KCRecruiting

Teaching Line Recruiters How To Blog

I keep saying that the only purpose of recruiting blogs is hiring more people.  If blogs don't make our jobs easier, we should save them for offhours.  The question of whether a recruiter should blog boils down to a few simple facts.

1) Will it help hire more people than other activities?
2) Will it help hire better people than other activities?

Everything else is marshmallow fluff.  My contention is that the only way for us to determine if blogging is an effective recruiting tool is for recruiters to use blogs and report on the results.  For the purposes of these examples, we're going to make the assumption that the authors of these example blogs are competent bloggers who update regularly, write well, and join online communities.  That's a big assumption, but here are two specific ways a recruiter can use blogs to improve the number and the quality of the people the hire.

Blog Example # 1:  Hyperion Recruiter.
Search Google for "hyperion essbase st louis"

The results should bring up a series of posts I made when I was looking for Hyperion Essbase programmers.  To this day, Hyperion Essbase searches from MSN and Google routinely lead people to my site who submit their resume for placement.

Blog Example #2:  Desktop Java Recruiter.
Do a search of "Swing interview questions" on Google. 

While looking for a swing developer, I posted a list of Swing Interview Questions.  That one post is my  highest traffic builder, bringing 10 people a day from around the world looking for a list of swing interview questions. 

Analysis:
What kind of people use search engines to find jobs?  Primarily the people most difficult to find - travelling consultants who are constantly on the lookout for new long-term positions.  These consultants, ERP experts (SAP, Peoplesoft Financials, Oracle Express, Siebel), financial experts in Hyperion, EDI experts in Streamserve and other programs, usability architects, and hundreds of other specialites outside of the technical world are looking for new positions.

They are also looking for advice on how to do their job better.  A recruiter who hosted a blog on the technical aspects of hard-to-find technologies for their firm is going to better locate hard-to-find people with a blog that pulls candidates than phone calls that push them.

Good recruiters for years have haunted forums, lurking for top talent.  Doesn't it make sense to bring that talent directly to your website?

LinkedIN Wants Some Of That Sweet Sweet IPO Money

Mashable reports that LinkedIN is moving towards an IPO for their social networking site.

LinkedIn is headed for an IPO, making it one of the first social networks to go public. The company will have $100 million in revenue in 2008, and last week Steve Sordello, formerly CFO of TiVo, came on board in the same position.

The IPO, reported by Reuters today, won’t be unprecedented: Xing, the so-called “LinkedIn of Europe”, raised 35.7 million Euros in an IPO in December 2006. LinkedIn claims to have 12 million users, and the IPO could be “as early as next year”.

It will be interesting to see what they do. I've always viewed LinkedIN as an interesting tool that can bring value, but it was always a small value in my estimation.  I don't really see them as a social networking tool - but rather an interactive online rolodex.

Is anyone actually using LinkedIN successfully besides recruiters?

8 Ways To Use Social Media To Get A Job

1) Do a Google search for the company you want to work for and the word "blog."  If there is a company blogger who writes regularly (once a week), e-mail them and use them as your contact point to a hiring manager.

2) Go to MySpace and look for groups in your industry (There's a tab for group search).  Look for groups both on interest and geography (recruiters in the Midwest, for example).  Also search "MySpace + Kansas City + (your industry)."  Remember to use KC, Midwest, Kansas City Kansas, Kansas City Missouri, and any other permutations you can think of.

3) Start a Facebook account and search for people in your area.  Send them Friend Requests.

4) Join LinkedIn, and search for by company, zip code, and interest to get names.

5) Login to Yahoo and search Yahoo Groups.

6) Buy the Domain, "[Yourtargetcompany]hire[yourname], or create a free one on Blogger.com.  Post your resume, and describe why they should hire you.  Ask other bloggers, especially employment bloggers, to link to your site.

7) Go to ERE.net and register.  Look for groups that would be interested in you.  Use both geography and skillset to find recruiters, and ask them if they know recruiters in your area.

8) Go To Jobster and sign in to their AT Community.  Use it to research companies in your area that you are interested in joining. 

Never ask people for a job.  Just tell them you're interested in learning more about the company, and ask for their opinions on who to talk to.

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Visit DiversityJobs.com for information on Diversity in the workplace.

The Ghost Of Comp Plans Past

Some wiseacre decided to set off a bunch of firecrackers in the cul-de-sac that faces our backyard woods last night.  It was 1:00 in the morning, and I couldn't get back to sleep after that.

As I lay in bed for hours, my mind started calculating the difference in comp plans between my first staffing company and the last one, occasionally ruminating on the middle employer.

You know you spent too much time in a corporate office when six years after you left a company, you still remember your Gross Margin Percentage, the number of contractors you had on staff, and how much you were payed.

I won a award for Highest Average Net per Tech back in 2000.  It was $14.40. I had 32 employees billing.  That's $460.80 per hour.  You don't want to know how much I was payed that year.  It's a lot lower than you think. 

Millennials and Commuting

I recently met with a couple of college career counselors who shared some interesting information with me regarding Generation Y/Millenial students.

It seems driving to The Plaza, let alone downtown is too much of a commute for those living in the Johnson County Suburbs, Lee's Summit/Blue Springs or North of the River.

Even more amazing is that gas prices did not seem to be a motivating factor. Rather the inconvenience of driving more than 10-15 minutes to work.

I know this generation has been ruled over by Helicopter Parents, been raised with the convenience of PC's in every home, 200+ channels on every TV and cell phones in everyone's pocket. However, I did not realize they were so accustomed to having everything at their fingertips that they have the luxury of not considering employers that are not geographically desirable.

