The BTOS Interviewing System

The premise behind the BTOS (Business, Targeted, Open Door, Sequential Interviewing system) is utilizing behavioral interviewing and Looklisology (see previous blog posting on Looklisology) and Probing questioning to combine and form a unique, highly flexible, and successful interviewing system. To start let's look at the definitions of each of the main parts of BTOS

Business Behavioral Interviewing(BBI)- Business…

Many small businesses have an in-house human resources manager that will handle the nuts and bolts of interviewing prospective employees, overseeing payroll, dealing directly with any employee issues and/or questions, and making sure the office keeps rolling along smoothly.

Other companies, however, either outsource such needs or even try and do things if you will on…

Every day thousands of professionals take the time to apply to a job opportunity online. The vast majority never receive a personal response, only an automated email confirming the application.

My impression is that, whether you apply to a company directly, a contingency agency, or an executive search firm, the experience is fairly similar. Having said that, my expertise is predominantly limited to search firms, so hopefully this entry will shed some light on what I have learned and…

I recently received the following email from a reader and asked them if I could post their question as this is a popular frustration with HR and would probably help.  When do recruiters call back?  With their permission, I am reposting a condensed version below.

HRNasty,

For about a month now, I've been down to the finish line at conglomerate, Company X. 

THEY called ME. I wasn't actively…

Good morning all,

I am a new grad who has been trying to break into the recruiting world for a while. What advice would you give to a person who is new to the recruiting field? I have been doing quite a lot of research, but I would like tips from different people who have been in the industry for a while. Thank you in advance!

Why don’t more people Network?  It boggles my mind, especially in this type of economy – it is not who applies to the job first, BUT who you know and who knows you.    Everyone should get…

Hi All - I'm Russ,

I guess for a while you can call me "Russ the Rookie" as I'm so green to here. My Friends call me "RussRecruits", If you pay my bills, you can call me what you want - your the customer!…

Along the journey in staffing, business, life, and change are moments where you may need a momentary inward compass realignment.  I repeatedly find myself returning time and time and time again to these powerful principles that continue to guide me even when I know winds of change coming from the political forces at both a macro, business, environment et al,…

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:…