Part Three: This is the part 3 of the 3 part series The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Social Media: Stories and Lessons from the Recruiting Desk

In the previous 2 parts of this Blog series, I’ve covered everything from the communication of shady competitors to the upside and downside of Social Networking tools. I would like to end the 3 part series focusing on the positive by providing my individual professional highlights of the last year as well as my company and colleagues accomplishments using Social Networks.

2011 ended the debate once and for all about the validity of Linkedin as an invaluable IT Recruiting Resource – My Company had an increase of over 400% growth in 2011. While not all of the growth was attributed to just “one thing”, Social Networking for candidates helped us increase our candidate headcount. We saw an astonishing 15% plus increase in candidates that were placed as a direct result of Linkedin and an astonishing 20% plus increase in candidate responses utilizing Social Media posting platforms.

Social Media Postings / Social Recruiting Tools

More tools became readily available last year to help expedite the posting process and making more jobs accessible to candidates that utilize Social Media for Job Searches. Most ATS Systems were using Automated Posting features but new “Social Recruiting” tools such as Bullhorn Reach and Job Magic made it easier to manage postings either directly or indirectly from your company’s ATS System. I personally benefited from posting more jobs to my Linkedin Network using Social Recruiting Tools. The ability to automate the postings directly from my ATS system  and scheduling the postings to refresh twice a day, gave me more time to actively source, direct recruit and work the “Underground Job Market” that is more networking and referral based.  

Increased Social Media Smartphone Functionality

The best thing about having an iPhone or ANY phone running iOS / Android / Windows is the ability to respond quickly to candidates that are interested in your jobs posted on Social Networking sites. New Smartphone Social Media functionality allows you to post and work with candidates on the go. Our company recruiters are synced to our ATS through our Smartphones and that has allowed us to get candidate information quickly and has enabled us to add Social Networking App functions that may not be readily available to competitors or our clients. If you do not have a Sync function, I encourage you to download Linkedin for your phone OS.

Building Successful Networks

Social Recruiting is only as successful as the networks that you build. The recruiters that have been successful are those that build networks of the candidates that they market. In part 2 of this series, I mentioned that you need to be careful when including other recruiters in your network. I should have elaborated to further state that it is an ABSOLUTE that you grow your network of talent to include .NET / Java / UI / Mobile developers, ERP (Oracle, SAP, etc.), Business Intelligence / Data, Infrastructure, PM’s/BA’s, QA’s.

Today might be a good day to disconnect with a large number of recruiters and send invitations to anyone that you’ve screened, interviewed (Internal and client) and placed on contract/contract to hire /direct hire.

Building a network of technical talent was HUGE for me over the last year to year and a half. This “Push” to secure more talent in my network was one of the highlights of my year in that I saw a bigger return of interest in my Job Shares and Posts.

Going forward in 2012

I encourage you to increase your talent networks, utilize Job Posting and Social Recruiting Tools including the proper software / hardware. I guarantee that you will see similar success in the coming year and, hopefully, less of the Bad and Ugly!

After about 20 years in the business of IT Staffing and Professional IT Consulting Services, I have had many experiences that have molded me into the ornery SOB I am today.  I have previously worked and continue to work with exceptional people and am fortunate to have a great business partner. I have had the pleasure of seeing many people that I have worked with attain tremendous success and have also witnessed people at their worst. The reason that I’m writing this article is to share some advice, personal rules, insights and opinions.

For this particular article, I would like to share 10 thoughts with you in the hope that you can learn from my successes and failures.

