Search Results - deals

Blog Post: Why Use A Recruitment Agency - Benefits of using a Recruitment Agency for Employers: It’s no secret that for a substantial number of years the words ‘Recruitment Agency’ have perhaps been a little more than a tarnished phrase…; Added by Leigh Gillatt at 4:16am on July 19, 2019

Blog Post: Non-Monetary Incentives that BOOST Employees’ Morale: Make no mistake, employee performance incentives are a critical part of what makes a business successful. Traditional employee incentive programs are focused mainly on monetary rewards like…; Added by Phil Strazzulla at 3:21am on October 23, 2022

Topic: How to deliver quality headhunts that WILL win more business.: earch technique they can only aspire to understand one day, or those who think a few direct approach calls producing a handful of candidates will suffice. In my opinion both are wrong. Conducting a headhunt does take application and an ability to see things through, however the skills required aren’t that far away from contingent recruitment. However making a few calls producing a handful of candidates is not a headhunt, and certainly will not result in loyal clients who will call you with their next senior appointment. The ways the headhunting businesses I’ve built conduct their assignments are to excel in two very key areas. Fill the position with the very best possible candidate available Do it in a way the client feels they’ve had real value for money and come back for more! What is a genuine headhunt? My definition of a genuine headhunt is where you as a recruiter identify all the professionals possible who fit the criteria of the person specification for the headhunt you’re retained on, and make direct approaches to every single one possible (and that’s not an Inmail on LinkedIn!) If your headhunt assignment is a “generalist” headhunt i.e. not sector specific, this is one heck of a task. But even for a market specific role this means not only the clients sector but also any allied sectors where someone might exist with the skills that match your job brief. This means being very, very thorough and delivering real quality, which is the big differentiator. For the purposes of this blog I’m going to deal only with sector specific searches, because these are the most common and the type I get asked about the most. The generalist headhunt is for another blog. Also for this blog, I’ll keep it focused on how to deliver a headhunt, not sell one (again this is another blog). However, I will touch on some aspects of search delivery you will use to sell to your client, so if you want to learn to sell search read on, this blog might help. The mind-set for first class headhunt assignment delivery. The vast majority of recruiters are brought up to believe getting a candidate placed is the most important thing, not necessarily getting the best candidate for your client. Just fill it fast, get paid, and spend your commission! Yes this can make you a big biller in contingent recruiting, but it does mean you’ll always have to do new business as you won’t get as many repeat, loyal clients as you need. My ethos has always been quality, quality, quality. This ethos delivers clients who value you and return that with loyalty, your positive reputation spreads, and hey presto you spend virtually all of your recruitment day just filling assignments with clients ringing you every time they want a new hire. This is how I became such a big biller, and was reflected in the culture of the recruitment businesses I built. I also feel recruiting with quality as the main driver is a far more enjoyable and rewarding way to work. This is also why I think I found moving to headhunting so easy; I had the right mindset. If your client is going to give you a third of the fee up front and pay you a 50% higher rate than you get for your success only work, believe me they will expect quality. This is not just the quality of candidates you put forward, but the whole process needs to be so much better than your usual candidate search. So if you’re the sort to see tasks through to the end and/ or don’t have a resourcer to do it for you, then you may struggle with the delivery aspect. There’s no room for “that’ll do” in true search delivery. Sorry if this has put you off, but this is a blog to help you complete searches in a way that I have experienced will generate regular repeat business from your client, not hit and run recruitment. Where to start. During the sales process you should have sold to your client that you will not only show them the list of target companies you will headhunt from, but also a report to show who you have identified and what their responses were to your approach. This is important in the sales pitch because it reassures the client that they will be able to see what they get for their money. It also transforms your intangible “trust me” to that of substance. Showing your client the source company list is great for both sides. This allows the client to remove any companies that a) they don’t respect and so wouldn’t take someone from, b) have too good a relationship with to headhunt from and c) any group companies you may have unwittingly included! This saves you wasted time, plus it reassures the client on the work you’ll be doing on their search. The latter is extremely helpful for two reasons: - a) Your client is far more likely to leave you alone to get on with the headhunt rather than asking for constant updates. b) Your client is far more likely to take someone from your shortlist, secure in the knowledge there are no other places as a recruiter you could’ve looked. This second reason is key; having the millstone round your neck of a client who has paid you a retainer but expects you to do the search again because they’re not satisfied with your shortlist is no fun at all. So you need to do all you can to get your client to see the shortlist you present as the very best they could possibly get, with no doubt there may be more out there. Word of caution. Before you show your client the list of target companies, here’s a clever little safe guard. Compile your list, then name gather on that list of companies BEFORE you show the list of companies to the client. “But I thought them seeing the list first saved me time?” you ask. Yes, but it could also leave you open to looking like you don’t know your market, plus a search report list with lots of companies with no names identified to headhunt. Your list of source companies should cover every single company out there that could contain your placement/candidate. To put this list together, in addition to your sector knowledge, you will have to use Internet research to cover all bases. In doing this you are open to old or misleading information e.g. businesses that have gone bump or changed their name, one-man bands and businesses that purport to be in the sector you’re targeting but in reality it’s only a tiny part of what they do. If you do your name gathering and research before you give your list to your client, you have a far higher chance of eliminating these businesses out. It also means you’re only presenting companies you can actually gather names from. Some companies you may come up against a brick wall in identifying who in that business can do your role, or there being no one in the company who undertakes that role. So finding this out first, and taking these companies off your list removes those conspicuous gaps with no name next to any companies on your report. Lastly, you can be picking up market info during this process. So when you give your client the list, if they ask any challenging questions on your market knowledge you’re more likely to have the smart answers ready! It’s also good practice to go through the list with your client and probe for any candidates known to them in these companies they wouldn’t take, any they’ve already spoken to, and importantly any they know of that they rate. Again, another way of saving yourself time. You can also be quite smart in dropping a few names into the conversation you’ve picked up at the name gathering stage and look even more well connected! To present your list to your client, ask that they add or omit any businesses from the list and “sign it off”. Getting them to sign off or OK the list means they are semi committed to your list as the only place you need to conduct your search, leading them to be far more likely to simply choose from your candidates shorltist, safe in the knowledge you’ve looked everywhere. ###################################### Name gathering Otherwise known as mining for candidates, but regardless of what you call it, it’s