I HAVE RETIRED! 

I almost can't believe I am actually saying those words, but YES(!) I am retired.

My LinkedIn account  is closed (can't seem to figure out how to actually close it so I just deleted everything) and I will no longer be on Twitter.  This will be my last entry on Recruiting Blogs though I may drop by to see what's happening in the recruiter…

This blog has taken me two months to write. I have rewritten it three times and this makes the fourth attempt. The problem is that every time I put my thoughts on paper it looks self-serving and that is not my intention. So, I will start off by asking the reader to take me (as a third party recruiter) out of the equation and try to see the intent of this blog – which is making your company look great while recruiting new hires.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well, let me give you two real…

Sandra and Kelly have interesting thoughts based on the three questions my young friend asked me. Yes, this recruiter is clueless when it comes to the recruiting world – maybe because he came from a very large firm where he only sourced candidates. And by that I mean recruited them for one particular position and never talked with them again – once in the system, they belonged to the recruiter not the person that sourced them. When he left he was amazed that there was actually more to…

I have a young friend that is a recruiter (with about 10 years experience) that at least 4 times a year buys me lunch and hammers me for information on being a better recruiter - he worked several years in a big box firm that had no formal training. He seems to think because I have clients that work with only me and candidates that tell me everything that I am a f******g legend (his words, not mine). I am no legend - not even that good as a recruiter

I finally asked him the last time we…

Sometimes I think recruiters get so wrapped up in the process of what they do and the money side of the business that they forget the real reason we’re here. We are here to service our clients. Without clients there would be no process. Without clients there would be no money. Without clients there would be no need for candidates. This is not a candidate driven business, it is a client driven business. Do candidates pay you the big bucks for placing them with an amazing client in an amazing…

Astute employers observe how changes in the professional labor market can affect their businesses. They take the time to define carefully what kind of employee they need, now and in the future. They avoid legal pitfalls that plague other employers.

They use all the hiring strategies available, formal and informal, to increase their chances for hiring the best workers, while reducing the risk of committing to inferior workers. They use the hiring process itself to begin the integration…

Most businesses review their progress on a yearly basis and publish or print an annual report – the status of the business – for the past year. They also go through a formal planning process and create formal plans for the future. You need to treat your career as a business: with annual reviews and formal planning.

Once a year you can evaluate your career progress using the following criteria. Evaluate each area on a scale of 1 (awful) to 5 (fantastic). Assess the weak spots (scored 3…

The speech messages you deliver in words are accompanied by vocal messages. The manner in which the words are spoken often makes the message clear and understandable. The vocal tones which accompany words may affect the acceptance the listener has of the message.

For example, because your voice is an audible representation of your physical and emotional state, the vocal tones may reinforce positively the words you speak. Or the tone may send a conflicting, negative, message. Think of…

Seriously, I do have a "WISH LIST".

I have an ongoing list of companies that are not currently clients but I think I might like to have as clients. Throughout the month/quarter/year I pick up information on them and keep it in the “WISH LIST” file under their name.

When I talk with candidates who have worked at one of my Wish List companies I ask about what it was like working there. What did they like? What did they not like? What attracted them away? Would they work there…

Sorry I missed Monday’s chat regarding references. My computer was on but I was nowhere around!

I love doing the reference checking on candidates. Some just because of who their references are. Others because I want the straight scoop - I don't trust what candidates are telling me.

One weird reference I got was for a woman that was well respected in her field and I asked my routine questions regarding her work ethic, work style, ability to work within a team environment etc.…

That’s what I heard every day for 2 years from my boss.

Every time I talked with a partner in a public accounting firm or a corporate attorney or a commercial banker he would tell me that they only returned my call because I worked for him. They only referred clients to me because I worked for him. Yes, he had a huge ego.

I believe he thought if he said it enough to all his recruiters they would believe him – most did. None of us had signed non-competes – he told us he didn’t…

Well now, it's been a couple of years and my recruiting life is going along pretty good. Exceeding my numbers, gaining exclusive clients, having fun and thinking this is the best job and the best place I could ever work. We have monthly contests, quarterly contests, yearly contests; go on weekend retreats (with our spouses) to golf resorts and ski resorts (depending on the time of year) for morning training meetings and golf outings or skiing or even just laying around the pool in the…

I have always enjoyed meeting and connecting with people – my husband has always joked that I ‘work the room’ where ever we go – weddings, parties, concerts, waiting in line –any line -, political functions, vacations, cruises – anyplace there are people. I seem to have a natural knack to talk to people I don’t know and get them to tell me more about themselves. Actually, meeting people in this way is pretty easy – you have at least one thing in common, you’re at the same event and that is a…

I was recently asked why I went into recruiting.  Did I loss my job, was I unemployed for awhile... The truth is not that easy and perhaps sounds a bit strange to others...

I got into recruiting by having a recruiter try to recruit me from my loan officer position with a major regional bank back in 1989; apparently another loan department at another bank was interested in talking with me.  I had never heard of recruiters or headhunters and was confused and puzzled by the…