Claudia Faust's Blog (50)

Who's the Boss?

Dear Claudia,

My company just went through a series of layoffs, and in an unexpected turn of events I have been promoted to replace the manager of our small recruiting team. One of the remaining recruiters is really angry that I was given the promotion; she’s been with the company longer, and says she was being groomed for the job by our old boss (who was let go in the last round of layoffs). As you might imagine, between the layoffs and the politics our office is not a fun place… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on March 25, 2009 at 7:16am — No Comments

When the Recruiter Becomes the Candidate

Dear Claudia,

I lost my job six months ago. I worked for the company for seven years, and never even once thought of working somewhere else because I loved it so much there. My network is sick of hearing from me; I’ve applied to every job I can find, have interviewed dozens of times, but I’m always the runner-up. I’m beginning to think of myself as a second tier candidate, but I don’t know what I should do differently. The worst part is that I feel so ashamed for not being able to… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on March 18, 2009 at 8:06am — No Comments

The Quest

Dear Claudia,

I’m trying to sort something out and I’d like your thoughts about it. I’m a classic Type-A personality: I like to be in charge, and expect to succeed at everything I do. My family was pretty poor when I was growing up; my parents struggled to feed us kids, and lots of times we went without. As the oldest, I worked three jobs through high school and college to help out; it was difficult, but I graduated with honors, and eventually started working in a recruiting… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on March 11, 2009 at 12:30am — No Comments

Measurement and the Art of Recruiting

Dear Claudia,

Why do some managers insist on measuring everything in the recruiting process? I think that metrics can be demoralizing and can affect a person's way of doing things, sometimes making them less effective. If I know that I can get better results by following my gut instinct, I will do so. Perhaps I will make fewer calls than my cubicle-mate. Should I skew the results by following a prototype of the ideal search? Or should I do what is right?

Diana… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on March 4, 2009 at 7:54am — No Comments

If a Tree Falls in the Forest...

Dear Claudia,

A friend I went to college with has applied for a position at the company I work for. He's been out of work for a while and definitely has the skills to do the job, but there's a small problem: he lied about graduating and his degree on the resume. We don't verify education in the background check, and I really don't consider this to be a deal breaker; should I just let it slide?

Gatekeeper

Dear Gate Keeper,

I'm not sure I… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on February 25, 2009 at 1:12am — No Comments

Gunnin' for the Boss

Dear Claudia,

I’ll cut to the chase: my boss is an idiot, and I want his job. I think I can do it better than him, faster, and probably a whole lot cheaper for the company. The CEO will be spending some time in our office over the next month, and I’d like to use the opportunity to tell him my suggestions to improve our department performance. I think I can make a good business case to replace him; do you think it’s a good idea, or job suicide?

Wannabe

Dear… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on February 18, 2009 at 1:04am — No Comments

HR Strikes Again

Dear Claudia,

I’ve made placements with a small company for years that didn’t have an HR function. Mid-last year they were bought by a much larger company with a recruiting department, and the rules for third party recruiters are changing. They’ve asked me to sign a new agreement that basically says before any candidate can be presented to a manager the resume must be submitted to a central HR administrator who will verify they aren’t already in the company ATS. We have no direct… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on February 11, 2009 at 6:24am — No Comments

What's a Recruiter to Do?

Dear Claudia,

Our company is downsizing like a lot of companies right now, and I’ve recently had to lay off some of my recruiters. What can I do to keep the remaining members of my team busy and motivated until things start picking up again?

Planning but Worried

Dear PBW,

I love that you’ve even asked this question, because it says that you're a good boss; don’t stop there, though. Expand your horizon to the bigger picture, because we both know… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on January 28, 2009 at 7:00am — No Comments

Guns and Common Sense

Dear Claudia,

I was assigned to support a really great hiring manager at my company last year; he’s a good boss to his employees and a great hiring partner, and has never made any unstable or inappropriate gestures that I know of at work. So when we were talking in his office the other day and he suddenly asked if I would close the door, I was curious; then he showed me a gun in his desk drawer. I asked if it was loaded and he said no, he had just bought it and wanted to “show it… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on January 20, 2009 at 10:30pm — No Comments

Smell the Roses

Dear Claudia,

I feel silly writing about this, but it’s come to the point that if I don’t get some advice soon, I’m gonna kill someone and plant sweet smelling flowers on his grave. Our company recently downsized and moved into a smaller office space; I now sit in a cubicle next to one of the engineers. Nice guy, very friendly (and curious about my job, which is annoying), but the real problem is that he has the worst body odor imaginable. No matter what I try, I can’t get away… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on January 14, 2009 at 7:32am — No Comments

Catch-22

Dear Claudia,

I totally don’t know what to do about this. I saw my boss and one of my workmates out on a date, although they didn’t see me. How do I know it wasn’t a business meeting? Let’s just say that things were a little steamy at the dinner table, and I’m not talking about the vegetables. I was shocked, because I had no clue at the office; to make things worse my boss’ wife is my best friend. This isn’t really the time to go looking for a new recruiting job, and I’d hate to… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on January 7, 2009 at 6:21am — No Comments

Ding Ding

Dear Claudia,

If a candidate and a hiring manager were duking it out in a boxing ring, and the match was tied in the final round, and you had to decide the winner, who would you choose?