compiling your target list of people to approach. How to name gather well is a key subject and will be influenced on the type of role you are headhunting on and the sector. It could also be another blog as it is a skill in itself. But for as much as illustrative purposes I’ll touch on a few techniques to get those names. Call the company This is where I prefer my recruiters to start. It’s too easy to rely on LinkedIn, often this info is old, candidates use poetic license to describe their role, and wont allow you to be thorough. Lazy recruiters rely too heavily on LinkedIn and you can’t be lazy if you want to deliver a quality headhunt. So start with ringing the company and using whatever story you think best to get the info of the name of person or people that cover the role you’re headhunting on. You may want to pretend to be a potential client, trade association or discipline association. Simply be creative to gather the name(s) you need. Depending on the role, I’d suggest you find out who else is in the surrounding roles in case they also fit your spec. LinkedIn Yes still use LinkedIn, it is an amazing tool. You can check out the profiles of “people similar” and “people also viewed” to those you’ve identified on the phone that could also be right for your job. Google Playing around with search terms, look for job titles in the sector, discipline directories, and trade directories. Again depending on the role, there could be some smart search string to use here. Also boolean searching … Some of the good database systems will allow you to Boolean search through their interface, and there are also other tools that conduct long tail Boolean string searches from a variety of sources all in one place, a good example is Source Hub. To x-ray search LinkedIn yourself directly via Google (particularly useful at the moment if you don’t have some of the higher level LinkedIn subscriptions to access full profiles of 3rd degree connections). Use the below command followed by any additional search phrases such as job title, skill or location, separated by the syntax operators (), “”, AND, OR. ((site:www.linkedin.com AND (inurl:linkedin.com/pub/ OR inurl:linkedin.com/in/)) AND -dir) ********************************** Do you show the client the populated target list? You can show your client the list of names identified before you make your calls, however if it’s a new client I’d probably hold back. The reasons for this is, on the odd rare occasion it can lead to reminding your client of someone they “know”, commenting they’re already in conversation with the prospect when in fact its someone they know is right for the job and they’re kicking themselves for not tapping them up before retaining you! Also as it’s the first time they’ve used you for a headhunt, they may read your list thoroughly and spot some mistakes you’ve made in the name gathering or some of your web research maybe out of date and which will undermine their confidence in you. One you’ve conducted one or more searches for your client I would suggest showing them the list, by then you should have built trust and respect so the above shouldn’t apply. How to make the headhunt call. Since the advent of LinkedIn, it’s handy to have it open on the target candidates profile for every call. This way when you do get into a conversation with the target candidate you can drop in details of their career to sound like you’ve really done your research, so inflating their ego plus gaining respect for your work. It can also help if they aren’t interested, to use the follow up referral question “I understand you used to work at ABC company who there in your opinion would be best suited to this role”. How to make your approach call. We all know most candidates complain about “recruiters pestering me all the time” so this can bring on the PPI call syndrome i.e. they just fob you off without even listening to the fantastic new employment opportunity you’re offering them . The pre pitch intro should at the very least get past this ever increasing PPI call syndrome, plus it may not actually be convenient for your target to concentrate on what you’re saying so if you pile into your pitch you could lose a great candidate who’ll just fob you off. The pre pitch intro is your greeting and opening hook of what the call is about, before you sell the opportunity to your target candidate. As an example, below is a standard intro I have passed on to some of the headhunters I had in my businesses to use as a starting point. The reason I say starting point is, I do recommend measuring the ratio of success of call-to -interest in your pre pitch intro, then altering your pitch, measuring again, and over time honing a pitch that has the best call to interest ratio for you and your sector. “Good morning/ afternoon Mr. /Mrs. X or Christian name (your sector will generally prefer one of Christian name or Mr. /Mrs. so you choose) we’ve not spoken before my name is Joe Bloggs, I’m a specialist headhunter for the ABC sector. I’ve found specialist headhunter gets the attention more than recruiter. “The reason why I’m calling you is I’ve been retained by one of my key clients.” Keeps the senior headhunter style going. “to search for the very best person possible (optional insert of generic role e.g. in the Design arena) for a role that’s pivotal to the growth of their business.” This bit may need some finessing depending on your role but make sure you pump up your need to find the best talent, and a phrase that ups the importance of the role in your clients business. “You’ve been recommended to me as being highly regarded in this area.” People love to think someone else is saying good things about them hence the recommended and the phrase highly regarded. “and I wanted to speak with you about this role, is now a good time to speak?” As you want to speak with them about this role even if they’re not interested in the role themselves, hopefully you’ll have pumped up their ego and your headhunter status enough they’ll still be happy to talk more to you, which may lead to a referral, them as a future candidate or even better a future client. This might need to be adapted depending on the role but it’s a very good starting point. Try using this against your usual intro and measure the ratio of success, adapt and find the best one for you. Do you initially leave a voice mail? I prefer not to so I would suggest you try a few times, and leave no message . But this can’t go on forever, so you will eventually have to leave a message. I’d also vary between calling from a landline, mobile and even a second mobile number. If your office number is withheld a lot of people now won’t take anonymous calls to avoid the dreaded telesales of PPI, plus if you have alternate numbers you can use you won’t look like a stalker! To increase the chances of a return call, I try the vanity card again; “Hi Christian name (Mr. or Mrs. will sound like sales call) you’ve been recommended to me can you call me back on” and leave a mobile number. They won’t always call back but this isn’t a bad way to increase your chances through intrigue. The second blog in this series of two covers: The headhunt call to get the highest interest to call ratio How to interview the candidate in a way that creates business and gives you plenty for your interview notes How to present your client with the shortlist in a way they see huge value and commit to interviewing all your shortlist And finally how to add the real value to ensure your clients come back to you every time for more. - Written by Davidson Gray Managing Director Rhys Jones. Rhys’ experience has come from progressing from a big billing contingent recruiter to a successful headhunter and onto building two Headhunting firms. Rhys sold out of those businesses in 2014 to focus on working with recruitment start ups with every one to date being a success.…; Added by Rhys Jones at 6:38am on March 18, 2016

Blog Post: 275 Creative Employee Award Titles for Recognition [2022]: Managers often focus their energy on ensuring employees live up to customer expectations and facilitate movement in the needed direction. But, exceeding their employees’ expectations of…; Added by Phil Strazzulla at 10:18pm on November 6, 2022

Blog Post: Account Management: what is it & best practices: Establishing excellent client relationships is one of the cornerstones in building a thriving business, but achieving that can be a daunting task on account of how stiff competition can be and how…; Added by Phil Strazzulla at 7:31pm on November 5, 2022

