Closing on Objections in the Recruitment World

by Sarah Freiburger

frustrated business woman“Closing is a process, not an event.” In any industry, objections will be heard and given quite often. In the life of an independent recruiter, this is amplified as objections can be given by clients AND candidates, sometimes over and over again in one deal or conversation. Paul Hawksinson, Publisher of The Fordyce Letter, updated the handbook on overcoming objection for Recruiting, Search, Placement, and Staffing Professionals, and some of his best tips are included below, and helpful to use as a guide or even a refresh when feeling stuck. Read the rest of this entry »


How Long is Too Long to Hire?

by Veronica Blatt

tortoiseA recent Glassdoor study found that the average hiring process in the U.S. took 23 days in 2014, jumping from 13 days in 2010—the upward trend is also seen in Europe, Canada and Australia.

As many of you know, time can kill a deal for a recruiter. So where is the line drawn between being thorough and taking too much time to fill a position?

There are a number of reasons that cause filling a job order to be prolonged, from a lengthy interview process to the economy. Read the rest of this entry »


3 Reasons for Recruiters to Get on the Phone

by Veronica Blatt

image of business telephoneI’m a big fan of Greg Savage and especially enjoy reading his blog. He recently wrote an in-your-face post about recruiters who don’t want to use the phone, and I couldn’t agree more. Phone usage among recruiters has been declining for a number of years, and I believe it ultimately has a negative impact on placement results. Here are three important reasons why the telephone is still a terrific recruiting resource: Read the rest of this entry »


Some Increase Recruitment Fees While Others Are Discounting

by Veronica Blatt

increase-decrease-recruitment-feeRecruiters operate many different ways. The ones I am most familiar with are contingent recruiters, who charge a fee for successful hires. They only get paid when a hire is made. That structure is itself a long opportunity for discussion. I always joke with my friends that it would be nice if your accountant or health club charged this way. I guess some may? Seems that most are just working on increased fees. Read the rest of this entry »


Cold Calling with a Candidate? 5 Recruiter Sales Tips

by Sarah Freiburger

image of woman representing in-house recruitingIt seems to be a typical practice in the world of independent recruiting to present or pitch a candidate on that first cold/sales call with a potential client. It is a bit of a baiting method, as you outline exactly what they need, but do not offer the candidate up officially until the contract is signed. Not only does it offer the client something immediate, but shows you know how to deliver value in your space. Here are five other collective cold calling strategies for recruiters to keep in mind as they work business development: Read the rest of this entry »


What Recruitment Niches Are Hot?

by Veronica Blatt

job-search-compositeWith the first half of the year behind us, I thought I’d take a look at NPAworldwide placement activity to see which recruitment niches are hot in our network. Compared to last year, we have three notable changes:

Cross-industry placements have increased by 20% year-over-year. “Cross-industry” refers to roles that can “cross over” into multiple industries such as sales, marketing, business development, human resources, C-level positions, etc. Historically, an increase in sales and marketing roles generally leads to an increase in manufacturing and all other roles as well, so that’s definitely a change we like to see! Some of the placements our members have made this year include: Read the rest of this entry »


In Recruitment and Fishing, It’s All About That Bait

by Veronica Blatt

fishing-tackleToday’s guest blogger is Liz Carey, network coordinator for NBN, operators of www.searchbankingjobs.com and www.searchaccountingjobs.com. NPAworldwide and NBN merged in September 2014, and our two networks are working toward a full integration effective January 1, 2016. We’re happy to have Liz on our blogging team.

In New England, a favorite summer activity for many is fishing. I saw some folks fishing off a local bridge last weekend and it got me thinking – recruitment is a lot like fishing (minus the cargo shorts and cold beer, maybe). You must first have the knowledge, insight and patience to understand exactly what your client is looking for in a perfect fish (candidate), and then find the right fishing spot and dangle the right bait (an attractive job order) to reel in that perfect person. Read the rest of this entry »


What’s on the Minds of Job Seekers?

by Veronica Blatt

job-seeker-wordleThink you’ve got a handle on job seekers and the current recruiting landscape? You might be wrong. Jobvite’s 2015 Job Seeker Nation Study offers insights into the current job market and how job seekers are approaching their career searches. Some of the most interesting details: Read the rest of this entry »


Exit Strategies for Micro Recruitment Agency Owners

by Veronica Blatt

2013 Rod smallOur guest blogger is Rod Hore from HHMC. Rod is a 35-year veteran of Australian and international IT and corporate advisory organisations. His executive-level credentials traverse many segments of the staffing and recruitment industry and include corporate advisory assignments, mergers and acquisitions mandates, and C-level advisory to multinational and other public and private organizations. Located in Sydney, Rod founded HHMC to provide local industry acumen and global knowledge to Asia Pacific recruitment agencies. HHMC’s innovative business strategies and well-grounded guidance result in clients realising their personal and corporate goals.

A micro-business is usually defined as a business with less than 5 employees. The recruitment industry has a vast percentage of agencies at this micro level. Though the irony is, when important aspects of the industry such as strategy, valuations and M&A are discussed, the smaller businesses are ignored and the focus is on larger businesses. Read the rest of this entry »


Is Contract Staffing for You?

by Veronica Blatt

employee-compositeToday’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 IT. 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.

Is contract staffing for you? I have worked for years in both contract and direct hire placement and have wondered why more firms do not supply both to their customers. Current trends in staffing show a 6% increase in contract staffing during 2015, bringing the total spend to US $115 billion. If your firm is not currently supplying contract staffing to your customers, it may be time to take a look at this growing service. Read the rest of this entry »


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