The Recruiting Industry - Decades of Inspiration, Innovation, Obsession..... And Of Course The Need For The Human Touch As Part Of The Process

The Recruiting Industry - 40 Plus Years In The

Making

Constant Innovation -  The Obsession With Tools,

Technology And How To Make The Process More

Efficient, Cost Effective And Results Driven!

And The Need  Of The Human Touch To Get The Job

Done!

Have some of the changes to the recruiting industry been disruptive or just the continuation of the evolution of the recruiting industry? Similar to other industries, the recruiting world continues to evolve and to some extent still open to discovery. I am almost certain there is still something else out there that will be the next LinkedIn.

So what is next? What new resource is looming around the corner? What technology process will be the next disruptive one? Time will tell. As more and more enhancements and introductions enter the recruiting industry, we need to be reminded that there have been a few constants. Some of the constants include the need for recruiters to always add value, recruit top talent, be efficient and offer a cost-effective solution. Therefore in order to be a successful recruiter, it is important to have the skill sets to exploit the available resources, understand that quality should never be compromised by quantity, time is always of the essence and the importance of  creating relationships, engaging candidates and communicating with clients. Sometimes we forget that recruiting is a people business and are not as mindful of the importance of the human touch during the process. Don't let the hype of new technology and recruiting techniques ever overshadow the importance of the human touch.

Forty years ago, when executives, hiring managers, and others in large/small companies took notice of the recruiting world, it was so exciting and new. Expectations back then may not have been as high, yet the need to perform was obvious. As the industry grew, so did the number of firms and the number of professionals. As the industry matured so did the opportunities to enhance, exploit and introduce new technologies, processes that looked to increase efficiency and reduce inefficiency. Today we are still awaiting the next big thing and looking forward to making the recruiters job a bit easier.

But again, I will say it and say it loud, none of these tools, in my opinion will ever replace the need and important role that the human touch plays in the recruiting process. Furthermore, candidates need to be recruited, screened and presented, all of which I believe require the human touch. Technology and key word vetting cannot ever replace a conversation. Don't be fooled! Just saying..............

Happy Hunting!

Sheila Greco

http://sgatalent.com/?page_id=3586

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

Using Corporate Emails To Recruit Today Is Like Using The Telephone To Recruit 25 Years Ago

Recruiting with corporate emails produces results!

I know because I exploit this technique.

Using corporate emails as a way to connect and recruit passive candidates allows the recruiter to create awareness regarding potential opportunities to these highly desired professionals. It presents opportunities directly to the passive candidate talent pool allowing them to act or not. If this technique is ignored, these professionals may never have access to these opportunities or be plugged-in to them. In other words, it could be seen as a missed opportunity for the passive candidate. Using corporate emails to recruit has many benefits for both the recruiter and potential candidates.

Such a technique builds relationships. It is subtle, a non-threatening great way to network and recruit. I have discovered that this technique gets responses 2:1 compared to other recruiting techniques. Although not every response is a yes, let’s chat, but it is a response none the less. This helps create efficiency too by not keep me hanging and continuing my recruiting efforts with those who are not interested. It not only closes the loop for me with regards to recruiting, it also acts as the beginning of a relationship, whereby each party can potentially benefit.  These people now know me, our company, the types of roles we recruit for and they now have access to a recruiter who finds them valuable, talented and someone who can be a great resource.

As we all know, recruiting is all about networking and building relationships. So why not use techniques that can be built upon. Such efforts will assist us long-term with our recruiting successes and lasting meaningful relationships.

Now do you see why I believe in the importance of using corporate emails to recruit? It is actually my preferred way of recruiting.  This method also increases recruiting efficiency and speed. So when you proactively recruit, may I suggest you use corporate emails to connect and network with professionals of interest.

Lastly let me share with you a few recruiting tips........

Sheila's Top 4 Recruiting Tips Needed To Recruit Mission Critical Talent

1. First create the potential talent pool to recruit from. May I suggest building organization charts around those professionals of interest as a great starting point. Long term it is proven that this creates recruiting efficiency. It also provides access to the professionals who the hiring manager desires and come from companies that have produced the best talent for the client. For this you will need a telephone, the internet, access to social media and any other type of resources which have successfully helped you with uncovering talent.

