From time to time, we hear ‘Recruiting must be so easy.’ The logic is, because candidates are so accessible now through social media like LinkedIn, people think it’s an easy job to “match” candidates to open job requirements. So then we hear of “recruiters” who think that because they purchased the latest and greatest in recruitment tools, they will become a super successful recruiter. It’s true, there are a plethora of tools that can HELP a recruiter – from job boards to applicant tracking systems to CRMs to AI sourcing platforms to assessment tools. But these are only tools on a recruiter’s toolbelt… they are not a “golden ticket” to success. Simply having the tools doesn’t make you a recruiter, just like having a wrench doesn’t make you a plumber. Read the rest of this entry »
Recruiting “Tools” Are Not A Golden Ticket
by Liz CareyDevelop Relationships Before You Need Help
by Liz Carey
As a member engagement specialist at NPAworldwide, part of my job is to help members find success in the network. We always advise members that in order to build relationships in the network, it’s important to be visible by posting records, attending calls/meetings, and reaching out.
But sometimes, we have members who only reach out when they say: “I have a critical search and need help!”
We are always here to help, but I cannot help but wonder –“Who have you reached out to? Who do you network with?” If you don’t have relationships with your network partners, you may not get the help you need.
The best advice we can give members is to develop network partners long before you need them. As businessman/author Harvey Mackay says about networking, “Dig your well before you’re thirsty.” Read the rest of this entry »
Resources for Recruiting & Business Development
by Liz CareyMembers of our recruitment network have been sharing tips with each other about recruiting strategies during COVID, but the content applies anytime, not just during a pandemic. On a recent NPAworldwide regional call, members discussed an article about building client relationships as well as their own methods of business development they have found success with.
Here are some tools and resources recruiters can use to build business: Read the rest of this entry »
Relationships and Recruiting
by Veronica Blatt
Our guest blogger is Pam Robison of J. Gifford Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. J. Gifford Inc. is a small, quality conscious firm providing highly individualized recruiting services to clients on a local, regional, national and international basis. The firm’s recruiting activities are focused on professional, technical and managerial placement, as well as contractor and international staffing for clients. Pam is a member of the NPAworldwide Board of Directors.
I’ve been in the recruiting industry for nearly 20 years now. I actually “stumbled” into this career after deciding to leave a large US-based manufacturer during a downtime in the industry. For 2 of my 17 years there, I was the human resource manager where one of my responsibilities was recruiting. Back in those days we would network as much as possible to gain referrals. We also placed ads in local papers and sat back waiting to receive resumes by mail. It wasn’t really much different when I began full-time recruiting in 2001, except technology had advanced to the point of website job postings and email. The advances in technology certainly helped reduce the lag time between the posting of a job and receiving responses from potential candidates. Read the rest of this entry »
Recruiters, Now’s the Time to Innovate
by Liz Carey
With Covid-19 shuttering the doors of retailers and restaurants alike, many businesses are thriving by thinking outside the box – sit-down restaurants have shifted to carryout service, grocery markets and butchers are now offering home delivery, salons are selling do-it-yourself dye kits, breweries are now manufacturing hand sanitizer, and apparel companies have shifted operations to make masks. Read the rest of this entry »
Thanksgiving Thoughts for Recruiters
by Liz Carey
Here in America, it’s the day before Thanksgiving, and a time to reflect and express gratitude for things that give your life meaning. In the recruiting world, this may be a time where candidates assess whether their work gives them satisfaction and if they find it meaningful. With the start of a new year coming up, candidates may be at the point where they want to make a change if they don’t feel they are making a positive impact in their current job.
I recently read a great article that suggests steps employers can take to help keep employees satisfied with meaningful work, which ultimately will help ensure the retention of top talent: https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2019/11/27/how-to-make-work-more-meaningful/
Similarly, recruiters can take this time to reflect and express gratitude for all the people and tools that help make you successful. A quick email blast with a Thanksgiving wish can help remind candidates that they aren’t just a number to you… and it will reinforce that personal connection that makes your work meaningful.
Recruiting can be stressful and time-consuming, but take the time to remind yourself of the success stories of finding a candidate their dream job, or fulfilling a difficult need for your client, or sending a lead to a trading partner that helped them land a new client, and it may help you appreciate the hard times and realize how rewarding this line of work is.
Be thankful for your candidates, clients, and trading partners; when you make your next placement, they’ll surely be thankful for you.
Warning Signs That You’re Becoming “Yesterday’s Hero”
by Liz Carey
Global recruitment leader Greg Savage of the Savage Truth recently posted a video stating that the recruitment landscape is littered with “yesterday’s heroes” – recruiters who don’t evolve and are stagnating.
Here are some of Savage’s warning signs you are becoming one of “yesterday’s heroes”: Read the rest of this entry »
Recruiting Networks and Personal Relationships
by Veronica Blatt
Recruiting networks can be formal or informal. There are many different business models that are successful. Some recruiters are drawn to a transactional model, where the focus is on the placement, not necessarily on a long-term partnership. Other networks, like NPA, are relationship-based. While our members are certainly focused on making placements, they are vested in NPA as member-owners of our cooperative structure. They spend time cultivating relationships. Read the rest of this entry »