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Recruiting Across Generations

by Veronica Blatt

When I started working at NPA there was an article pinned to my desk about the differences in characteristics of people from different generations. Being the only person in the NPA Headquarters office of my generation, it was helpful in understanding the differences between me and my co-workers. For recruiters, it’s important to understand the differences between generations (of job seekers, hiring managers, global recruiters, etc.) and be prepared to answer questions and tailor messages accordingly. The hiring manager might have a preference so the more you know,  the better chance you have at making a successful placement. Below I’ve outlined some of the characteristics of each generation:

Traditionalists (born between 1900 – 1945)

  • Have a strong work ethic
  • Are respectful of authority
  • Value work and their job
  • Place duty before pleasure
  • Are loyal
  • Are patient
  • May have a hard time accepting changes in technology
  • Prefer a command and control style of leadership
  • Rarely say no

Baby Boomers (born between 1946 – 1964)

  • Live to work
  • Invented the 60-hour work week
  • Are loyal
  • Are extremely competitive in work and life
  • Look for leadership
  • Sense of who they are is deeply connected to their career and achievements
  • Still have the mentality that a job can be for life
  • Have some trouble with change

Genxers (born between 1965-1980)

  • Strive for a work-life balance
  • Tend to be less loyal than Baby Boomers
  • Are technology savvy
  • Crave feedback
  • Are independent and resourceful
  • Are entrepreneurial
  • Want to be kept busy with challenging work
  • Look at a job as a contract

Millennials (born between 1981-1999)

  • Are technology savvy
  • Are the digital generation
  • Prefer a team based environment
  • Are collaborative
  • Relate well to Traditionalists
  • Are energetic

Understanding the differences between generations will give you a better idea of some of the things you can expect from a job seeker of a particular generation. These characteristics will help you in working in a global recruiting network as well. Recruiters of all ages are looking to make money and work together to be successful. Part of that success may stem from your understanding of how to work with a recruiter 20 years older or younger than you.

What is your experience in working with a recruiter or job seeker of a different generation than your own?  Do you find the characteristics above to be true?

 

Plenty of U.S. job openings for independent recruiters

by Veronica Blatt

Today’s guest blogger is Anne Downing with Demetrio & Associates, LLC located in greater Phoenix, Arizona. Demetrio & Associates is a boutique recruitment firm that has clients across the US as well as in international locations. The firm places candidates in sales & marketing, advertising, wireless and software positions.

It seems independent recruiters hear about unemployment, job openings, layoffs etc. each and every day. One day there is news of low unemployment rates, and then the next thing you know it we hear something negative and we are left thinking that there are few job openings in the US and it may stay this way for a long time.

As of the end of June, there were 3.8 million job openings in the US., the most since July 2008. Even the lukewarm jobs report for July was the best in five months. Where are all of these jobs you might ask… according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics from the US Department of Labor, the industries with the greatest amount of job openings as of June 2012 are the following:

  • Professional and Business Services (718,000 openings)
  • Healthcare Services (700,000 openings)
  • Healthcare Assistance (644,000 openings), and
  • Transportation and Utilities (601,000 openings).

Other sources, including Monster.com, indicate that highly skilled workers and entry-level workers have the biggest pool of jobs to choose from. Industries including finance, engineering and technology have numerous job openings across the US for the highly skilled workers. Entry-level candidates have the greatest opportunity to find positions in the healthcare and hospitality industries.

We have a long way to go to get back to our pre-recession employment market because the US lost 9 million positions during the recession. It has been predicted by Moody’s that if things stay on course the US will create 2.7 million jobs in 2012 and 4.5 million jobs in 2014. If this turns out to be the case, we will be back to our prerecession number by the end of 2014.

There are a lot of great job opportunities out there and a lot of qualified job seekers. It’s a great time to be an independent recruiter!

3 Myths: Technology and Independent Recruiters

by Terri Piersma

Speculation abounds as to whether using technology to hire candidates will replace third-party recruiters. While technology has certainly changed candidate recruitment, I do not believe it can replace independent recruiters.

