There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when qualifying a candidate for an open position. Some independent recruiters have a set process they follow and some have a different process for each situation. Personally, I think it’s important for independent recruiters to have a checklist of items that must be completed before a candidate can be presented to a client. Whether you feel the need to complete each task based on the job order or client is up to you. To keep yourself organized a ‘task list’ seems like something all recruiters should utilize. If you start to become sloppy with your process you may commit one of the top 10 screening mistakes listed in the infographic below created by Resoomay. Read the rest of this entry »
Common Screening Mistakes by Independent Recruiters
by Veronica BlattWorking with Other Independent Recruiters to Improve Results
by Veronica Blatt
Today’s post is courtesy of guest blogger Kimberley Chesney. Kimberley is the owner of Prime Management Group in Canada, with offices in London and Kitchener (Ontario) and Victoria (British Columbia). Kimberley is a long-time volunteer for NPA, currently serving as Chair of the NPA Board of Directors.
Working as independent recruiters can be difficult. We want to produce excellent results for our clients without the normal resources of large, international firms. We know, all too well, that our individual reputation depends on the results we can achieve for our clients. With the advent of social media, we are constantly challenged in differentiating ourselves from our competition.
How are we able to deliver excellent results and earn a respectable fee?
Understanding the complex needs of our clients is key to producing the outcomes that they are expecting from us. Taking the time to meet with our clients (either face-to-face or online) will be essential if we truly want to put ourselves in their shoes.
Working through the process of recruiting, rather than seeing it as a transaction, is very important. Aligning ourselves with other independent recruiters who value the personal nature of our role can be extremely helpful. It is essential to use every tool available in order to produce the results we are expected to deliver.
Often, we focus entirely on the “client” part of the placement and virtually ignore the needs of the candidates we are presenting. If we would only stop and remember that we are in the “people” business and that both parties have special needs of their own. Learning what your candidates are looking for as a package is much more than hearing about their salary expectations. Often there are many other factors which affect the candidate’s desire and ability to say “yes” to an offer and yet we don’t take the time to really learn what is important to them.
If we are fortunate to have other independent recruiters as partners who want to assist us, we can better navigate through this complex business relationship. If they have an existing relationship with the client or candidate, it increases the odds that you will be able to close the placement. They may have some information concerning the client or candidate which provides the basis on which you can close the placement. Imagine the power of knowledge gained in working in a cooperative placement process where your partner helps you with the entire recruitment journey! Imagine if they have access to excellent candidates who provide exactly what your client is looking for. You would be more than happy to share the fee and ensure you are serving your clients so they come back to you over and over again.
Being an independent recruiter can have its advantages, but networking with other recruiters who are like minded provides for excellent scope and results and keeps not only your clients happy, but your pocketbook too!
Image courtesy of digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Independent Recruiters and Networking: 5 Quick Tips
by Terri Piersma
December and January are great months of the year to network as many holiday events are held and the mood is typically festive. Recently, I read a Forbes.com article by Darrah Brustein titled 16 Quick Tips to Become a Better Networker.
Darrah provided a non-recruiter perspective of networking. I thought her list was crisp and clear and explained well the value of networking. You will find below the five tips from her article that I believe are great reminders of how to effectively network your way through the holidays:
- Remember that at a networking event, everyone is there meet new people.
Going alone and walking up to strangers is the point. Everyone has some apprehension. Take the initiative. - Ask, “Why should they care?”
Do you know how to describe yourself or your business in one sentence that demonstrates some value to the listener, not couched in industry-speak? Or, can you explain it so that they might be interested in continuing the conversation? Example: I help people to . . . - Ask questions that are deeper than, “What do you do?”
When possible, begin conversations with questions about someone personally, not necessarily their profession. Get to know them and attempt to find commonalities. They will tend to remember those conversations best. - Remember their Rolodex.
The power of networking is the people your contacts know, not always your contact directly. Keep that in mind as you help guide people towards how to help connect you. - Listen more than you talk!
People love to talk about themselves, and you can’t learn about the other person if you’re doing all of the talking.
If you would like to read the entire article about the 16 Quick Tips to Become a Better Networker, click here.
Are there any other of the 16 tips that you have found effective while networking? Do you have any additional tips not listed in the article?
Best wishes for a Happy Holiday Season and a Prosperous New Year!
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Split Placements Add Value to Recruitment Businesses
by Dave Nerz
Independent recruiters are risk takers. Recruiters typically strike out and leave the comforts of the corporate life behind. Many of these entrepreneurial ventures grow and prosper. One of the things I am seeing more frequently is the desire to create an “exit strategy” from the recruiting franchise that produces value in return for the risks taken and the successes achieved. In some cases the founding entrepreneur has been better at creating and growing the business than they have been at making the business saleable. Those buying a business want to see what value has been added to the business. They are not buying the entrepreneur; they want to buy what is left after the founder is gone.
