Don't Lose Best In Class Talent To The Competition - Candidates Will Have Options - Recruiting Efforts Will Need To Be Stepped Up

Recruiting Will Be Competitive This Year

Candidates Will Have Options

Best In Class Talent Will Be A Hot Commodity

Recruiting Will Need To Be Proactive

........Reactive Recruiting Is So Yesterday

According to the Kiplinger Report, the job market in 2014 saw an increase of 2.953 million jobs with 2015 shaping up to do even more. It also reported that unemployment should fall to 5.3% by the end of 2015. Therefore, for many, especially recruiters, there is an enormous amount of positives to look forward to this year.

All of the industry indicators confirm that recruiting top talent will be competitive this year creating a marketplace where candidates will have options. With job openings expected to be on the rise, companies need to be aggressive with their recruiting efforts and recruiters need to be ready to perform in order to meet the market demands. It is all about the candidate this year and winning the war for talent. 

If you want to be a Recruiting Rock Star in 2015 you had better step your recruiting game.  Recruiters who want to succeed and exceed, must pay close attention to this year’s trends, the economy and every other detail that affects finding superior talent. In 2015, Best-in-Class recruiters have the opportunity to separate themselves from the pack by demonstrating tenacity and their creative approach to achieve the goal of winning the war for talent.  This year presents an opportunity for great recruiters to set the bar and establish themselves as recruiting geniuses and strategically position themselves as experts providing stellar candidates.

Rock star recruiting will require a proactive approach. Foresight and strategic planning will take center stage. Lazy recruiting tactics will no longer net even baseline results.  This year, unlike the past few years, will be the year where recruiters will need to identify, connect, vet and present qualified candidates quickly. Successful recruiters must focus their efforts on Proactive Recruiting.  Gone are the days of posting, waiting and hoping. I caution those slow to make the change, to be prepared to fall short of recruiting expectations.

Corporate executives and hiring managers will need to be mindful of timing and potential candidate options. It will be imperative for companies to react quickly and commit to qualified candidates before the competition does. Companies slow to hire in 2015 may find themselves losing top talent to their competitors which may have devastating effects on their competitive edge. Additionally, it should be noted, that by waiting, pausing or delaying talent acquisition, companies may unintentionally increase their costs for recruiting not to mention job vacancies being open a bit longer.

This is truly the year where timing is everything – Proactive recruiting, smart recruiting and aggressive hiring will ensure companies are securing best in class talent and not risking the loss of such talent to their competition.

Winning the war for talent in 2015 could reach insanity! Don't let best in class talent slip away or for that matter, not be found. Step out of the comfort zone and aggressively seek the talent you want. Don't find yourself competing with talent that is easy to find – the candidates everyone else is calling and those that are easily accessible. This is certainly the time to seek out the talent you want from the companies you want and recruit them! Find, Connect and Entice top talent! Tell them your story and how they may succeed at the organization you are recruiting for. Lastly, don't forget to stay connected with them. Be sure to establish meaningful business relationships with these professionals. You just never know who will be your next hire…..

Want to win? Then step up your game! As the demand for talent heats up, it causes the supply to cool down. Unfortunately, this can mean that the process to recruit the best and the brightest talent may become a constant and costly battle. This is the year of change. It is a candidate-driven marketplace. Candidates will have options. Please do not limit recruiting efforts to reactive recruiting. This is the year that recruiting strategies will need to employ proactive recruiting strategies to limit candidates’ options and recruit them before the competition does!

Now, go get the best in class talent before your competition does. Candidates will have options.

Just saying!!

Happy Hunting!

Sheila Greco

Retrain Your Brain - Don't Just Post & Hope - Take A Look At The Value of Recruiting With Organization Charts

Win the race for talent……

Understand there is more to recruiting then just key word searching and posting on social networks

I am suggesting it may be worth your time to learn how having access to clearly defined organization charts can prove to be a huge benefit and real asset to your recruiter toolbox.

