I originally came out to Australia for what was meant to be a year, but 10 years or so later I am still here. I have spent that time going back and forth between England and Australia, working for a variety of different recruitment companies and in different sectors. Over this time, one thing has become very apparent to me with regards to the recruitment industry in both countries – Australia is a much better place to do work. This is a personal view point but the path I have taken…

In recruitment it happens to me all the time.  In the strangest…

Recognizing talent and potential in a candidate is critical for a recruiter to do well in the business. 

When you recommend a candidate for employment consideration to a client--the impression that candidate makes can define you as the go-to recruiter--or…

A question that we have been hearing on a regular basis is “Where do I get the technical skills I need to compete in today’s job market?” The obvious and expensive answer is college. However, there are many ways to gain valuable skills that cost much less and may even be free.

Create a plan!

So many people enter the job market without a plan. Before you send out one resume you need to think about the positions that you are applying for and what they will…

We recently reported on a proposed bill in the House that would require all American employers to use E-Verify.  A recent Human Resources Executive Online article provides more details about the…

A recent Workforce Management article has confirmed what Top Echelon Contracting already knew and has reported numerous times: older…

An interesting article on ERE.net discusses the qualities that help workers successfully work from home on "virtual teams." While the article is addressed mainly to employers, recruiters placing candidates who will be allowed or required to work on projects from home, possibly on a contract basis, can gain some helpful…

With hiring demand levels second only to Registered Nurses within the Healthcare sector, Physical Therapist positions remain difficult to fill, raising concerns about a talent shortage. It's not hard to understand why, given the 49% growth in new online job ads over the past 30 days compared to the same period in 2010. 

The sourcing difficulty is localized, of course, and dependent on the mix of candidate supply and hiring demand in a particular market. This is illustrated…

While the ultimate economic results of the debt deal remain to be seen, one thing is and has been certain: there will continue to be movement among employees who are actively seeking change.

A pre-debt deal survey by Mercer Consulting from June showed that nearly 1 in 3 employees was actively looking for new…

Every so often on this blog I like to highlight some of the companies that we work with that are doing some interesting things in their recruiting.  I highlight these companies as they are leveraging data and Talent Networks to drive innovation in their recruitment marketing strategies in a way that I believe can help other organizations potentially improve their recruiting processes.

Here are a few examples of companies that are utilizing their internal…

A lot of great content has already been written about Google Plus and how we can use it for recruiting (or networking if you are not a recruiter).  I continue to think circles are the key feature for those of us feeling unsatisfied with other social media platforms ability to organize and structure our contacts.  I wanted to give my take on how to really dig deep and use Google Plus to organize your online world.

1) Start Big - Huh?  Don’t people usually recommend starting small? Well…

Productivity in recruitment is totally linked to activity.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking anything else.

Yes, the quality of that activity is key, and whom you actually do that activity with is important too. But if you don’t do enough ‘stuff’, you will fail.

Take that as…

Interviewing is a 2 way street!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most staffing professionals, hiring managers, and others who do interviews seem to be under a misunderstanding as it relates to interviewing. They feel that they are doing the interviewing and that is all. They do not realize that the candidate is interviewing us as well.

When you are interviewing a candidate the candidate is taking mental notes of everything said,…

Canadian retailers continue to experience difficulty attracting and retaining talent. Not only are they competing with other retailers for candidates, but other industry sectors too; not…

After servicing 33 years with the Air Force and the past 19 years in the Recruiting and Retention fields, I now find myself employed as a corporate level recruiter for a government contractor. I recruit for various positions on military installations (aircraft mechanics, civil engineers, electrical engineers, etc.)  and most of the Hiring Managers want applicants with a military background who have experience in their related fields.

Does anyone know of any employment web sites that…

A great candidate experience is rooted in respect. Career sites are inviting and enthusiastic. Communications are regular and honest. Appointments are kept and interviews respect a candidate’s time. Applications respect the applicant’s time and privacy.

Why then, do so many online…

When you are building your Talent Network it is important to understand what types of recruiting contacts should be part of your Network.  Recruiting contacts can include those collected in dual purpose job ads, through sourcing campaigns, applicants that enter your ATS, social recruiting followers and most importantly your current employees.  One group of recruiting contacts that is forgotten and outright dismissed by organizations is your past employees.

When employees move…

There is a lot of well-intentioned advice cautioning job seekers from disclosing their salary history and / or requirements.  The wisdom (?) behind this is that you don’t want to get “low-balled” by asking for too little or be tagged over qualified by asking for too much.

So what’s the alternative?  Apparently you wait until the employer is ready to make an offer, and naturally you NEVER accept the first offer.  After all, who leaves money on the table,…