Today I’d like to share two blog posts and a magazine article in a recruitment reading round-up:
Agency recruitment is not dying. It’s growing!
Greg Savage doesn’t mince words when it comes to naysayers, pooh-poohers, and others who cheerfully proclaim the imminent demise of agency recruitment. Sales, profits, temp staffing, and direct placements are all up significantly in Australia/New Zealand. Similar stats have also been reported throughout the UK. Temp staffing in the US has reached a new all-time high. Heck, even the results of our own business barometer indicate improved business conditions for recruiters across our global network. Yes, recruiting will continue to change and recruiters who wish to remain successful will need to evolve and adapt. BUT, it’s a great time to be in recruitment. Don’t let anyone tell you differently!
Mobile Technology for Busy Recruiters
New recruitment technology crops up on an almost-daily basis. This blog from Social Hire offers a good rundown of the kinds of recruitment tech you should be incorporating into your business. They focus on just five areas: mobile-friendly websites, candidate-friendly Facebook pages, video interviewing, online feedback tools, and recruiting apps. Google will be releasing a major update to its mobile algorithm about a week from now, which is widely expected to have a significant impact on search rankings for sites that are NOT mobile-friendly. If your site includes Flash video (not supported on many mobile devices), difficult-to-tap links, and can’t easily be read or used without a lot of pinching and zooming, expect to see a drop-off in your search rankings. The most interesting quote I’ve heard about mobile is “Mobile is a behavior, not a device.” People behave differently on a mobile device than they do in a desktop environment. Make sure you’re catering to those needs.
Asked to Lower Your Prices? Try These 5 Answers
While this article from Inc. magazine definitely has a product focus, as opposed to a service such as recruitment, the suggestions are still germane. Recruiters are constantly asked/pressured to lower their fees, and often give in. It’s difficult for me to believe that other professional service providers (like attorneys and accountants) either experience this pressure, or give in to it. Imagine your attorney’s reaction if you asked for a refund because a legal decision didn’t work out in your favor! I’ve written on this subject before, and my opinion hasn’t changed. The article from Inc. offers some great responses, such as, “Are you sure the product is exactly the same?” that can be the start of a conversation that gets to the real issue (which is often value, not price).
What’s the best recruitment reading you’ve done lately? Please share in the comments below.
