Monster does it again

Monster is changing their model: http://www.ere.net/2014/05/14/monsters-new-strategy-agggregate-all-the-jobs-pay-for-performance-broaden-candidate-base/ While this may encourage smaller businesses to use Monster, it probably doesn't help candidates or recruiters tremendously. A bigger database of resumes and a wider scraping of job postings does not improve the effectiveness or efficiency of a job board. If they've improved the internal search capability within the site, this may be something to write home about. Otherwise, for recruiters of all stripes, this is a non-event.

We're all stalkers, aren't we?

Especially when looking for unusually well-qualified candidates, as most of us are these days... Tip o' the fedora to smart sourcer-girl Kelly Dingee for this true article on Fistful of Talent: http://fistfuloftalent.com/2013/07/first-do-no-harm-stalking-on-linkedin.html I found myself today doing a third and fourth touchpoint with several candidates. I border on being annoying, but I do same thing in my personal life - so don't shoot me :^) Seriously, all recruiters turn into stalkers at some point. We just hope our targets see it as flattering and not too stalkerish, if the fit really IS as good as we think it is. If I can stalk some great talent for your organization, drop me a line at info@broadbandhr.com

Recruit me like you mean it!

Love, love, love this post from Fistful of Talent's Kris Dunn: http://fistfuloftalent.com/2013/05/recruit-me-like-you-mean-it-v2-0-dont-recruit-lexus-candidates-if-you-drive-a-hyundai-people.html#comment-32196 I've always been a Cadillac or Mercedes girl, even when I wasn't driving one. And it's important to match up with the caliber of the client. If you're looking for great talent, chat me up and I'll work with you. Deb@BroadBandHR.com

Rude candidates vs. Rude recruitment processes

Tip o' the hat to Jason Pankow for this great article on Fistful of Talent: http://fistfuloftalent.com/2013/05/rude-candidates-are-annoying-but-maybe-i-should-be-nicer-to-them.html I do believe that recruiters - yes, you too! - have an obligation to improve the processes used by their employer or client. And a big part of that is manners... What Mom taught us was valuable. And we need to set higher expectations for ourselves on manners in the process of recruiting. It is too easy to fall into bad habits and excuses. Like, everybody does this these days... What a cop out. Take responsibility. Take the time to prep your candidates well. Build a real relationship with them. Talk to them, understand what drives them, and know that they are more than the skills on their resumes. End of sermon for today!

Are the "non-hip" our next protected class?

Tip o' the porkpie to Dawn Burke of Fistful of Talent for this one: http://fistfuloftalent.com/2013/05/hipster-bias-another-hr-hurdle.html#comment-31097 I run into this all of the time with young organizations. They often don't realize the difference between selecting for cultural fit and selecting for talent. And then they end up firing people who can't do the job they were hired for. It's a delicate balance always to hire for past performance or future potential. But the idea of not hiring someone who isn't hip enough raises a whole new spectre of discrimination.

Remember the basics

Your LinkedIn profile and your resume are great tools, but only is they are crisp, to the point, and free of typos and chronological errors. These are things that bug most recruiters and bother Silicon Valley headhunters even more. If you can't attend the basics, you're probably not a very good candidate generally. And this applies to software developers just as much - if you make mistakes on your resume, your code is probably not error-free either. So, proof-read, proof-read, and then put it down and proof it again later. Better still, ask someone else to proof it a third time. It is worth the effort, I promise.

LinkedIn - Job Board or Social Network?

Tip o' the hat to Raj Sheth of Recruiter.com for this interesting article: http://www.recruiter.com/i/linkedin-job-board-or-social-network/?goback=.gde_4930685_member_236839301 While I'm tempted to say it doesn't matter, it really does. LinkedIn continues to develop new products for recruiters, a primary customer target group for the company. But I am finding, and hearing from other recruiters, that LinkedIn is now so overrun with recruiters that candidates aren't responding. When a passive candidate gets 5 or more requests per day from recruiters s/he doesn't know, the efficacy of LinkedIn drops way down. I have noticed that response rates to my InMails are dropping as well. With an average of 20% response rate over the long haul (I was a charter member of LinkedIn in beta), my response rate is probably half that today. So, I'm looking at other ways to reach out. I still use LinkedIn as much on identifying people I want to connect with. But I'm getting more creative about the "candidate acquistion" piece. What are your thoughts?

Resume or Tweet?

