The Recruiting Blog | People First Recruiting

With Halloween soon upon us, we thought we would have some Halloween fun of our own.  Last year we brought you our Zombie Hunter position profile.  This year we've discovered a whole new set of Halloween candidates.

Check out our Infographic - Night of the Living Recruitment - to see what new crop of candidates we've got our eyes on.

 

 

 

 

Written by Linda Chammartin, Accounting & Finance Recruiter for People First Recruitment & Executive Search

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I recently attended the Manitoba Business Summit where I met many talented and friendly CA’s and CMA’s.  What a great group of professionals to spend a couple of days with. 

With the conference behind me and hundreds of business cards from attendees that visited the People First Recruitment and Executive Search booth, I have to admit, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed. I had a clear goal heading into the summit and that was to build my Accounting and Finance professional network.   Well, I definitely accomplished that as I met at least 90% of the attendees.  Now I find myself staring at hundreds of business cards wondering what to do next.  Should I call each and every one of them, even if we didn’t get to have a one-on-one conversation?  Should I email them?  Should I do that now or hold off for a week or two?  I’m not really sure what the protocol is post conference.  Therefore, I’ve done what we all seem to do these days when we don’t have all the answers, we go to the web. 

The first article that caught my eye was written by Her Campus and was from the point of view of someone in the middle of a job search looking to land their perfect job following University.  I found the advice relevant in the fact that there are certain follow-up procedures and processes that should be used whether you are job seeking, selling a product, recruiting candidates or just strictly a participant in a conference.  I think the idea of a phone call and an email combination is fine and I like that it clarifies to do so within 24 – 48 hours so everything is still fresh.  I also think that having a script ready should you actually make contact is key as you don’t want to be caught off guard should the phone actually be answered on the other end!

Another article that caught my eye, due to the simplicity and straightforwardness of the content is titled 8 Steps to Building Relationships After a Networking Event from Careerealism.  I was happy that I stumbled upon it because it made me feel more at ease.  All 8 points are relevant but what really stuck out for me was #8, “Make a 30 day plan”.  This to me makes sense, there was a great deal of planning and preparation that I put into attending this conference so I shouldn’t expect that I’ll wrap everything up within a couple of days.  The mindset should be that of “relationship building” and that really doesn’t happen overnight. 

So what am I personally doing for follow-up?  I started by grouping and prioritizing my contacts as suggested in the “8 Steps” article.  This is a great place to start as this step is what I consider to be the “low hanging fruit” of goal setting and whenever I can cross a task off of my “to do list” it gives a great sense of accomplishment (which is extremely motivating early on in a project).  Also, by grouping and prioritizing I am able to customize my follow-up. 

My next step in this process will be to make my 30 day plan for those that I’ve made a real connection with as a result of my follow-ups.  This will include sending pertinent Accounting and Finance information to these key contacts or perhaps some articles on the keynote speakers from the conference.  It could also be recruitment relevant to their industry that will grab their attention and give us a talking point for a follow-up phone conversation.  These “touch points” will be the foundation for building ongoing relationships with key accounting and finance talent in the industry. 

By reaching out, finding out what interests they have, what motivates and drives them, I will over time, build a strong set of candidates for my Accounting and Finance recruitment practice which will in turn, set me up for success with my clients.  We have a large amount of companies here in Winnipeg that are constantly searching for top talent in the Accounting and Finance field.  The ability to provide these companies with the skills and experience they need to ensure their business moves forward is of great importance to me.

I look forward to seeing where all of this takes me and will let you know the outcome a few blogs down the road.

Happy Networking!

~Linda Chammartin

A colleague of mine tweeted this article yesterday: “Recruiters: Your Days are Numbered” and when I read it my first inclination was to re-tweet it.  The only problem was that I was limited by the number of characters and I wouldn’t be able to clearly express how I felt about this article concerning the “future of Recruiters.”

I know why she tweeted it.  She was equally disturbed by the fact that a blog could be written about a career she so passionately and firmly believes in and that the success of an entire profession which is built around people (and the relationships you develop with these people) can be thought to be replaced by technology.

So often you read, regardless of the position or industry, that eventually a company or a function will no longer be relevant because technology will replace it.  Don’t get me wrong; we here at People First Recruiting completely support and embrace technology – in fact I love it and would like to have more of it.  What was shocking to me about this article is how recruiting can be boiled down to “3 critical ingredients” - sourcing, screening and verifying.