Relish the Thought

Dear Relish,

Oh the visual – I shudder at the things recruiters come up with when they have nothing better to do.

Read the rest of my response and add… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on December 24, 2008 at 1:00am — No Comments

Matchmaker Matchmaker

Claudia Help!

I have noticed more and more candidates blurring the lines of business and social networking online. Here’s a recent example that almost caused me to lose a client: one of my candidates sent a LinkedIn request to a hiring manager before her interview. Both the HM and I thought that was odd, but we thought it was just over-enthusiasm. She didn’t stop there though; she invited the CEO to connect as… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on December 17, 2008 at 7:17am — No Comments

I'm just a girl who can't say no

Dear Claudia,

I work for a company that is obsessed with customer satisfaction, which is a good thing – right? I’m not so sure. The way it works in Recruiting is that the Hiring Manager is always right, which means that I can’t ever say no. Want a purple squirrel? Sure, no problem. Want to see 10 more resumes when you already have 5 great candidates ? Absolutely, I’ll get right on that. Want to do things your way, even if it’s backwards and stupid? Ok, great! The tail is wagging… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on December 10, 2008 at 7:11am — No Comments

Drink 'em Pretty

Dear Claudia,

Is it unethical to recruit in a bar? A friend of mine says that alcohol and recruiting do not mix because people tend to make stupid decisions under the influence; I say that some of my best placements have come from strangers I met over drinks. What do you say?

Cheers in Boston

Dear Cheers,

Oh, for crying in your beer. I say that it’s a mark of a slow economy when recruiters have nothing better to do than argue the ethics of… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on December 3, 2008 at 5:30am — No Comments

Shift Keeps Happening

Dear Claudia,

My company is merging with a competitor, and after attending some transition meetings I'm really concerned about the culture clash that is happening between the two companies. The business leaders may be in favor of this deal, but the rest of the employees are not at all convinced. I recruited most of our employees in the last five years, and many are already starting the process of posting resumes and looking for new jobs. What can I do to stem the… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on November 26, 2008 at 8:32am — No Comments

I Know Something You Don't Know

Dear Claudia,

I’m a sales recruiter who takes on splits to supplement my work load. Recently I started working on a project to build out a full team of account executives for another recruiter’s client; we’re making good headway and two of my candidates are interviewing this week. So what’s the problem? Last week I get this introduction to a senior sales manager in a “quiet search mode.” You guessed it – it’s the hiring manager for the account manager search. The manager doesn’t… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on November 19, 2008 at 8:17am — No Comments

Splitsville

Dear Claudia,

I have a large network and am frequently asked for referrals by recruiters who seem oblivious to the fact that I make my living with placements too. Is it reasonable to expect a fee split when I don’t know the person asking?

Cranky

Dear Cranky,

When I was young my grandmother’s next door neighbor, Mr. Moore, kept a sign posted by his door that said “I don’t buy from strangers. Expect to stay a while.” I asked him once if… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on November 5, 2008 at 7:00am — No Comments

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Dear Claudia,

My marriage of 13 years ended a few months ago when my husband moved in with another woman. I haven’t said anything about it at work, but I know I’ll have to eventually. The holidays are coming, and I’m thinking about using up my vacation to avoid the parties and the inevitable explanations I’ll have to make about where Tom is. I’d really just like to avoid all the questions; what do you suggest?

Not Ready to Talk about It

Read my… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on October 29, 2008 at 5:55am — No Comments

The Relocation Runaround

Dear Claudia,

I am sick, sick, sick of hiring managers who won’t pay to relocate candidates, and candidates who won’t consider relocating to take a great job. Everybody wants what they want they way they want it – aren’t we in a tough economy right now? What ever happened to adjusting to reality? I need some suggestions to sell both sides better, because begging just isn’t cutting it. What do you recommend?

Beggars Can’t Be Choosers

Dear… Continue

Added by Claudia Faust on October 22, 2008 at 8:00am — No Comments