Recruiting Resources

Recruiting in a Fluctuating Hiring Market

by Veronica Blatt

road sign that indicates changes at the next exitToday’s guest blogger is Patti Steen with The Pelsten Group located in Seattle, WA. The Pelsten Group is a recruitment firm that focuses on all levels of positions within healthcare and medical device organizations. The majority of their clients are in the Seattle area but they actively support NPAworldwide across the US. Patti is currently serving on the NPAworldwide Board of Directors.

2023 is starting off with a lot of change! Companies are right sizing, flattening management structures, repositioning in their markets, and limiting hiring. With all this change do we need to look at how we, as recruiters, change to meet the customer’s needs? Will the candidates or strategies for hiring change? Yes, and yes! Read the rest of this entry »


Be a One-Stop Recruiting Shop

by Liz Carey

Shop with an Open signRecruiters spend a lot of time and money on marketing / new business development, but have you tried getting more work from your existing clients? It’s a no-brainer: you already have a relationship with this client, and they know you can deliver. Through membership in a recruitment network, you can help them with all of their staffing needs — whether it is outside your niche, geography, or your hiring contact’s department.

For example, maybe your client, an accounting firm, doesn’t need any more tax people right now… but you might be able to get work from a different division of the same company and help them fill roles outside of your typical niche. For example, they might need IT people or lawyers. Explain to them that your membership in the recruitment network gives you access to partners specializing in that niche who already have pipelines of talent.

Try getting more work outside of your geographical-focus if your client is an international company, or if they are expanding overseas. You might be their resource to fill all their roles at their NYC headquarters, but if they have an office in Spain, you can let them know that you have a trusted network partner right in that region. A partner who knows and understands the local market, including any laws and requirements, and who already has relationships with candidates in that area and can help with unfilled requirements there.

Here is a great example of how to leverage your membership in a recruitment network to get international work:

NPAworldwide members in Winnipeg, MB, Canada and Conway, AR, USA, have done a number of splits together in the manufacturing sector. They met when the US-based recruiter posted jobs on NPA’s internal job board. The Canadian member reached out and offered to help, which led to more searches and 6 placements. If you can recruit manufacturing candidates in Canada, you can recruit them in the US!

When you work together with an international partner, you can develop a relationship just like this – where it’s not a one-time transaction, but cooperative teamwork that makes splits flow frequently.

NPAworldwide membership gives independent recruiters and small firms a way to compete in a global marketplace, and be a “one-stop shop” for their clients.

 


Website Accessibility for Recruitment Firms

by Veronica Blatt

Woman with visual impairment using assistive technologyYesterday I was pleased to attend a webinar with Nicole Clarke and Rick Mare from Shazamme on the subject of website accessibility, which means making sure that all visitors to your site can use and engage with it regardless of disabilities, impairments or other limitations. It is an emerging area of legal importance for all website operators, as web visitors with disabilities are beginning to sue for better access. Some of the key points I took away from yesterday’s session include the following:

Voice technology has completely transformed search. With the proliferation of Siri, Alexa and other voice-activated tools, more and more users are “voice-first” searchers, regardless of disability. In addition to being a key component for accessibility, voice also helps your SEO as Google and other search engines continue to increase the focus on this behavior. All of the voice search tools use their own map tools, though, so you’ll need to submit your site to multiple map/search engines so that voice search is enabled across multiple devices and platforms. That was a big ah-ha moment for me! Read the rest of this entry »


Q&A with a Split Placement Network Superstar

by Liz Carey

On one of NPAworldwide’s regional calls this month, one member shared his secrets of success. He has only been in the network 1 year, but has already done 15 splits.