Mike Ramer, Ramer Search Consultants, addresses this issue in his blog post entitled “7 Myths of Recruiting with Technology.” I encourage you to read his entire post if you are interested in this topic.

For the purposes of this post, I will comment on three of the myths Mike mentions:

  • Myth:  Technology can be used to identify talent.
  • Myth:  Technology can qualify a candidate.
  • Myth:  The Internet and technology can bring aboard the selected candidate.

While working with independent recruiters may not be appropriate for all open positions, they definitely assist employers fill positions they either do not have time to fill or are those “difficult to fill” positions. The Internet can identify job seekers; many job seekers, in fact, who may or may not be qualified for the open position. However, an independent recruiter will qualify the candidates and weed out the ones who are not a fit for the company and/or the position.

Qualifying a candidate is a key phase of the recruitment process. Technology is not a substitute for having a conversation with a candidate; either on the telephone, via Skype, or in-person. Until artificial intelligence is used in recruitment, interaction between two human beings is the best way to communicate and qualify. Independent recruiters listen to the candidate and respond to what is said and what is not said. Technology cannot do this.

Lastly, I believe there is no substitute for an independent recruiter when it comes to ensuring the candidate who receives the job offer, accepts the offer. Mike Ramer summarized it well, “The main reason technology will not replace recruiters is that it cannot have conversations, listen and respond. Even digital conversations, through email, text or social media, do not have the essential emotional elements (voice, eye contact, chemistry) to guide people through the hiring process.”

Do you agree that recruiting with technology will not replace independent recruiters?

 

Image:  FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you MUST discount your recruiting fee…

by Veronica Blatt

Independent recruiters face continued downward fee pressure from clients. Many give in to these demands for discounted recruiting fees. I think it’s a slippery slope and ultimately not a good way to elevate the recruiting profession. How many other professional service providers routinely slash their fees? Accountants? Attorneys?

Years ago, when I was going after my first summer babysitting job, my dad told me to establish my fee at 50 cents per hour MORE than the going rate (yes, I’m dating myself, but that was a *huge* difference). I thought he was nuts. There were PLENTY of other babysitters offering lower rates, and I really wanted that job. I knew they’d say yes at the lower price. I was sure they’d never agree to the higher one. “But you’re worth that extra money and here’s why,” my dad said – and helped me to make a list of my differentiators. Turns out he was right. I got the job, and I babysat for them regularly until one newborn infant turned into two school-age kids. They even referred me for other babysitting jobs. (Thanks, Dad!)

It’s not any different when clients ask for discounted recruiting fees. Some independent recruiters establish their fees based on “the going rate” without giving it much more thought. Some don’t think about their differentiators. Some don’t have differentiators. And that’s how the door gets opened for clients to ask for discounts. Greg Savage says recruiters should be having conversations about value, not price. Jeff Kaye says that if you can’t differentiate based on approach, you’ll be forced to differentiate on price. I agree with both of them. Do you really want to be known as the cheapest recruiter?

As an independent recruiter, you’ll face this dilemma more times than you care to admit during your recruiting career. You’ll have to decide when, if ever, to discount your recruiting fee. Last week I saw a Tweet by Jeremy Snell from Zero Entropy Networks that said recruiters should negotiate fee discounts in dollar amounts, not percentages. I absolutely agree with him. It’s far too easy to offer a 10% discount, which seems like a small number until you actually calculate the math. Why not offer a discount of $1,000 instead? The client will still reap a sizeable financial savings, but you won’t have given away such a big chunk of your well-deserved paycheck. Better yet, ask the client to give you something in exchange for the discount – for example, payment within 10 business days. After all, it’s a negotiation, right? Tying the discounted recruiting fee to an action on the client’s part doesn’t devalue your service.

Understand the value of the service you provide, and be able to articulate it to your clients. Then protect it fiercely. Don’t sell yourself short because “everyone else is doing it.” My babysitting customers were happy to pay a premium for my services because they knew they were getting excellent value. Don’t you want the same kind of relationship with your clients?