2. Look into your ATS and databases for potential candidates and networking contacts. Add these professionals to the potential talent pool contacts to create the recruiting list. Step 1 and 2 act as the foundation of every search. Not one of these steps should be ignored.

3. Begin reaching out via corporate emails, direct dials, corporate telephone numbers, cell phones, and in mails. Never limit the number of ways to connect with these professionals. If you do, you wasted your previous efforts of finding these folks.

4. Don't stop recruiting until you have 5-7 solid candidates. It is always easier to keep the momentum going versus starting and stopping. Although your efforts may slow down, don't stop!

Lastly let me leave you with this, using corporate emails to recruit is a proven recruiting technique. It provides results needed to successfully, efficiently, and cost effectively recruit mission critical talent.

I wish all of you the best of luck in hunting for your next hire!

Sheila Greco

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn  or directly. I look forward to it; 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

No Use November! Use November As The Month To Pick Up The Telephone To Source And Identify Candidates - Please Sharpen Your Telephone Skills & Techniques

No shave November!

No use November!

What is No Use November? It is simple. It is my way to introduce or build awareness around stealth research and the benefits of using the telephone to map out the potential talent pool. What better way to grow awareness around this talent and lost art than by using the internet to spread the news. However this of course it not the only way I do this since I still call people. So get off the internet, start mapping and use the telephone......PLEASE!

Recruiting is more than just using tools. It is scary to think recruiting has come to this. I may be old fashion but stealth research and mapping the potential talent pool is a must when recruiting mission critical talent. Truly stealth research needs to be part of every recruiters tool bag as does the use of the telephone.

No use November means giving up time spent with research tools, shaving the time spent on the internet and use the freed up time on the telephone! You will not be disappointed.

I challenge the many recruiters who solely recruit by using tools and the internet to source/recruit to stop or slow down such efforts this month. I want all of you to learn how to use the telephone for accurate research and name generation. If you haven't been taught how to do it call me and I will try to help. Better yet I can train you if you wish. Please, try it!

No Use November is your time to focus on enhancing your mining talents by using the telephone to map out the potential talent pool. And of course to connect with potential candidates. Try not to rely solely on technology and sources that you may think are the end all be all. By using the telephone and mapping methods you will quickly discover, I promise increased efficiency and quicker results.

Join the many recruiters and sourcers who use the telephone to accurately map out the potential talent pool. Let me be the first to shout it out, the trend is to map it, org it learn it, and use this data to recruit from it. It is fun, exciting, rewarding and it keeps you learning!

You need the telephone so at least try it this month, No Use November!

Just saying.....

Happy Hunting!

Sheila Greco

sgreco@sheilagreco.com

Using the right recruiting email to recruit. Customize the recruiting email each and every time!

The recruiting email!

There is the Direct Recruiting Email and A Networking Recruiting Email. They need to be different.

Who is receiving the email? Each message needs to be specific to that reader. In order to be successful when using email as part of the recruiting process you need to know who you are sending the letter to and the message that you believe will yield the most responses.  Yes portions of the letter can be the same, but it still needs to be customized.

Recruiters love to network and so do "smart" professionals. I love sending out recruiting emails because we have had much recruiting success using this type of method.   What I love most about it, is the fact that often times great referrals and candidates are the results of these efforts, as well as connecting with others who can potentially be future candidates and networking buddies!  Returned or forwarding recruiting emails are like presents to me! I can't wait to see the goodies  inside!  In a recent study of our recruiters performances we discovered that on average 87% of our messages are answered within 24 hours. Wow staggering numbers that we all get excited about.

So obviously we are believers in this type of method. Although we are also believers in the fact that you answer any email within 24 hours as well.  Okay, Before we can begin our email recruiting efforts, we need to have superior data. Yes the information needs to be accurate. This includes having access to the right potential candidate pool with emails and direct dials to be used later, as well as having access to those we wish to network with.  You heard it here first folks, there is nothing worse than having a bounced email. I hate it!!! It slows me down and frustrates the heck out of me. Anyway, assuming we have the right contact and the right email associated with the contact the fun can begin! The following are a few email recruiting messages we use.  Enjoy!

Networking recruiting email subject line suggestions.

Subject line: As a thought leader in your industry I was hoping to network with you regarding a recruiting assignment we are embarking on.

Subject line: We are recruiting for a Vice President of Sales and I would very much like to network with you.

Subject line: I would very much like to network with you, as I have become aware of the fact that you are a well-regarded professional in your industry.

