February 16th, 2011 by Louis P. Kadetsky, CPC
Thanks to all the job boards and other search channels now available, candidates are casting wider nets than ever before. They are pushing cover letters and resumes at an incredible rate, often applying for dozens of positions a day or more. In the process, they are making mistakes … annoying mistakes. Spelling and grammar have become casualties, and it seems no original thought is being put into resumes or cover letters. In addition to bothering corporate recruiters, it also impedes the candidate screening process, which slows down the hiring process.
You wouldn’t want to bring candidates in who are careless and inattentive to detail, but you still have to sift through error-ridden resumes to find the candidates you want. This isn’t just time wasted on every resume you’re not going to use; it leads to increased frustration that will affect your overall performance. Instead of letting these problems get in the way, it’s more effective to implement a strategy that changes the process entirely and helps you remain as productive as possible.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: BYTE, employees, hiring, hiring managers, HR outsourcing, human resources, interviewing, job market, optimizing recruiting, outsourced recruiting, talent market
Posted in Strategy | No Comments »
January 3rd, 2011 by Louis P. Kadetsky, CPC
We all know that there are some questions you just shouldn’t ask in an interview (see five gems here). Anything related to age, religion and physical disability, for example, is strictly off limits. But, conversations happen. You get into a comfortable exchange with a candidate and notice a necklace with a religious symbol … which leads to ask if he or she attends a local church. Or, a conversation about a photo of your kids on your desk results in a discussion that could land your company in hot water.
The issue is one of litigation risk, and it’s a top concern for corporate recruiters all over the country. The wrong questions could cause a candidate to sue, costing your company both money and its reputation with clients (and future candidates). Even the best corporate recruiters slip up sometimes, often because they are so good at reading a candidate and managing the conversation effectively. Especially in the early stages of the corporate recruiting process, you need a way to protect your recruiters and your company. Structured interviews can be a particularly effective litigation risk mitigation tool.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: BYTE, candidates, interviewing, risk, risk management
Posted in Process | No Comments »
December 29th, 2010 by Louis P. Kadetsky, CPC
Ever since the global financial crisis of 2008, unemployment and under-employment have been high, leaving plenty of talent available for corporate recruiters eager to fill open reqs. There are many solid candidates looking for work, and it generally has been an employers’ market. But, signs are emerging to suggest that this isn’t the case universally. Some sectors, such as the tech market, are actually experiencing talent crunches. Even if you have plenty of candidate choices at your disposal now, this could change quickly, and you need to be prepared.
Unemployment, on a broad scale, actually says very little about the talent market that’s relevant to you. Several factors influence available talent, and these are what matters most to your corporate recruiting team. On the list are:
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: financial crisis, market research, talent, talent market, TMR, unemployment
Posted in Strategy | No Comments »
December 27th, 2010 by Louis P. Kadetsky, CPC
Buyer’s remorse is always a risk. The recruiting process doesn’t end with new-hire orientation. Rather, you need to make sure that the first few months are enjoyable and fulfilling for a new employee. Otherwise, you may find yourself scrambling to fill the same req all over again. To help you with new hire retention, you need to make sure you’re hiring the right people to begin with, and that starts with your talent pool.
The early comfort and success of a new employee is directly related to his or her fit for the position you’re trying to fill. If you rush to complete the process or decide to settle for “close enough,” you may not have to worry about long-term problems: the employee may decide to start looking for a new job again before your worst fears can come true.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: candidates, hiring, STREAM, talent pool, talent pools
Posted in Strategy | No Comments »
December 22nd, 2010 by Louis P. Kadetsky, CPC
I ran across an interesting article on the Harvard Business Review blogs, “Is HR Too Important to Be Left to HR?” It raises an interesting question, and one I’ve bumped into every now and then over the past three decades. Often, the HR department is perceived as weak or ineffective and discussion ensues over where the function should report – to the COO or CFO, for example. This has implications for the corporate recruiting team, of course, which tends to be located in the HR department.
So, how can a corporate recruiting team keep from being bolted onto a business unit that doesn’t understand it?
