I know, amazing.  Guilty as charged, right here too.

 

Let me back up…If your organization is tactical in nature and responsive to every fire the C-level throws at the HR department to fix, then that is precisely what you will get – every fire and nothing more.  If you are responsive, but also focused on autonomous mastery of the HR discipline, consistency of purpose, and include everyone in your organization in this transformation –  the C-level will come to you for that…

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How can I check my recruiting process for adverse impact?

 

First, I commend you for stepping up to the plate and taking action to eliminate discrimination at your company.  Second, please check with your law team because I am not an attorney.

 

Very easy to do, not always easy to fix.  Adverse impact is defined by the EEOC as a substantially different rate of selection in hiring, promotion or other employment decision which works to the disadvantage of members of…

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I recently was asked by an executive level candidate if I had noticed a shift recently in employers’ preference for “less experienced” candidates.  I had to answer yes – since 2001, I have seen a noticeable shift in some industries, except for maybe engineering and highly technical positions.  Not only is there a bias towards hiring employees who have less experience on the…

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I recently had lunch with an old colleague of mine who is in the front lines of the job search market.  He also has a recruiting background and was telling me of his woeful and harried efforts to find a job.  Sharp guy, leader, knows his stuff and could work circles around most newbies in a heartbeat.  Trouble is, there just aren’t many jobs out there for seasoned professionals.

 

To add insult to injury, a Corporate Recruiter called him last week on a job he’d applied…

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What kind of role do you assume are you when interviewing prospective employees for a job? I don’t mean Hiring Manager, Recruiter, HR, or Peer. Are candidates treated as a guest or as a specimen under the microscope?



Is the interview a pleasure for the candidate or uncomfortable?



I have seen the both extremes when companies host interviews. Some roll out the red carpet and try to put the best foot forward according to an established employee brand. Some use the interview… Continue

One of the great mysteries in Recruiting is finding a great candidate for the position and then the hiring manager rejects them based on ambiguous reasons. They were perfect, as if the resume and the job description were separated at birth. They had drive, were personable and had all the “right stuff” you thought the position required. But for some unknown reason, you can’t get the hiring manager to budge on this.… Continue

One of the obligations of socially-conscious professionals is to “give back” to the community –

mentorships, presentations, cash, etc. Not that it is a heavy burden and I do what I can. Recently, I agreed to sit in on a focus group of HR professionals to strategize ways of attracting a diverse workforce to the

city, and our respective organizations. Our economic development group is very helpful to local companies with the problems they face and this is one of the ways they bring… Continue

This recent trend has me perplexed -the trend towards including exclusionary wording on job postings which state in various forms: “The unemployed need not apply.”

Laura Bassett reported this recently on Huffington Post in her post titled: Disturbing Job Ads: The UnemployedWill Not Be Considered. She outs a… Continue

When I started out in sales, I was a lonely copy jock – that is what we called them in the old days. I worked for Lanier Worldwide as an “Account Executive.” Life consisted of 20 cold calls, 20 phone

connects and 2 pre-set appointments per day, EVERY day to make it in that

business. And of course, being as

by-the-numbers as I am, I tracked all of my activity. Some of my diligence was due to keep myself

motivated and some was just to keep my job if…

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A friend, who is working in the recruiting function of a medium-sized company, wrote to me recently. She was worried about her

company’s on boarding process, or lack of, and was asking how to improve

it.

“We had a gentleman start in sales yesterday and I was really surprised at how disorganized we were…

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In eleven years of recruiting, I have maintained some pretty long-standing relationships and I feel as though my candidates are candid with me on their views of my performance. And I appreciate that honesty – it has helped me in my never-ending quest to sharpen my saw. But it can sting like mercurochrome at times.…

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This would seem like a no-brainer. You are right in the middle of the candidate process for a great job at a company that you admire and the inevitable question comes up, “can you provide professional references and written permission to check them?” Umm…you know I have some questions about that for you, Corporate Recruiter. Can we talk?



Most large companies with an extensive web career portal are asking for at least three professional references before your resume is submitted to a… Continue

In my experience, November, December and January have always been the worst of the worst as far as number of candidates in my funnel. But I take heart in the fact that very soon all of the year-end bonuses will be paid out and relocation weather will be here (in the Midwest).



What do you do in January that helps you get through the last of the annual dry spell? How do you attract qualified candidates this time of year? I make a checklist of things that really help build credibility… Continue