So what can be done to add value to a recruiting business?
Add Process: The buyer wants to know that the success of the business is not dependent on any one individual. There needs to be a process for recruiting, doing the books, hiring and retaining, marketing the recruiting franchise, and even keeping the place clean and stocked with pens and toilet paper. A rule of thumb: if it is not written down, it is not yet a process.
Add Quality People: What people stay behind when the entrepreneur leaves? They don’t all need to be employees but they should be part of the process and the relationships might be better if captured in writing. This one is a little trickier as some buyers may want to use their own bookkeepers and cleaning services, so don’t get locked into irreversible contracts.
Add Connections: Develop and document the relationships that separate your business from others in the same niche or market. Trading partners that work cooperatively with your business can be the difference between a good year and a great year. They can add the revenue that represents the total profit for any year. These connections add value, but need to be documented in order to produce value at the time of sale.
Add Sources of Revenue: The number one value added source of revenue for any recruiting business is contract placement. These contracts smooth the peaks and valleys associated with contingent recruiting. The ongoing revenue adds to the basic value of the business and increases the likelihood of a sale for a recruiting business.
A second way to smooth the ups and downs is the inclusion of split placements. Split placement revenue is not guaranteed, nor is there a guarantee of continuation on the departure of the founding entrepreneur. But if properly documented as part of the recruiting process, split placements can be demonstrated to add value and reduce the risk of long dry spells for incoming revenue. The ability to work others’ jobs when you have none—or to seek the help of others (without adding staff) when the business is overwhelmed—is a great value that needs to be documented and sold as part of the business.
Add a Formal Split Fee Network: Showing a potential buyer that you have formalized the process to the point of being an active member of a split fee network is a bonus for any potential buyer.
Make your years of risk-taking pay off. Plan ahead and add value that a future owner would potentially pay for.
Image courtesy of Sujin Jetkasettakorn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Develop an International Recruiting Mindset
by Veronica Blatt
I came across an article on Recruiter.com titled Recruiting Internationally? Think Local, which resonated with me in many ways. One of the most compelling points was the idea that so many recruiters think differently about international recruiting as compared to local recruiting. It seems that many recruiters somehow think the recruiting PROCESS is different because the geography is different. While there are legitimate reasons why international recruiting may be more difficult than local recruiting, I don’t believe it’s because the process is wildly different. Read the rest of this entry »
5 Ways Global Recruiters Alienate Job Seekers on the Web
by Veronica Blatt
Today, I am on a rant. I have had it up to *here* with websites that don’t function effectively on a mobile device. Turns out I’m not alone. Job seekers have had it, too. Global recruiters simply MUST do a better job creating mobile-optimized websites that are friendly to job seekers.
Job seekers are increasingly using mobile devices as their primary, if not ONLY, means of accessing the internet. The mobile web is different. Job seekers will NOT use your site if it’s too hard to do on their handheld device. Global recruiters who respond, NOW, with a great mobile experience for job seekers will be way ahead of their competitors and clients.
What do I mean by a “mobilized” website? Simply put, a site that fits correctly on the screen of a mobile device and does not require a user to *work* in order to use the site. Whether you build a separate mobile site, a mobile app, or a responsively-designed website, you simply cannot afford to ignore mobile devices any longer. Still not sure what I mean? Look at our website, www.npaworldwide.com on a desktop browser. You’ll see a left-to-right orientation, lots of images, sidebar menus, etc. Now load our site on your mobile device. The site automatically adjusts to accommodate the size of your device. The dynamic, pop-up menu goes away in favor of a simplified, larger, text-based menu. Sidebar menus go away or become part of the main text area. It’s a completely different experience because the mobile user demands a completely different experience.
Here are 5 things about global recruiters’ websites that drive job seekers batty:
- Enough with the pinching and zooming already. Have you tried to use your firm’s website on a mobile device? If visitors have to pinch, zoom, and scroll to see the whole site and use its features, you should assume they won’t come back. Savvy global recruiters will invest in a responsively-designed site that makes it easy for visitors to find and share content.
- Drop-down menus. Are you SERIOUS? Drop-down menus are a nightmare on a mobile platform. Get rid of them in your mobile installation and job seekers will be more likely to return.
- Itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, hyperlinks. If users can’t see or click on hyperlinks without pinching and zooming (see #1 above), they will leave your site in favor of global recruiters who don’t inflict this torture on their site visitors.
- Limited functionality across a range of devices. Your site is optimized for the iPhone 5 and the newest Samsung tablet? Give yourself 10 points! But deduct 10 points for each type of older device that you forgot. While the news reports might make it seem like *everyone* is clamoring to buy the newest handheld gadget, that’s simply not true. There are literally millions of fully-functional older devices still in use. Forget about them and you’re guaranteed to alienate those job seekers.
