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8 Great Phone Screening Tips

by Veronica Blatt

man-telephone-headsetToday’s guest blogger is Jason Elias with Elias Recruitment, specializing in placing lawyers throughout Australia. Jason is a longtime member of NPAworldwide, a previous director, and recipient of the 2014 NPAworldwide Chairman’s Award.

  1. Where possible find a quiet place to make the calls with all the CVs printed out/on screen in front of you.
  2. Prepare a series of questions based on the selection criteria, experience and attitude, e.g. why did they apply for this role, what makes them a good candidate?
  3. The aim is not a detailed assessment but rather a “Yes” or “No” as to whether they progress to the next stage, usually a formal interview. Try and be as efficient as possible and remember everyone you say yes to will require interview time, so be selective.
  4. Always ask the essential criteria questions first. If there is a threshold issue such as a degree/qualification, there is no point continuing the conversation with unqualified applicants. Politely notify the applicant that you cannot progress
    and ask if you can keep them in mind about other roles where that requirement is not an issue.
  5. Assess their communication skills. There are many roles that require significant phone time. Does the applicant have the requisite phone presence your organisation needs?
  6. Check logistical issues such as when they can start. If you need someone to start shortly and they need to provide a 3 month notice period, move on to the next applicant. Also check visas/working rights, salary expectations and any other housekeeping issues.
  7. Check what other opportunities they have: there is something comforting about knowing that other organisations are also pursuing the candidate. This also means competition, so you need to know how quickly to move things along. There is nothing more frustrating than selecting the perfect candidate only to find out she has taken a job elsewhere because the other company moved faster.
  8. Remember to keep the good candidates in the loop, perhaps call or email them after the screening and let them know that you are keen to interview and ascertain their availability.

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4 Reasons Recruitment Firms Should Offer Contracting

by Veronica Blatt

professional-employeesMany independent recruiters focus exclusively on direct-hire recruitment, and that can certainly be a successful business model. However, it’s not a bad idea to diversify your recruitment firm’s business mix, and contracting is one way to do that. Here are four reasons recruitment firms should consider contracting:

1. “Annuity” income. Contractors get paid for every hour they work, which translates to a “paycheck” to your firm for each hour as well. Just 5 full-time contractors out at a small profit of $5 per hour would generate a $50,000 annuity each year for your recruitment firm. Read the rest of this entry »

Independent Recruiters, Split Placements, and Tennis

by Sarah Freiburger

sports-fieldAs many independent recruiters start to explore adding split placements to their business model, different questions arise as to whether they want to split profit, why they would pay to join a network, and most importantly what belongs to whom? Recently picking up the game of tennis, I think many aspects of tennis can be related directly to recruitment and split placements, and perhaps this will give a new perspective on this business model to those on the fence. Read the rest of this entry »

Anatomy of an International Split Placement

by Veronica Blatt

global-connectionsFrom time to time, prospective NPAworldwide members, new members, and even some of our existing members will ask what is involved in making an international split placement. Here is a real-life example of how one such deal came together. The recruiters were Taufik Arief from People Search Indonesia in Jakarta and Julie Parsons from Premium Consulting in Brisbane, Australia. They share their story below:

Who had the job?

Taufik: I received the job opening from my client. Our firm had filled a role for them within our region, which resulted in receiving this new job opening in Brisbane.

Taufik, how did you make your NPAworldwide partners aware of the role?

Taufik: I posted the opening on the NPAworldwide online sharing tool, SplitZone.

Julie, how did you become aware of the opportunity?

Julie: I have a search agent set up that automatically sends me all new job openings in Brisbane. Taufik’s role was included in the search agent.

Had you previously worked together on an international split placement?

Julie: No, this was my first introduction to Taufik. We did get to meet each other face-to-face eventually at an NPAworldwide conference in Beijing, though!

How were candidates sourced?

Taufik: Julie worked the job from scratch to find the candidates.

Julie: I knew I could fill it if I had the trust of my partner and his client.

What was the interview process like?

Julie: Initially, it was NOT easy – there were too many people involved! Taufik was the point of contact with the client in Indonesia, but we also had involvement from HR in China, HR in Singapore, the headquarters in Sweden, plus a hiring manager and me in Australia working with local Brisbane candidates. We had about 2-3 attempts at the job and lost some good candidates because the process was too slow due to all the different people involved from different locations. Once I was able to take direct control of the interviews with the local hiring manager, everything ran smoothly.

What was the offer process like?

Taufik: It took about 3 months from the start to the offer/acceptance. Once we got the client dealing directly with Julie and the local candidates, it was not too difficult. My client needed some assistance and advice in packaging the offer to make it acceptable to Australian candidates.

Were additional hires made?

Taufik: Actually, from the final shortlist of 3 candidates, the client hired two people even though we were only officially working on one vacancy! The client was very impressed with the caliber of candidates that we put forth. Both candidates are still working for the client, and both have been promoted.

Did the candidates have to relocate?

Julie: One candidate was originally from the UK but had just recently moved to Brisbane where the job was. The other candidate was an Iranian living in Sydney; he did move to Brisbane.

Were there any special circumstances such as a visa?

Julie: No visa issues, but we did provide real estate information for housing.

Any other comments you would like to add?

Julie: This was a good experience. Taufik gained additional revenue from 2 more jobs filled due to the initial service the client received. We were able to fill jobs we never had – jobs we would not have received on our own.

Taufik: We have been able to keep expanding our services geographically with this same client with help from our NPAworldwide trading partners. We have made placements for this client in Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia and are now working on a role in India. Collaboration with my partners helps us perform well for our clients, leading to more roles, leading to more collaboration – it is a very positive circle!

Thanks for sharing, and congratulations on your success!

The recruiting process is basically the same whether you are working locally, regionally, nationally, or internationally. Sure, there may be some additional elements, like time zones and visas, that can lengthen the process. With the right partners, recruiters should feel confident saying YES to the clients and to an international split placement!

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Recruitment Benchmarks to Consider

by Dave Nerz

benchmarking-word-cloudEntrepreneurs like to keep score. OK, that is a generalization but seriously, how do successful people become successful? They hold themselves accountable and they set targets. So my question is, as an independent recruiter or recruitment firm owner do you have someone that you compare your success with on a regular basis? Benchmarking is the term many use. Read the rest of this entry »

Sell Yourself to Clients: 5 Recruiter Strategies

by Sarah Freiburger

candidate-globeApple 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 »

5 Twitter Tips for Recruiters

by Veronica Blatt

Today’s guest post is from Megan Wilkes, the social media & marketing manager at JXT, a specialist digital agency for recruiters. Megan already boasts years in social media management, which means JXT’s clients get access to never-been-thought-of-before social media ideas coupled with marketing expertise that includes guerrilla strategies. Follow her on Twitter at @mwilkesy.

It’s a very exciting time for me, someone who has taught the importance of social media for so long to really see recruiters start to embrace it. I’ve particularly seen a great uptake in Twitter for sourcing and engaging candidates and clients as well as network with industry peers. So for those of you who are just starting to get your hands dirty with Twitter or if you’re not quite sure you’re doing it right, read on for some helpful Twitter tips for recruiters… Read the rest of this entry »

The 3 F’s of Employee Retention

by Veronica Blatt

employees-teamToday’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.

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No One Wants to Work with “Recruiters”

by Dave Nerz

business-men-shaking-handsI 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

woman-reading-by-lakeIt’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 »

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