Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Robin Harpe on March 17, 2011 at 3:37pm

Joel, let me know how I can help you further...or if you want to chat....I love helping others transform their passion into Performance...

Joel C. Riet said:

Thanks Robin, you have some great stirring insight in a nutshell, I had no idea I would run into so much helpful information with starting this forum. I'm so glad I did!

Robin Harpe said:

Joel:  Fabulous advice.  When I counsel clients who want to "fire their job" one of the first items to discuss is how long can you remain afloat before you will get nervous (how long can you afford this).  And, what are the alternatives.  It appears to me you might have jumped into this without first making a solid business and marketing plan.  You are now an Entrepreneur and their mindset is different than the traditional workforce.  I interviewed Barbara Corcoran, star of Shark Tank and NYC Real Estate expert (you may see her on the news stations).  We discussed being an Entrepreneur and she advised that not everyone should be an Ent. and that the real definition is someone who jumps off the roof and builds their wings as they fall.  She also said those folks who want you to plan, plan, plan first before starting are the MBA types.  So, I'm guilty of that part and you certainly fall into her definition of the Ent.  So, now what do you do --- you set down for a couple hours and really think why you are unique, what you have to offer, what kind of customer service you bring to the table --- and then armed with your plan (including your financial forecast) you note how many calls it takes to get # of qualified resumes that will be presented to the client and offered the job.  You do those activities (calls and searches) before you do anything else; you send time on your business and marketing after you have completed calls daily.....and that right now includes the weekends until you fill your pipeline.  Praying doesn't hurt either as was written about Faith.  And, never start your day before you finish your day!! Jim Rohn always preached that you must plan your day tomorrow at the end of today -- and you are ready to hit the ground running tomorrow morning.  I'll add put the tasks in priority order - doing the things you don't want to do first before anything else.  I successfully went from the Corporate HR world to the recruiting - headhunting world - to starting my own career coaching business on the side as an extra offering......You can do this too --- just keep in mind WHY you are doing it, never lose that focus.

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Permalink Reply by Michael Della on March 17, 2011 at 3:45pm

Joel

Helpful Hint:

I would advise you to save every search string you have ever used in a running log list for future jobs of similar descriptions.

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Albright on March 17, 2011 at 3:53pm

I've given this some more thought and tried to put myself in your shoes.  Here is the one thing I would do right now.  You see - with 3 job orders you might not have quite the laser focus you need.  They need to be evaluated and prioritized.

 

I would do this based on a few things more important to your success than their actual fee amount.

 

The first thing you MUST have right now is cooperation.  Call all three.  Don't email them or text them.  Call them and let them know you want to stop in for a quick hello.  Leave only one message.  I'd maybe follow up a few hours later with an email.  But that's all.

 

Of the three - hopefully one will be open to a cup of coffee.  Go there.  Drop whatever you "think" you need to be doing and visit them.  1 hour drive.  9 hours.  Doesn't matter.  Get there right away. 

 

Show up looking sharp.  Pay attention.  Smile to everyone.  Be courteous.  Let them know how much you appreciate the opportunity to help them build their team.

 

I would recommend against showing any sign of desperation (not saying that you would....) or "need" in any way.  Show confidence and knowledge.

If none of them want to see you - uh, sorry, but you don't have any job orders......

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Goldman on March 17, 2011 at 5:08pm

Best of luck to you, it's a big decision to go out on your own.

 

My company is going through a transition.  We are highly specialized. We are signing a retained contract that will give us the opportunity to work in areas in which we have little experience. For example, IT.

As the assignments come in, I would like to have recruiters that we can call on to fill them. You must be able to work directly with the hiring authority, and not HR.   We'll give you the assignment, and introduce you to the company, you then take it over. All orders are either retained, or exclusive/with commitment.

I am looking for strong individual recruiters to rely on, and perhaps small firms can get involved.

Let me know if you are interested in chatting.

 

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Permalink Reply by Barbara Goldman on March 17, 2011 at 5:08pm

Best of luck to you, it's a big decision to go out on your own.

My company is going through a transition.  We are highly specialized. We are signing a retained contract that will give us the opportunity to work in areas in which we have little experience. For example, IT.

As the assignments come in, I would like to have recruiters that we can call on to fill them. You must be able to work directly with the hiring authority, and not HR.   We'll give you the assignment, and introduce you to the company, you then take it over. All orders are either retained, or exclusive/with commitment.

I am looking for strong individual recruiters to rely on, and perhaps small firms can get involved.

Let me know if you are interested in chatting.

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Permalink Reply by Joel C. Riet on March 17, 2011 at 6:45pm

Hi Barbara,

Thanks for reaching out to me, I would be interested in discussing. My email is joelr@theaddogroup.com or send me your contact. Lets chat!

Barbara Goldman said:

Best of luck to you, it's a big decision to go out on your own.

 

My company is going through a transition.  We are highly specialized. We are signing a retained contract that will give us the opportunity to work in areas in which we have little experience. For example, IT.

As the assignments come in, I would like to have recruiters that we can call on to fill them. You must be able to work directly with the hiring authority, and not HR.   We'll give you the assignment, and introduce you to the company, you then take it over. All orders are either retained, or exclusive/with commitment.

I am looking for strong individual recruiters to rely on, and perhaps small firms can get involved.

Let me know if you are interested in chatting.

 

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Permalink Reply by Kelly Callahan on March 17, 2011 at 8:34pm

Jerry, check out this database (http://www.catsone.com/).  You can get a free version or subscribe for $39 monthly.  I have been using it for a few months and like it.

