Articles and Advice

Have you heard any interesting advice lately related to staffing and recruiting. Share it with your peers and offer your own points on the subject!

"Recruiting is a not exactly a sport. Some candidates seem to think it is a game.
Not to oversimplify a highly valuable skill, but one of the basic keys to the recruiting process is knowing traits you are looking for in a candidate. Some recruiters seem to have been born with a deeply ingrained innate talent for identifying great candidates. Others depend on measurement tools and background checks to help them ferret out the weaker links.
Personally I have a list of traits that I look for that act as my first set of indicators.

-Innovation
-Ethical
-Creative
-Communicator
-Leadership"

www.cruitertalk.com/2009/07/30/michael-vandervort/

First of all, realize that it is against the federal law to discriminate based on age. So...if you are looking for a quick way to eliminate candidates who are qualified, do not even consider breaking the federal law and ending up in federal prison, possibly along with a fine, by automatically eliminating anyone who is 50 and over. These people are your best candidates. Be aware that new legislation is being developed as we speak to require companies to report the ages of all people hired each quarter in order to detect who is infracting this federal law. You may think you are getting away with it now, but that will soon come to light. The law will require 6 months to a year back records. Mind how you decide to select. Indicator are a farce. Study those who look qualified carefully without the rose-colored or prejudice glasses. It is not a game, but rather the lives of people and families you are playing with. Discrimination is a very serious matter and you will get caught, if you do it wrong!

Which Alternative Benefits Make Employees Happy?

With the cost of health insurance and other benefits increasing and companies being forced to pass some of those costs on to their employees, many organizations are looking at ways to offer alternative benefits. Human Resource departments are looking at these alternative benefits that are designed to increase morale and provide opportunities to employees that they might not otherwise have access to.

These benefits and programs can help employees make healthier lifestyle choices, as well as enjoying their workplace more, which can then lead to reduced health care claims (cost savings for the employer) and less stress/conflict on the job.

www.therecruiterslounge.com/2009/08/10/which-alternative-benefits-make-employees-happy/

What do you think of this article? Have you been using video for your recruiting?

"We live in a world of pictures, movies, and sound. The printed word is being replaced and expanded by cheap, easy access to video websites like YouTube as well as sites such as Hulu.com and Veoh.com.

According to Gartner, Inc., the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company, more than 25 percent of the content that workers view each day will be dominated by pictures, video or audio by 2013."

www.ere.net/2009/08/14/why-recruiting-has-to-go-video/

Has anyone used TheLadders? I heard of some recruiters using it, but after reading this article, I'm not sure it's for me. Input?

Why I Cancelled With My Subscription With Theladders- "I have eleven days left on my membership with theladders.com, yet I have already made my decision not to renew. Before I tell you why I decided to cancel my subscription, I want to point out a few things that I did like about the site"

www.beyond.jobs/why-i-cancelled-with-my-subscription-with-theladders/

Where The Truth Lies: The Need For Balance Between Active and Passive Recruiting

I found this to be a wonderful article. Hope you ENJOY

“To suggest that passive recruiting in the face of a high unemployment rate is unethical is a misnomer that fails to take into account the bigger picture,” says Dr. Cheryl-Marie Hansberger, vice president of strategic development for Delcan, a global engineering firm. “It is true that most industries are seeing an increase in the number of applicants per position; however, for our company this increase has not equated to larger pools of qualified candidates. Instead this increase creates an additional burden for lean HR teams as we spend more time processing unqualified applicants. The fact of the matter is successful companies use the most cost-effective means to recruit qualified candidates, whether it is a direct hire or a passive candidate, period.”

And this is what I’m not hearing much of in all the chatter out there — the middle ground — where the truth lies.

“Recruiters … want to fill the job perhaps more than anyone,” says Ginny Eagle, director of talent acquisition for T-Mobile. “If the requisition has attracted what appears to be top candidates, we look no further. If not, we source. Sourcing involves multiple activities to find the perfect candidate. Professional networking tools are used, and we often can’t really tell if someone is still employed or not because people are not updating their profiles when they first leave a job. They sometimes wait, so they don’t appear to be unemployed.”

www.ere.net/2009/08/20/where-the-truth-lies-the-need-for-balance-between-active-and-passive-recruiting/

I thought this was a relevant post. Have any of you encountered these situations?

When A Colleague Falls Gravely Ill

www.forbes.com/2009/09/01/illness-workplace-employment-leadership-careers-etiquette.html

A 28-year veteran at Manpower ( MAN - news - people ), Holmes has written a blog about workplace issues for the last two years, covering everything from leadership to interviewing techniques. Since receiving her cancer news last month, she has turned her attention to a topic all working people confront at some point in their lives: how to deal with a gravely ill colleague.

Because she is bald and chooses not to wear a wig or a hat, her illness is obvious to all the 850 Manpower colleagues who work in her office building. She's an extrovert who tends to share her problems rather than keep them secret, and her first bit of advice reflects her personality: Don't ignore me.

"While you might be a bit uncomfortable and not know the exact right thing to say, avoiding the issue just makes it worse," she writes. A simple statement like, "I heard about your illness; I'm so sorry," is enough, she advises. "My biggest fear is that others will be afraid to face me, that they'll ignore me or avoid me," she says.