- Long application forms. Filling out forms on a mobile device is painfully slow and difficult. Don’t ask job seekers to do this. While you’re at it, eliminate the requirement to create an account to use your site.
Have you found a great mobile recruiting site? Share it in the comments!
Independent Recruiters: What Decade Are You Recruiting In?
by Veronica BlattI has a conversation with a friend the other day and she was saying that her VCR broke and she was going to look for a new one. I thought to myself “she means DVD player” so I corrected her and it turns out I was wrong. She was looking for a VCR because I can only presume that she’s been living under a rock for the past decade (my apologies to those of you that still own a VCR). I started thinking of all the great movies she is missing out on because she hasn’t adjusted to the changing technology. I found this infographic, published by Atenta, this afternoon and I thought it would be interesting to post to see how many independent recruiters are still recruiting in the 1920’s.
If you don’t keep up with the changing times, you will be missing out on great candidates and opportunities. As an independent recruiter I can understand it might be hard to invest in every technical change that occurs so maybe you need to do your research and pick the ones that will be most useful to your company. The latest wave of recruiting includes sourcing through social media channels, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Make sure that, at least, your visible through each of these platforms.
What are some of the archaic tools or systems you are currently using that might need a little makeover?
New Ideas for Independent Recruiters
by Dave Nerz
Effective independent recruiters need to stay current on the trends, tools and ideas being used by the competition. With the growth of competition locally and from international recruiters looking to expand their coverage areas, it’s wise to be on top of all the ideas that might be used to maximize success. Everyone uses the traditional tools of recruiting like referrals, LinkedIn, Twitter and all the other more traditional sourcing methods. Here are a few off the wall ideas for the open-minded and aggressive independent recruiter to find and close new candidates:
- The Buddy System. When you find a good candidate, find out who their best friend in the workplace is and make an offer to both. You will hopefully get a strong and effective team of new hires and instead of just one your client will get two. Your fee? That’s up to you but maybe this offers an opportunity to show the client a savings?
- Push News and Openings. If you are not sharing with the best candidates the placements you have made and the best opening you have, you need to start doing this. A simple email list and newsletter can get it done quickly and effectively.
- Create Skill Challenges and Contests. If you hire accountants, create a contest that will challenge their knowledge and experience. Offer a $500 to the best response to a question or problem. You will engage many that are employed and top thinkers.
- Create a Talent Space. If you can create a space on social media like LinkedIn for people with the skill you seek to gather and connect, you will get a stranglehold on those in your targeted profession or skill area.
- Experiment with Traditional Media. No one is doing so any more so you will stand out. Include direct mail in your efforts, now a days it is a unique way to capture those you seek.
- Offer Interview Options. Make the interview easy to do. Offer interview outside of work hours, do it in casual setting on a Saturday morning, do it by Skype, do it at a location your candidate selects…you will learn something about them from each of these options.
- Side-by-side Comparison Worksheets. Create a sheet that describes what the new employer is offering…upside, benefits, market share, working conditions, hours, etc. Let the candidate complete how the existing employer stacks up right in front of you. It lets you know where the issue are in an instant.
- Know Why They Said Yes. As an independent recruiter are you doing ‘post-mortems’ on successful placements to see what were the 3 to 5 most influential things said or done to get a yes out of the candidate. If you know what works for one the process may be more repeatable for many.
- The Diminishing Offer. I personally love this one. Because you know candidates will string you out to get as many active offers in before deciding do this…make the offer tiered. If they accept within 24 hours of the offer it comes with a signing bonus of X. If they take from 24 to 72 hours it is X – 25%. And if it is more than 72 hours it is X – 50%. If it is more than a week it is X – 75%. You will quickly know how serious the candidate is and they will be explaining the issues holding them back with greater urgency. It is a gimmick but it is hard to create urgency particularly when the candidate is employed in a border-line acceptable existing situation.
Independent recruiters need to try new things. The competition from other recruiters including international recruiters is certainly not going to get much easier.
International Recruiters: Social Media Use in Asia Pacific
by Terri Piersma
Recently, NPA, The Worldwide Recruiting Network conducted a member-owner meeting in Beijing. International recruiters attended the meeting from not only many countries in Asia but also from Australia and North America. The meeting agenda consisted of a combination of business, networking, and sightseeing opportunities.
While this meeting involved face-to-face communication, international recruiters must often communicate with clients and candidates via the telephone or online including through social media. How effective is social media usage in Asia Pacific? In March 2012, Alexander Mann Solutions and Chapman Consulting Group conducted an online survey of Asia Pacific recruiters regarding the impact of social media. Read on to learn about key findings: Read the rest of this entry »