Don’t Let a Counter Offer Cost You a Placement!

by Veronica Blatt

Today’s installment is courtesy of guest blogger Frank Michael D’Amore. Frank is the founder of Attorney Career Catalysts, a firm that places lawyers in law firms and corporations, and facilitates law firm mergers. He is a former General Counsel and law firm partner who is now in his 11th year of recruiting. Frank writes a monthly column, “The Business of Law,” that is published in The Legal Intelligencer. You can find out more about Frank, including his soon-to-be-created blog, at www.attycareers.com.

You recruit a great candidate and beautifully manage the recruitment process, which leads to that person receiving a terrific offer. The commission check is almost in your grasp, when the candidate unexpectedly tells you that he has accepted a counter offer to stay with his current employer…..

This doomsday scenario, which may entail having to restart a search, or, worse yet, losing the opportunity if another recruiter makes the placement, can be avoided. The foundation should be laid early in the recruitment process, as you should receive a commitment from the candidate that he will accept an offer (assuming it’s a good one) if he fully goes through the process. You should not shy away from the possibility of a counter offer coming in to play, as it likely will if you’re working with a strong candidate. Rather, you should condition the candidate early on as to why accepting a counter offer is a bad idea.

The following ten points should be in your arsenal when addressing a counter offer. Some you may want to discuss at the outset of your work with a candidate; others may be best used when a counter offer is received:

  1. Candidates who accept counter offers will ultimately leave their company anyway. Studies and anecdotal experiences of experienced recruiters have shown that approximately 80% of candidates who accept a counter offer will leave their company within a year; about 95% will do so within 18 months. This has been borne out in my own search practice, as I have ultimately placed all three candidates who accepted counter offers within a year of them rejecting an offer that was extended to them by a client.
  2. If a counter offer is accepted, things will never be the same. Loyalty will forever be an issue, as senior management will not forget that the candidate who stayed had one foot out the door. The employment relationship is much like others in our lives — if you have ever had a significant other who almost left you for another, you’re likely to never forget it and this inevitably alters the relationship going forward.
  3. If someone accepts a counter offer, decisiveness is automatically called into question. If someone goes through a long recruiting process, makes a rational decision to accept an offer and then reverses course, normally within a day or two, this hardly portends well — even within his company — as to the candidate’s ability to exercise reasoned judgment. Indecisiveness will be an attribute that will forever be associated with the candidate.
  4. Promised changes are unlikely to stick. For some candidates, money is not the driver in making a move — the trigger may be dissatisfaction with some core ways in which the business is run. A counter offer that includes a commitment to change some of those practices may be well intentioned. However, history strongly suggests that once a few months go by, things tend to regress back to the norm and the promised changes end up being fleeting.
  5. “Why did it take your potential move to make the company offer you more money, a new title, or to promise to make changes?” If the candidate merited extra compensation or some other recognition, it should have been taken care of before the candidate gave notice. Getting that bump or promotion, after the fact, calls into question how the company really feels about the candidate—is it genuine or a reflex reaction to keep others from leaving?
  6. The benefits received when accepting a counter offer will be short-lived. When compensation season rolls around the following year, or when discussions ensue about promotions, or when leadership positions are filled or voted on, or plum assignments are given, the candidate who almost left is at a disadvantage. If it’s a close call on any of those issues between the company loyalist and the almost-departed, who is more likely to win that battle?
  7. The microscope will be on a candidate who accepts a counter offer. A candidate who accepts the counter offer better perform well, as the practical impact is that he will be held to a higher standard in the future. When a company reaches to provide extras to someone — especially when that was not planned (as it wasn’t in such situations) — the expectation is that the employee will have to perform at a higher level to justify that benevolence—he has no margin for error going forward.
  8. A candidate’s relationships with other employees may change. The changes that a company makes to keep someone can be disruptive to the overall business. When special deals are cut, it causes others — who have never threatened to depart — to wonder why they have not received the type of added benefits that someone who was about to leave did, which may trigger resentment from those company loyalists.
  9. Where did the extra dollars in the counter offer come from? Compensation budgets are firmly established each year. When a company magically throws new money at someone who is about to leave, those dollars will have to be accounted for, and, in many cases, will come out of the candidate’s next bonus or raise, which diminishes the true impact of what is bestowed in the counter offer.
  10. There are long-term, negative implications when counter offers are accepted. No matter how large the market is in which someone is based, the reality is that we live and work in a small world. The company that devoted considerable time, energy and resources in recruiting the candidate who accepted a counter offer, along with the recruiter, will never forget what happened. This very well may shut off some opportunities going forward and can have other harmful effects on a candidate’s future.