The key is to make your department as self-sufficient as possible – this will give your team the elbow room it needs and also show how the HR department as a whole can manage itself effectively.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: BYTE, Corporate Recruiting, HR, HR outsourcing, human resources, market research, outsourced recruiting, outsourcing, STREAM, talent market, talent pool, talent pools, TMR
Posted in Strategy | No Comments »
December 15th, 2010 by Louis P. Kadetsky, CPC
Corporate recruiting involves a significant amount of marketing. While there may be plenty of demand for your open reqs, you might not be interested in the candidates submitting applications. This is where the marketing aspect of recruiting comes into play: you need to identify the right talent pools, strategically position your employment brand, market your open positions to them, and get them excited about the prospect of coming to work for your company. For passive candidates, this can be rather difficult, as you’re asking them to sacrifice a known quantity in what is a high-risk job market.
So, stop thinking like a corporate recruiter for a bit, and get into the mindset of those marketing folks down the hall.
This process starts with identifying your target talent market. Instead of talking to the masses and hoping the right people hear you, zero in on the specific candidates who matter most. Define your criteria, and work with KGTiger’s STREAM solution to develop talent pools consisting of the candidates who fit your position description closely. This is the best way to identify the passive candidates with the greatest potential for your organization.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Corporate Recruiting, STREAM, talent pool, talent pools
Posted in Process | No Comments »
December 13th, 2010 by Louis P. Kadetsky, CPC
Another year is almost finished, and we’re looking forward to the fresh potential of 2011. It’s been rocky for a while: 2008 ended on a dismal note, and 2009 was fraught with uncertainty. Despite signs of promise this past year, high unemployment rates led to many corporate recruiting challenges, from getting open reqs approved to wading through a flood of resumes for each open position in hopes of finding the ideal fits for your organization.
Yeah, it’s been tough.
Fortunately, 2011 will be better. How do I know this? Well, that’s easy: you’re going to make it better. And, that starts with three corporate recruiting resolutions for the coming new year.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: BYTE, ROI, STREAM, TMR, unemployment, unemployment rate
Posted in Strategy | No Comments »
December 8th, 2010 by Louis P. Kadetsky, CPC
You have a hot lead – a great candidate who would generate ROI for your company quickly and who wants to move now. This candidate has all the skills and experience you want, and would even be considered a strategic hire. Everything looks great.
Then, the position is frozen temporarily.
You see nothing but missed potential, as this candidate is likely to become frustrated and look for opportunities elsewhere. Before you give up and accept the loss, though, consider what you can do to keep the candidate engaged. If he or she really wants to work for your company, it may take only a bit of planning to keep the opportunity alive.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: BYTE, candidates, Corporate Recruiting, hiring, recruiting, ROI
Posted in Process | No Comments »
December 6th, 2010 by Louis P. Kadetsky, CPC
IBM recently released its biennial Chief Human Resource Officer Study, providing great detail into the business challenges that HR departments are likely to face in the near future. The report itself is worth a read, but I want to focus on one area that is particularly important to corporate recruiters: efficiency.
Headcount is coming, and this will doubtless put a strain on recruiting departments that have been tasked to run unusually lean following the financial crisis and ensuing recession. According to the report, 34 percent of Chief HR Officers expect to see headcount increase in North America over the next three years, with a variety of international markets showing even more potential.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Corporate Recruiting, employees, financial crisis, hiring in a recession, HR, human resources, outsourced recruiting, outsourcing, recession, recruiting outsourcing, ROI, STREAM
Posted in Strategy | No Comments »
December 1st, 2010 by Louis P. Kadetsky, CPC
Passive candidates can be difficult to lure away from their existing positions, especially with volatility persisting in the job market. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t reach them. Instead of pursuing passive candidates solely on their competencies and experience, refine your targeting to include how frustrated they are. Provide a solution to these challenges, and you gain a strong negotiating tool for attracting talent.
Employees, as a rule, don’t like to leave their jobs. A recent article in Business Insider observes:
How would you feel if someone called you a “quitter”? My guess is – not good. You might feel hurt, guilty or upset. You almost certainly wouldn’t feel proud of yourself.
People put enormous pressure on themselves to succeed, and it can be difficult to overcome this, even when the reality doesn’t square with self-perception. So, to attract a frustrated passive candidate, you need to include a mechanism for helping him or her get past this.
Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: BYTE, candidates, interviewing, job market, talent, talent acquisition, talent management
Posted in Strategy | No Comments »