Subject line: We are recruiting best of breed professionals in your space, let's connect and network!

Subject line: I am very interested in connecting with you to discuss an opportunity I am working on.

The Direct recruiting email subject line suggestions.

Subject line: We have come to recognize that you are a star amongst your peers. I am a recruiter and would like to connect with you.

Subject line: We are recruiting a sales superstar and we are interested in connecting with you.

Subject line: As a well-regarded professional in your space, I am interested in learning about you and your future goals.

Subject line: We have been asked by our client to find/recruit a superstar and we want to connect with you.

Email Examples. (Let's assume we are recruiting a Regional Sales Manager for a Business Intelligence, Data Warehousing company located in Chicago. The recruiting email template that may be used:

Example of Networking Recruiting email.

Good morning Tom (always address the recipient), hope all is well with you. As a thought leader in your industry I was hoping to network with you regarding a recruiting assignment we are embarking on. ( I like to use what I stated in the subject line, but you don't have to, I just prefer to). We have been asked by our client to identify a best of breed, super star sales person for the Midwest region and was hoping you may know of someone.

We are looking for a hunter, one who has a passion for selling, customer service, and is self motivated by the desire to exceed his/her own goals as well as the goals set by the company. The client is in the business intelligence and data warehousing space. (rarely do we say who the client is in this introduction email)

Realizing you are a busy person, would there be a date and time I may reach back out to you that may work? Otherwise please feel free to contact me directly. I look forward to it. Additionally, if you wish, you may also pass this email along to others you may think may have an interest. Again thank you and have a great day!

Example of Direct Recruiting email.

Good morning Tom (always address the recipient), hope all is well with you. We have been asked by our client to identify a best of breed, super star sales person for the Midwest region. We are looking for a hunter, someone who has a passion for selling, customer service, and is self motivated by the desire to exceed his/her own goals as well as the goals the company has set for them. Ideally this individual will have a minimum of 8 years experience as well as a bachelor's degree. Our client is a highly regarded company in the business intelligence and data warehousing space.  (rarely do we say who the client is in this introduction email)

During the course of our research, we have identified you as being top amongst your peers and I would very much like to connect with you regarding this great opportunity. Not sure this may or may not be for you, due to timing or you may be doing very well  right where you are. Either way I would really like to connect with you to learn more about you and your career goals.

Realizing you are a busy person, would there be a date and time I may reach back out to you that may work? Otherwise please feel free to contact me directly at any time.  I look forward to our conversation. Additionally, if you wish, you may also pass this email along to others you may think may have an interest in this. Again thank you and have a great day!

That's all for today folks but there is more if you want me to send them to you.  sgreco@sheilareco.com

Happy Hunting!

Sheila Greco

Recruiting Passive Candidates & Keeping It Simple Silly!

Recruiting Passive Candidates & Keeping It Simple Silly!

Recruiting Passive Candidates & Keeping It Simple Silly (KISS Method) has been my strategy for over 20 years.  The approach, as always is methodical and the process remains the same.  Whether recruiting for a President/General Manager , Java developers, Architects,  Regional Sales Managers ,  Account Managers (BI & Retail), Leaders and Consultants in I/T or Tax & Audit  the recruiting strategy remains the same.   It begins with research/name generation that provides the call/connect list which shows  the potential talent pool that is then used for recruiting and networking.  It doesn't get more simple then this!

Recruiting passive candidates and keeping it simple silly is what I believe to be the tried and true way to successful recruiting.  I have tried, I must admit to just go for it, but it only works for the first 1-2 days, then I find myself stalling a little to regroup which I find to be a waste of time.  Call me old-fashioned, but the more organized I am the more efficient I can be.  I practice what I preach! If you want to hear me preach call me! If you want results call me too.

Here is my 10 Step Keep It Simple Silly Recruiting Process:

1. Kick Off Meeting With The Client

2. Target List Development (Best of Breed, Back Yard Warriors, Direct Competitors)

3. Research/Name Generation - Steps to Uncover the Potential Talent Universe

4. Create Call List/Connect List (in addition to the research, I  recommend using  SGA ExecutiveTracker, LinkedIn, as well as other useful tools to create a comprehensive list. Do not overlook previous recruiting call lists and research) 1-3 days

5. Carefully Create/Craft the Email  & Telephone Message

6. Proactively Recruit/Source & Network

7. Fill The Pipeline With Interested & Qualified Candidates - Present

8. Set Up Interviews

9. Conduct Reference Checks

10. Hire

Pretty simple!

