Apple CEO Steve Jobs had a particular way to sell yourself or your brand whether you were an average job seeker, a manager, consultant, or even a CEO. Presentation skills not only help sell ideas or products; you can also us them to elevate your personal brand, which as a recruitment firm owner, is essential in establishing yourself to clients. Consider these Steve Jobs techniques on your next presentation. Read the rest of this entry »
Sell Yourself to Clients: 5 Recruiter Strategies
by Sarah FreiburgerThe 3 F’s of Employee Retention
by Veronica Blatt
Today’s post is courtesy of Joshua Ro with People Consulting Group in Seoul, Korea. People Consulting Group places senior executives in manufacturing, information technology, consumer products, banking and finance, telecommunications, logistics and distribution, professional services, entertainment, and fashion. Joshua serves as a member of the NPAworldwide Board of Directors.
Recently, I attended a human resources seminar where most of the attendees were foreign companies doing business in Korea. There I had an opportunity to speak with a HR Director of McDonald’s Korea and she mentioned that they have a high rate of employee retention. The reason is 3 keywords their employees have identified: Family & Friends, Flexibility and Future. McDonald’s Korea’s staff members and employees feel they belong to a Family & Friends, enjoy Flexibility at work which drives better performances, and see a vision for the Future in getting promotion and opportunities.
Then I came to think about the implications of these three key factors in successful employee retention in our own field. The recruitment industry is somewhat notorious for having a high turnover rate.
I understand making staff members and employees feel they belong to a family and/or group of friends is a key factor in retaining them. Amongst any group, there must be some who are doing better than others, yet others who are struggling. Surely it would be your desire to have all of your family members perform well. Thus, investing your time to make them feel they are a member of the family may encourage that high performance and ultimately help you to retain your staff and employees.
Another key to employee retention is providing flexibility at work. We are so used to working from 9:00AM to 6:00PM, but it is important to recognize the different situations of each staff member and employee. Offering flexibility at work, such as giving different options in working schedules, will certainly lift their burdens off from their shoulders and lead to higher performance.
Lastly, envisioning a realistic and tangible future (not a transient one) at work helps retain staff members and employees. Setting goals and making them see what is achievable triggers their sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. This means employees have to see the benefits and rewards generated from both their work and your organization.
Retaining staff members and employees, especially the high performers in the recruitment industry, is challenging. Addressing the “3 F’s” of Family/Friends, Flexibility, and Future improves employee retention and may also increases their job performance and overall satisfaction.
No One Wants to Work with “Recruiters”
by Dave Nerz
I recently attended a conference of global recruiters. New business development for recruiters was a topic of conversation. Attendees agreed that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to cold call into prospective client companies. A big part of the challenge is “recruitment fatigue.” Employers are just plain tired of hearing from recruiters and refuse to take the calls or return messages left. Nothing new there. The big “a-ha” was that it often has to do with the way you position your service offering and the title you announce yourself by on each prospect call. Read the rest of this entry »
Recruitment Books to Read This Year
by Veronica Blatt
It’s the start of a long holiday weekend here in the USA as well as a popular time for summer vacations. In between barbecue and fireworks, I’m hoping to find some time to read some recruitment books. How about you? If you’re in need of some ideas, Social Talent has compiled a list of 12 Books Every Recruiter Should Read in 2014. A few that I’ll be adding to my list are: Read the rest of this entry »
Behind the Scenes of a Global Recruitment Network
by Sarah Freiburger
As the Director of Membership at NPAworldwide, a recruitment network, I am often asked this question: So who runs this network? As a network that is member-owned and run, this is a multitiered question at best, and does not apply to every online network that you may find. However, here is the breakdown of what is happening behind the scenes at our specific split-placement network. Read the rest of this entry »
Mobile Job Search Is the New Normal
by Veronica BlattIt’s official. Mobile job search is mainstream. Earlier this week, Indeed announced its acquisition of MoBolt, a technology platform that allows job seekers to apply directly for any job, from any device. Further, in the same announcement, Indeed reported that half of all Indeed job searches are performed on a mobile device. Yet only a small percentage of Fortune 500 employers provide a fully-mobile job application process. The Indeed/MoBolt relationship means virtually any employer can now accept mobile job applications, without any IT integration.