1. Always do more than what’s expected of you. Without fail, the most successful recruiters in our business work extra hours. If you are an 8 hour a day person and quality of life is important to you….good for you BUT I will kick your ass in the end because I will work harder. I will reach candidates after hours and on weekends if I have to. I will enjoy my quality of life when I retire. Until then, this is a competition and I will do what I can to win. The easiest thing that you can do is to put in the extra time. If you don’t agree, I don’t give a s### because it’s true.
2. If a competitor is talking trash about you or your company, you’re doing something right. Listen… I have had many competitors talk trash about my company, co-workers, consultants, software, clients, etc….we call these people “Haters” and for good reason. I’ve found that the more successful you become, there is a tendency for competitors to try and take you down a few notches. Whoever heard of a competitor talking trash about a company that WASN’T successful….doesn’t happen. Don’t get mad…….get successful. The best vengeance is a successful company.
3. Spend your time on your performers. I have found that a number of leaders, managers, mentors, etc. spend an exorbitant amount of time on team members that aren’t performing. Unfortunately, this is not where your time should be focused. I understand that, as a leader, you want to build a team and that you feel obligated to fix the “weak link” but your time is better spent with the performers. At the end of the day, these are the individuals that will contribute the most to your company.
4. Clients are the last to know if the candidate market is hot or not. It is your job to educate them. If you are a Business Development/Account Manager/Recruiter your clients will respect your guidance. I’m sure most of you in the DFW IT Staffing market are aware that C#/.NET and Java Development resources have the shelf life of Oysters on a hot day. It is your duty to “drive” the process and educate your clients by shortening the interview and offer life-cycle. I understand that some of your clients and prospective clients still don’t get it and, if they are unwilling to change with the time, maybe it’s time to get new clients….I’m just saying.
5. Invest in tools that will generate clients and candidates. I know that most of you reading this blog understand the importance of a good ATS, Job Boards, Advanced Linkedin memberships, Sales Tools (Discoverorg.net, Hoovers, Lead Generation, Sourcers, etc.) but are you making a significant investment?  Remember, sales and recruiting tools are the type of investment that provides your company a direct and measurable ROI.
6. You should always be interviewing top talent. It doesn’t matter if you have maxed out your head count on your Business Development/Account Management and Recruiting teams. You must have a pipeline of candidates to insure that you will hit your numbers. You never know when that top producer may get restless or your best recruiter may experience burn out. Be prepared.
7. Relationships, relationships, relationships. Whether you are a Business Development/Account Manager or a Recruiter, you must have a pipeline of established relationships….a “go to” if you will. The relationships that you build can help you when the market is up or down. Example: If you are a recruiter, a pipeline of IT Professionals with marketable skills will provide you with referrals of passive candidates that are not readily available to your competitors or clients. Think about it, would you rather have a candidate that you found on a job board that has countless IT Staffing Service companies contacting them about multiple jobs OR a referral from someone that you trust? The referred candidate is likely to be more selective and you will have more credibility since you were referred by a friend.
8. Prep your candidate for the interview and get feedback from the candidate as soon as the interview is complete. I cannot stress the importance of these simple processes. If you are in a candidate market, it is even more important. You need to prepare a candidate for the interview by providing information about the company, culture, project, team, technology, management/leadership, hot buttons, processes and compensation. After the interview, you need to get immediate feedback while it is fresh in the candidates mind. Ask the candidate some of the following questions: Who did they interview with, What is the role, What technology will they be working with, What questions were asked during the interview, How does the opportunity compare to their current position or other opportunities that they are interviewing for, Is the client interviewing other candidates, Did the client ask when you could start. Most important, ask the candidate if they would like an offer from the client and, if so, will they accept an offer at (insert salary or hourly rate here). Even if the candidate did not do well or the candidate is not interested in moving forward, you have information to prep the next candidate.
9. It’s a small world after all………the IT market is smaller than you think. After being in this business for close to 20 years, I have ran across the same people for a number of years – clients, hiring managers, HR, Procurement, Competitors, IT Professionals…you name it. Remember that something you do today can, and most likely, will come back to you. Be careful how you treat people and be consistent. Always try to do the right thing no matter how difficult. You can’t make everyone happy and, if you read number 2, sometimes it doesn’t matter what you do. STAY TRUE TO YOURSELF. Once you find great people to work with hold on to them and surround yourself with the best people you can find.
10. Finally……be yourself and embrace your uniqueness (if that is a word). There are a lot of people in the IT Staffing business and a great number of them operate the same way and adhere to the same doctrine. Do what you can to set yourself apart. There will be a number of competitors, co-workers, talent, clients, etc. that will try to place you in the same box as everyone else. It is our differences that can set us apart from our competition. Whether you are a Staffing professional or an IT professional, let your freak flag fly.