Oh one last thing, you need to be organized in order to be successful. Just wanted to get that one in too.

Who We Are:

Sheila Greco Associates LLC is one of the oldest and most trusted company in the recruiting and research industry. We are able to quickly and cost effectively conduct research/name generation for clients who choose to do their own recruiting as well as recruit solid candidates for corporations and search firms.

I am a trained executive search and research consultant (Trained By Jim Mead & Stan Johnson) so I have personally trained everyone in our firm  just as I was 20 years ago.

If you want to learn more about what we do and how we do it call or email me at 518 843-4611 or sgreco@sheilagreco.com

Thanks for stopping by!

Sheila Greco

Recruiting Similar Talent & Skill Sets Can Be Done Efficiently and Cost Effectively

She is a one of a kind Fashion Super Star!

Whether a company is Rebuilding, Adding, or Upgrading

Recruiting Similar Talent & Skill sets can be done efficiently and Cost Effectively

In some cases companies are looking for a super star like the one in the picture and other times, there exists a need to rebuild, add or upgrade a team. In such cases where there needs to be multiple hires, there are a few ways companies can do this and do it cost effectively. Recruiting today is about efficiency, uncovering quality top talent and its related cost.

Recruiting is a process and when recruiting similar talent and skill sets it is even more important than ever to use a methodical research/name generation step as part of the recruiting strategy.   Research/name generation can be done internally or outsourced.  Either way be sure this step includes a comprehensive target list, targets specific talent (architect, developer, buyer, product manager, sales representative/territory manager, auditor) and the recruiter must have the mindset that in order to begin recruiting there must be at least 50 names on the list (exception: when recruiting tax, audit and consulting talent I recommend a minimum of 100 names). It is a goal, it helps with the process, it keeps the recruiter organized, it can be referenced as time goes on and recruiting continues. It has many great uses.   Now that the research is done and done well, it needs to be followed by a proactive recruiting process.

The proactive recruiting process starts with connecting which can be any way the recruiter wishes; telephone, social networking medium, emailing , texting whatever but you need to connect with all on the list, otherwise the research step is for naught.

Staying organized is a must. It creates efficiency.  A good recruiter can double the size of the list or even triple it.  Now you are humming.....As the connections are being made, potential candidates are being vetted, the best are being presented and those not making the cut are being told it is just as important an activity to create a network of professionals in this space.  The best way to do this is by getting your information (the recruiter's) out to as many people as possible while the recruiting is being executed. Even to those who are not interested. Who knows this could change.

Long term, recruiters want professionals to know who they are and what types of positions they recruit for. Professionals need your contact information! How do you do this? It is easy! Just ask everyone how they would like you to deliver your contact information to them and also ask how they would like to be contacted next time.  What does this do? It makes you part of their professional network and he/she is now part of yours. You are now connected.

Additionally by having your contact information these professionals can connect with you when they are ready to make a move, want to refer or just chat. You now have a professional friend as well.  Oh so easy......just recruiting, building relationship and becoming a monster networker. It doesn't get any better than this.

Recruiting multiple professionals with a specific skill set can be considered easy, difficult and scary to some. But by knowing and using the recruiting process it can be made simple and cost-effective.  Once again being organized creates efficiency and efficiency creates less effort which saves time and saves money as well.  This is music to everyone's ears. Yes, recruiting multiple talent and skill sets and utilizing an efficient process can and does uncover top quality talent and creates a cost-effective way to recruit.

How can it be cost-effective? Companies have an option to negotiate the fee, suggest a flat fee if the recruiting is outsourced.  If it is done internally efficient recruiting efforts and filling the pipeline with all "A" Players who can all do the job, obviously results in awesome ROI.

Remember talent is a company's greatest asset. So when recruiting, it is important to hire the best, most qualified player who can fit in the company's corporate culture and whose long-term and short-term goals match the company's .

Thanks for stopping by...

Sheila Greco

Looking for Retail Talent? Take a look inside of SGA ExecutiveTracker

 

SGA ExecutiveTracker has many strengths to include retail talent. Our retail clients have hired hundreds of buyers, merchandisers, store managers, store operations, planners and corporate management professionals.