Topic: Meet Larry Gonzales, 20 Year Veteran "Blessed To Give Blessings": te Photography, Cooking, Good Wine, Reading Interests: College Football, Art (Impressionist, Old Masters, Roden's sculptures), World History Favorite Music: Everything from The Beatles to Hendrix to Opera to Lady Gaga Favorite TV Shows: CSI Miami, Csi Vegas, Leverage, Love Saving Grace!, Burn Notice, Damages, Discovery Channel, ESPN, Favorite Movies: Casablanca, All About Eve, Citizen Kane, Trading Places, Errol Flynn Movies, James Bond, The Princess Bride, Jason Bourne, Tombstone, Armageddon, Army Of Darkness Favorite Books: James Patterson, John Sanford, Of Mice And Men, Osterman Weekend, Dostyesky, Dante's Inferno, The Prince, The Art Of War Favorite Quotations: The Proverbs of Solomon: "The only fool bigger than the person who knows it all, is the person who argues with him", "Youth is wasted on the young", "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something" • Office/Cell Number 408-838-0637 • Personal Email Larry Gonzales is actually a colleague I worked with when I consulted at Palm. Unfortunately, as a virtual sourcer I never had the honor of meeting Larry face-to-face, but his reputation then as it remains now was well established as a 20+ year veteran of the staffing industry. I was well informed of Larry's formidable resume - a man of all seasons: experienced in the design, implementation and administration of recruiting strategies, staffing planning, and process improvement programs. Larry has managed a recruiting departments, including budgeting, metrics reporting, and recruiting technology. He has a broad working knowledge of HR practices including compensation, performance management, diversity, branding, and employee retention. Larry is proficient in federal and state employment practice regulations, applying and interpreting employee-relations policies, Affirmative Action, Diversity Hiring, EEO-1, VISA Processing and employment law. His Specialties include the following: Mobile Device Engineers, Human Factor Design, Media Designers, Mobile TV, PC-TV, Embedded Software Engineers, Home Entertainment Solutions, RF Engineers, CDMA handset, Risk Management, Sarbanes Oxley Compliance, SAS70, Specialized areas of finance (AML, FAS109/123R, SOP97-2, and SEC Reporting), Sales/Business Development, and Product Marketing. Q&A with Larry Gonzales Six Degrees: Tell us of your home world. Larry: I am fortunate to be married to a beautiful and wonderful “Texas Girl”. My wife and I were born and raised in Texas and regardless of how long we live in California, we will always be Texans! Our fourteenth wedding anniversary is coming up next week and I thank God for blessing me with such a great partner in life. I have been involved in charitable fundraising since I was in Middle School. Although the charities and my levels of participation have varied over the years, I feel it is important to give back. My minister always reminds us that “We are blessed, so that we can be a blessing”. I am a cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with cancer in January 2003 and through the efforts of prayer, positive attitude, and the fantastic physicians at Stanford Medical, I have been cancer free since May of that same year. After my full recovery from chemo and radiation, I focused on supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through TNT. I decided to train and participate through Century Bike Rides. I hope to become a mentor next season and help train (mentally and physically) new participants to the program. I am an avid reader of fiction/mystery along with many business periodicals. Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry? Larry: I have been in the staffing industry for over 20 years dating back to index cards, real cold calls, and ruses. Six Degrees: How did you get started as a recruiter? Larry: Like many of us, I never expected to go in to the recruiting. I had been working for AT&T, designing and selling telecom systems for the transportation industry. I primarily handled air transportation to include airports, airlines, and airline sales offices. I was referred to a “headhunter” that was looking for someone with my background. When the opportunity did not materialize, my recruiter asked me if I would be interested working for her company. I told her that I would rather be a “pimp, than a headhunter”. Famous last words! Needless to say, the reputation garnered by headhunters in those days was less than respectable. She nurtured the relationship and had me meet with the owner of the firm, which was based out of Atlanta. I also meet with all (12) of her colleagues in the Dallas Office. I found myself drawn to the group and to the challenge the job represented. About 90 days later I ended up working for her firm. Since then my experience has included agency, professional services, corporate, and RPO environments. I have held individual contributor, director, and managing partner roles. Regardless of title and responsibilities, I have always been a hands-on contributor. I am a person that gets easily bored, so the ever changing world of technology has been my salvation. To be successful you have to stay abreast of technology trends, understand the industry and known how it applies to business. This requires research and a certain amount of trial and error. Typically, experience helps you shorten your ramp up time to production. You have to continually learn to excel. One of the keys to my longevity is that I always try to specialize. I choose the hottest or up and coming technology and become a subject matter expert. Through the years, I have supported specific software and hardware technology. I get involved in SIGs, Alliance Groups, and conferences. I do not want or expect to be everything to everybody. A “Jack of all trades is a master of none”. However, my experience allows me to talk intelligently across many disciplines. I am equally adept at discussing the hardware design of mobile devices to financial audit and SOX compliance. Right now the mobile device industry is still very strong and within the Silicon Valley area you have a large mix of industry leaders and start-ups. Even with the high unemployment, almost all of my candidates have multiple offers. Find your niche and work it. Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career? Larry: Moving to San Jose in January of 2000 and suffering through the highs and lows of the dotcom era probably affected my life the most. I relocated from Texas and had never really gone through a downturn in business. The economy in Dallas was very diverse and not dominated by any one industry. Even the oil and gas industry represented only about 10% of the total employment population. So when one industry stalled, you had others as backup. 2002 was a rough year. You saw many recruiters leaving the industry (for the mortgage broker industry!) and we see what inevitably happened to them. You also had a large group of recruiters that held on to the belief that they were actually worth the outrageous rates they were being paid before the bust. They would not even think about going to work for less than they were previously making. I find that arrogance is a very ugly trait. I think that it is a combination of at least 3 of the 7 Deadly Sins (Greed, Vanity, and Pride). I think most of us in the recruiting business learned or reinforced our idea of the value of humility. Do you have a mentor to whom you attribute your overall outlook on recruitment, capabilities, and/or model your career after? Larry: I often recall the story about the headhunter that got me in to this business? Her name is Dee Jabaut and she exemplifies all that is good in our industry and in life. She is a valued and loyal friend and everything that I would hope to be in life. She is a consummate professional, wonderful parent, always gracious, diligent, charitable, and patient. Six Degrees: Tell us about your position, (responsibilities, size of your staffing organization) : Larry: I have spent the last three years primarily in an individual contributor role. My responsibilities have included project management, client manager relationship, sourcing, recruiting, and new business development. Six Degrees: (A) What other companies' recruiting operations do you admire or have heard are best-practice examples? Larry: Without firsthand experience, it would be hard to designate who has the best recruiting practices. If you look at the top 25 in Fortune’s Best Companies to “work for list”, I had heard horror stories about some of their staffing organizations. Regardless of the success of the company, I think that the overall candidate experience is vital to managing employee branding. Whether