Boy, if only it were that simple. 

Any recruiter, one paid by a company like us here at People First Recruiting or one who works internally for a company, knows that recruiting is just not that simple – an industry focused on people never is. 

What’s interesting about this article is that it refers to technologies that only cover a small piece of the world of recruiting.  Recruiting isn’t just about finding 'key words' that match a job profile – it is about finding the right person for the role.  Sure, technology can run 24/7 - sweeping LinkedIn and/or the online world to hone in on the right keywords – but can technology then call that person up? Talk to them? Get a sense of whether or not they are truly happy doing what they are doing?   Analyze the actual fit between employer and employee, culture and personality?  Needs versus desires?

While we do embrace technology and look at technology as a partner in our business to help round out our skills, we still ensure we invest in our people.  An example is adding and training people to join our Talent Discovery Group; individuals who everyday utilize research techniques, social channels, and networks.  They turn to their existing relationships to reach out and engage with potential candidates to inform them of some of the incredible opportunities we have with Canadian businesses. 

When our clients come to us they need 3 things:

• find me the best candidate
• within a reasonable amount of time
• for a fair fee

Never do they ask what specific technological tools we used to find that person.  Instead they ask us how we will go about our search.  Where will we focus?  Have we filled a position like this before?  Do we understand the role we are filling on their behalf?  Once they are satisfied we then use a proven methodology and approach to finding them candidates.  The next questions our clients ask us are: What is our screening process?  Do we know how to interview for these roles?  How do we assess candidates?  And so on.

The point I am trying to make is that leaders of companies are not looking for a person to just fill a role, they want the whole package.  They want to partner with experts who use the best processes to find the right candidates; experts with the strongest experience and knowledge to assess the fit and qualifications of candidates.  Companies want to be assured that the person we find for them will be that right fit so that they can retain that individual and remain free to focus on their business.

If you are a Recruiter right now and you believe your job is to simply source, screen and verify then you are missing out on what is the most fulfilling and rewarding part of your job as a Recruiter.  We have the privilege of meeting new people who are making important career decisions every day.  We get to learn about great companies and meet great leaders and then we get to bring the two of them together in what is hopefully a perfect match.  That cohesion is what gets us excited around here.

In an industry that is all about people, technology can never be, and will never be an aspect that will replace the human touch.

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If you haven't figured it out, I am pretty passionate about recruiting, as is the team that I work with.  Because we love what we do and because we are growing - we are looking for more Recruiters to join our team here in Winnipeg.  Never considered recruiting before?  Take a look at our 10 Reasons You May be a Recruiter...and not even know it.  If you identify with these 10 reasons...drop us a line.

~Karin Pooley

 

Last week I was having lunch with a long term client and the topic of recruiter ethics came up.  More specifically it was the "rules" surrounding placement of a candidate and headhunting.  (Headhunting is a recruiting term and is generally defined as proactively contacting candidates who are employed in another company.) 

Not surprisingly this is a subject that comes up frequently.

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Sheryl Smolkin who had come across our whitepaper on Maximizing Your Recruiter Relationship.  She was writing an article for The Toronto Star about working with recruiters. She asked me a question about soliciting placed employees for future recruitments and was citing examples of how this may occur.  It was her article on working with recruiters which prompted me to write more about this subject.

This is a difficult and sensitive issue so I am going to do my best to provide some clarity to this topic with the following considerations:

• Most Recruitment and Executive Search firms should have a "no solicit” or “hands off" policy. It generally means once a candidate is placed in ABC Company by the recruiter, there will be no further direct solicitation of employees from ABC Company, including the placed candidate. 
• The criteria, so to speak, for becoming a no solicit client will vary greatly from one recruiting firm to the next.  What generally ensures you are on their no solicit list is that you are a company who has paid for their recruitment services.
• The length of time you are a 'no solicit' client is where it starts to get a little grey depending on the recruitment firm.  For example, one year ago you may have hired a full time candidate through a recruiting firm but their no solicit policy may only be for six months in length.  If you haven't used their recruiting services since that placement one year ago, then you may no longer be on their no solicit list.
• If you work with a recruiting firm who does temporary placements on your behalf, their policy may apply to permanent placements only.