SGA ExecutiveTracker is more than just a research & recruiting tool.   It is a compiled database of  names, titles, emails, biographies and direct dials.   It complements many Daas competitors and LinkedIn.

SGA ExecutiveTracker is not a technology company and does not use web scraping or data dumps to obtain contacts. All our contacts are verified  exclusively by one of   Sheila Greco Associates in-house research teams.

SGA ExecutiveTracker can be segmented by functions, industries, Fortune rank and has many frequent highlights as part of the solution. We track over 14,000 Companies that are part of such lists as  Fortune, Forbes,  Fastest Growing Companies and those that are leaders in their industries. We do not track every company, but many of major ones. We go deep into companies with information that is difficult to obtain and maintain!

In addition to SGA ExecutiveTracker retail strength, one of SGA's  core strengths in the retail sector and our ability to map out many retailers top to bottom, (customized research).  Our clients have the opportunity to use this for recruiting, benchmarking and talent management.

Top Retailers - Let's look inside SGA ExecutiveTracker

Wal-Mart, Kroger, Target, Walgreen, Home Depot, Costco, CVS Caremark, Lowes, Best Buy, Sears, Safeway. We cover corporate management and many, many levels below.

Below we highlighted some great merchandising talent that can be found in SGA ExecutiveTracker.

Linda Hefner Wal-Mart

Michael Donnelly Kroger

Kathryn Kathee Tesija   Target

Timothy L. Rose Costco

Grant Pill, & CVS Caremark News from DrugStore.com

Bob Gfeller Lowes

Kelly Griffith Safeway

Thanks for stopping by and I do hope you check out SGA ExecutiveTracker .

Sheila Greco

Fortune, Forbes, Best Of Breed Marketing Executives Featured Today by SGA ExecutiveTracker

 

SGA ExecutiveTracker is more than just a research & recruiting tool.   It is a compiled database of  names, titles, emails, biographies and direct dials.   It complements many Daas competitors and LinkedIn. It is not limited to just senior level executives either!

Hundreds of our clients have reaped the benefits of this powerful tool. Unlike many B2B contact competitors, SGA ExecutiveTracker's claim to fame is if the information is wrong, it is corrected  at no additional cost! How is that for 100% client satisfaction?

SGA ExecutiveTracker is not a technology company and does not use web scraping or data dumps to obtain contacts. All our contacts are verified  exclusively by one of   Sheila Greco Associates in-house research teams.

SGA ExecutiveTracker can be segmented by functions, industries, Fortune rank and has many frequent highlights as part of the solution. We track over 14,000 Companies that are part of such lists as  Fortune, Forbes,  Fastest Growing Companies and those that are leaders in their industries. We do not track every company, but many of the major ones. We go deep into companies with information that is difficult to obtain and maintain!

For those clients who buy packages to our other services, SGA ExecutiveTracker  costs  as low as  $10.00 per day!  Check out  SGA ExecutiveTracker now.

Let's take a look  inside  SGA ExecutiveTracker's  senior level marketing executives from a few Fortune 100 Companies.

1. Stephen F. Quinn Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Wal-Mart U.S.

2. A.J. (Alan) Kelly replaces Hal Cramer  as Hal retires, President Exxon Mobil Lubricants & Petroleum Specialty Company.

3. Shariq Yosufzai, President, Global Marketing at  Chevron

4. W.C.W Chiang,  Senior Vice President, Refining, Marketing, Transportation and Commercial ConocoPhillips

5.  Kelli Parsons Senior Vice President Chief Communications Officer Fannie Mae

6. Beth Comstock, Senior Vice President Chief Marketing Officer General Electric

7. Berkshire Hathway Inc Marketing Done by Divisions

8.  Joel Ewanick   Vice President& Global Chief Marketing Officer General Motors

9. Anne Finucane,  Global Strategy & Marketing Office at Bank Of America

10. James D. Farley Jr.   Group Vice President, Global Marketing, Sales & Service Ford Motor Company

Lots of Executives In Between....Don't Wait! Sign up today for SGA ExecutiveTracker to have access to all this great information!! Yes, depending on the package you buy, you could have access for as low as $10 per day! Call us 518 843-4611 ext 221 or email Sheila at sgreco@sheilagreco.com

93.   Roger Starnes,  Vice President of Food Service Marketing Tyson Foods Inc

94.  Nancy Brennan Lund,  Senior Vice President Marketing Altria (Philip Morris Marketing is done by Division US Smokeless Tobacco Brian W.  Quigley.

