Its a funny recruitment world we live in these days. Funny, in that so many new consultants (and to be fair the managers who teach them) have grown up in a world dominated by email, and on-line recruitment systems.

Gone are the niceties of speaking with people. Gone is the ability to influence and sell. Gone is the opportunity to differentiate and build real…

With the age of social media having arrived and planning a lengthy stay, more and more employers are using the platform to screen potential hires. As a result, are there any legal ramifications to doing such?

It is a given in today’s technologically driven world that people are going to place comments and photos on social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. without always thinking before they post.

In turn, employers are turning more to social networking…

I’ve had a few run ins, albeit friendly exchanges of banter, of late with a few pro social recruiting types. Obviously it’s difficult to explain ones self fully in 140 characters or less so I thought I would take a bit longer to explain my stance.

I make no bones about it – I like social media. I said as much over 2 years ago in a blog that picked up on Ricky Gervais’s flounce (he’s since come back as we all know). Indeed I have gained business I would never have otherwise…

When looking at recruitment technology, the first thing you need to answer why you need it.  You need to determine the “what” in terms of the actions and functionality you need it to provide in order to successfully implement your recruitment marketing strategy.

I encourage you to sit down with your recruitment team and brainstorm.

• What do you do today that could be…

For those of us that are basketball fans we are experiencing something great in Lin-Sanity Jeremy Lin Story.  What a story… Lin goes from sleeping on the couch not knowing where he will be sent next, to starting 5 games and hitting a shot in the final seconds.  We are seeing something very special.  They say in…

I'm hearing about this more and more and would be interested to see what's going on with RBC.

During the first half of 2011, we saw the hiring demand for Recruiters increase steadily. However, at the end of 2011, we saw the volume of job ads for staffing professionals decline. We were hoping this was a seasonal trend, and that hiring would increase again in 2012. It looks as if it may be starting. In January, more than 6,100 jobs were advertised online – that's a 26% year-over-year increase compared to January 2011.  It is also close to the 2011 high which was seen in August 2011…

We all use phones all day long, we speak with clients, we talk to friends and loved ones, we call colleagues and suppliers.

We are more than happy to speak with people we know, but when it comes to calling someone we don’t know, even the most hardened sales-people can go weak at the knees.

If this sort of thing makes sales-people nervous, then I know its not…

Obviously, you have to focus on activity, and numbers, but when bringing new recruiters on and during the first few years, what balance works best when asking them to turn in numbers?

I've seen some recruiters so freaked out about not hitting the required number of connects that they decide the job is too stressful.

I've seen other recruiters who don't track the numbers and it's not clear if they are making the desired number of connects either,…

Firstly it’s important to remember that your cover letter is your introduction/preface, it is almost akin to the first steps into an interview room.  It’s the first impression we create so we must remember it is important to make it a good one. The main purpose of your cover letter is to entice the reader to want to learn more about you with a view to actually reading through your CV.…

Of course, other background checks may also be a judgment call.  When an employer or staffing group is recruiting candidates, minor criminal records may not necessarily mitigate a candidate's performance or his ability to behave himself on the job.  The previous criminal record, if not too overwhelming, may relate to youthful folly or love gone wrong.  It may relate to the one mistake he made in his life and has since cleaned up his act.  He is now the reputable citizen, has worked hard for…

First impressions are important when it comes to job seeking, and an email address can make quite a first impression. Often times, the email address is the first thing a hiring manager sees – before even seeing your name! Before you send out your next resume, consider what your email address alone might say about you. Do you “appear” professional?

As most job…

Every occupation has its thorns - as do most roses.  "The shade goes with the tree" so says the farmer. 

Recruiting is sales and sales make things happen.  If you like helping clients and candidates move on to greater results, you can love recruiting with all of its warts, frogs, and Cinderallas.

Howard Frankel

We all wish we’d worked for Facebook or Google or Intuit or HP before they went public.  We’d all be retired by now, or close, or funding our own new ventures.  But as some smart jerk says, hindsight is 20-20.  How can we identify start-ups that are taking off before they’re saturated with interested candidates and investors? I ask three big questions of any potential client before deciding to bring them on and inform my network about them.

1. What are you selling? …

Since today is February 14th, I decided to take a more lighthearted look at our exclusive network of employers and talent to see just how much "love" we really have for you. The findings were particularly rosy and sweet.

The MBA Focus network currently includes:

• 29 MBAs with the last name "Love"
• 106 MBAs with "love" in their name
• 51 MBA-required job postings that mention "love"
• 3 recruiters with the last name "Love"
• 360 MBAs with "rose"…

(This series focuses on the most common reasons we've heard for why recruiters don't want to offer contract staffing.  These reasons are based on common misconceptions about contract staffing and prevent recruiters from reaping the benefits of offering contractors to their clients.)

Reason #4: I don't have time to deal with the hassles of contract staffing

Many recruiters believe that having contractors is going to cost…

(This series focuses on the most common reasons we've heard for why recruiters don't want to offer contract staffing.  These reasons are based on common misconceptions about contract staffing and prevent recruiters from reaping the benefits of offering contractors to their clients.)

Reason #3: I don't want to learn a new process

One of the biggest misconceptions about contracting is that you have to learn a whole new…

The question of “what is appropriate to wear to an interview” is one asked by every type of job seeker (young and old) and it’s important to pay attention to detail.  Whether you’re interviewing at a CPA firm or an ad agency that wears jeans every day, it’s important to overdress for your main entrance. 

Let’s start at the top, shall we?

Hair

Women – If your hair is down, make sure it’s brushed,…

Time to reach into that special bag possessed by The Sourcers’ Apprentice, and again, lets start the first chorus of a song I know (yes, I do) we’ll be revisiting again (and again…) until everyone is properly and completely in tune. If you fill in the blanks above, astute people will know that the topic of the week is part 1 dedicated to L*nked*n (oh, its just too much fun writing it this way). “I” see the topic as one of those covered by many “Experts” but followed by few, as everyone has…