Don’t be afraid of a candidate receiving a counter offer. The earlier you confront the issue, the better, as you’ll diminish its eventual allure. Even if one is issued, you hopefully will be well armed to defeat it. Good luck!

When Placements Fall Through – Ask More Questions!

by Terri Piersma

In today’s world, business keeps moving faster and faster. Staying current with technology is a challenge in and of itself. So, who has time to analyze the past?

Kimberley Chesney, Chair of NPA’s Board of Directors, believes reviewing placements that fall through would benefit independent recruiters. In a recent communication to the recruiters in our global recruiting network, Kimberley shared “when you go back to the start of the placement (way back to when you received the job order) and take it all apart, you find things that could have been done better.”

When a placement falls through, three areas to consider analyzing include the following:

1.         Client
Did you ask the client tough questions from the moment you received the job order as well as throughout the placement process? Or, because you have worked with that client before, did you make assumptions that this situation was just like the prior ones? For example, Kimberley suggested asking your client “what has changed since we first started talking about this position . . . in the department, in the company, with your business?”

2.         Candidate
Again, did you ask the candidate tough questions throughout the placement process?  Kimberley suggested asking the candidate – “If we get to an offer stage with my client, what does that offer have to look like – salary, bonus, vacation, start date, non-competes, relocation, etc.?” Being surprised by a candidate may mean you didn’t ask enough tough questions of that candidate.

3.         Overview
Step back and consider what happened from beginning to end. Were you distracted with other business and excluded steps you typically include?  Were there any red flags you chose to ignore?  Did you assume everything would fall into place and, therefore, didn’t “close” the client and candidate throughout the process to uncover any red flags?

As an independent recruiter, what questions do you ask yourself when you review an unsuccessful  placement? What additional questions will you ask your client and candidate the next time?

Image:  FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What is the Difference Between Corporate and Independent Recruiters?

by Veronica Blatt

Depending on whom you talk to and their experience as corporate or independent recruiters, you will probably get a different answer to this question. The truth is there are tons of differences between the corporate and independent recruiting world. Below are some of the key differences that set these two professions farther apart than you might think.

Independent recruiters must build relationships with both clients and candidates in order to maintain their business. Their livelihood (and paycheck) depend upon their ability to market and sell themselves and their firm. On the flip-side, corporate recruiters have a steady paycheck from week to week and are assigned positions they must fill. They don’t typically have to develop new business accounts. Corporate recruiters may be more specialized since they only have to know about ONE company’s culture, products, or services. Third-party recruiters are more likely to have broad knowledge of companies, industries, and product lines as well as the functional roles for which they recruit talent.

Sourcing for independent recruiters and corporate recruiters can be quite different. Independent recruiters use selling techniques to connect with passive candidates who are not interested in leaving their current position. The independent recruiter must gain the trust of the candidate through a cold-call and a carefully tailored sales message. For the most part, corporate recruiters don’t use cold calling skills to recruit passive candidates. They may hire an independent recruiter to work for them, or use job boards and post advertisements to find candidates.