95.  Jeffrey Hirsh, Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Residential Services Time Warner

96. Judith Sim, Chief Marketing Officer   Oracle

97. Ian Hardgrove, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Sales   3M

98. Frances Emerson, Vice President,  Corporate Communications & Global Brand Marketing Deere & Company

SGA ExecutiveTracker, It's Not Who You Know, It's Who We Know!

Thanks for stopping by!

Sheila Greco

Incorporating Customized Competitive Intelligence Into Your Recruiting Strategy Makes A Lot Of Sense

 

Competitive Intelligence Helps With Making Intelligent Hiring Decisions!

Incorporating Customized Competitive Intelligence Into Your Recruiting Strategy Makes A Lot Of Sense. When it comes to sourcing hard to find talent, the easiest way to do so is to conduct competitive intelligence on your competitors and the companies on the target list. Having data on the available talent can and does help with making solid recruiting decisions.

Let me compare it to handicapping. Handicappers base their decisions on data. Many start by taking a look at the talent of each horse and compare it to the competition. When they place their bet, or choose their top pick, they are confident they have chosen the best horse in the race based upon information to include individual talent, facts and statistics. Shouldn't recruiters be doing this too?

Think about it. Recruiters will take any edge they are given, so give them this edge. We all need it in order to recruit top talent EVERYONE wants and needs.  Having access to the potential talent pool, facts, data, and statistics, will in turn w give them the ability to reach the best of breed talent before the competition does. Competitive Intelligence requires upfront work, but long-term it cannot be beat! Knowledge is Power!

As I speak with clients and others regarding recruiting and current recruiting strategies, it is mind-boggling to me to think that hires are made without knowledge and data. As I walk them through the process and speak about the benefits of combining the two in the recruiting process, they begin to see the many benefits. I ask them, with your current recruiting strategy and process do you feel confident that the best candidate was chosen if there isn’t data to back it up? What are your thoughts?

Incorporating Customized Competitive Intelligence Into Your Recruiting Strategy saves time, money and the overall return on investment to the company is priceless.

Just wanted to give you something to think about over the weekend!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a question or comment call me at 518 843-4611 or email sgreco@sheilagreco.com.

Sheila Greco

Recruiting Top Talent & The Importance Of Creating A Solid Target List

Top Talent can be hiding within the walls of the competition.

But don't stop there!

After reviewing numerous 2012 recruiting predictions and trends,  there seem to be 2 predictions that make every list.

1. The importance, need and desire to recruit directly from the competition.

2. Finding the much-needed talent with mission critical skill sets specific to an organization.

As I begin to think about this and how I can help my clients with these two trends, it has become obvious to me the need to emphasis the importance of a solid target list. The solid target list acts as a roadmap, a plan, as to where the talent may be sitting and poached. So by taking the time to creat a solid target list, long-term will help with identifying and recruiting the hard to find top talent needed by the organization. It is important to know that each target list needs to be specific to the requirements of each specific job. There could be some homework that recruiters may need to do to put together this solid target list, but it will be well worth the time and energy.

When creating a solid target list, I usually divide it into categories:

1 Target List, 5 Potential Categories

1.Competitors- Direct Competitors, same size, similar brands and services. (J&J)

2.Best Of Breed - companies with critical mass, best and brightest management teams, (companies may include  P&G, General Mills,  Apple, Google, Goldman Sachs, General Electric etc)

3.Back Yard Warriors - Great companies with great talent where recruiting top talent would not require relocation.

4.Small To Medium Companies On The Rise, but in  your space - Since 2008, great talent has been recruited by these companies and they have benefited greatly so great places to investigate and definitely not ones to overlook.

5.Specific teams within organizations - Those that have been recognized or known to have solid management and team players. (Human Resources Awards, Marketing Awards, Retail Creative teams).

If you need help with putting together a target list, call me at 518 843-4611 or email sgreco@sheilagreco.com. Glad you stopped by sgatalent... Until the next time enjoy!

Sheila Greco

Only The Employed Need Apply - Employing Traditional Passive Candidate Research Can Be The Force Behind Doing So

Only the employed need apply.  Agree Or disagree. It is reality to some.