It is my hope that you have at least one take away from my list above. I have spent many years in the IT Staffing Services business and I absolutely love it. I have been lucky enough to ride a few waves of success and meet challenges head on. After 20 years, I still get excited to drive into the office. If you are part of this business, I am truly happy for you.

The following is a repost from Matt Charney at Recruiting Blogs. One part informative and two parts  sarcastic and funny. Enjoy:

• Posted by Matt Charney on May 24, 2010 at 2:00pm
• Send Message   View Matt Charney’s blog

Every industry and profession carries with it its own distinct jargon. In fact, it is the measure of recruiters’ worth to be able to pick up on the unique lexicon of the positions for which they recruit. Being able to spout off the verbal equivalent of Google Adwords also preempts most candidates’ assumptions that as recruiters, we’re slightly above amoeba but slightly beneath bonobo monkeys on the evolutionary ladder. (The monkeys do admittedly win by default, though like recruiters, they have been known to eat their young, although most of us do this figuratively through the invention of the concept of “entry-level” employment). There’s been a lot of attention paid to the banalities of “corporate speak,” those words such as synergy, deliverables, scalable, and, my personal favorite, paradigm shift, which sounds suspiciously like a Led Zeppelin cover band or a Tom Clancy novel.

Meaningless Catch-Phrases Take Off

Slowly but surely, these buzzwords have trickled into the public consciousness because most of these words are reserved for candidates specifically. The overwhelming majority of our etymology, in fact, was created for less-than-desirable candidates.

 

As recruiters, it is vocational anathema to create a negative impression on a candidate, or to in any way create a negative reflection on the organization we represent. A successful recruiter strives to make each candidate feel like his or her interaction with the company was a successful one, even if it was, in fact, the worst disaster since the Hindenburg.

To prevent further confusion, I’ve provided a quick guide for candidates to decipher recruiter-speak with the hope that it eases the search process by providing the subtext of the terminology recruiters use the most. While corporate recruiters are honest, we are never brutally honest. Our errors are of omission, and we tend to accentuate the positive, whether in presenting an opportunity, rejecting a candidate, or even closing an offer.

A Growing List

This list is by no means definitive, but it is a start?any suggestions or additions are greatly encouraged.