If possible, she adds, offer specific help. It's fine to make a general statement like, "Whatever you need, don't hesitate to ask," she says. But it's even more helpful to make a more concrete offer, such as, "Can I drive you somewhere?" "Would you like some company this afternoon?" "What's your favorite meal? May I drop it off for you one night?"

The Length of Time it Takes a Candidate to Accept a Job Offer? What it Really Means.

"The length of time it takes a candidate to accept a job offer is directly proportionate to... how well I've done my job.

Yep, that's it.

I know I've done my job well with a candidate when I have no hesitation in picking up the phone and making an offer because the result is going to be that they'll accept the position immediately. I know I've potentially not done my job well when... I'm nervous about making a job offer because I'm not sure they'll accept. And that looks like me stalling in getting approvals for the job offer through my chain of command. Or, it looks like me having to write out some talking points of all the arguments factors I need to present to the candidate to help them really see why this is the right job (it shouldn't take that much convincing, you know?). Or, me not doing my job really well also could look like having to spend more than 20 minutes on the phone from the point at which I say, "We'd like to offer you a position with us!" to saying, "See you on your first day!""

www.fistfuloftalent.com/2009/12/length-of-time-it-takes-a-candidate-to-accept-a-job-offer-what-it-really-means-final.html

bobbytherecruiter in Seattle, Washington said: Where The Truth Lies: The Need For Balance Between Active and Passive Recruiting

...“It is true that most industries are seeing an increase in the number of applicants per position; however, for our company this increase has not equated to larger pools of qualified candidates. Instead this increase creates an additional burden for lean HR teams as we spend more time processing unqualified applicants. The fact of the matter is successful companies use the most cost-effective means to recruit qualified candidates, whether it is a direct hire or a passive candidate, period.”...

www.ere.net/2009/08/20/where-the-truth-lies-the-need-for-balance-between-active-and-passive-recruiting/

The reason you find "unqualified" candidates is really two-fold. (1) You would not know a qualified candidate is it bit you, (2) You immediately count out anyone that truly has experience or is up in age for younger college grads, which anyone with wisdom knows is both a no-brainer and blatant discrimination under federal law, and (3) You go to too many seminars on hiring, instead of using common sense and thinking outside of the box and being creative (for example, more experience in the field, with good record, means better or best candidate). One of the most important industries in the nation relies on what is taught at hiring seminars rather than using their brain. Their are many older, wiser, more experienced candidates out of jobs and struggling doe to this idiocy. Wke up HR world!

bobbytherecruiter in Seattle, Washington said: Where The Truth Lies: The Need For Balance Between Active and Passive Recruiting

I found this to be a wonderful article. Hope you ENJOY

“To suggest that passive recruiting in the face of a high unemployment rate is unethical is a misnomer that fails to take into account the bigger picture,” says Dr. Cheryl-Marie Hansberger, vice president of strategic development for Delcan, a global engineering firm. “It is true that most industries are seeing an increase in the number of applicants per position; however, for our company this increase has not equated to larger pools of qualified candidates. Instead this increase creates an additional burden for lean HR teams as we spend more time processing unqualified applicants. The fact of the matter is successful companies use the most cost-effective means to recruit qualified candidates, whether it is a direct hire or a passive candidate, period.”

And this is what I’m not hearing much of in all the chatter out there — the middle ground — where the truth lies.

“Recruiters … want to fill the job perhaps more than anyone,” says Ginny Eagle, director of talent acquisition for T-Mobile. “If the requisition has attracted what appears to be top candidates, we look no further. If not, we source. Sourcing involves multiple activities to find the perfect candidate. Professional networking tools are used, and we often can’t really tell if someone is still employed or not because people are not updating their profiles when they first leave a job. They sometimes wait, so they don’t appear to be unemployed.”

www.ere.net/2009/08/20/where-the-truth-lies-the-need-for-balance-between-active-and-passive-recruiting/

Otherwise, through away all the young, inexperienced applications and hire the older, more experienced candidates. What, after all, are the chances that you will get an "unqualified" candidate? Or, have you been told to illegally discriminate against age?

Michael Aprile in Elizabethton, Tennessee said: First of all, realize that it is against the federal law to discriminate based on age. So...if you are looking for a quick way to eliminate candidates who are qualified, do not even consider breaking the federal law and ending up in federal prison, possibly along with a fine, by automatically eliminating anyone who is 50 and over. These people are your best candidates. Be aware that new legislation is being developed as we speak to require companies to report the ages of all people hired each quarter in order to detect who is infracting this federal law. You may think you are getting away with it now, but that will soon come to light. The law will require 6 months to a year back records. Mind how you decide to select. Indicator are a farce. Study those who look qualified carefully without the rose-colored or prejudice glasses. It is not a game, but rather the lives of people and families you are playing with. Discrimination is a very serious matter and you will get caught, if you do it wrong!

Very interesting info

What is the protocol for gifts/holiday cards in the office to new hires? I read this article and didn't now if this was the norm in the corporate workplace as well and smaller companies...

A Christmas Thank You for the Under-Appreciated Recruiter- www.ere.net/2009/12/21/a-christmas-thank-you-for-the-under-appreciated-recruiter/