What is most important is to understand what a recruiter's no solicit policy actually is. For us it means we will not intentionally pursue employees of our clients for the purpose of engaging them in other employment opportunities.  In terms of placed candidates, same ethical rules and principles apply.  This however does not preclude recruiters from working with potential candidates of their clients completely.  An example is if a candidate that happens to be an employee of Client A solicits a recruiter or applies for a job ad directly. 

This sensitive issue is not only about company policy or industry protocol it is primarily about personal and business ethics to both the company and the candidate. In the end the recruiter knows if they have crossed a line and that the results will be costly; personally or professionally.

My best advice is to get clarity at the beginning of any recruiting partnership.  Ask your recruiter about their no solicit policy and their personal view on solicitation of candidates.

We Recruiters really want to know one thing when it comes to candidates: “Are you the ideal candidate for our client?”  However the answer isn’t a simple yes or no as there are many layers that Recruiters consider.

• Do you have the right skill set and education that is necessary for the role?
• Do you come from a similar industry to that of our client?
• What type of environment are you going to thrive in? (After all, we do want you to succeed!)
• Are you motivated for a new career for the right reasons?  (Hint: money shouldn’t be the first one because it takes more than money to support your success).
• And finally, are you excited about the opportunity?

Why do you need to consider these questions?  Because it will save you and your Recruiter a whole lot of time and energy.  You are the only one who knows yourself well enough to know whether an opportunity is the right one for you.  Is it in an industry you love or always wanted to try and work in?  Is it a role that intrigues you, excites you and captivates you?  Is it with a company that you admire or that you heard has an excellent culture? 

It is one thing to hear us out about the newest Marketing Manager role or that sought after Web Developer position, but it’s an entirely different thing to be honest about whether or not you truly have the skills (and desire) to knock it out of the park.  This is probably the biggest frustration for us Recruiters; candidates applying for a job that doesn’t match their experience or skill set in anyway.  So save you and your Recruiter time - know thyself. 

If you are on the job search and are considering working with a recruiter, download our whitepaper to get some more insight on the recruiter/candidate relationship.

Truth to be told, we are not a contingency recruiting firm so this will be one of the more difficult blogs for me to write.  However prior to joining People First I spent over 15 years as Branch Manager of a few national contingency recruiting firms and I was once a big believer of the model.

With contingency recruitment you are not required to pay a recruiter a placement fee until you have selected your ideal candidate – “payment is contingent upon hire of candidate”.  The other key differentiator with contingency verses retained (which I will discuss in a later blog) is that you are not working with the recruitment firm exclusively.  You can continue to search on your own and work with multiple firms if you so choose.

Here are my views of the pros and cons:

Pros

• You don't pay fees unless the recruiter refers you a hireable candidate
• You can still recruit for the position on your own
• The recruitment can be cancelled at anytime with no fees charged
• You can work with as many recruiting firms as you choose
• You could receive a lot of resumes - fast
• You should have a lot of candidates to interview
• You may be able to negotiate fees

Cons

• You will generally hire a candidate that is available to you quickly but they may not necessarily be the right 'fit', resulting in turnover
• The chance for disputes is higher since the placement will be awarded to the recruiting firm that presents the resume first – determining “who got there first” can be very awkward
• Because of the "who got there first" point, a thorough and targeted search specific to your company and the role is rarely, if ever, performed
• You could face some potentially embarrassing candidate situations if the candidates are working with multiple recruiting firms
• Managing the communication and referral processes of one, two or even more recruiting firms can be challenging
• It takes much longer to bring the recruitment to a successful conclusion

Earlier I wrote that I was a big believer in the contingency fee model. Why?  Because once upon a time I felt that a Recruiter does not add value until the right candidate is found.  I don’t believe that any longer.  My belief now is that finding the right candidate is the end result of a strong, mutually rewarding partnership and, the value we provide the client and candidate leading up to the hire. 

A couple months ago I wrote a whitepaper called “Maximizing Your Recruiter Relationship”.  It gives companies simple tips for hiring and working with a Recruiter to ensure a successful partnership.  From a company perspective, the big question always is “what's this recruitment going to cost me?” 

Over the next few weeks I will be blogging about recruiting fees.  First up though is a summary of what you, the company, should get from the recruiting fees you are charged. 

The job posting

• A job posting is a tool to advertise the job.  There is an art to writing an effective job profile especially once you consider search optimization and key words.  A Recruiter that understands online search techniques knows how to write job profiles so your ad can be found online.  Finally a well networked Recruiter has the contacts to send the job profile to, as well as a library list of free job boards, associations and industry networks. 

