its global Employment Outlook Survey results for the upcoming fourth quarter. Payrolls are expected to grow in 43 of the 44 countries that participated in the survey. The other country expects a flat hiring environment. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, 15 of the surveyed countries expect stronger hiring, 23 countries expect less hiring, while the final six report no change. The breakdown is identical when compared to the fourth quarter of 2018. The labor market globally remains strong. Some of the survey highlights include: Read the rest of this entry »

Selling Recruitment Risk Framework During Business Development

by Veronica Blatt

Today’s guest blogger is Taufik Arief with People Search Indonesia, based in Jakarta. People Search Indonesia serves clients in FMCG, pharmaceuticals, IT, telecommunication, general manufacturing, and fashion & retail. Taufik currently serves on the NPAworldwide Board of Directors representing Asia.

New potential clients always ask us, “What differentiates you from another search firm?” It is never easy to answer. As a recruiter, we hire talents for our client, matching their criteria, as fast as possible. All headhunting firms do the same thing; for some companies, creating a price war is inevitable. Some firms extend a guarantee period, adapt their payment terms, etc. As a retained search firm, my firm tries to bring a different way of doing business development. We put a concept within our recruitment practice. We introduce risk management for their recruitment practice. As their search firm, we do not only help to hire their talents but also serve as guardians of their recruitment process, results, and impact on their business. Read the rest of this entry »

Job Seeker Tips for Finding an Independent Recruiter

by Sarah Freiburger

It is tempting in 2019 to be lazy when it comes to your next job search. Online job boards and career portals make it seem so easy to view and apply for multiple jobs with few clicks or effort, and if you have a highly sought position you may also be getting approached by companies or think that they will find you. However, this preferred way of finding a job does not always produce the end result that is a perfect match for you. When you are considering a job move you want to work with someone the same way an individual works with a personal trainer at the gym; focused on you and your goals. The option most similar to that attentive one on one personal trainer when it comes to employment is working with a third-party, independent recruiter.

An independent recruiter is a business owner focused entirely on the employment world of finding the right candidate for companies. Companies will hire an independent recruiting agency for a variety of reasons. It may be growing quickly and not have the time or ability to hire the desired employees. It may have tried to find employees for specific jobs but has been unable to find employees who meet their requirements. Or, it may be searching for employees outside of its reach located in a different location than the company headquarters; for example, in another state/province or another country.

As you explore connecting with and working with an independent recruiter, here are some tips to make sure you are working with a solid professional:

1. Recruiting Experience
For how long has the recruiter been working as a recruiter in your industry and/or other industries?

2. Knowledge and Capabilities
Does the recruiter understand your industry and the area in which you specialize? Or, do they have access to other independent recruiters either through an informal network or formal network who do understand the specifics of your situation.

3. Geographical Reach
If you are searching for a job in another state or province, does the recruiter belong to an informal or formal network of recruiters which would increase the likelihood that the recruiter would know about non-local jobs? If you are searching for a job in another country, does the recruiter have global recruiting capabilities?

4. Integrity
After speaking with the recruiter, do you feel the recruiter operates with integrity? You may want to ask the recruiter for a couple of references; individuals with whom the recruiter has worked and placed in new jobs.

5. Commitment
For your relationship with the recruiter to be fruitful, commitment is important. However, commitment goes both ways. I recommend you remove your resume from job boards and tell the recruiter you have done so. Why should you do this? Employers will not pay recruiters for finding candidates if they (the company) find them on job boards. Therefore, many recruiters choose to not work with candidates who have posted their resumes on job boards. Many times your resume itself is a much weaker representation of you than what a recruiter would present to a company of your full profile and screening.

If you have worked with a third-party, independent recruiter in the past, do you have any other suggestions for someone investigating this option?

Primary Risk Areas to Consider When Starting a Contract-Placement Business

by Veronica Blatt

image of contract staffing employeesToday’s guest blog is a post from People 2.0, a leading provider of back-office solutions for staffing and recruiting organizations, nationally and globally. They offer a variety of support services, including payrolling, payroll funding, risk management, etc., and serve as a strategic resource in helping you efficiently and profitably place talent. People 2.0 is an NPAworldwide Endorsed Program.

Every business endeavor entails risks, and contract staffing is no exception. When compared with permanent placement, the compliance and liability risks of contract staffing can be daunting for a firm without a comprehensive resource for dealing with these risks. But with the right resources and advance planning, these risks shouldn’t keep a staffing or recruiting firm owner from taking advantage of the revenue potential of contract staffing. Primary areas of risk every staffing or recruiting firm need to consider when doing contract placements include the following: Read the rest of this entry »

What Happens When a Split Placement Falls Off?

by Veronica Blatt

In a split placement, the prevailing wisdom is that the partner providing the candidate is at the most risk of financial harm. The fee is paid to the partner working with the client. The candidate provider (we say ‘exporter’ in NPAworldwide) is completely at the mercy of the partner to pay them as promised.

However, the job order partner (we say ‘importer’) also faces financial risk. What happens if the candidate quits (or is terminated) AFTER the fee is paid, but BEFORE the guarantee period expires? How do you handle refunds to your client when you’ve given half of the fee to a partner? This does happen, although it’s not common. Make sure you understand this scenario before you enter into a split placement arrangement. Here are some things to consider: Read the rest of this entry »

Recruiters and Employers: How Will You Attract and Retain Millennials?

by Dave Nerz

Get ready! By 2025, Millennials will be almost 75% of the workforce. That is just 6 years away.

The good news is that this demographic will infuse the workplace with a fresh perspective and new ways of thinking. The challenge is that Millennials have expectations that differ from the generations that preceded them. This will create significant organizational change and many new challenges to be addressed. Older generations label Millennials as entitled, self-absorbed, and even unreliable. As with most stereotypes, these perceptions will be only partially accurate for some of the many workers in this generational category. Regardless, organizations and the leaders setting direction will need to respond and change. Methods and practices for employee attraction and retention will need to be examined. Read the rest of this entry »

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