• Sourcing (v) Usage: “I sourced your resume and thought that you might be a great fit?” Definition: The
  entry of keywords onto a job board.
• Exciting (adj.): Usage: “We’ve got an exciting opportunity currently available?” Definition: An open
  headcount that needs to be filled as quickly as possible.
• Prescreen (n) Usage: “I’d like to set up a brief, exploratory prescreen.” Definition: The conversation by
  which recruiters ascertain if they can afford the talent in question.
• Visibility (adj.): Usage: “This role has high visibility to all levels of management throughout the
  organization.” Definition: The phrase most often used to describe a position with the smallest margin for error and highest turnover rate in the company.
• Growth (n): Usage: “This position is really a great growth opportunity.” Definition: The naturally
  occurring phenomenon by which workers find fulfillment doing exactly the same job in a different company.
• Ad-hoc (adj.) Usage: “There will also be some ad-hoc projects required.” Definition: A catch-all phrase
  used by corporations to describe the countless hours of manpower invested in activities unrelated to one’s job function, generally evoked at the whim of departmental heads.
• Expectations (n) Usage: “What are your expectations for your next position?” Definition: The test
  commonly used during the screening process to see whether the candidate
  is capable of reading a job description and changing tense from third- to first-person.
• Stable (adj.) Usage: “It’s a very stable business unit.” Definition: When the collective tenure of a
  department’s employees preempt any consideration of change or improvement upon the status quo.
• Reinventing (v) Usage: “We’ve had challenges in the past, but we’re reinventing ourselves and our
  processes.” Definition: A commonly used tactic employed by recruiters to explain recent or forthcoming layoffs (see: derecruit, reorganization, shared services, offshoring, outsourcing, et al).
• Competition (n) Usage: “You’ve got some pretty stiff competition for this position.” Definition: A word
  used by recruiters to preempt disappointment for the candidate by establishing expectations upfront. Alternative definition: A tactic employed to make an extremely undesirable position appear more
  enticing.
• Team (n) Usage: “We’re looking for a team player.” Definition: The intangible qualities associated with a
  candidate who will not make waves and demonstrates the willingness to accept abuse by supervisors and fellow staff.
• DOE (acr.) see also depending on experience.Usage: “I am unable to provide a salary
  range for the position as it is DOE.” Definition: Whereby a company unable to pay market rate for a position compensates by placing the blame on candidate deficiencies.
• Best practices (n): Usage: “We’re a best practices organization.” Phrase has not yet been defined. See meaning of life, UFOs.
• Work-life balance (phrase): Usage: “We put a real premium on work-life balance.” Definition: The ratio ofone’s time at home to one’s time at work. The smaller the ratio, the more likely the employee is paid on an hourly basis.
• Overtime (n) Usage: “There may be some slight overtime involved.” Definition: An institution imposed
  by corporations to increase shareholder value without increasing headcount by maximizing working hours of employee population, up to and including Saturdays, holidays, and seminal life events.
• Feedback (n) Usage: “I’ll provide feedback from my hiring manager as soon as I get it.” Definition:
  Generally construed as a one- or two-word answer by which hiring managers summarily reject top candidates.
• Next steps (phrase) Usage: “We’ll be in touch regarding next steps.” Definition: A phrase used to put
  off rejecting marginal candidates for as long as possible until an offer is accepted by a more qualified party.
• References (n) Usage: “We’re going to begin checking your references.” Definition: The process by
  which a recruiter contacts previous coworkers of a potential hire from a list provided by the candidate in an attempt to bring objectivity to the hiring process.
• Background check (n) Usage: “You’re our final candidate, but I can’t extend an offer until your background check clears.” Definition: A control imposed by corporations in order to slow recruiters’ ability to extend an offer for a period of time that perfectly coincides with a candidate’s extension and
  acceptance of other offers.
• Benefits (n) Usage: “We are proud to offer a comprehensive, competitive benefits package to all employees.” Definition:A tactic used by corporations to attract full-time employees and entice
  temporary ones into menial labor.
• Offer letter (n) Usage: “Congratulations on joining our team. I’m sending over an offer letter that contains all the information you’re going to need.” Definition: A document or set of documents that contains all information relevant to one’s employment with a company, denoting the last communication between
  recruiter and candidate until the candidate becomes eligible for transfer consideration.

I was recently part of a once in a lifetime opportunity. My daughter’s 4A Soccer team won the Texas State High School championship.  Her mother and I got to witness leadership, discipline, intensity, focus and, most of all, a team having a great time while enjoying the trip.

We witnessed every aspect of a great team that came together over 7 Playoff games, a State Semifinal and the Championship game.  I noticed a little something that every team could use and I would like to share my thoughts.

From the coaches to the senior girls and team captains, everyone was focused on the goal of winning a state championship. Egos were set aside to get the job done and EVERYONE bought into the end result. Here are few things to help you determine if everyone on your team is on board with your company vision and is playing their role.

LEADERSHIP

If you are a Leader, you must set the example and hold people accountable. In order to hold people accountable they need to know THE NUMBERS – Company goal of total consultants on billing by year end, revenue and gross profit, personal quota, number of calls/submittals/interviews/placements. Once some of these numbers are in place, the team members need to be held accountable to exceed those numbers.

 Sometimes you get only one shot to do something great. Whether it’s building a company, winning a sporting event or making more in commissions than you ever have before……buy into your leadership’s vision and focus. If you are not in agreement with your leadership’s goals or vision then “Get to Steppin” because you are wasting everyone’s time.

DISCIPLINE

 People have to show up on time ready to go. If you played sports in school and you were late or missed a practice, you didn’t play or your playing time was reduced. If you are in the staffing or consulting services business, Team members have got to “Show up and BRING IT”. If not, those individuals need to work on the Purple Squirrels and low margin deals until they are ready to get back in the game. Also, hit those numbers mentioned in the previous leadership paragraph – Calls, Submittals, Interviews, Client Visits, Placements. If you are not hitting your benchmarks, you shouldn’t need someone to tell you. If you miss those numbers one week, exceed them the next.