Finding the right candidates requires training, dedication and hard work. In order to be a successful recruiter it is important to know how to gain access to the potential talent pool, understand the importance of building solid networks, the importance of engagement, the need to communicate the good and the bad, and be ready to find/hunt/search/proactively recruit the best candidates each and every time.

Be that recruiter who desires to be #1. Set yourself apart of the competition. Retrain your brain and get trained on how to do more to enhance your recruiting skill sets. A great start would be to truly understand the value of recruiting with organization charts. In the beginning don't worry if you cannot create one yourself, but long-term set the goal to learn. Having this skill set will help your career long-term. It certainly can't hurt.  

When starting a new search, try to resist going right to the internet or to the other tools that you may be comfortable using. Retrain the brain, step out of your comfort zone and try to create and build organization charts at the companies of interest around the targeted talent requested. (If you are not quite there yet,  find someone who has the talent to do so.)  The more you do it and use it, your comfort level with building and recruiting with organization charts will increase and its value will be revealed.

Please recognize that organization charts are mainly used to tap into the potential talent pool at the onset of a search and such results need to be exploited during the actual recruiting process to fully realize the value.

The message here is to have recruiters at least become of aware of the value associated with recruiting with organization charts. These charts offer a clear definition of a team, the talent, the reporting relationships at the target companies, while also taking the guessing out as to who needs to be contacted for the open position or contacted as a networking lead. This data helps with the messaging of the email and the call. Offering another advantage to those recruiting.

Obviously charts have so much more value compared to just a name, a title, or a public profile that is created by an individual. Again be reminded that many research tools and recruiting resources have limitations and should not be the only resource a recruiter uses. Again relying solely on the tools that require key word searching can and does cause recruiters to miss and overlook qualified candidates because of what is listed on a public profile or provided in a title. Again, resulting in the possibility of missing a candidate.Enough said, now just review the option of recruiting with organization charts and let me know your thoughts.

At the end of the day, a serious recruiter want to be #1, "the go to recruiter!" Step out of the comfort zone, create your own list of talent to connect with, build the best potential talent pool, be in control of your efforts and be proud to show them off to the hiring manager.

Sometimes we fail to understand or don't want to believe that using only tools is the only way to recruit. Try not to think that tools are it! Social network are it! Yes they are part of it, but not all of it. By no means am I saying don't use any of these tools, I am suggesting that recruiters need to if they are not all ready, become familiar with the benefits of recruiting with organization charts.

Here are my Top 5 Reasons that recruiting with organization charts has its benefits

1. Creates access to the potential talent pool while providing direct dials, emails and telephone numbers for ease of connecting. It is the foundation of the search process and important to the overall success.

2. Assists with filling the candidate pipelines for current and future assignment. This robust information also adds additional value by helping the recruiter with candidate tracking while building solid networks with professionals that will long-term create recruiting efficiency.

3. You, the recruiter is now the expert. You now have in your possession the potential talent pool that has been requested by the hiring manager. Such knowledge is priceless.

4. Having such priceless information helps the recruiter compare and contrast the interested and qualified talent who will ultimately be part of the candidate pipeline.

5. It confirms the fact that every stone was unturned. The desired were identified and reached out to. As were those who were referred to by the network of professionals housed in this space.

There is no doubt that there is a lot of information out there that recruiters can use to recruit solid candidates. But recruiting with organization charts creates efficiency, provides knowledge and can be used over and over again to recruit, track and build long-term relationships.

Don't be that recruiter who limits their recruiting efforts to just tools. Be that recruiter who has the ability to create organization charts, exploit what was obtained and build a pipeline of top talent. Increase your skill sets and set the goal to learn how to build and create organization charts. It can be very rewarding.......

Happy hunting, creating and successfully recruiting!

Sheila Greco

sgreco@sgatalent.com

Is There A Disconnect Between Your Candidate Pipeline & The Potential Talent Pool?

Could be if you are limiting your research and recruiting efforts to just big data, free data, technology and social media. Look beyond these restrictive and limiting resources.

