Most successful people can cite one or two key individuals who guided and helped them early on, and from whom they learned so much.  Mentors can be a significant part of our success.  People who have good mentors are lucky, right?  Luck is where preparedness meets opportunity.  We need to proactively seek mentors, and cultivate relationships with them, not…

When beginning the candidate selection process for new positions, many employers conduct a phone screen prior to a face-to-face interview.  Such conversations serve as a way for HR to confirm a candidates’ experience and qualifications, and to eliminate anyone who seems to be an overtly poor fit for the position.  To ensure that you will advance to the next stage of the hiring process, you need to be equipped with not only excellent in-person interviewing…

Software engineers are in incredibly high demand right now. Hiring these software engineers continues to be a frustration of many recruiters. How can recruiters and hiring managers maintain efficiency in time and money to find the best software engineers? Where should you look to find the best software engineers?

How do you find the best software engineers?

- Spend time networking with engineers. Engineers know other engineers. Develop…

You’re on the job prowl and your competition has the same or similar qualifications and credentials as you...so how do you stand out? The ability to quickly market yourself to potential employers is key in today’s fast-paced lifestyle.



Can you sell yourself in less than two minutes?



The “elevator pitch” was so named because a successful pitch…

The reason I ask is, nobody seems to be happy with the one they’re using. Having attended many HR and recruiting conferences and events, I’ve noticed a consistent trend. When I ask someone what ATS they’re using, I here, “Unfortunately…[insert ATS name]. The ATS name varies, but the sentiment is the same. It’s rare to find anyone who actually likes using his or her ATS. Why is that? Weren’t ATSs designed to automate processes and make the life of a recruiter easier? They’ve been around for…

Eurocom released the results of their Worldwide annual survey in March revealing some interesting trends and thoughts in the world of social media.  The research identified that worldwide, one in five technology firms rejected a job applicant because of social media.  However, data made available by BullHorn Reach suggested that in North America 91% of hiring managers screen potential candidates, using a combination of LinkedIn (48%), Twitter (53%) and most commonly Facebook (76%) throughout…

ERE.net recently posted a blog outlining four strategies to implement as we face the War for Talent. This War for Talent has been blogged about and tweeted about ad nauseum and will continue to gain hype as the days and weeks go by, that is for certain.  Don’t get me wrong, it was a very well written and easy to understand blog with several high level strategies to…

A whole industry has been built around diversity.  Is that good or bad? 

Obviously when the Diversity industry was formed inside and outside of recruitment, it was critically needed.  Laws were written to make it illegal to discriminate against the protected classes of race, color, gender, religious beliefs, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy or veteran status.  These laws need to stay in place because old habits are hard to break.  However,…

Season 4 of The Jim Stroud Show begins. I am experimenting with a new format, but still focused on social media. Let me know your thoughts?

Hello and good day! 

Brian, your Inbound Recruiter is currently attending Experts Academy (currently giving a free book away) in Santa Clara currently and is having a blast.  I wanted to share a really cool "mindset" poem to get you "thinking" about our "new economy", and how it affects your income.  More content to follow the conference…

Let’s face it! Recruiters no longer network like they used. It’s all online these days. And it’s really pissing me off because I keep getting “ignored”. Folks, how can I stalk you if you want make any updates! Puh-lease, throw me a frickin bone here people. I want to network with you so I can offer you a better job. Is that too much to ask? And is it…

Wow, here’s another doozy … hopefully an extremely isolated incident, but apparently some poor schmuck actually lost out on a job opportunity because another candidate had a higher Klout score.  

Then once he did who knows what to move it closer to Justin Beiber influencer status, his career prospects magically improved. Amazing what a healthy dose of +K can do!

The following article is brief, but here is a taste:…

So you’re not looking for a job right now? You're in IT, and you have great experience in your field.  The last thing you want to do is talk to a recruiter, right?  Before you answer this question, let me ask you another question.  How many times have you changed companies in the past 5 years? 10 years?

In IT the average length of employment is around 3-5 years (source: America's Dynamic workforce: 2006; U.S. Department of Labor). …

I love words.  I am one of those people who hears a new word, looks it up and uses it three times so it becomes part of my spoken and written vocabulary.  There is a name for that but i need to look up that word. :)

Words can and do sell.  One does not have to be a world class journalist to write a cover letter for a resume that inspires your client to want to know more or bring that candidate in or do a phone interview.  Every candidate has "a story".  When i present a…

Between Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and all the other social networks out there, it's difficult to figure out where you should be focusing your efforts. Getting involved in social recruitment is a daunting task, and we've come up with a few suggestions for you:

1) Pick out a couple of social networks that you'd like to start with initially - this could be Facebook or Twitter. More than likely, you already have a Facebook and you're familiar with its interface. Narrowing your…

If you are conducting background checks on contractors,you may want to check out the new Enforcement Guidance the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently published on the use of criminal records in employment decisions.

The guidance does not necessarily contain any new rules, but it consolidates over 30 years of court and EEOC precedent for Title VII discrimination claims into one document. You can read the entire guidance at …

The economy is growing, companies are hiring and recruiters are swamped in resumes. Do you ever get tired of sourcing and want to get back into networking? Here are 5 ways to better your recruiting efforts by expanding your search and thinking outside the box:

1. Networking Events- Every town has them, and they are definitely becoming the "hip" thing to do. Who doesn't like going to a nice restaurant and meeting new people? Make an effort to attend at least 1…

.....you'll need to agree to the cut rate, bargain-bin fee the other agencies agreed to.  The position has been open since December and we really need someone ASAP.  Do you have anyone?  The manager is losing his mind - and taking it out on me!

This happens ALL THE…

The Kentucky Derby is known as the “most exciting two minutes in sports.” But it has nothing on recruiting. The recruiting game has plenty of the elements that make the Derby so riveting.

Speed:

Speed wins the Derby - and speed wins placements. In an industry where second place doesn’t matter, recruiters have to work fast to deliver the best candidate first.

Pedigree:

Some thoroughbreds are born to race. Some people…

Job boards have been around for what seems like forever.  If an internet year is the equivalent of a dog year (seven years to every one human year) then job boards are past their century mark and in some cases approaching dinosaur status.

Do people still use job boards?

Even just a quick online search reveals that yes, people do still use job boards. From brands like Monster, Jobsite and Totaljobs to aggregator sites such as Indeed or Broadbean, the job boards are alive and…