INTENSITY / FOCUS

Once numbers are determined, keep the team’s eye on the ball and maintain the focus of hitting numbers and benchmarks. Too often in the staffing industry, teams can become complacent after a great month. Mentally have everyone hit the reset button. Focus the group on working requirements that are hot and maintaining their benchmark activities until placements are made. Once the placements are made, move on!!

If you have team members that are not hitting their quota and activity numbers, you owe it to the team and the individual to make them aware immediately and get their focus back. This type of intensity is needed to maintain top performing teams but don’t let it burn them out. In order to keep them focused and intense you must…………………………

KEEP IT FUN AND HAVE A GREAT TIME

You have to keep things fun and interesting in our business. In our company we have TV’s all over the office playing sports, cooking shows, etc.;  There is a surround sound system continually playing music; A Kegerator and beverages on hand for after work; A Golden Tee machine to blow off steam. Now, I know that our environment is unique and not everyone has access or wants those things at work. As an employer or leader in our business, you must recognize the stress in maintaining a championship team and keep it fun.

 If you can find out how to balance the Leadership, Focus, Discipline, and keep it fun everyone will be excited about their personal and company numbers and you will have a championship season every year.

Shout out to Wakeland Girls 4A Soccer Team “How about that drive in?”!

Extra shout out to my Recruiting and Business Development Teams on an unbelievable year…so far!

The following is a post by Julie Julie Holmwood is the Lead Consultant at Churchill Brook where she offers both individuals and groups coaching on all manner of career issues.

Your interviews went well. You’ve met all the key people. Answered and asked all the questions. Done an awesome presentation and the Company have said they will let you know within the next two weeks whether or not you have been successful. If you are like me the waiting is the hard part (I even open my Christmas presents at just gone midnight, so it is officially Christmas Day, but…).

Well, the first thing I would say is don’t just sit and wait. Send a thank you email to everyone you just met at interview. Most companies have a standard email address format so if you know the names of the interviewers and the address of one, using the same format for the others should work. Thank them for the meeting, reiterate your interest and then state the reasons why this role and their Company really appeal to you;

I would like to confirm that I am extremely interested in this position. I gained skills in sales, marketing and business development during both my current and previous roles and I think that I have the right amount of knowledge to be successful over and beyond the key targets you specified of x, y and z. I find selling and all forms of marketing so stimulating and identifying and developing new markets is my main inspiration in my career to date. As a Company you have really sparked my interest because your moral code is identical to that by which I live my life; I too believe that delivering more than I promise and helping clients reach their goals are key to satisfaction for both us and them. I have given this opportunity a lot of thought over the last (length of interview period) and I really believe that we are a perfect fit for each other. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and decision on hiring me for your team.

Indicate the key points for both sides; what they are looking for, what you have and where you see the match to be. Then state why you want to work for them. Every Company I ever worked with during my twelve years in recruitment, was looking to hire the person that could not only do the job and fit within the team but the person that wanted to do the job and who would bring passion, excitement and desire to the role. It is a big investment of money but mostly of time to hire someone new and the key decisions post interview are;

Will this person fit with us as a team and Company? Will they be able to do the job well? Will they want to do the job well? Will they stay working for us (or is this something to pay the bills in the short-term)? If you believe that they are the right Company for you and you are therefore the right person for them say so. Tell them why you think that. State your positives both in what they will get and in how it will be perfect for you (although stating; this is the ideal job for me because your office is right next to my daughter’s school is probably one to avoid listing)

Now, sit back, accept that you will know on the date they have given you. Mark it on your calendar and get on with doing other things. Before you know it that phone is going to ring!

For help with the interview process or making the transition from where you are to where you want to be please contact one of our Consultant Coaches at churchillbrook@gmail.com

Julie Holmwood is the Lead Consultant at Churchill Brook where she offers both individuals and groups coaching on all manner of career issues. A qualified coach with twelve years as an international headhunter she is ideally placed to help you with any career challenge you might be facing. She has also worked extensively with clients on programmes of career enhancement, so whether you are looking to find a new direction, find a new job, get that next promotion or just fall in love with the role you already have she is able to help you get there faster than you would on your own.