It is time to train and retrain the brain. Recruiters seek intelligence that assists with creating exceptional candidate pipelines their hiring managers much deserve.

Looking for a great potential talent pool for your next search? I am sure you. Try not to just limit your efforts to the internet, social media and free or paid research/recruiting tools. I understand this may be a habit for many successful recruiters, however when you limit your efforts to just these resources, your are obviously limiting your search for talent. Wouldn't you agree? Recruiting requires linking intelligence with talent. This will provide the potential talent pool necessary for conducting a comprehensive search for talent.

No one can dispute the fact that there is plenty of data out there. However much of it has been found to be inaccurate, incomplete and at times borderline a waste of time! However good recruiters who have time, can weed through such data to find viable candidates. Yet, the process of doing so, can be exhaustive, time-consuming, inefficient and at times yield little results. Therefore time to retrain the brain. Look to linking intelligence with the talent you need to recruit.

Train the brain into believing that it is unrealistic to think that by simply posting, tweeting and using social media the best of breed will come. Long term, it is not a strategy that should be focused upon. Recruiting efforts need to be linking intelligence with talent to ensure a solid pipeline of candidates.

Linking intelligence with talent is much different then just having access to a limited, inaccurate, talent pool. Intelligence not only links a recruiter to specific potential talent but offers other benefits that save time and money. Intelligence provides relevant contacts, exact titles, reporting relationships, otherwise known as organization charts, direct dials, emails, and profiles. But more importantly, as this information is exploited, it suddenly creates an ideal candidate pipeline, compared to a candidate pipeline which is the result of such limiting efforts as an ad, a post, a tweet or from a social media outlet. In simple terms, intelligence establishes a more focused recruiting process so that recruiters can deliver candidates to the hiring manager who have been carefully sought out, recruited and selected by both traditional recruiting efforts and the latest ones. No one can dispute the fact that limiting any recruiting efforts to a limited, closed network will of course hamper the search for qualified candidates. Not to exclude the fact that such efforts have been known to have delivered a limited, sub par slate of candidates who simply have responded to a "shout out!" or found amongst the limited talent pool and network the recruiter may only has access to. Huge difference, don't you think?

Don't have a disconnect between your candidate pipeline and the potential talent pool out there. Look to use intelligence to uncover the complete potential talent pool. Recruiters deserve to have access to such intelligence and more importantly, the hiring managers deserve it.

It's not too late to change or retrain the brain. Maybe it is time to  reassess your research and recruiting methods. Don't limit yourself to only what is "available" to you, go beyond and you will see the difference.

Happy Hunting!

Sheila Greco

What's In Your Recruiting Bag?

Not all jobs are created equal.  Not all tactics or methods are created equal.  Building relationships and talent pipelines are still critical to reaching out to passive candidates and engaging them effectively. Building talent pipelines, conducting research and sourcing will not be disappearing any time soon, due to social networking or utilization of the Internet. Technology along with tools that utilize smart technology is not replacing people or high touch recruiting techniques. SGA Talent believes there are limitations to all of these and a mixture of the resources produce the best results.

And yes certain methods and tools work better for some roles while others not so much.  Make sure you track and know which sourcing strategy and tactics will get you the best talent in the most efficient way. We agree some roles are in multiples and transaction oriented while others require a personal touch and require building relationships while networking. Know the difference and choose the method that is most successful to complete the task.

Data remains king.  There are many methodologies on how to collect and access data.  Data can also create blocks as time is of the essence and sometimes sorting through too much data slows the process.

SGA Talent clients utilize a number of our solutions to assist with their sourcing strategy, which include products that are not part of SGA Talent!  We agree LinkedIn, Sendouts, social media connections and networks are key to any sourcing strategy.  Including your own ATS  But the personal touch and effective communication still is a key role for any recruiter.

Therefore, don't take to heart some of the recent articles/writings indicating that sourcing and research is no longer needed.