or not the candidate is hired, what they tell their circle of influence is ultimately important to the future of their recruiting. I think that this is even more magnified with the advent of applications such as Twitter and Facebook. I think that it would be a healthy, although not practical exercise, to make corporate recruiters interview externally at least twice a year. This would remind them how it feels to be on the other side of the equation. I also feel that the true measurement of recruiting comes 90-180 days after the hire. Measuring employee and manager satisfaction, employee performance, and attrition are key metrics. There are definitely some companies that stand above the rest, companies where employee and customer loyalty rank high. I admire companies like Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods, Frito Lay, Qualcomm, Ernst & Young, and Boston Consulting. (B) In what aspects are they superior? Larry: Branding, internal and external. Treatment of employees, quality products, and customer satisfaction. Six Degrees: What recent general news story or industry trend do you feel will have an impact on your work in the future? Why? Larry: More tech firms innovate in Silicon Valley but sell overseas! Companies that focus on mass market (China, India, Africa, and South America) are finding greater success. “In down economic times, every company should be thinking: Do I have my balance right? Instead of spending so much money on marketing in some of these depressed markets, some of that should be diverted to parts of the world that are not as negatively impacted.” These markets have typically been ignored. Successful examples are companies like Telegent Systems, Ruckus Wireless, UTStarcom, and Legend Silicon. Six Degrees: Tell us about your broader involvement within the staffing industry: Larry: Outside of local SIGs and affiliations with IEEE (The Consumer Electronics Society and The Antenna and Propagation Society), I have been regretfully reticent. I have been focused on international recruiting to include EMEA, Africa, India, APAC, and South America. I do plan on attending the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next year. Six Degrees: Can you detail how the recession has affected your particular industry niche? Larry: I am fortunate that my current client has not been greatly affected by the global economic downturn. We have been actively hiring for the last 14 months and have aggressive hiring goals throughout 2010. Six Degrees: Aside from simply the generic term “Networking” what specific efforts have you made on your own behalf, or on behalf of colleagues to broaden your opportunities. Larry: Over the last three years I have intentionally built out my Linkedin network by industry segment, targeted companies, and international exposure. That foresight has allowed me to actively search for my current needs. It is an evolutionary process or one might say intelligent design! It is better to be in a revolutionary rather than reactionary mode. Six Degrees: Given your own Trial and Error experiences as a Networker, what advice do you have for your peers on what NOT to do? Larry: Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Most people are willing to help you achieve your goal if you ask politely. Aristotle stated that “man is a political animal, meaning an animal with an innate propensity to develop complex communities”. By nature we want to help people, preferably if that help doesn’t require a great exertion of time and energy. Using Linkedin as an example, if you use the route of requesting an introduction in order to present an opportunity, most people will forward that introduction when approached professionally. Granted, the degree of assistance increases with the proximity to the person we are helping. Of course for expediency, you should simply try calling your intended candidate. People are also more willing to help if you are offering value to their cooperation. Whether that is an offer to help a friend, an offer to help them in the future, a monetary offer, or sometimes a simple thank you. Remember not to be demanding or too persistent. I prefer the term, gently persistent while trying to achieve a goal. Six Degrees: What is your next career goal? What do you need to do to get there? Larry: Ideally I would like to secure an opportunity as a staffing director/manager. The best position I have ever had was managing and mentoring a staffing organization. I like being responsible for the overall talent acquisition process. There is a great deal of satisfaction growing your own company. That is the one element missing from project based staffing. I need to find a start-up or small company willing to give me the opportunity to run their staffing organization. Either that or a regional staffing management position for a large international corporation. Recommendations For Larry “Larry is an excellent and very professional recruiter. He is very dedicated, hard working, committed, and driven to results. I’ve had the chance to work with him at Palm as a technical recruiter for my system electrical engineering design team. He was very thorough in his search for potential candidates and has successfully provided quality candidates. He is excellent in identifying good candidates and recognizing their talents and the fit in my team. He is very proactive and follows up with the candidate regarding interview schedule, information about the position, feedback, and negotiating offers. He also is very good in communicating with me regarding progress and updates. He is definitely a pleasure to work with and an asset to a company!” November 11, 2008 Bernadette Lozano, Hardware Development Manager, Palm “I worked with Larry in two different ways. First of all, he was instrumental in getting me hired to my current position at Palm. Larry was in Palm's HR/staffing department but it almost seemed like he was my own recruiter. He always kept his promises, followed up on time, and worked hard to meet or exceed my requests. Even after I accepted the offer, Larry followed up with me and wanted to know if there was anything he could do. This has definitely been my best recruiting experience so far. Secondly, Larry also helped me find candidates for an open position at Palm. I have been very pleased in his abilities to provide me with candidates that matched the job description.” August 25, 2008 Thorsten W. Hertel, Sr. Antenna Design Engineer, Palm “I am appreciative to Larry's consistent and thorough search for candidates during this critical time for our project to find qualified candidates. Larry did an excellent job following up with the candidates to arrange for interviews, giving feedback and negotiating offers. Worked closely with us and he is proactive in returning e-mails and phone calls.” July 13, 2007. Top qualities: Expert, On Time, High Integrity Sameer Haddad, Sr Staffing Consultant, Spansion “I had the opportunity of working with Larry at Spansion, a leading supplier in flash memory. Larry is a seasoned recruiting professional who brought leadership and stability to Spansion’s recruiting team. As a senior technical recruiter Larry’s focus was in the device space, which is a very difficult area to recruit for in the semiconductor industry. Larry established solid relationships with hiring managers, was a valued business partner and was able to consistently met expectations. Larry was definitely a team player and a pleasure to work with.” October 30, 2007 Wayne Widdig, HR Manager, Spansion “Larry supported our Connected home and mobile device business at Motorola. In a short period of time, Larry was instrumental in making several critical hires on a high profile project. I found Larry to be a strong E2E staffing professional. Moreover, the clients (hiring managers) found him to be a valuable asset, identifying highly qualified candidates for hire.” October 23, 2007. Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, On Time Nick Mailey, Staffing Manager, Motorola “Motorola hired Larry through his company i-Hire to do some recruiting for us in the N. CA and S. CA areas. I found Larry to be very professional, have good technical knowledge and deliver great customer service in a timely manner. I would work with Larry anytime.” July 22, 2007. Top qualities: Personable, Expert, High Integrity Lynda Harris “Larry is excellent to work with and is results oriented. He is very responsive and professional and knows his business.” July 13, 2007. Top qualities: Personable, Expert, Creative Leo Barnes, Staffing/Business Development Manager. RemX IT “Larry and I worked together to staff one of my projects. I found him to be a joy to work with under demanding deadlines in a high pressure environment.” December 28, 2006. Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity Scott Wright - hired Larry more than once “Larry is a professional in the true sense of the word. He has an uncanny ability to communicate and understand conceputal issues at all levels. Larry gives 110% to ensure the project you are assigned is satisfactory. It has been a pleasure working with Larry and I will be glad to do so in the future.” August 2, 2006 Manoj Goyal, Independent Consultant, Squar Milner Reehl Williamson, LLP “I relied on Larry to staff two critical roles in my company's Marketing organization. Through Larry's diligent search capabilities, his attention to my specific criteria, and his follow-up throughout the negotiation process, I recruited two "anchor" members of our current team. They significantly deepened my team's bench, and both exhibit the capability to advance to higher leadership roles.” January 9, 2006 Kristin Jordahl Hansen “I have had the pleasure of working with Larry over the past year. He is not only well polished but also has a high level of integrity. Larry has proven to be a very effective recruiter and account manager and thus is within the top 2% of producers at our company.” April 13, 2005 Chris Stewart, Account Manager, RemX IT Staffing “I was first introduced to Larry when his company brought a recruiting plan to my organization to help us source hard-to-find technical jobs and fill positions that had been vacated due to the dot-com frenzy. Larry led the effort as project manager and offered workable solutions that allowed us to surpass our hiring goals. Larry gets results because he is a professional recruiter who knows technology and offers exceptional customer service.” October 2, 2007. Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, Good Value Brenda K. Brown, MS “As a manager and leader, Larry is someone who is committed to developing your skills and knowledge. He's the type of leader that likes and wants to help you out as much as he can. He's a great listener and is very empathic. I know that he has grown a lot of valuable relationships because of these characteristics. As a Sr. Level recruiter, Larry is the best I know. He's a great networker, aggressive, and is very creative in finding the right candidates.” October 1, 2007 Racquel Cariaso, CIR, Recruiter, eJobs “Larry is always focused on the task, ready to do whatever it takes to get the job done. He's an exceptional leader, as well as a committed team player.” June 22, 2007 Garry King, several, Ejobs…; Added by Dave Mendoza at 11:31pm on August 9, 2009

Blog Post: Employee Perks & Benefits: 20 Ideas, Types, & Examples: In today’s candidate-driven market, employee benefits and perks can be the difference between attracting and retaining top-performing talent and losing them to the competition. So you’re probably…; Added by Phil Strazzulla at 2:33am on October 21, 2022

Topic: Transitioning from Military to the Workforce: of IQTalent Partners, Chad Sowash the Vice President of Direct Employers, and Sean Kelley a Staffing Director at Microsoft, discussed the challenges organizations have faced in recruiting former and active military members, and having them become a successful part of their organization’s team. For some organizations the difficulties lie in finding the right recruiters to recruit, hire, and place veterans within their organization, but for others - it’s matching the individual veteran skill sets to the right job. According to the panel, the challenges of recruiting and transitioning veterans into an organization can be contributed to: · The service members/veterans special mindset: the military is a community built on trust and if trust isn’t established - or worse, broken - focus is lost. Meaning although veterans may be a part of your organization they won’t perform well until they feel they are part of a team they can trust. This mindset - although closely related to that of any organizational breakdown, are as follows: o Organization: Know who you are working for o Mission: What are the job objectives o Unit: Who is on the team · They’re looking for ways to mesh: it often becomes difficult for veterans to transition back into the workforce because of the “total team/trust” mindset, the effect of the action they may have seen and/or been a part of, and their total dependency of the military community they were surrounded by during their years of service. This makes it hard to relate to their civilian co-workers of non-military status who often work fiercely independent of others. · Underutilization: some of the biggest issues organizations face are they don’t know how to access or use the hiring resources and tools at their disposal in their effort to recruit veterans or, worse, they don’t fully understand and leverage the veterans’ transferable skills and knowledge to the benefit of the civilian workforce. To stem off these difficulties the panel suggested recruiters learn to translate the value of a veteran (literally) by understand the jobs and trades they’ve accrued during their military training and to familiarize themselves with programs the veterans underwent during enlistment. They also need to learn how to translate the many skill acronyms in any veterans CV. In order to do this, companies will need to “enlist” and train recruiters to understand and translate acronyms for the Military Occupation Codes (MOCs) - to meet service men and women halfway in their transition back into the civilian workforce and if at all possible provide an inclusive environment for the service men and women to become a part of. The panel provided examples of the some of the best hiring tools recruiters could use to discover the jobs and skills the military offers: · Military Crosswalk Search: http://online.onetcenter.org/crosswalk/MOC?s=MOC · DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms - http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/dod_dictionary/index.html · and even Acronym Finder: http://www.acronymfinder.com/ Columnist and writer Paula Santonocito covered these tools in her “TMT Talk” blog postings on TalentManagementTech.com titled “Acronyms for Everything”: http://www.talentmanagementtech.com/community/blogs/1005/646_acronyms_for_everything.html The most resourceful site by-far (suggested by panelist Chris Murdock) is the Military Crosswalk Search, which provides a detailed description of the Jobs, Tasks, Education, Work Context, and so on, preformed by the veterans. A highly useful and powerful tool provided by O*NET OnLine which was created for the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration. Also suggested by the panelists was to connect with the local veteran representative at both the State Employment and or the local Armed Forces recruitment offices in order to open the doors more easily for the veterans and help them find your organization and jobs which help them transition back into civilization. By working closely with these representatives, organizations can quickly become known as vet-friendly employers. Another concern - which can be deterred by using the above resources - is the level of job engagement transitioning veterans face and the underutilization of their transferable skills, which cause them to feel underutilized and leave the organization. To understand their goals, their skills, and how they understand the “mission” is what makes for a successful on-boarding of veterans into the civilian workforce. Take the time to listen and have at least one military-friendly hiring manager who, like the government, recognize military members are and could be your most powerful asset by leveraging their military training and education, building on the four principals: · Loyalty · Respect · Honor · and Teamwork Here is what VetJobs founder Ted Daywalt has to say about the benefits of recruiting and hiring veterans: “Since the founding of the United States, veterans have played the major role in ensuring the freedoms of our country. While defending America veterans have obtained a myriad of skills, which sets them aside and identifies them as sought-after top employees, which is why the VetJobs byline is Veterans Make the Best Employees.” He continues to say veterans make the best employees for the following reasons: Proven Leadership: Veterans were put into leadership roles at early stages of their time in the service. The real world, front line and often battle proven leadership developed in the military is well beyond that of a similar person in a civilian job. Mission Focused: Every member of the military is used to working in an environment that is focused on the mission at hand. They are not clock watchers, but rather are focused on what it takes to be successful in their mission. Team Players: From the early stages initial training, all members of the military are used to working in a team environment. Some teams are small, others very large, but all members of the team know that their individual efforts are to support the team in reaching the larger objective. Work Ethic: The work ethic of veterans is unparalleled due to the need to depend on each other for their lives. Every military person knows that their life and success depends on their team mates. As a result, the work ethic of veterans is vastly stronger than the most civilian work ethic. People who have served in the military are used to working long hours in non-traditional environments. Training and Education: Today's military veteran has been trained in nearly every occupation imaginable, with a strong emphasis on technology. Most of the training schools of the military that teach technology, leadership, sales, management and operations surpass those available to civilians. Immediate Contributor: Veterans, through their proven experiences in the military, become valuable contributors from day one of employment. Veterans are used to being challenged, encouraged to demonstrate initiative, think quickly on their feet and give recognition for performance to those who earn it. Background Checks and Security Clearances: Over 90% of those in the military have had extensive background checks for various levels of security clearances. When you hire a veteran, they are less likely to become a risk to your operation. And if your company requires security clearances, a veteran can save you a great deal of money on special background investigations since the veteran can be transferred in status. Post Military Education: Most veterans continue their education upon leaving the active duty military. Consequently, there is no job done in the civilian work force that cannot be done by a veteran! Ted went on to say “Since these men and women are the individuals who have made it possible for America to have freedom and a free enterprise society, hiring a veteran is the right thing to do - and can only benefit your organization.” About onrec Expo (THE Recruiting Conference) onrec Expo is Onrec.com’s annual international recruitment conference featuring a wide range of industry-specific topics from the top thought leaders and industry experts - and with the 2009 acquisition of Kennedy Information's Recruiting Conference and RecruitingTrends.com, onrec Expo has effectively become the must attend recruitment conference of the year - rebranding themselves as THE Recruitment Conference. A division of the Tarsus Group - an international B2B media company creating industry-leading events, publications and online media since 1998 - Onrec.com is the world's leading information resource for Human Resource and Recruiting professionals, and is the accompanying website to Online Recruitment Magazine, which takes an in-depth look into recruitment and industry suppliers - helping corporate recruiters, recruitment agencies, and suppliers find the best resources available through a range of media and services. A growing portfolio supported by Tarsus Online Media, features educational and networking products in the talent management, HR and recruiting sector including; TalentManagementTech.com, RetentionInstitute.com, TheRecruitingConference.com, RecruitingTrends.com, and Onrec.com. For more information on THE Recruiting Conference, contact Anna Brekka at anna@Onrec.com or go to www.therecruitingconference.com 2010 Exhibitors and sponsors included: ZoomInfo, GreenJobInterview.com, Monster Worldwide, Human Resource Management Center (HRMC), Impact Achievement Group, AfterCollege, Q4B Mankuta Gallagher, Maximus Workforce Solutions, Conrep, Talent Hog, Glassdoor.com, Bond Talent, Beyond, Qualigence, AIRS The RightThing, AccuSearch, Broadlook Technologies, CollegeRecruiter.com, KellyOCG, MBA Focus, VetJobs, Dice, Alumwire, Dillistone System, Simply Hired, Jigsaw, Madgex, disABLEDperson, Futurestep/The Newman Group, Shaker Recruitment Advertising & Communications, ChicagoJobs, The Value of a Veteran, Sheila Greco Associates, Ivy Exec, Wanted Technologies, Career Corner Digital, FINS, TweetaJob, BountyJobs, Networked Recruiter, CKR Interactive, SmartBrief Jobs, Corp Shorts (RezBuzz), SkillSurvey, and Arbita…; Added by RD Whitney at 3:56pm on October 18, 2010

Blog Post: 2022 HR Trends and Predictions from the Internet - Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, HR Tech, Remote Work: As we embark on another year, we are optimistic on the technological developments and improvements on existing processes in the HR domain. Here in this article, we take a look at all the trends…; Added by Phil Strazzulla at 4:23am on November 1, 2022

Topic: Meet Chris Hoyt, 'Gadget Addict' & Dabbler; Associate Director of Talent Attraction at AT&T: itter link • facebook link • Chris Hoyt's "Recruiter Guy" Blog • Favorite Things: UFC, Music, Fitness, blogging, and French Bulldogs • Email Chris Chris Hoyt is one of RecruitingBlogs.com greatest cheerleaders, however in his day-to-day corporate leadership role, he will tell you he likes to 'dabble' in social media. He is being modest. He isn't merely discussing the social media as a phenomenon, but as someone who is leading its full scale integration within a corporate workforce strategy. At AT&T, Chris and his online personae, "RecruiterGuy" are pushing the boundaries of each aspect of the full-cycle model with a matured sourcing model that likewise integrates search engine marketing and optimization to his candidate development arsenal. He is one of a handful in corporate America who can speak with authority on the topic but here at the RBC Community he has always been that 'one in a million' who lives and breathes passing it forward and beyond for a profession he is passionate about. On a personal level, he is passionate about a great many things, be it his 'dabbling' or his earnest advocacy for charitable causes such as "Bowl for Kids' Sake Event." AT&T managed to raise more than $30,000 to sponsor kids taking part in the Big Brother Big Sister program. In just under two weeks almost $1,600 was raised through using social networks and blog driven communications. Introducing a Social X evangelist and self proclaimed "Gadget Addict" - someone we can all learn from and with ... our Community's friend and evangelist, Chris Hoyt. (Visualize a Kermit the Frog intro clap with Muppet Show Theme Song!) Q&A with Chris Hoyt, aka: RecruiterGuy Six Degrees: As the Associate Director of Talent Attraction at AT&T and a certified HR Professional, Chris I understand you have over a decade of recruiting and training & development experience. You lead the AT&T Talent Attraction teams with a focused concentration on Interactive Recruiting, Candidate Experience, and regionally based strategies. You are recognized as an expert at external recruitment of Occupational and Corporate Management candidates; e-Recruiting; Candidate screening and interviewing; Salary negotiations; Longstanding SHRM Member; HRCI PHR (Professional in Human Resources) Certification; and HTML, ASP, FLASH, Web Development. A lot of "Wow Effect", Chris - but today, we want to learn about what makes this "RecruiterGuy" tick. Chris its time we at RBC learn about your home world. Chris: I’ve been married for almost 15 years. We met in Monterey, CA where she was on vacation with her mother and I happened to walk by a store where she was trying on shoes. I was immediately lost in her. I went into the store and struck up a conversation with that somehow resulted in my helping her shop for shoes for over an hour. When she finally asked me where the cashwrap was I had to confess to her that I didn’t work in the store but was in reality just wanting to take her to dinner. (I still feel like the sales person owes me some major commission!) We were married 7 months later at Lover’s Point just blocks from where we met and now have two beautiful daughters ages 8 and 11. I'd be lying if I didn't say that much of my spare time during the week is spent trying to keep up with the latest trends and technologies that touch our industry. Outside of trying to keep my finger on the pulse of our craft I'd have to say that I enjoy golfing, flying, river rafting - almost anything that is outdoors. At least once a year my family takes a vacation where we try and embark on some sort of outdoor adventure. These are