Ah, the annual visit to the doctor’s office…something we all love.  It’s an opportunity to get poked and prodded, asked questions we don’t want to answer, and suffer all manner of indignity, even though there is nothing wrong with us.  It’s no fun, yet we do it anyway (or we know we ought to) because it’s good for us.  It can find little problems before they become big problems, adjust things that need adjusting, or perhaps just give us a few reminders about things we already know we should…

Steps Leading Nowhere

I’ve seen a lot of articles lately about how Applicant Tracking Systems are archaic, outdated, or simply not functional for the recruiters who are supposed to use them.  A lot of these articles have come from the end users who are struggling with a system that doesn’t work.

I’ve been implementing recruiting systems for a lot of years now, but I’ve also worn the recruiter’s hat and had to use a system that someone else implemented.  When I…

Are you a good interviewer?  Are you using all of the tools available to you?  What could you do to improve your interviewing skills and get better information from your candidates?

I work with many, many recruiting professionals and hiring managers, and all of us think we are great interviewers.  I’ve found that most of us could still improve a bit!  Many of the…

What is the candidate experience, really, and why should we be so concerned with it?  With the recent improvements in the job market, good candidates have multiple positions to choose from.  As an employer, you need to compete for the best hires.  The way to compete is to make the candidate feel valued and excited from the beginning of the recruiting process.

Is it easy to apply for a job in your organization?  If your application is long and asks for a lot of background information,…

As the economy is turning around, so is the job market.  Job seekers, especially great ones, are becoming scarcer and openings are more abundant.  To get the great candidates, you really need to sell your opportunities.

But you’re a recruiter, not a writer or marketing specialist, right?  So how do you get started?

As a recruiter, you probably are very good at…

This blog was originally posted at taraflannery.com.  Click the link to see examples of great professional photos!

As you are pulling yourself together and getting ready to embark on a job search, is it necessary to have a professional photo to go along with your resume?  I think it is becoming more and more important, but there are a few things to consider before you pick out a snapshot and paste it next to your…

As you prepare to implement a recruiting solution, an important consideration to think about is your reporting needs.  If we don’t build the data elements into the system, you won’t be able to report on them!

So what data are you reporting on?  What numbers are important to your organization?

There are really two types of data that I find valuable for a recruiting function:  predictive analytics and performance indicators.

Predictive analytics should help you improve…

Everywhere I go these days, I either see people with their noses buried in their phones, or I’m reading articles about how people have their noses buried in their phones.

We are nearly incapable of functioning without being in constant contact, and feel crippled when we can’t connect.

So what are you doing to help your users get mobile with recruiting?  If you are evaluating a recruiting solution, what mobile capabilities should you be looking…

According to Wikipedia, a brand is the “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s product as distinct from those of other sellers.”  In Recruiting, your product is your company, your culture, and your candidate’s experience.  You need to pique interest in the marketplace and make potential candidates want to work for you.

In today’s…

At the beginning of recruiting implementation projects, I hear the same problem over and over:  Hiring people takes way too long.  Shortening up the timeline for approving and posting requisitions is usually identified as one of the primary goals of the implementation.  The team gets excited at the prospect of making changes, becoming efficient, and simplifying their work.

Then, after we have discussed the current process, problems, and goals for the project, we move into the design…

When I was growing up, I remember my grandmother having a particular eccentricity that we always teased her about.  She had a room that we referred to as the “Toilet Paper Room” because that’s where she stored toilet paper.  (Yes, a whole room.)  She also had a massive stash of paper grocery bags.  There were things like this that seemed silly to me to stockpile, because they were so readily available.  To her, she had a fear of someday running out.  I think many of us have seen this with…