Feeling powerless is one of the darker aspects of being human. Whether you’re a parent who can’t stop an illness from ravaging your defenseless child, or you’re at home on the couch watching a television newscast about the latest violent attack in the Middle East, you all—we all—experience powerlessness at some point during life. Much of it, like incurable diseases, can’t be…

Here’s a fact about the jobs at your company that you may not like: they’re a commodity. You might think that what you have to offer is unique and the position you’re filling is like no other. You may believe your work environment is novel and the culture you create in your workspace is special. While this is partially true, in that every company is slightly…

Are staffing companies and recruiting firms still seen as a necessary evil?

According to an October 2015 report byStaffing Industry Analysts, buyers gave their primary staffing suppliers a Net Promoter Score of -4%. A measure of customer loyalty, these scores can range from -100% to 100%.

As a point…

Where there’s a will there’s a way. Your job, as a leader, is to pave the way. 

People often have good intentions. They intend to source more candidates, make more calls, or hire faster.

Intentions alone frequently end in things staying the same.

A desire to change is never enough. That’s why companies have leaders. A leader’s job is to marry intentions with execution.

It’s been said that “the road to hell is paved with good…

More of what we need or want can be acquired right now or just minutes from now. From downloads to deliveries to services on-command, the rise of the on-demand economy has made speed not just a competitive advantage. For doing business it’s a requirement.

When it comes to hiring, however, some people don’t…

Leadership requires taking chances and making on-the-spot decisions. Often, leaders make the right choice. Sometimes, they blunder.

Francis made such a blunder. In rebuilding his recruiting team, he hired not just one, but two people who ended up being bad hires. Making matters worse, several people, including his boss, advised against hiring them.

Filled with…

There’s an “affair” going on and it’s not just a tacky television series on the Showtime network.

Thousands of people are deemed unfaithful every day, including:

• Hiring managers who circumvent their corporate recruiters.
• Managers who work…

Research has demonstrated the inefficiency of multitasking. Gorillas drive home the point.

Okay, not real gorillas. Just the one in the suit featured by Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons in their book, The Invisible Gorilla. The authors explain inattentional blindness—why people don’t notice the unexpected.

In a series of examples (including the story of a …

The CEO of Uber recently posed one of the most important questions leaders can ask about their own organizations.

Appearing during the first week of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Travis Kalanick was asked about the future of Uber. He focused on Uber Eats, an on-demand food delivery service being quietly rolled out in select cities.

Colbert, in his patently playful manner, acted as though he didn’t understand. How could Uber effectively…

Leaders are often frustrated that they have to repeat themselves. Are the recruiters and other staff members on their team not listening?

No, often, they are not.

Short attention spans have gotten shorter. We have just nine seconds to capture someone’s attention. And only 30 seconds to share our full message being tuned out.

Less is more when it comes to being masterful in conversations. Being a “soundbiter” will have more of your direct reports listening, wanting to…

While Miley Cyrus made a similar sounding word famous for all the wrong reasons, Talent Turking is a different set of moves that allows companies to reduce their Labor Factor, the amount of time and effort necessary to generate viable candidates and fill jobs. Decreasing the Labor Factor is a key move in achieving Lean Recruiting—increasing the speed and…

Effective recruiting and hiring in the world of business is a lot like fielding a team in Major League Baseball (MLB).

According to the baseball rule book, on any given day, each major league team in North America can suit-up 25 players. But that doesn’t mean each team has only 25 players to choose from. In fact, they have more. Many more.

Every major league…

One perversion mindset is a top contributor to time-to-fill reaching a new, all-time high of more than 27 days:

Fear It

These fears include:

• The department head who fears it’s too risky to hire someone who is anything less than a perfect fit.
• The talent acquisition leader who fears that increasing hiring speed will negatively impact accuracy.
• The staffing firm manager who fears it won’t be worth it to offer risk-free offerings…

Many leaders want to be more decisive, but don’t know where to start. This video will show you how.

In addition, be sure to take the Leadership Deficit Test, which is mentioned in the video.

No one likes to be controlled. Which is just one reason why staffing and recruiting professionals must avoid this flawed practice.

Watch the video to learn more, including a better way of managing the buying and hiring process.

Click here to view.

In an organization, an empty seat is like an open wound. It’s a painful distraction that interferes with the business’s core mission.

When there’s an empty seat, the work must either be redistributed or left undone, resulting in stress, costs, delays, and lost opportunity, as well as lower revenue.

What’s more, hiring to fill empty seats can take weeks or months, adding strain and extra costs.

This is why I’ve launched a new LinkedIn Group, called …

Can your company instantly fill any open seat? When you achieve a zero time-to-fill, which I call ZERO-TO-FILL, you can.

A new LinkedIn Group, called ZERO-TO-FILL, is now adding members who will support one another towards this goal.

Members of ZERO-TO-FILL are committed to hiring that is faster and more accurate. Our shared vision? All jobs and assignments get filled with quality talent the day they open.

WHO MAY JOIN ZERO-TO-FILL:

• Staffing and recruitment…

We live in an on-demand world. Every day, we access more and more products and services at the click of a mouse, touch of a button, or by dialing our phones. Many companies have installed apps, websites, and other devices allowing their employees to order food, report updates, and procure supplies the moment they are needed. This same convenient access must be applied to acquiring talent.

“Downloading” the next hire should not be a reactive process where people access resumes to begin…

“If you’re lucky enough to live in an Instacart zip code, you’ve already experienced the sheer joy of ordering Costco via your phone and having it delivered to your door two hours later,” states Leah McKelvey, Sr. Director, Sales & Partnerships at ClearEdge Marketing. “Have services like Instacart shifted expectations on the professional side too? Yes”

In a recent …

I bet many reading this share my love of great coffee. We each go to a particular coffeehouse, knowing that our desire will be satisfied. Our loyalty is born out of the quality of the brew and being able to get it each time we walk in the door.

However, let’s say that next Monday my go-to provider runs out of coffee. No problem. I just grab a cup of inferior joe at the office.

On Tuesday, the same thing happens. They run out again. No time to stop somewhere else, so another mug…