What worked yesterday might not work tomorrow but identifying talent utilizing all sourcing strategies (remember employee referrals!!)are still on the mind of our clients.The goal remains the same:  identify, engage, communicate, market, sell, assess objections and close the talent.  It’s a journey.

Happy Hunting and I look forward to your comments.

Best regards,

Sheila Greco

Oops We Did Not Connect Recruiting Email!

Recruiting emails can be very effective when looking to connect with potential candidates and networking resources. It is also a great way to send a message to say, I  missed connecting with you!

Over the years I have had great success connecting via email during the recruiting process. As a proven vehicle used to reach out to  potential candidates and networking resources, it can also be used to close the loop with those who you did not connect with!

As recruiters we usually try to reach out to potential candidates and others at least 4 times during the recruiting cycle and if there is no response, it would be safe to say there may not be. There could be a number of reasons for not connecting to include but not limited to timing,  the opportunity may not right, the professionals are very busy, and possibly can't think of anyone to refer. Therefore as mindful recruiters it is okay to move on, while at the same time let everyone know you are doing so. One way I like to do this is with the, "We Did Not Connect Recruiting Email." If you prefer to call, that is fine too, but I do recommend closing the loop. Below are a few examples of the emails I have used.

Subject line examples:

Subject line example #1: Still looking to network with you on the Vice President/General Manager role.

Subject line example #2: Still looking to connect regarding the Senior Buyer role.

Subject line example #3: We are still looking for the Talent Acquisition Director and I was hoping to connect.

Subject line example #4:  As a thought leader in the HR Industry  I was hoping to connect, but maybe next time.

First Paragraph examples:

1. Good afternoon Andrew, I tried reaching out a few times, however with no success. If you wish to connect that would be wonderful, otherwise I understand you are very busy and just not interested in networking at this time. However, there is always next time. Lastly, please note that if there is ever anything I can do for you, don't ever hesitate to ask. I would welcome it! The opportunity I am speaking about remains open, see below for details.

Good afternoon Andrew, sorry we didn't connect this time regarding the Talent Acquisition Director role. Please keep my information on file for future reference and feel free to reach out to me at any time. As you are aware, I recruit in your space and would be very interested in learning more about you, your career and ultimately your future career aspirations. Look forward to connecting when the time is right for you.

Good afternoon Andrew, hope all is well with you. I tried reaching out several times regarding the Director of Tax position, but without success. As you can see we recruit in your area of expertise and would be interested in learning more about you when you are ready. Please keep my information for the future!!

Good afternoon Andrew I was hoping to connect with you regarding the Vice President/General Manager role, but was unsuccessful. I did want you to know that as an industry expert I am hopeful to connect with you next time, even just to network. If you ever need me or would like to just chat, please feel free to call or email and I will make every effort to get back to you in a timely fashion. Have a great day and look forward to future conversations.

Again these are just a few examples of recruiting emails used to close the loop on potential candidates and networking professionals. Feel free to use them!

Have a great day everyone and happy hunting!

Sheila Greco

Why Do Companies Like to recruit from the Competition.

 Raiding the Competition!

Unemployment is high, but companies are hiring. Those that are hiring could eventually have the competitive edge long-term. It has been proven that when competitors are retreating it is a great time to raid and recruit their talent.

Yes, of course, stealth research is how many of the companies are raiding the competition (which we obviously love)! But, don't be fooled, everyone is doing this in some form or another. The process of researching, identifying and tracking talent at the competition has become the norm.

In the course of doing business I began to ask our clients why they like to hire from the competition? Here are a few of their answers.

SG: So why the competition?

Client #1: "We believe that having the best talent in the industry can help us be more competitive. Our hiring managers and executives find it necessary to hire someone from the competition to stay ahead of them or to beat them by having the strongest talent in our industry! This goal continues to ring throughout the halls of our company and has for years."

SG: Can't argue with that if it works! But I did express my concern that not all talent at the competition may be considered "A" Players, right? Yes, it is true that not all players at the competition are best-of-breed so it is important to get to the ones that are.  Build organization charts, back them up with profiles and evaluate. This helps with determining the "A" Players from the others.

