People are leaving the recruiting business. This really started in 2008 as business conditions got a little difficult and as conditions got worse the pace has quickened. This makes sense of course, as this can be a very challenging business in a downturn and by any account that I have heard, this is the most difficult downturn most if not all of us in the business have faced. It has been my feeling, based on conversations with recruiters, that many of the people leaving the business have the…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on April 24, 2009 at 12:36pm —
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Last week I touched on the subject of building a strong client base and how it is definitely, without question, a relationship thing. Over the course of the week a couple of conversations brought to mind the need to extend the subject to how it is done. Building strong relationships is a process. For me, it's a long term process, but I realize that there are all sorts of perspectives on how to go about this, what traits and what actions contribute to successfully building strong relationships…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on April 17, 2009 at 12:06pm —
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I talk to a lot of people about business development and client management, especially in this market where things on that end are really challenging. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat and I hear all kinds of approaches to landing job orders. No matter how you land the job order, that's not the same as developing the client and building a strong client base. There is no doubt about it. Building a strong client base is a relationship thing. You may be able to land a job order with a good…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on April 10, 2009 at 11:20am —
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We had a really good week. There is a ton happening and I have that good kind of stress where you're just really scrambling to get everything done. Clients have come through with some really interesting job orders. Candidates are moving along in the interview process and the pipeline of deals is looking stronger than it has in a while. These are all really good things and billings are fine for the first 3 months of the year.
I don't trust it. Most clients have no jobs and no sign of…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on April 3, 2009 at 12:05pm —
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I'm really looking forward to seeing how things evolve with Splits.org and Twitter along with other aspects that may tie in with them. As an interested observer who does a lot of splits, I think the idea and effort behind this so far is innovative and has a ton of potential. For me, splits have always been a relationship thing. You connect with someone and work together a little bit and as the trust and comfort level strengthens you are able to do business together profitably. On the other…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on March 27, 2009 at 11:17am —
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I live in Chapel Hill North Carolina. Down here we know that God is a Tarheel fan and that's why he made the sky Carolina Blue. Many years (this year included and unfortunately last year as well) we don't hope for a National Championship, we expect it. So every Heels game in the tournament is a real nervous affair. The famous line for favorites in the tourney is just Survive and Advance. So any way we can get a win and move on is what we're after.
Over the last several months as I've…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on March 20, 2009 at 11:39am —
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Last week I wrote about our industry and the post bubble world and the responses were fantastic and all really helpful from my perspective. Some of the discussion touched on the aging Baby Boomers and the upcoming War For Talent. The thought on the War For Talent of course is that as the Boomers retire there will be fewer workers to fill their slots creating excellent conditions for recruiters and our industry. I buy that argument. The Baby Boom generation has been a powerful force and has had…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on March 13, 2009 at 11:30am —
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Like everyone else, I've been thinking a lot about our industry lately and all the changes it is going through. There is no doubt that Agency Recruiting is going through permanent change. I came into this business on the heels of big change, in 2002. Internet, e-mail and job boards had all become much more mainstream and the IT bust had just occurred. From the beginning, for me, I had the view that this industry was evolving and getting better. I held a strong belief that this would continue…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on March 6, 2009 at 11:15am —
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It's tough out there folks and there is no hiding from it. We have seen things revert to where they were in the fall with positions melting away. Somebody tweeted a question this morning asking for what industries or jobs are still in high need and in need of recruiting assistance. We have about 1/4 of the jobs that we had a year and two years ago so while things are way down, we do still have jobs. We even had a client this week who builds bridges pull their positions after the stimulus…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on February 20, 2009 at 12:36pm —
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Today is the day that Pitchers and Catchers report to spring training. One of the Great Days for baseball fans. This has been an exciting day for me for most of my life. I love baseball and even with all the problems the sport has had in recent years, it's still the greatest game to me. I love the strategy of the game and see some great parallels with our business.
For one thing, baseball is situational. There's no time clock so strategy is centered around situations, circumstances…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on February 13, 2009 at 11:41am —
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Great Game. Lame commercials. Being at a Super Bowl Party at the house of a HUGE Steelers fan was fun and a real experience considering how the game went.
But from a business perspective, what did we learn? For one thing, I'm not counting on any business at all from US Auto Makers or suppliers for quite some time if ever. There was not one US Auto Maker commercial. There were a couple of foreign car company commercials, but not much there either. I'm maintaining contacts, especially…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on February 6, 2009 at 11:01am —
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I love the Super Bowl. I love it for the party with friends, the buffalo wings, the beer, the fact that the best in their profession get the spotlight, and I even love the game. The whole event is an American Institution. But the workaholic in me loves it as well. Our industry has a real history with the Super Bowl. Monster.com was launched into the national spotlight with Super Bowl ads. One of the great business risks and successes in history in any industry. Careerbuilder had some fantastic…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on January 30, 2009 at 11:19am —
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Every once in a while (in good times and bad) I have a conversation with a prospective client like the following which happened earlier this week.
"We are looking for a licensed mechanical engineer with heavy experience in HVAC. We will pay a 10% commission and expect a one year guarantee."
(response: Are you kidding?)
I didn't say that out loud but I did have to laugh to myself and those were my thoughts. The subject of reducing fees also came up this week in…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on January 23, 2009 at 10:57am —
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An interesting situation came up this week with one client. I talked to them in the morning to review their needs and was told how important a certain position was and that they did not have good candidates in the mix. We got to work on our end and went on with our day. In the meantime, they went into meetings to discuss their business and the direction they are heading. They came out of the meetings later in the day and I got a call saying they are switching gears, closing that position and…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on January 16, 2009 at 10:40am —
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We came into this week hoping for a January bounce. What we got, was a mixed bag.....so far. Activity has definitely picked up. We are seeing more new jobs, interviews, processes moving along, and more clients' perspectives returning to normal. However, we are also still seeing a significantly higher than normal level of fear and reserve.
The economy and business conditions still have a lot of business leaders scared, concerned, or frozen. When looking at business conditions in…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on January 9, 2009 at 10:31am —
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Since my business is focused on the Client Side of permanent placement recruiting, I thought it would be valuable to share what we're experiencing on this end on a regular basis. So here goes...
The last half of December is typically very slow and this year it was the same as it has been in the past, thankfully. To the contrary, the September - October - November period was not even close to anything we had seen in the past. During that period the level of fear that clients…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on January 2, 2009 at 9:50am —
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What makes me a smart recruiter......
1. I realize this is a game of "finding" not "creating".
A lot of recruiters pay lip service to the old "round hole, square peg" line about the business, but only the ones who get it know deep down that this is a game of finding, not creating. There is a right job for every person and a right person (or more appropriately, right persons) for every job. I drive my business by focusing on finding the right fit, not trying to make what I…
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Added by Todd Kmiec on December 21, 2008 at 8:10am —
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