Dear Recruiters

A couple of weeks ago I asked a career coach to be the guest on my show on May 16, 2012 at Noon Eastern.

She agreed to come on but then sent me an ultimatum. "I want this info or I'm not coming on." I didn't like that. I actually granted her request but I got snippy. I admit it. But just a little.

She, however,…

Almost all recruiters are told they must cold-call to build a client-base.

Sadly, that is mostly bad advice.

Certainly it is true that all recruiters need to develop clients, identify prospects and find ways to build sustainable relationships. And often that means connecting with people you have never dealt with before. So yes, we are business developers, and in a tight market that becomes even more critical.

But, if at all possible, don’t cold…

Here’s a fact: Very few people like reading résumés, especially those who read hundreds of them a week. Ask any recruiter. I critique and write résumés as part of my job. I’ve read hundreds of them and have conducted numerous critique sessions, but I've got nothing over recruiters.

The only bright spot in this whole process is reading a résumé that doesn’t give me a…

Good Morning Everyone,

OK here is my dilemma of the day.  I was referred an Attorney with an IP background.  This candidate has a strong corporate background and has an IP background as well.  Here is my dilemma his law school grades are not good and he is a senior in the workforce.  I want to be able to help him but am not sure how.  He did some good things at his last firm that I may be able to use in my presentation but want to know how to get around his grades and his work…

(This post originally appeared here on SocialTalent.co, written by resident blog-writer Holly Fawcett)…

I find it interesting, this world we live in.  I'm probably too entrenched in this Social Media, Recruiting space.  I get genuinely surprised when people either a) discover Social Media b) discover how to use it within Recruitment.  When people rock up at these conferences and are all starry eyed and "Wow'ed" at what they are discovering.  I know it is pretty cool stuff,…

I have had great mentors and teachers, who have taught me invaluable business and life lessons. However, the one who has taught me the most in the least amount of time has been my three year old. A mother is often a child’s first teacher, but on this mother’s day, I want to recognize the career lessons I received from my precious toddler.

1. Thinking outside the “toy box”: Have you ever seen a toddler play with a puzzle or a toy or a game that you just got out of…

Post for those operating in Western Canada

April’s unemployment numbers came out today and there has been a flurry of activity as we see some giant gains in employment across most provinces.  British Columbia (BC) made a particularly strong leap forward moving from a 7.0% unemployment rate to 6.4%.  A six point jump is very strong and when looking at the sectors that gained, all most all sectors came out ahead.  The health occupations category was the only one to suffer…

And how to integrate video interviewing into your hiring process

Video interviewing will never replace the in-person, one-on-one, final interviews needed to ensure a potential employee is the right fit for your company's culture. But it can be an extremely valuable tool to find top talent faster and improve the overall quality of hires.

In an upcoming webinar hosted by MBA Focus, in partnership with InterviewStream, employers will…

"HR, social media and background checks" is the topic of the day when Jim Stroud interviews Jim Andrews, the Director of Client Services for Social Intelligence Corporation.

Here is our weekly feature in which we share the top articles we enjoyed from the past week about recruitment marketing, social recruiting and anything else in the recruiting space. In this article, we’ll be talking about future of work, happy employees, talent community, making things better and disruptive HR technology.

Here are the articles our that interested us this week (in no particular order),…

As recruiting professionals working in the technology sector, we are extraordinarily aware of the importance of social media in recruitment strategies. This is true for both recruiters and candidates. As a candidate for a career move, are you taking full advantage of what social media can do for you?

To be effective recruiters of people for our clients, we are actively involved in social media activity each day. We update our…

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I thought it was a good show. Amy Ala introduced me to a guy who used to be a client of hers and we made him the guest. He likes to call himself @HR_Nasty but, really, that's like a short man calling himself…

We are here at last!  Moving.  The "M" Word.   Rule of thumb, whatever you think you have to move, multiply it by five.  And then allow for surprises.  But here we are in El Segundo.  

Corra Group has moved in to its larger office space in order to better service its growing list of clients. The employment background checking service is now headquartered at 201 Continental Blvd, Suite 107, El Segundo, California.

“We are in at last,” said Nick Gustavson, Co-Founder of…

I consider myself to be extremely lucky.  I have had a long career as a recruitment consultant, manager and - most recently - company owner.  I am now in a unique position where I talk to recruitment people all day long… Don’t feel sorry for me – I kind of like it.  Some people like listening to East 17 cd’s… me?...  I like talking to recruitment people… and… listening to East 17 cd’s… sometimes at the same time…

Point is that quite often in our industry there is…

Employee referrals generally provide the best candidates, but what is your company doing to get more referrals? Facebook is a great way to find referrals, and there's no better way to improve your results than to get your employees involved in your referral program on Facebook. Clicking a share button, or liking a post on your company's career page is a great way for your employees to share open positions with their connections and draw them to your page. Here are some simple ways to include…

One of the beauties of contract staffing is the opportunity to earn a
 conversion fee 
on top of your hourly recruiter income if your client decides to hire the contractor direct.  In order to get that conversion fee, you need to have a Conversion Fee Agreement in place from the start of the contract assignment.  But how do you know when to include a Conversion Fee Agreement in the client contract?

It is a good idea to have one in place for
 every contract…

On this blog, we’ve spoken about a good deal about candidate experience and how your can improve the overall experience.  From going over the different stages of the process that affect it to why candidates drop off the apply process, we’ve covered a number of varying topics around the candidate experience.

But I wanted to go back to our posts and create a laundry list of…

Social media is no longer new news.  However, the dangers and benefits continue to reveal themselves as we learn how to operate in a world where the opportunities to connect seem limitless in opportunity and danger.  As business managers responsible for growth, relationships, brand strength, customer service and development or any other organizational purpose, social media provides an opportunity to connect.  While many personal reasons for mediums like Facebook and YouTube remain within the…