SG: So why the competition?

Client #2: "The competition cannot be ignored! Ever! We would be crazy not to look at our competitors and recruit talent from them! We analyze our competitors products and services so why not do the same by understanding their talent and carefully plucking out the ones we want. When top talent comes to us from the competition, it becomes another win for us”

SG: So why the competition?

Client #3: "We want to deprive the competition of their best assets, which of course can be their best talent. We want the smartest and the best!  We always look at the competition and then the companies that have the best training and reputation of hiring the best right out of college. For years we targeted the competition first, the best of breed companies (Goldman) second and no complaints yet. We must be doing well at hiring, since we get targeted all the time by our competitors. But, in my role as a talent acquisition leader, my goal is to hire the candidate that best meets our requirements and needs, but that is not to say that on occasion we do hire others outside of what we call the normal suspects.

SG: So why the competition?

Client #4: "Right now our hiring manager is interested in a bit of a change and wants to hire someone directly from the competition to possibly enlighten the team. She wants to see how others employ different processes, and possibly add the best practices to her own. She wants to know how the competition is doing things! So she wants us to focus strictly on the competition."

SG: So why the competition?

Client #5:  " We don't have time to train. We need candidates who know our space and can hit the ground running. Not to mention we need the candidates to know our client base for the sales position we are recruiting for. That is why we like recruiting from the competition."

Many hiring managers believe  that recruiting from the competition is necessary but top talent is ultimately who they desire. Therefore, as far as a target list is concerned, the competition almost always makes the list, whether is be our clients' top priority or not. However, not so fast.

Not everyone agrees which this philosophy. There are the others who are not so high on hiring from the competition. Why? Some believe hiring from the competition can make companies weaker. Others believe recruiting from the competition can be more of the same and change can be a good thing and finally, others may think it is unethical. All this being said, we can't argue with the fact that the on-boarding process for a new employee can be drastically reduced if the professional is from the competition or from within the industry.

Do you make it a practice to hire from the competition?

Happy Hunting!

Sheila Greco

sgreco@sheilagreco.com

What is Trending in Recruiting?

What is Trending In Recruiting?

The latest game changers in recruiting are Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and many will say these resources or as I call them tools have revolutionized recruiting! So what lies ahead? "What Is Trending In Recruiting?"  It may only be for the moment, the day, the month and may or may not make the list next time.

Years ago there were limited options when it came to recruiting talent. Today there are many choices and resources so try to make it a point to explore the different choices and choose the ones that best fit our needs.

So, what is Trending  in Recruiting now?  Yes literally right now? Because Times They are a-Changin. Click on it, Bob Dylan's YouTube Song....

So what Is Trending In Recruiting?

1. Corporate internal recruiting functions are growing.  These teams are often led by seasoned, ex-Executive Search professionals.  Year over year these teams are becoming more sophisticated, efficient and cost-effective.

2. Executive Search firms are experiencing a year-on-year fall in revenues of a -6% from Q2 2011 to Q2 2012, the quarter-on-quarter data highlighted an upward trend (+8.6%) for the first time since June last year.

3.  Recruiting from the competition is stronger than ever. Stealth research is needed to do this.  Many agree that although social networks have proven to be great resources, a limitation is their ability to show a complete picture of the potential talent pool without further investigation. Traditional research is mostly used for this method of identifying the players at the competition.

4. Passive Candidates Only Need Apply! Still rearing its ugly head.

5. Transactional recruiting is on the rise. Can hires honestly be made without the human touch?

6.  Debates over the effectiveness of social networking recruiting continues and how ROI can be measured for such resources. LinkedIn is very very effective but the jury is still out with regards to Twitter and Facebook.

7. Not sure if the current corporate recruiting process can handle the upcoming demand.

8. The use of social media as part of the recruiting process will continue to be a trend for some time.   Recruiters and hiring managers use these tools for recruiting, researching, networking and verifying.