Is anyone having more trouble than usual attracting talent due to their location? If so are you considering opening up more opportunities for telecommuting? Co-Locating or leasing space for satellite offices?

We may have to in order to get this talent.

Virtual Interviews?

Have you seen the WSJ.com column about Virtual Interviews with Avatars in Second Life?

Okay, the fact that I have mentioned Avatars in regard to recruiting is indeed telling about what a cool age we live in. I for one had not used the word Avatar until 3 months ago when playing Wii with my teenage cousins.

Anyway, check out the column

Although I am geeking out about this, thinking it is very cool, I see this virtual interview thing as a great big can of worms.  I wonder about the realistic use of this concept.  There are enough legal potholes with pictures on resumes, let alone video resumes.  We can dive neck deep into the practice of seeking candidates out on MySpace, Facebook, etc. and the legal impacts of making employment decisions based on their web content.  I see this as just another slope to slip on.  The attorneys are going to LOVE this deal...

I can also assume that in it's infancy, this will be seen as a very cool thing to do and recruiters will talk more about the experience rather than the interview itself.

"My candidate seems to be qualified and interested, but his Avatar is named Fred Farcknuckle and he is dressed as a Viking...you gotta come over here and see this freakshow!"

Will companies seriously make hiring decisions based on a Second Life interview? 

If given the opportunity, I would love to check it out. I don't see Intronic Solutions Group or any of our clients jumping on board as early adopters. Maybe the next generation of recruiters, our kids, who will grow up in a world of Second Life, Wii Tennis and who knows what else, will make this a regular and accepted practice.

I don't think us Gen X'ers are quite ready for it.

Doug Burris

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Find thousands of Bilingual jobs at LatPro.com.

Making Love to your candidates, even if you do not place them

In this candidate driven market, we owe it to ourselves to follow up with EVERYONE. Candidates you have placed, candidates you have spoken with that have landed somewhere through another agency, candidates that have yet to find something despite your efforts. It leads to new opportunities, new candidates (work the network at all times!) and just makes you feel good to know someone has found the right role or that you can help them if they have not.  This market is all about timing.  Staying up with people makes that contact when the right roles come open a lot warmer.

We must build a relationship in order to place the right person in the right role at the right time. Maintaining that relationship, no matter the circumstance, is more important in the long run.

Underpaying and Overpaying Your Third Party Recruiter

Here's a little secret.  Fees for Direct Placement typically range from 15%-33% of the first full year salary.  When negotiating fees with a recruiter calling in, most managers focus on the lower end of 15-20% for a placement, figuring that the less they pay, the better for their budget. Sure, a top notch DBA in the right salary range or a Salesperson who makes mostly commission might be worth 30% of their salary, but those rare occasions can be dealt with by offering a higher rate to recruiters for that single placement, right? You don't have to answer.  I've seen those contracts.

Truth is, you're a great fool or a compulsive gambler if you're counting on your recruiters to work harder for you based on your needs instead of what you're paying them.  The problem is an easy one to understand.   Paying a recruiter 15% is overpaying them, while paying a recruiter 30% is underpaying them. Make sense?  Let me see if I can explain. 

Finding jobs for people, not people for jobs...

by Doug Burris

Have you noticed how much attention candidate management has gotten recently?

Just to mention and credit a few of the better recent posts…

Lou Adler – The Elements of Applicant Control on ERE.net

Jason Davis – Getting Credit for a Candidate Submission on recruiting.com

Alison Boyce – 10 things candidates hate; 10 things they love on ERE.net

Jim Durbin – Questions for a candidate market on recruiting.com

Candidate management is the key to success these days. Candidates are getting increasing numbers of calls and being submitted to multiple opportunities and employers. We are hearing on a daily basis from candidates that it is obvious agencies are feeling the pressure of the market and their inability to find a deep pool of candidates for any position. This has once again become a game of speed of delivery and unfortunately we are hearing that the quality of candidate management is dwindling. Candidates are being submitted to positions they are not qualified for, without ever meeting a representative from an agency and are not being properly positioned for the interview. Ex. (Being submitted to a perm opportunity when they are only seeking contract roles, being submitted to .net architect positions with only 2 years development experience, etc.)

We are actively and constantly reviewing the historical needs of our clients, meeting with them to strategically plot out their hiring needs for the coming months and pro-actively sourcing/networking candidates to meet those needs.

The successful recruiter will already have a pipeline of candidates identified that fit the technical requirements, culture/environmental nuances and compensation window of their clients.  Being reactive to the client needs is no longer enough.  We must be ready to counsel our clients on the state of the candidate pool in their specific areas of business and pro-actively market talent to the potential hiring need.  Ex. To be seen as a business partner, you cannot merely have a list of your Top 5 .net developers available immediately. You must have those candidates screened for perm vs. contract, commuting limitations, a full skill set profile, identify candidate culture and environmental preferences that matches the culture of the clients, etc.  Recruiters and Account Managers need to be in lock step, determining why John Q Analyst is a fit for Acme Widgets and not a fit for Fred Farknuckle Inc, despite the fact they are both looking for IT Business Analysts.  You are wasting your time, and more importantly the candidates time, by throwing his resume at potential jobs you know they will not like.

The time of reactively searching for candidates upon requisition approval has passed.  We can no longer find people for jour jobs, we need to find jobs for our people.

Next: Making love to your candidates...even if you do not place them.