As a headhunter, I really want to know my candidates... I think trying to make a selection of any kind based on 140 characters is flawed. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323820304578412741852687994.html?mod=dist_smartbrief And a 6 second video doesn't do it for me either. I'm just sayin'

In vs Out part 3

Tip o' the hat to Steve Boese for a little more intelligence on another aspect of the telecommuting debate around Yahoo's policy change: http://fistfuloftalent.com/2013/04/would-say-500month-be-enough-to-get-you-to-move-closer-to-the-office.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FistfulOfTalent+%28Fistful+of+Talent%29 I like the incentivize aspect of this idea - rather than the "thou must" approach. Work-life balance is a key idea in why people choose to work from home. And removing barriers to employee productivity are as important as providing collaboration tools that enhance productivity. All of the moving parts need to be in place to have a productive team.

Software Product Managers?

We're supposed to be at the heart of Silicon Valley... where are all of the experienced, high level, strategic, enterprise-class Product Managers with software expertise gained in an agile environment? All I'm finding are newbies that have 3 years or less of solid true product experience. And they're missing any of the depth of field that's needed for the combined enterprise to mobile and cloud systems that my clients are working with/in. I need people who can manage their way out of a paper bag and into a cloud-ready environment... and that takes an understanding of multiple distributed users on a big system. These positions also require an understanding of marketing and campaigns and marketing automation. So, if any of this sounds like you and you live in the neighborhood, drop me a resume at info@broadbandhr.com and we'll talk immediately. This company is not tiny but it's not huge and it ain't Google :^) Thanks!

Do you really want to do your job search on a 3" screen?

Don't get me wrong... I use my mobile devices for more and more things these days. But if I were a job seeker, I wouldn't be relying on my iPhone as my device for my job search. It's nice that the job sites are thinking about this issue. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/02/24/mobile-job-search/1938177/ But many companies have online application processes that don't work at all, let alone work well on a mobile small landscape screen. Most companies, even in Silicon Valley, need their online employment application reworked for ease of use. Just my 2 cents - let me know your thoughts.

Social Recruiting? Yes, but...

I think I'm pretty hip about recruiting using social media. But this article sort of lights me up - and shows little respect for the recruiting or HR functions of the company. While online reputation is important for a social marketer, I want more than street cred if I'm running the search. I want real accomplishments in the non-social world of marketing, and I want a track record that shows me this person is analytical and data-driven - that's a key success factor for anyone trying to make a difference for my company's/clients' bottom line. http://blogs.enterasys.com/hiring-a-social-marketer-no-paper-resume-accepted/ If I can help your company hire a smart social marketer or some other technically qualified role, drop me a note at info@broadbandhr.com

Manufacturing as a Growth Industry?

We haven't seen it here yet in Silicon Valley, but if Apple does the onshoring they are talking about, this could be a whole new wave of employment opportunities. And not just for software engineers... Take a look at Bill Humbert's theory here: http://www.recruitingtrends.com/manufacturing-employment-in-the-united-states-is-not-dead/ I am rooting for the home team!

Getting back to recruiting

So, since I'm having some success with re-energizing the HR blog, and a lot of new folks are following my "Love the Skin I'm in" blog, I guess I better get back to working on this one as well. I'm very excited to see that there is real discussion in D.C. about immigration reform. Our system so clearly does not work - the restrictions on H-1B's are just part of the problem. I personally want to help my clients take the risks of bringing on legitimate H1-B candidates. In the past few years, much of the limited quota numbers were devoted to use by consulting companies or "body shops", which was not what either H1-B's or L-1's were intended for. So watch for more activity here soon. www.BroadBandHR.com

Fistful of Talent Strikes Again

One of my favorite recruiting blogs, Fistful of Talent, has a great article today with wisdom for everyone involved in recruiting.

http://www.fistfuloftalent.com/2011/05/recruiting-operations-and-a-taco-bell-lesson.html

Excellent article, with lessons for everyone in the food chain (pardon the pun - couldn't resist) in recruiting and HR. That first impression, and every other impression in the dating process of recruiting is really critical to the successful engagement of the new employee. And many companies don't even think about this, at any level, let alone where the magic happens with the direct 1:1 contact with the recruiter.

Yeah, I know it's lame to cob somebody else's blog, but this guy has much more experience with the Taco Bell drive through than I do. So, way to go RJ Morris - have a Chalupa on me - they're off my diet these days :^)

What not to put in your resume

I'm not too proud to cob a good article - This article talks about words and phrases NOT to use in your resume. It's a good start, so read it first and then continue to other ideas.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37219323/ns/business-careers/?ocid=twitter>


If you haven't been trained in interviewing, here's a short lesson is how to express yourself succintly when talking about your experience. It's called the STAR method or alternatively PSR (problem, solution, result). The point is to talk about something you've done in a business and action-oriented way : What did you do to solve a problem or achieve a specific result?

