It looks like the highly debated employer mandate provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) may really go into effect. Barring any last minute changes, the mandate will be effective on January 1, 2015, for certain employers. 

Employers have been preparing for this for some time. Some have instituted hiring freezes or cut employee hours…

So many emails with resumes attached? Lost track of candidates you thought would be good for a different position, other than the one they applied to? Still using excel and email for hiring? I’m sorry about that. Welcome to the future of recruiting! Like many things: socializing, news, finding jobs, the hiring…

I couldn't get a guest today. (Two recruiters volunteered but neither could get permission from their managers). So, we just went with a round table discussion featuring the Recruiting Animal Panel and I think it went pretty well. It reminded me of the first show.

Jerry was particularly vocal today. In…

Take No Prisoners is a free weekly memo from Scott Wintrip that explores how Radical Accountability prospers companies and changes lives. Instead of taking people hostage with outdated, heavy-handed, and ineffective methods of management, measurement, and motivation, Radical Accountability focuses on creating an unwavering responsibility for getting done what matters most.

Getting from here to a more profitable there isn’t just about charting the right course; it…

As a recruiter I get very close to my candidates during their job selection and application process to the point of perhaps considering them as 'friends'. I will sometimes call my candidates three times in a day - firstly to wish them luck, secondly to gain feedback and thirdly to pass on feedback. I complete reference checks and am very excited when my 'friend' accept a position and give the start date for a month later.

Occasionally I will assist with resignation tactics and of…

Much like consistent diet and exercise is a process we follow to help us stay fit, so too is the talent acquisition optimization process. When we set out to optimize our talent acquisition technology and process, we must implement consistent procedures to make certain the system and activities function as effectively and efficiently as possible. But how do we…

 When you do something a million times every year, it becomes second nature. We get comfortable. We use the same 3 questions to qualify. We get in a routine.

It works for now. But if you ask the candidate, which you probably haven’t, they’d tell you that you suck at interviewing.

Yeah, I said it. You suck at interviewing.

But we’re all about learning so…

Ever think "There just aren't any more candidates out there!"? Sooner or later, we all have been in that situation.



But how exactly do you determine it's the end of the line and there is no more talent in the pool? Is it when your job postings don't pull? Is it when résumé databases run dry? I would argue that many recruiters and sourcers come to this conclusion…

Last month, the Bank of Montreal (BMO) Hiring Report stated that 26% of Canadian employers surveyed plan to expand their workforce during the second half of 2014. Job growth is mostly expected in the manufacturing…

Engineers are constantly innovating and creating new products and services, changing our world and our lives. So it is fitting that some engineering firms and recruitment specialists, are stepping up to meet the innovative levels that their world operates in when they are looking to employ new recruits. Whilst in…

Leading a team can be hard work; leading a virtual team can be even harder. We all get it, telecommuting is great for the environment, it can lower stress levels in workers, increase productivity and drastically reduce costs for the organization. That being said, virtually managing a team comes with its own hardships. In order to truly reap all of the benefits of…

Has your company seen a decrease in the number of qualified candidates recently? Having a career page and posting open positions to social media isn’t enough. Did  you know that on average 46% of candidates rate their experience poor or very poor? Why…

The three-headed watchdog for the afterlife, Cerberus, guarded the entrance to Hades. The mythical creature ensured no one entered who wasn’t qualified to do so. He assisted the god of the underworld, not the poor souls who passed by. Just the same, recruiters serve as…

It is about developing the best, not hiring the best. Credit: Paramount Pictures

When hiring, it is sensible to hire the absolute best people, right? No matter what the cost, if you can get a star in the industry, it is worth it, right?

Well, not really.

A …

Like a game show where it’s anyone’s guess who’s going to win, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to predict which companies are going to buy next. At any moment in time, only 3% of companies are buying from a staffing or recruitment firm. During that same moment, another 6% are shopping, comparing candidates, prices, or contracts.

Unless you have only one customer, no one is smart enough to accurately predict, all of the time, who’s going to give the next “yes.” That’s why achieving…

For as long as I remember (and in recruitment, that is a very, very long time) getting good candidates has always been about getting their attention.

Way back in the day, all newspapers were bulging with job-classified sections. Seriously, I remember the Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age job sections were way thicker than the rest of the paper combined! It was the same across the world. And…

A good employer brand is earned through good behavior, and it starts from the moment the first hire is made and continues with every hire thereafter. It’s a simple process really: be kind, be mindful, and follow through. But, as with all things straightforward, most of us have a tendency to overcomplicate the process as the business grows and we somehow “forget” to keep the process real and simple.…

Two giant successes, two different hiring processes. Credit: Magnus Manske, Wikipedia Commons

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

The two men are among the most successful entrepreneurs of the past fifty years. Gates grew richer, becoming the …

Every recruiter knows it's bound to happen. At some point, one of your clients will hire one of your candidates without paying you. It's an age old problem in the staffing industry and many recruiters just consider it a cost of doing business.

But you may not realize just how big this problem really is. In case the title didn't give it away, these unidentified hires account for $1 billion dollars in missed placement fees…