Independent recruiters need to be business savvy as for the most part, they will end up running their own business one day. The skills needed to run their own desk as well as manage other recruiters and the back-end of a business may be equally, if not more important than the skills required to successfully place candidates. Corporate recruiters may do much more than recruit. If they are functioning in an HR role, they may also be responsible for insurance, benefits, company policies, disputes and complaints, etc.

Having an independent recruiter or corporate recruiter skill set doesn’t make you any more or less successful. However, it’s important to note that there are definite differences between the two.

What are your thoughts about the differences between independent recruiters and corporate recruiters? Does a corporate background provide recruiters with the experience necessary to be successful in independent recruiting?

Candidate Mindset is an Important Recruiting Resource

by Veronica Blatt

Today’s post is courtesy of guest blogger Cameron Gausby, owner of KNG Technical Inc., a boutique recruitment firm specializing in the areas of research and development for biotechnology, engineering, and other specialized areas in high tech manufacturing. Cameron is currently a member of the NPA Board of Directors.

Over the years, candidates have asked me how they can better perform in their interviews and what I can advise that will give them an edge. I like to think I provide good coaching on the standards of how to handle the salary question, best present their strengths, weaknesses, motivation to move, etc. I consider interview preparation and coaching a valuable recruiting resource that helps close more deals.

Last year, however, a candidate who is a former professional athlete asked me what his mindset should be prior and during the interview. I had never been asked this before, but given his background in competitive sports, it was clear he knew that mindset was equally as important to his overall interview performance as how he answered specific questions. I hadn’t previously considered how the candidate’s mindset could also be a valuable recruiting resource.

After thinking about the idea of the candidate’s mindset, and the more I thought about the job description he was interviewing for, the more I understood my client’s problem (job description). Job descriptions are opportunities yes, but they are also transparent problems that need to be solved. The candidates being interviewed are potential solutions for that problem. But how many actually go in to the interview with the mindset, “I’m the solution to your problem and here is why.” No one understands the problem better than the hiring manager who put that problem to paper (right?), so it stands to reason the hiring manager should recognize the solution the moment it presents itself.

So in order for your candidates to have an edge on the competition, they need to demonstrate – better than their competition – that they are, without a doubt, “the solution.” Sounds easy enough until you ask yourself, the hiring manager, and the candidates what they deem to be the most important criteria for the job. I have found that nine times out of ten they are not aligned. If you, the candidate, and the hiring manager don’t understand what the problem is (in order of importance) there will be doubts about whether your candidate is the solution.

To eliminate this doubt and give your candidate a legitimate edge you need to:

  • Understand what the most important aspect of the problem is with all parties (job description),
  • Know for certain your candidate is the solution for that problem, and
  • Have relevant examples to back up their answers in the interview to prove it.

In this case, the problem (job description) was 1.5 pages long, yet for him to really be successful he needed just 3 critical skills. We have found this seems to be the case no matter what the industry or length of the job description. In this case, he was the only non-degreed candidate which made him the underdog on paper. Since he truly understood the problem and presented himself as the solution to the key areas, his focus and relevant examples came across far better than those who were presenting themselves based on their personal strengths and accomplishments.

It’s also important to note that because some hiring managers spend less than 5% of their time annually conducting interviews, they may not know what kinds of questions will really dig into whether a candidate is the solution. By practicing this exercise, the candidate will be better positioned to ask questions that will spark further dialogue about how he/she can solve the problem. Once the candidate and hiring manager are engaged in a problem-solving discussion, the candidate is in a position to help his/her own cause, and ultimately yours as well.

Knowing you’re the solution is one thing. Knowing exactly why you are the solution and presenting yourself accordingly is the mindset your candidates should have prior to and during the interview. Mindset coaching is a recruiting resource that will give your candidates a legitimate edge.

7 Questions to Help Independent Recruiters Take Better Job Orders

by Dave Nerz

It is a tough market for independent recruiters, right? The work you do to fill an open position is 2 to 3 times more than what was necessary before the recession. Clients are slow to move and seem to change their minds about what they want, require and expect with each candidate that you expose them to.