Here’s a quick synopsis on how membership in NPAworldwide has helped grow his business in the last 12 months:

When he started, he was a one-man operation, which is why he joined the network. Having trading partners allows you to focus on marketing and scaling up your business, because you know you have partners to help fill your clients’ roles, he said. Read the rest of this entry »


Legal Updates for Recruiters

by Veronica Blatt

NPAworldwide has been in business since 1956. During that time, there have been occasional new laws and regulations that have impacted recruitment, although the last 15-ish years have seemed fairly static in this area. All of a sudden, there are legal updates for recruiters occurring at a frequency that has many practitioners approaching them like Whac-A-Mole. If you’ve not been paying attention to the changing legal landscape, it’s time to start! This is equally true for employers as well as third-party recruitment firms. Read the rest of this entry »


Kick-Start Your Recruitment Desk in 2023!

by Veronica Blatt

Happy New Year! I hope you’ve enjoyed some downtime over the holidays and have come back to your recruitment desk recharged and ready to dive headfirst into 2023. If your motivation is lacking, or you’re struggling with some areas of focus, here are a few ideas to consider:

Revisit Your Website

When is the last time you took a critical look at your website? If it’s more than 3 years ago, it’s time to dig in now. How is your SEO working? Are you effectively using your website as a source of leads? How about blogging to build your email list? More crucially, do you know if your website is accessible to visitors with disabilities? The US Department of Justice recently affirmed that websites are “places of public accommodation” and therefore must comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Anti-discrimination laws abound in other countries as well. Devote some of your recruitment desk activities to reviewing and correcting website issues to avoid legal action. Read the rest of this entry »


Recruitment Resolutions for 2023

by Liz Carey

As the year is winding down and the new year is approaching, it’s time to start thinking about how you plan to set and reach your recruitment goals next year.

Here are 5 New Year’s Resolutions for Recruiters that can help up your game in 2023: Read the rest of this entry »


I Have This Candidate in My Database

by Veronica Blatt

Today’s guest blogger is Patti Steen with The Pelsten Group located in Seattle, WA. The Pelsten Group is a recruitment firm that focuses on all levels of positions within Healthcare and Medical Device organizations. The majority of their clients are in the Seattle area but they actively support NPAworldwide across the US. Patti is currently serving on the NPAworldwide Board of Directors.

I am guessing many of you have come across a sentence in a contract that goes something like this… No direct hire fee shall be owed if the candidate was recorded in Company’s database or previously known to Company prior to presentment by Agency.  I saw it again last week and was surprised that companies are still trying to take that stance. The crazy part is they generally do not reach out to me with an open role until they have exhausted all their options or do not have enough resources internally to support the recruit. Before they reach out to me, they probably followed a timeline similar to this: Read the rest of this entry »


Recruiters Must Be Chameleons

by Dave Nerz

Many jobs are difficult and so many have increased in difficulty over the past few years. The job of recruitment has become increasingly more difficult due to the pandemic, new laws, and the demographic changes impacting candidate availability. Good recruiters must be able to change their methods, styles, and approaches with every new law, market condition, or economic shift. They need to be chameleons, shifting to suit the environment “du jour.” Read the rest of this entry »


Cost Savings Tips for Recruitment Firms

by Veronica Blatt

As the end of a calendar year quickly approaches, many small businesses are reviewing budgets and expenses for the new year. Between inflation and economic uncertainty, recruitment firms are wise to review all of their spending to see where some easy savings might be realized. Our president Dave Nerz likes to say, “You can’t save your way to prosperity” … but it’s still smart to manage what you can. Here are some cost-savings tips to consider:

Subscriptions

Review everything you currently purchase on a subscription basis. Not using something at all anymore? Drop it. Using it less than anticipated? See if you can purchase a less-expensive option. Review monthly versus annual payment options. Make sure you aren’t doubling up on subscriptions, especially among remote staff. If someone is purchasing a service that allows more than one person to use it, make sure those extra “spots” are being filled as opposed to purchasing multiple subscriptions. It seems like virtually all recruitment firms are paying for LinkedIn – can you cut back to a less expensive version and augment that with a smaller spend on a platform like Shortlyst? A service like AppSumo can help you find great deals on software and apps at better pricing, often on a lifetime basis. Read the rest of this entry »


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