A recent infographic from Beyond.com indicates that 64% of job seekers prefer to use a smartphone for job search activities because they can search for jobs anytime, anywhere. However, only 8% of survey respondents indicate that it is EASY to apply for a job via their smartphone. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said when they find a job of interest on their smartphone, they wait until later to apply via a desktop computer. Click the image below for the full infographic:
And here’s the rub: other research indicates that job applications must be received within the first 72 hours after posting or are 50% less likely to even be opened. Forcing job seekers to ‘come back later’ because the mobile application process is so cumbersome means a lot of job seekers won’t come back. Glassdoor says that 75% of job seekers will conduct a mobile job SEARCH, but only 44% will APPLY via a mobile device. That means employers could be losing out on almost half of potential applicants. In a talent short market, who can afford to lose out on even ONE great applicant?
That leads me to my final point. One of the current hindrances to applying via a mobile device is that most people do not have a copy of their resume stored on their mobile device. And most career sites still require a resume to be uploaded. So I ask, is it finally time to replace traditional paper-based resumes with a digital alternative? LinkedIn offers the ability to apply using your LinkedIn profile, but many profiles lack polish or aren’t up-to-date, and not all candidates are using LinkedIn. Similarly, Indeed offers an “Apply with Indeed” button (ZipRecruiter offers an interesting comparison between the two here), which works well for employers who post on Indeed and job seekers who search with Indeed. True, that represents a lot of employers and a lot of job seekers — but not all of them. And not necessarily the right ones. Could a link to a digital portfolio be an acceptable alternative? Can recruiters and employers and candidates (and ATS’) leverage the visual content trend so that it works for everyone? In my opinion, recruiters and employers who figure out how to turn mobile job search into mobile job applications (with a great user experience) stand to win the talent war big-time.
What are your thoughts on the disconnect between mobile job search and mobile job applications? How are you adjusting your process to accommodate mobile usage?
10 Recruitment Trends to Watch
by Dave Nerz
Following visits to several conferences in the past 10 months, I thought I should capture some of the recruitment trends that are becoming evident. Read the rest of this entry »
Gain a Competitive Advantage with Video
by Veronica Blatt
Today’s guest blogger is Alison Pruett, Marketing Manager of InterviewStream – the pioneer in online video interviewing. Since 2003, InterviewStream (an NPAworldwide Alliance Partner) has helped companies generate great candidate experiences and remarkable returns through Web-based video screening, interviewing and preparation. InterviewStream provides a best-practice-based approach and a flexible adoption model that works with customers’ unique needs and business goals to achieve breakthrough results. Clients rely on InterviewStream for the perfect combination of proven value and endless possibility.
The world of staffing will always be highly competitive. Staffing firms and RPOs must compete with each other to find the best talent, and talent acquisition professionals must always effectively sell their candidates to hiring managers. Firms, at their most basic level, must fight each other to get as many placements as possible to increase revenue and grow their brand. Read the rest of this entry »
Outsourcing and the Future of Global Recruitment
by Veronica Blatt
Today’s post is from Nerissa Reyes from AVANTI People Partnership International in Manila, Philippines. Nerissa is currently serving as secretary/treasurer of NPA’s board of directors and was previously a regional director for the recruitment network. She lives and works across several countries including Jakarta, Sydney and Manila.
AVANTI People Partnership provides executive search and staffing for various multinational companies across functions. In the fast-growing “business process outsourcing” arena, AVANTI provides cross-border recruitment solutions on a global scale.
I have experienced the phenomenal growth of the outsourcing industry in the Philippines. Multinational and medium-sized companies have insourced/outsourced their operations from customer contact centres to back office support. The level of outsourced operations ranges from the simple “chat” to IT development or knowledge-based data analysis.
RPO, or recruitment process outsourcing, is done in cost-effective centres in Asia, Europe, and Latin America. It provides the client flexibility in the recruitment process without the burden of permanent employees. RPO services start with data gathering and market research to determine the search strategy for the client. The RPO service provider will then manage the entire recruitment process including job ads, candidate interviews, shortlisting, and reference checks. Their search may include the engagement of a recruitment firm for specialized roles.
Recruitment firms have also outsourced their support operations offshore. Candidate research, database administration, interviews, and scheduling can be processed overseas. This enables the recruitment consultant to focus on client-relationship management locally.
There are pros and cons to outsourcing. The advantages are cost consideration and workforce flexibility enabled by technology. However, knowledge of the local market is limited, lack of control, and quality of service could be compromised.
Due to the cyclical nature of recruitment and the global downturn of several industries, companies will continue to look for solutions. For recruitment firms that are struggling to remain profitable, outsourcing could create new opportunities by providing alternative ways of doing business, decreasing overhead cost while increasing the database of clients and candidates. Even a small local recruitment firm can provide global outsourcing solutions to clients/candidates in their own backyard through its network of associates.
Dynamic companies are always seeking for global opportunities. There are no borders to international business, creating the demand for global recruitment.
Are you challenged to go beyond your comfort zone towards a global recruitment business?