9. Too much data! Too many tools! When the demand for talent heats up will some of the social media tools survive? Ask yourself do the use of these tools actually help a lot, so-so or very little. Rate them now!

What are the trends you are seeing? We would be very interested.

Happy Hunting!

Sheila Greco

sgreco@sheilagreco.com

The Value of Hiring Best-Of-Breed Talent!

Retailers Want Best-Of-Breed Talent!

The Importance of  Best-of-Breed Talent To the Retail Industry!

There is no question about it; there is a difference between good talent and best-of-breed talent.  My focus today is on the retail industry. Why?  Keep reading to find out! 

The retail industry as a whole is in the midst of a talent war.  Faced with high turnover, access to mediocre talent, the cost of training and trying to retain talent continues to rise thus negatively affecting the cost per hire for some retailers.  Similar to other industries, retailers are now finding it necessary to create a cohesive relationship between the talent management and talent acquisition teams. Many retailers now believe that In order to be successful on a long-term basis, recruiters need knowledge, access to best-of-breed talent and a process that allows the recruitment of these individuals to be in place. It has been proven that great companies are made up of great people; therefore it makes it very important to find and recruit best-of-breed talent at every level.

Where do recruiters get this knowledge?  They get it from the competition and companies who have hired previous employees from these firms.  The knowledge comes from knowing who the talent is and having access to that talent. The nice thing about knowledge like this is that it can be shared with  talent management professionals and used in a variety of ways.   Let me tell you that retailers who employ these strategies have very low-cost per hire numbers.   I know because we continue to help them.  This strategy does work.

For years my firm has assisted retail clients with identifying top talent.  As the assignments roll in, I continue to preach that there is talent and there is best-of-breed talent. What is the difference you ask?  Well, for starters qualified talent can do the job and perform its day-to-day tasks. Okay you may say.  Best-of-Breed talent is different! These professionals can excel within the organization and have high potential to grow and advance, as well as positively affect the productivity of their team(s) as a whole.  Hiring this type of talent can also lead to lower turnover if continued internal growth occurs.

Retailers have come to understand the importance of a process driven recruiting strategy and how critical it is to be sure there is a strong candidate pipeline of best-of-breed candidates to choose from.  Beyond contrary belief this is even occurring at a variety of levels to include store managers, buyers, not just manager levels and above.  The result is hiring “the right professionals” while hiring the “right candidates” who want to be part of a winning company.  This in turn can and will reduce employee turnover over time.  Retailers are not any different from other industries. In fact because most retailers do have such heavy turnover that maintaining and hiring the best talent can be at times more difficult. But now understanding the value of hiring best-of-breed talent at every level, will long-term have a positive impact throughout the company in a variety of ways.

Many believe turnover can be reduced by creating a work environment that offers career growth, continuous learning, development, having a career nurturing superior, team support, receiving recognition, respect and having a feeling of autonomy.  All of these things are true, however I continue to believe that none of these things matter if you don’t start with hiring the best-of-breed talent at every level. 

Don't stop now! Each hire needs to be looked upon as a great hire, not just someone filling a role.  Great hiring also starts with having access to great people.  We advise our clients when hiring not to just focus on filling the current role, but to find future leaders, those who can be part of the company for a long time. As we all know, this strategy can positively affect the talent management needs too. It allows great talent to have continued growth within the organization. 

I believe that talent management is no longer a luxury to be focused on senior leaders and managers, but must be viewed as essential and integral part of corporate sustainability and long-term growth.

Why retail? The exciting news for everyone in the retail industry is that SGA Talent, A Sheila Greco Associates Company has created a private retail networking community where best-of-breed vetted out talent (passive candidates) can have access to opportunities as they become available before they even hit job boards. Over the next few months we will begin reaching out to many best-of-breed professionals to join our exclusive community.

If you would like more information on our invitation only retail network, please contact me at (518) 843-4611 ext 282 or via email at sgreco@sheilagreco.com

Happy Head Hunting! 

Sheila Greco