 

I have recently gone out on my own as well so I can relate to your challenges. I planned for a 6-month ramp up and I think that anything less is unlikely.  Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

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Permalink Reply by Richard Stephen on March 17, 2011 at 9:09pm

Three months is not time at all. Give yourself a chance.

However, if you did this to get more downtime maybe you should find a role you can do part-time with an established firm, as you will still reap the bonuses should you be successful.

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Permalink Reply by C. B. Stalling!! on March 18, 2011 at 11:40am

Get a baby sitter for your kids if you are to make it you need to focus...

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Permalink Reply by Thomas Patrick Chuna on March 19, 2011 at 3:46pm

 

Most important thing is to draw up a plan, and hold yourself to it. You already know how to make placements, so now it's a matter of effective time management and self control.

 

Are you any good at pushing yourself? how about organization? If you are going to work from home, you must above all be self propelled , disciplined and have cooperation from the family. 

 

Spend the morning marketing MPC's to places that can hire them..if you have one niche, set a goal of X amount of reachouts per morning.. phone or email is ok, doesn't matter, just get started..if you have two niches, give each one X amount of reachouts for an equal number of hours.

 

Spend the afternoon recruiting for the positions you have. If you don't have any resumes flowing in yet, keep digging for companies to pick people from. Remember, there are companies you've never heard of, that have the people you want, it's just that they aren't on linkedin, or on facebook, or in this or that directory, so be a digger of information.

 

Then head off to the part time job..it's difficult, but sometimes necessary.. do what you have to do, but be sure you are always doing the important work of looking for candidates, and looking for homes for your candidates.

 

You have three kids right? biggest problem with working from home is the family who lives there with you..you need to have discussions about boundaries..as in, nobody interrupts dad when it's phone time, for any reason. some wives and significant others have a hard time accepting that you are actually at work when you are working from home.. guys who work third shift experience this too.." but you're home all day. you have to handle the kids / household repair / whatever"...it can get ugly unless you lay down some rules.

 

here's the flipside..for the right to isolate yourself from your family for X amount of time to pursue your dream, you damn well better be pursuing it hard..no web surfing for stupid crap, or watching TV or picking up dog poop in order to avoid phone calls.. not saying you do that, but every home based guy ( not just recruiting) I know has these issues in some form or another...and when you promise that "saturday we are going to the zoo", don't let them down. their time is their time, and your work time is your work time, that's how it works. 

 

about the three months and no placements - it could be the economy, it could be your niche, it could be a lot of things, but the only cure i can think of for that is to have more going on...do more..expand into more niches, or go deeper in the one ya got, and do it consistently, and things should happen much more quickly.

 

 

 

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Permalink Reply by Robert on March 20, 2011 at 12:07pm

Hi Joel, 

 

I started my own firm in October (A&F also). This may or may not help you but here is what I did.

 

1. Bought Maxhire for $98/month. I feel much more comfortable with a solid database.

2. Bought Careerbuilder for $600/month.

3. Set up standard searches in CB to quickly populate HM with candidates from CB.

4. Bought in all my Linkedin contacts to MH db.

Upgraded Linkedin account

5. Did memory jogs to enter any and every name I could remember (entire career!)

Called everyone to seek assistance and referrals

6. Hired graphic guy for $500 to make a website, logo and business cards

7. Set up arrangement with an EOR (payroll service) so I could do temp placements with no cash outlay

4-5 temps can generate $25k plus in revenue (takes the pressure off to at least have some income)

8. Reached out to every warm contact to announce my transition

8. Review daily leads on Indeed

Find contacts and market candidates every day

9. 12 hours 6 days a week - commit to 1 year at this pace.

If your ready to quit after 3 month then perhaps you did not count the cost.

 

So far for me 4 Direct placements and 6 temp placements 10 current open orders. 

 

PS

I waited until empty nest to go out on my. I don't see how I could do this with kids at home with me.

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Permalink Reply by Joel C. Riet on March 20, 2011 at 10:23pm

Hi Robert,

 

Thanks for your feedback, reading this is inspiring, especially coming from people who are living it. You have some  great ideas for me to consider in my plan. It does make it easier to run your own business with no distractions, however I also want to get this going while I'm young! (kind of)  :)

Robert said:

Hi Joel, 

 

I started my own firm in October (A&F also). This may or may not help you but here is what I did.

 

1. Bought Maxhire for $98/month. I feel much more comfortable with a solid database.

2. Bought Careerbuilder for $600/month.

3. Set up standard searches in CB to quickly populate HM with candidates from CB.

4. Bought in all my Linkedin contacts to MH db.

Upgraded Linkedin account

5. Did memory jogs to enter any and every name I could remember (entire career!)

Called everyone to seek assistance and referrals

6. Hired graphic guy for $500 to make a website, logo and business cards

7. Set up arrangement with an EOR (payroll service) so I could do temp placements with no cash outlay

4-5 temps can generate $25k plus in revenue (takes the pressure off to at least have some income)

8. Reached out to every warm contact to announce my transition

8. Review daily leads on Indeed

Find contacts and market candidates every day

9. 12 hours 6 days a week - commit to 1 year at this pace.

If your ready to quit after 3 month then perhaps you did not count the cost.

 

So far for me 4 Direct placements and 6 temp placements 10 current open orders. 

 

PS

I waited until empty nest to go out on my. I don't see how I could do this with kids at home with me.

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