Finding candidates

• Print and online advertising alone does not guarantee you results.  That is the “let’s wait and see what we get” mentality.  Sometimes timing works out perfectly though and you hire a candidate from an ad, but did you get the best candidate?  Unless you conduct a search you really don’t have the answer to that.  Recruiters go to the market and search.  They will identify companies or like companies in your industry where candidates are performing similar jobs.  They will identify competitors.  They will look for industry thought leaders. 

Interviewing

• If the Recruiter isn’t certified in Behavioural Based Interviewing at the very least most will have training.  Behavioural Interviewing is based on the theory that the best predictor of future success is past performance.  This method of interviewing allows for a more structured and fair assessment process and it takes away the “gut feeling”.  Fit is also assessed.  Recruiters interview every single day so they are quite skilled at it. 

Reference checking

• A good reference checker knows how to listen for cues, they don’t accept just any answer.  They know to probe, to ask the individual for more information to get an honest reference.  It’s amazing how many companies don’t do references before hiring an employee.  This step in itself is worth the money.

Simply put you are paying a Recruiter to find a candidate, qualify a candidate and present a short list of candidates.  Stay tuned for more blog posts on exclusive, retained, contingency searches, guarantees, refunds, credits and so on.

The season might be over but we are still just as in love with our Winnipeg Jets team as we were when it was first announced they were coming back.  A new team into our well established city had no problem finding a warm welcome.

So it got me thinking, we as recruiters know first-hand that organizations often face the challenge of introducing new employees in to a well established team which led me to thinking about the Winnipeg Jets jersey.  So how is this connected?  Well let me talk about my own team.  We’re connected by a strong culture, there is great camaraderie and support.  We celebrate the wins and we mourn the losses together.  With our jersey, you can’t touch it or see it, but you know it’s there – that’s our unifying factor.  It’s our uni-form.

What I have learned from working with so many clients over the years, is the best way of introducing a new employee to an existing culture is to be certain that during your recruitment process you are patient and thorough with your candidates. Ask yourself this question, “could this individual wear our team jersey”?  You can be assured that many candidates will be asking the same question of themselves.  The candidates need information, the good, the bad, the ugly and you have to be willing to give it.  Those candidates need to interview you as much as you need to interview them so if you can, be sure to offer that to them.  Our success has come from recognizing that the candidate fit is as important, if not more important, than the list of qualifications set out for the role.  This is mission critical to retention.

The word ‘fit’ is defined in many ways.  According to Webster’s dictionary, ‘fit’ means “adapting to the environment so as to be capable of surviving.”  Wow, that sounds harsh!  I certainly hope companies considering a new employee and individuals considering a new job don’t use this definition when assessing the “fit.”

I expect there are many individuals out there who feel this way – adapting to their work environment in order to survive.  Whether you are an employer or employee, if you take a moment to think about this you will see how detrimental it is as it harms your business, your team, and your confidence.  Unfortunately, it still remains an all too common occurrence in the work place.

In my experience there are two primary reasons for turnover in a company: 

1. The inability to drum up passion or enjoyment for the job.  Perhaps there is a lack of inspiration or just a lack of desire to achieve more than you thought you possibly could.  This isn’t something that should be shrugged off as unimportant.  How you feel in your work environment is just as important as the work itself. 
2. Not developing connections to your team or company you work for.  Perhaps you don’t feel part of the corporate culture. 

Organizations and individuals can reduce turnover by paying more attention to fit.  Unfortunately, it can be the hardest part of the screening process as it is often times based on a feeling or a sense of belonging.

Consider the following in your process to help you assess “fit”:

1. Four Generations of individuals are working side by side in today’s workplace – the Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X’s and Gen Y’s.  Having an appreciation for the different work styles, perspectives and expectations of these generations will help in your assessment.  Do the responsibilities of the role, team and culture hit on some of the elements that are an ideal work environment for the person from one of these Four Generations?
2. Motivational Fit.  If you are interviewing candidates you are most likely engaging this type of assessment whether you are aware of it or not.  This is an important element.  After all, the best predictor of future success is past performance.  Ensure you include Motivational Fit questions in your interview process.  Simple questions such as “What do you (the candidate) find most satisfying about your work,” or “What brings you the most frustration,” or “Why did you leave your last job” can reveal great insights regarding a person’s likes or dislikes.
3. Meet the team...and then meet the team again.  As an individual considering a new opportunity you need to do your due diligence.  If you don't think you can connect or like the people you work with how do you expect to be successful or even happy?  As an employer, ensure the candidate has an opportunity to meet the team in a formal business setting and then again over a lunch or dinner (a meeting which is more informal is a great way for people to get to know each other).
4. Homework assignments.  This is an excellent way to determine the candidate’s interest and desire for the role.  Depending on the role itself, have them complete an assignment.  For example, if you are hiring a graphic artist, get them to create an image for your business.  If you are hiring a Sales Manager, get them to put together a presentation.  Not only will this allow the candidate to determine if your organization is a good fit for them (due to the research that will be required) but it will also demonstrate to you their passion, desire and interest in the role.
5. Finally, have a solid on-boarding plan you can commit to which involves the organization and your team.  The transition into a new job isn’t easy for anyone so anything you can do to ease the process will contribute to the success of your new employee and of your team.

Want more information on the Four Generations?  Read “Four Generations in the Workplace” by Karen Rae Short from the Canadian Management Centre.

One thing is very clear, when you hire a recruitment firm you need a candidate fast, but you also want the best in the market.  Most times you have worked the search on your own and hit a wall so to speak, or you have a highly sensitive replacement search on your hands. 

When you outsource recruitment you expect there to be a database of candidates available immediately and one important question you will ask is, “how long will it take to find my candidate?”  You may be hoping for the answer to be yesterday but the reality is quite different.

I don’t believe there is a recruitment firm out there that doesn’t want to fill an assignment just as quickly as you do.  Recruiters are busy, they have many assignments, candidates and, clients to juggle and remember most work on commission so they are as invested as you in the search.  The question remains then is whether or not you want the search filled quickly with A candidate or with the RIGHT candidate.  This is where your due diligence in finding the right recruiter is most important.

When a position remains vacant your company is losing money and the company stakeholders are hunting you down every day for an update on the search.  I may be stating the obvious but hiring the wrong Recruiter simply to get the job filled will lose you much more than money.

Consider the following domino effect when speed trumps quality: 

• The hired candidate may be leaving a very good job for what they believed was a better one but because of a quick interview process the right questions weren’t asked or important information was not provided.
• Due to the fast turnaround, the appropriate people aren’t involved in the hiring process which means they aren’t available to be a part of those interviews that would allow for such valuable information to be shared with your possible hire.
• You make the offer and the candidate starts.  Now you are spending time and attention evaluating, training, and re-evaluating  the new hire only to realize they may not be the right fit.  You may find yourself reaching the inevitable decision to let them go.  Now you have a replacement search on your hands.
• Sure you are likely to get a replacement search in the fee you paid to the Recruiter but now you might be incurring new costs depending on what’s in the contract.  Regardless, having to start again is in itself a reason to take the time to have a thorough process.

The honest truth is many engagements do take time to complete.  The candidate pool is tight in North America and some candidates are risk adverse right now; they don’t want to take the chance leaving a stable job. 

Here are a few things you can do to ensure the search moves along:

• Provide a job description to the recruiter.  If you don’t have one, put one together.  There are a lot of resources out there that have basic templates.  Or ask for the Recruiter’s help in developing one.
• Meet with the stakeholders in your company to ensure they are in agreement with the job description and criteria.  There is a world of difference between the “must haves” and the “nice to haves”.
• Meet with the Recruiter who will be filling the job and mutually agree upon a timeline.  Try to involve a few people from your company (this might be the Manager of that particular department or HR).  Whenever possible give the Recruiter a tour of your office.  This is great for the Recruiter to get a sense of the environment as the environment and culture is critical to the sourcing of talent.
• Ask for transparency.  By that I mean, rather than an update each week from the Recruiter that goes something like this, “We’re still having some challenges locating candidates, we have interviewed a few this week but they were just not right.  We are continuing the search”, ask these questions:
• Specifically how many candidates have you interviewed this week
• What were their backgrounds and what industry did they come from?
• Why are they not suitable or interested in the role?
• Specifically how many candidates are you interviewing next week
• What are their backgrounds and what industry did they come from?

I think you see where I’m going with this.  If these questions cannot be answered with confidence by the Recruiter then there could be a problem and your search may be longer than the agreed upon deliverables.  At this point you will know whether or not it is time to have a meeting and serious discussion with your partnering Recruiter.