So, are you taking good job orders?

  • Is the client being asked to think their requirements through? Or are you doing mind reading?
  • Is there agreement about what the client asks for? Is it written down and confirmed in writing?

Maybe you have a recruitment process; feel free to share your recruiting process via comments to this blog. If you don’t have a formal process, it may be because you have an informal process that has been working…good for you. Does it ever fail you? Maybe you don’t want to “waste the client’s time” when you know what they mean and you have candidates ready to go or can tap into a recruiter networking group to support you with a quick turn on candidates. As a frequent hiring manager at one point in my career, I can tell you my requirements changed from hire to hire, even with repetitive fills. Sometime you just need different skill sets to work with your team chemistry. Maybe a special skill is required to work a special project or with a specific client. I would not assume anything, as the cost of making that assumption is a waste of your time and the time of your recruiter networking group. Independent recruiters who work on a contingency basis only get paid for the time invested that makes a match. Are you really interested in taking on additional risk?

What if you created a simple form that collected some basic information about the job and then asked 7 straightforward questions of the hiring manager?

Basics: Company, Location of the Job, Job Title, etc

Question 1:  Money

  • Base Salary Range…more for exceptional candidates?
  • Bonus…how realistic is a bonus? Based on what?
  • Commission or other compensation available?
  • Benefits…fit to the market…better/same/worse?

Question 2:  Process

  • Who is available to interview?  Three reserved dates  _________, __________, __________.
  • What is the date you want this hire to start?

Question 3:  Required Skills and Background

Must haves:

  • bullet 
  • bullet 
  • bullet 

Question 4:  Not required but would make a candidate a standout. Dig deep here…get 3 good things!

  • bullet 
  • bullet   
  • bullet   

Question 5:  Why would the candidate choose to leave a good employer and take this position?

  • bullet 
  • bullet   
  • bullet   

These better be good…career path, company equity, flexible hours, high quality co-workers, etc.

Question 6:  The key duties of this job

  • bullet 
  • bullet   
  • bullet   

 

Question 7:  What will this candidate accomplish in the first 3 to 6 months if they are off to a great start?

  • bullet 
  • bullet   
  • bullet   

Sign it, and ask the hiring manager to sign it, too. Now I can sleep. I hope you will sleep better and make more placements. I know that doing this will separate you from the crowd of independent recruiters that don’t take the time to do this. It is a good investment and it brands you as a quality recruiter.

Tips for Improving the Candidate Experience

by Veronica Blatt

A few weeks ago I was getting ready to leave for the Fordyce Forum 2012 and wrote about how to prepare for such an event. This week, my post will focus more on some of the great content I retained while I was there – especially from Greg Doersching, Owner, The Griffin Search Group. He is such a dynamic speaker and not only kept me interested in what he was saying the entire presentation, but also gave me some great information that I thought I should pass on to our readers. The “meat” of his presentation was very detailed and descriptive but for our purposes, I’ll just summarize some of key things.

The first thing Greg talked about was the 5 prime motivators for candidates. Keep these in mind when you think about how you want to present the position to a candidate.

1. Quality of life at and outside of work
2. Major responsibilities and challenges of the position
3. Career growth and marketability
4. Geography
5. Money

Also, a great piece of advice he gave the audience was that you NEVER want to call your best candidates first. Give yourself several calls to get the presentation down correctly before you pitch the position to them.

Another significant thing he mentioned has to do with client details that are kept from the candidate. As a millennial that was in the job market not so long ago, I would have been very skeptical if a recruiter called me and wouldn’t tell me the name of the client. In Greg’s words “we are so paranoid, that we lose business trying to protect business.”

One of the last things he said is that it’s important to close a candidate conversation with either “fact based selling” or “story-telling.” Fact based selling uses numbers to present a thought, and story-telling gives a candidate before and after pictures or success stories. You want to allow your candidate to create a visual of what he/she could be a part of.

Have you ever heard Greg speak? What are your thoughts on these topics?

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