Use this approach and you'll appear smarter and more crisp in your communication. It's easy, but it takes preparation and thought.

Happy resume writing and interviewing.

More Tips from a Head Hunter

More Tips from a Head Hunter:

I'm going to be talking about keywords in your resume in my webinar on Tuesday May 25th at 11am. Here's an article that gives some ideas of why this is important.

http://cuberules.com/2010/05/17/keywords-your-resume-anyway/


For those of you that know about SEO and SEM, this is really the same discipline applied to the resume - this is about how to get people to find you on the internet. Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing are about driving potential buyers to your website at the time they are ready to buy.

It's a science that has sprung up over the past 12 years or so - and it's really interesting. It's the same sort of logic that I use when I'm crafting a search strategy for a client position.

Some of the questions I ask are:
Where would ideal candidates be working today?
Where would they be hanging out when they're not working (both online and offline)?
What would they be doing when they're not working?
What would they be publishing?
What groups would they belong to?
Who would their friends be?
Where would they be living if they live in Silicon Valley?


If you can see things from the Head Hunter's perspective, you begin to get an idea of
how to be found. Much more on this in the webinar.

Wanna know how a Head Hunter thinks?

I know, I know - there's an old joke about any profession. Wanna know how a Head Hunter thinks? The answer is they don't.
Seriously, if you want to take a short trip through the mind of a Head Hunter, come to my webinar I'm doing on Tuesday May 25th at 11am PDT.
Sign up for this informative FREE webinar at www.OurExperienceCounts.com
You'll learn how the internet has changed the recruiting landscape in ways you could never imagine. You'll learn about how recruiters are motivated, and why that should be important to you as a candidate. You'll learn about tools and techniques that Head Hunters use to find the right people.
So, sign up today for this informative webinar offered through OurExperienceCounts.com, your best source to recycle your career.

Great article on Smart Career Management and Marketing

If you don't know who Lady Gaga is, you have no teen or adult children, don't ever listen to the radio or watch TV, and have been under a rock for at least a year.
She's a very unusual rock star with a unique look and a big voice. She is really putting her stamp on the music business with her different sound and darkly realistic lyrics.

Check out this article on the lessons from Lady Gaga's meteoric career and how this author thinks they apply to you managing your own non-rockstar career.

http://www.careerjockey.org/for-greater-professional-success-let-lady-gaga-make-you-a-star/

HIRE program - employers finally get a break!

Employer alert - you may now qualify for some relief in bringing on new employees,
particularly those who have been unemployed or working less than full time for economic reasons. The tests to meet the requirement are stiff, but worth taking a look at (especially for unemployed veterans).

The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act contains more than $17 billion in tax credits aimed to stimulate employment, and includes $20 billion for highway and transit infrastructure programs. One of the most important provisions for businesses is a tax credit for hiring from the ranks of the unemployed.

Under the HIRE Act, the employer of a “qualified employee” is excused from paying the employer match for the 6.2 percent Social Security portion of that employee’s wages in 2010. A qualifying employee is one who is hired after Feb. 3, 2010, and before Jan. 1, 2011; is not hired to replace another employee; is not related to the employer; and certifies under penalty of perjury that he or she has not been employed for more than 40 hours during the 60-day period ending on the date that employment begins with the new employer. This incentive can save the employer up to $6,621.60 for each qualified employee hired (6.2% of the maximum Social Security withholding for 2010), with increased savings for hiring qualified veterans, whose maximum Social Security withholding amount is higher.

Employers also can receive a tax credit on their 2011 return for each new employee hired and retained for 52 weeks under certain criteria; that credit is the lesser of $1,000 or 6.2 percent of the wages paid to the employee for those 52 weeks.

These tax incentives are meant to spur job creation, especially for small businesses who are undecided about whether to begin to ramp up company-building efforts in light of recent economic difficulties.
In addition, the act includes a one-year extension of expensing thresholds so that small businesses may elect to write-off up to $250,000 of certain capital expenditures (subject to a phase-out once those expenditures exceed $800,000) in 2010 in lieu of depreciating those costs over time.

For more information, email deb@broadbandhr.com to consider whether your company can take advantage of this program.