typically wonderful times together but rarely go as planned. Our previous trip to Lake Tahoe was when the fires forced an evacuation of the camp grounds the day we arrived. We ended up spending a week on Pismo beach riding four wheelers instead. Even our last vacation as a family might have been hard for some to deal with as we were rained on nearly the entire week. Problem for us? Not at all... we had a terrific time. Honestly I think we'd be surprised if a single outing went according to plan... Surprised and maybe even a bit bored! Six Degrees: How many years have you been in the staffing industry? Chris: I’ve been doing recruiting or sales and recruitment training since 1994. It wasn’t really something that I’d planned on doing but was something that I found I was really passionate about and as a result of that passion, pretty good at what I was doing. Of course I think that's the way things are for most people... if you're really passionate about what you're doing, and hungry to always improve it - how can you go wrong? Six Degrees: How did you get started as a recruiter? Chris: It's funny... I've never met a recruiter that said they knew from a young age they wanted to be a recruiter. It just doesn't happen that way. While at the time it seemed unconnected, I look back now and every career step to this date just makes sense. It started when I got out of the Army. I’m a veteran of the US Army – B Co. Rangers, 5/21 7th Infantry. My duty station was Fort Ord, CA and when my enlistment ended I had decided that I wanted to stay in California. I started school right away and took the first job offered to me – which was at a leather coat store. Within my first 7 months I’d sold over $1m in leather jackets and apparel so they quickly moved me into management – There's a Peter Principal joke in here somewhere. I’ve always enjoyed networking (translation: gift of gab) and it wasn’t long before the stores I was responsible for were staffed with the strongest sales persons and managers in the district. I soon found myself traveling from market to market to train recruiting and sales teams which later transitioned into self employment, speaking/training jobs and full-time contract recruiting. While I was a contract recruiter with a passion for process improvement it was obvious to me at that point that I wanted nothing more than to try and change the way most corporate or HR departments looked at the recruiting craft. One job led to another and I was recruited to AT&T in 2000 to be a contract recruiter responsible for North Texas. After 7 fun and challenging years I'd worked my way from being responsible for Northern Texas to leading the strategic and tactical recruiting teams across the country. Six Degrees: What single event had the most impact on your sourcing/recruiting career? Chris: My embracing the Internet. I’ve always been a huge fan of networking and making real life connections. But when I really started to use the Internet for sourcing in 1999 it was a breakthrough for me. It was when I managed to gain two hires from digging through a company’s round robin call list discovered Online that I got REALLY excited about how the Internet could be used to change what I was doing. The idea then was the same as it is for me today - the Internet continues to be a powerful tool that can be used to create introductions that otherwise might not occur. Of course the real connection and relationship is up to the recruiter to forge - a high speed modem doesn't build a relationship. It's always really interesting to me how many recruiters or staffing people often miss that part of the puzzle and lately tend to treat the Internet and technology as though they are a complete solution. Being connected to the web doesn't mean you're connecting to your potential candidates. Anyhow... I’ve been pushing as hard as I can in a direction that leverages technology and online initiatives for recruitment and hiring ever since. Six Degrees: Tell us about your role and the staffing organization you oversee. Chris: I’m the Associate Director of Talent Attraction at AT&T. I lead both strategic and interactive recruiting teams and sourcers and have responsibility for our Interactive Recruiting Strategies (SEO, SEM, Social, etc.) various Recruitment Marketing initiatives, our new award winning Career Portal (www.att.jobs), and Job Board strategies. My teams are responsible for the sourcing and attraction of any job seekers for non-contracted external hiring efforts. Six Degrees: (A) What other companies' recruiting operations do you admire or have heard are best-practice examples? Chris: There are some really good ones out there.... but two that come to mind I guess would be Best Buy and Microsoft... I'm a fan of the Best Buy career site because I love the way they’ve embraced social media as a tool for recruitment with video, social bookmarking, and how it seems to be a pretty accurate reflection of their corporate culture. Of course if I'm not mistaken the career section of their site is driven by the Jobs2Web engine. So what I really love is the almost seamless integration of the SEO initiative into their brand. I'm big on SEO/SEM initiatives and think many employers are still too slow to embrace these powerful strategies. I'm still a huge fan of Microsoft's "The Changing Face" site (http://www.youatmicrosoft.com/) and it's because I think it's the absolute best job I've seen of pushing employee testimonials to active and passive job seekers. Microsoft is always a fun employer to watch when it comes to recruitment marketing online but I just feel they nailed it with the YouAtMicrosoft.com site - from the site navigation to the talking Polaroids to the direct contact forms... just awesome - top notch and something to keep in mind when reworking an employment site for sure. "AT&T 'Day In The Life' of a Corporate Call Center employee. Jobs video production by: www.maddash.net " Six Degrees: What is your next career goal? What do you need to do to get there? Chris: I feel that I'm in a place right now that has taken some hard work and dedication to achieve and where it's sometimes overwhelming to take a step back and really take in the scope it's impact. Leading recruiting teams at a FORTUNE 9 employer is as challenging as it is rewarding - and I'm thankful every day that I'm here and able to make a difference. But I'd be a liar if I told you that I'm not always working towards a next step... taking recruiting and employer brand to the next level is my primary focus here of late. I know when people ask this question they often expect to hear a job title or scope of responsibility as the definitive career goal response. I don't think I've ever thought of my career planning in that way - for me it's been about setting an impact goal or evolutionary change to a process as a way to measure effort and success. In this case, I like to think I'm working towards the evolution of how large companies view the recruiting craft and the incredible impact that employment brand can have on various business initiatives outside of just talent attraction. “HOW DOES CHRIS DO IT?” Six Degrees: How many applicants at your present employer do you estimate are hired from your corporate website as compared to how many are hired through referrals? Chris: Employee referrals continue to be my favorite hiring source. We've seen our employee referrals account for nearly 90% of our hiring in some markets while on a national recruitment level see still impressive numbers of applicants within the 40% range. To be clear however - the real win with employee referrals for any company isn't typically just the volume received. If you ask various companies that have successful employee referral programs or processes in place why they love the programs, I think you'll get solid answers tied to reduced cost per hire and an awareness about the job or corporate culture that most referrals have BEFORE they even come in to apply. Even during times when we weren't offering any rewards to our employee body for submitting referrals we continued to see incredible numbers of referrals in locations we were hiring. When you love where you work and you believe in your company's goals and vision I think you want to share that - and I think our continued success with our various referral channels proves just that. Six Degrees: What is the source of your "LOWEST COST OF HIRES" - (least amount of invested resources for the easiest hires, regardless of quality) at your present employer? Chris: Employee referrals are always an awesome source for any recruiting initiatives to compete with. I'd have to tell you though