The Recruiting Blog | People First Recruiting

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

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

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For this, my very first blog post, I thought it would be appropriate to touch on the Art of Networking.  I feel the topic is especially fitting as I (and approximately 450 others in Winnipeg) will be attending the upcoming Manitoba Business Summit 2013 on June 12th and 13th at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.

As someone that relies heavily on networking to be successful in my career, I’ve learned from experience that it’s always a good idea to have a plan of action and to set goals prior to a networking event.  It can be a simple goal; maybe it is based on the number of contacts you want to make, or the number of business cards you want to collect.  Or maybe it is more detailed and in-depth such as connecting specifically with those that have captured a niche market in your industry.

I recently came across this article on 6 Secrets to Better Networking at Conference on LinkedIn and thought it was a great approach for getting the most out of networking at a business conference.  These “secrets” caught my eye because most are tried and true though I'm not sure I’ll be wearing orange runners to the event (though I will definitely be doing or wearing something that makes me, in a professional manner, stand out from the crowd).  I also think it is very solid advice to research the speakers and attendees ahead of time.  I have done this myself for the upcoming Business Summit conference that I will be attending and it is a very well received approach.

Taking the preparation a little further for a networking event or a conference is to prepare a list of questions you might ask based on the backgrounds or industry focus of the attendees.  You will also want to brush up on any recent news about the industry so you can prepare questions that are current and relevant.  Some basic questions to have prepared:

• What do you think about {insert topic based on your research}?  Will this effect your company and in what capacity?
• Tell me about a business plan that you are undergoing at the moment?
• What is a business goal that you have for the next year?
• What is the biggest challenge that you face in your business?
• What is the most exciting opportunity that you foresee within your business over the next year? 

Asking these types of open ended questions is a great way to articulate your interest in getting to know this person.  This will help you better identify whether or not you can be of service to them.  After all, the focus should be on how you can help them, not on you and your needs.  After your questions have been asked, think about and be ready to convey exactly how the product or service you have to offer them is relevant to their needs and how you can help them.

Finally, approach the event with an open mind and don’t put so much pressure on yourself to meet everyone in the room.  Set realistic goals and have a strategy in place to achieve those goals.  Most importantly, remember to have fun in the process! 

~Linda Chammartin