that outside of employee referrals any company would be hard pressed to prove to me that they aren't showing an amazing amount of reduced cost per applicant through Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization efforts - if done well, of course. While we continue to see trends that show job seekers starting their job searches in search engines and social or professional networks it only makes sense to move initiatives in the right direction. Smart recruiting is like playing hockey in that your goal is to skate where the puck is going as opposed to it's current location. Wayne Gretzky was the person that originally said that about hockey, by the way. As a hockey fan I just love to fit it in whenever I can. Six Degrees: What types of training in sourcing/recruitment are available to you and have you taken advantage of? Chris: Our recruiters and sourcers are always on the lookout for new and innovative sourcing and recruitment strategies and tools. Various webinars are attended and as a rule each recruiter typically attends job board and applicant tracking software training courses as refreshers almost quarterly. I think that many of our teams take full advantage of blogs and newsletters from respected sources in our industry to try and stay on top of their game. Of course any chance to attend conferences with classes or sessions hosted by people like Susan Burns of Talent Synchronicity, Michael Marlatt for innovative recruiting trends, or Craig Silverman are always a bonus. It's great when a recruiter comes back from a session or webinar that really carried a powerful lesson or message and see how they share it with their teams. Six Degrees: What recruitment software tools do you use in your day to day recruitment activities; do they translate effectively within all of the different countries where you recruit? Chris: There's a basic answer to this that might be what most would be looking for as a response... Just naming our Applicant Tracking System and any applications we use to aid in search, right? It's no secret that by visiting the AT&T career portal you'll see that we've quite a few of our jobs posted in Taleo. It's also no mystery if you're a reader of my blog or have followed me on Twitter for any amount of time that I'm a fan of AIRS Sourcepoint for some of our sourcing initiatives. These are great... and yes, they're software tools - but they're really not where the true power strokes come from for some of our more impressive recruitment and sourcing. Want to know what the big hitters in our arsenal are? I'll tell you - and you might be surprised. The Yahoo! and Google search engines are powerful when we're rolling up our sleeves and sourcing tough titles. Mobile marketing initiatives like the AT&T Talent Network and our mobile shortcodes are showing really impressive results across the board. But when it comes to asking me what tools we use that really make a difference and if they're making a difference for recruiting regardless of where or who we're searching for... I'd say it's our use of our recruiter's professional networks hands down. We know that relationships and trust are the power behind any good network and we leverage that knowledge daily. Six Degrees: What tools (technology or old school file folder, for example) did you first encounter early in your recruitment career? Chris: My first filing technology was Franklin... A huge Franklin organizer with a smaller one to accompany me when I was "mobile" recruiting. Of course back then "mobile" recruiting was recruiting on the road or simply from office to office. From that I advanced to using a word processor and email - and upon the discovery of how to use email folders online I've been in love with the "cloud" based file folders ever since. The strongest tools I had in my toolkit when starting was a handshake, a business card, and the ability or willingness to listen to people in order to find out exactly what they were really looking for or where they might be a great fit elsewhere. When the internet really started to become part of my everyday recruiting activity it was Snap (will anyone remember that?) Webcrawler and Yahoo! although I'll admit that while I knew these would be huge in our industry I wasn't really sure how at first. Of course initially the content just wasn't there to source from like it is today. Six Degrees: How do you personally expect to facilitate change within our industry, and/or at your place of work? If you started that process, outline the problem, your solutions, and the vision. Chris:I'm not sure that I expect to individually change our industry at all. I feel like I'm more interested in helping truly engaged recruiters and sourcers to simply think bigger about what we do and the tools we use to get our jobs done. If I can think of a way that a tool like customizable search engines or simple newsreaders can be used to make recruiters more efficient or mobile or collaborative - and share that - I know that it will be expanded upon. There are so many really smart people doing what we do that if given a solid idea or direction we can hope they'll run with it and as a result advance our industry. We see things advance from a good idea into a great practice for many. I think the biggest challenge is encouraging recruiters to find their 'voice' and share those thoughts and steps forward. I get 3-4 emails for every comment found on my blogs. It's fascinating to me how many great ideas or insightful items of feedback I receive that just don't get pushed to me publicly but instead come in via direct email. Think of your favorite social network and how many members it has versus how many truly contribute to the open content found there. Imagine how much faster our passions would develop - how much more efficient we might be - if just 20% more of each network's population chimed in and publicly contributed. Six Degrees: What are some of the frustrating aspects/obstacles to your day to day as a staffing professional and in general? Chris: The most frustrating thing I've ever run into within our industry is when a person or group of people has the unwillingness to think bigger. I want to be clear that I don't fault anyone that truly doesn't have it in them to try and think or operate outside of the box. What challenges me is when I meet a recruiter or manager that could do so much more or collaborate so much more effectively if they'd allow themselves to let go of that old "if it ain't broke" mentality. If we all thought that way nothing would ever change or advance and I'd still be lugging around a giant binder to scribble down names of people I meet. I'd probably venture to say that unwillingness to change or the lack of passion to drive change are probably the most common themes of strategic and/or tactical mishaps involving HR and Staffing organizations everywhere. Six Degrees: Considering all of the frustrations you have experienced in your career as a recruiter, -- what inspires you as you continue in your career? Chris: When I run into people that are as passionate about our craft as I am. I'm inspired when I meet people that aren't so hung up on finding new technology as much as taking advantage of existing technology in different ways. It's not often that you run into an Amitai Givertz who can see what today's tools mean for tomorrow's recruiters - and facilitate that in a way that almost anyone can follow. Seeing someone like Jason Davis create a powerhouse social network as large as recruitingblogs.com because he saw a need and ran with it... These are the things that inspire me to keep thinking and moving forward. We need more of these guys - not just more of the great thinkers but the great do'ers. Six Degrees: Anything you want to plug? Chris: I suppose I'd plug the new AT&T Talent Network (http://att.jobs/talent.aspx) where people that sign up receive mobile and email updates about employment news and opportunities with AT&T as well as monthly prizes like Guitar Hero, a Flip Video Camera and mobile devices. VERY cool new program that's in it's second month. I'd also love if people would stop in at my personal blog, RecruiterGuy.net, and take part in the conversations or just connect with me on Twitter or LinkedIn. I love feedback on everything we do and never turn down the chance to connect with someone whenever possible. Six Degrees: How Are You Going To Change The Recruitment Industry? Chris: With the help of everyone else... and one idea at a time. "Dennis Smith from www.wirelessjobs.com stops in on RecruiterGuy for a quick chat about RecruitingBlogs.com."…; Added by Dave Mendoza at 12:12am on March 23, 2009