Traditional Passive Candidate Research can be The Force  Behind Hiring The Employed!

For those who use Traditional Passive Candidate Research as part of their recruiting strategy, recruiting the employed really is not anything new. I am not saying that only the employed are targeted to fill the potential candidate pipeline report, but the emphasis is put on finding candidates who are residing at the companies of interest to include competitors, best of breed companies, back yard warriors and other companies the hiring manager has had success recruiting out of. A great way to connect with these professionals is to employ Traditional Passive Candidate Research into the recruiting process.

Not everyone knows about Traditional Passive Candidate Research. That is okay, but should your client ask you for passive employed candidates you should become aware of it. Simply put it is the process of  identifying potential candidates from a target list of companies created by the hiring manager based upon past successful hiring results. This process goes right for the jugular. Calling into companies and getting right to the people of interest. I am not saying to ignore the internet or research and recruiting tools  to find talent. You can use them, but don't solely depend on them.

The benefits of Traditional Passive Candidate Research - can far outweigh using free and paid for service research and recruiting tools.  The center of the search process is undeniably the research phase so it needs to be done right and it needs to be done by those who know how to do it. Having access to top talent right from the beginning can and does shorten the recruiting cycle, not to mention helps the recruiter recruit with knowledge. Most Traditional Passive Candidate Research provides not only names of potential candidates, but reporting relationships, emails, direct dials and often times specific information around the executives and their teams.

Let's face it, hiring managers drive the process and know who they  need. Often times they turn to the internal talent acquisition team to get it done. Depending on internal capabilities, hiring can be done internally, outsourced or a combination of both. Either way the goal remains the same, there is a need to find best of breed talent yesterday. Traditional Passive Candidate Research empowers recruiters to be focused, the ability to get to the right candidate faster, a channel that allows the recruiters to engage with potential candidates, network, and can assist with branding a company just by connecting. Oh, such power! And yes, it gets the recruiter to the employed!

I am not saying to ignore the unemployed...... but do recruiting partners/clients want to see these folks from you?  It depends. Some do, some don't. Remember you don't make the rules! You can choose to follow them or opt out. However in today's world and according to many articles in the news, there are corporations publically saying the employed need apply or privately doing so. Either way,  in order to be a successful recruiter these days, you need to know how to  find the employed.

A few things to ponder.....

Do you agree that the best talent are those who are employed?

Do you consider that statement of "Only the Employed Need Apply" to be discrimination against the unemployed?

Please feel free to comment. My opinion is that as a recruiter you always want to find the best of the best, the "A" Player talent. So do just that. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sheila Greco

www.sgatalent.com

Organization Mapping - A Great Way To Learn About The Competition And Be Aware Of The Talent

Where Is The Talent? Who Is On The Team?

The Latest Trend Reveals Much Needed & Wanted Information

There are tools such as SGA  ExecutiveTracker,  LinkedIn, Google,  Passive Candidate Research, Social Networking and niche ones that assist with peeling back the onion, but the best way to Map an Organziation and capture this information is by speaking with people on the inside and those in the "know."

Mapping competitors, best of breed organizations and back yard warriors are super hot right now. Organization Mapping provides a cross functional picture of an organization. Pictures speak in volumes (organization charts) and can help with making recruiting decisions, talent management strategic planning and is widely used for competitive intelligence purposes. Today, smart companies are moving toward strategically aligning recruiting with competitive intelligence teams. Should you be doing the same? Or have you been using recruiting as a way to gain information about your competitors for quite some time. If you have you are not alone.

Where Is The Talent

Organization Mapping  shows how  the target companies are organized, where the teams fit within the organization, the size,  unique titles, if there are any,  and much more.

Who Is On The Team?

Now you know where the team is, you want to know about the players.   You want to know who are the stars on the team, their backgrounds, education, years with the company, diversity, greatest accomplishments. What you can do with this information can be endless! Can this help with current & future challenges!

Building competitiveness these days requires more than just your brand name, your product/services, and customer service just to name a few. It's about talent too. You need the right people, doing the right things! You need the best talent on the market. You need superstars. As you continue to build your teams you need to be aware of who is out there. We have heard the phrase, "people are our company's greatest asset,"  I agree! There is a lot of truth to this, but  I sometimes wonder if companies really mean this and believe enough in this that as they recruit they sincerely look to hire the best available.  If you believe in this you need information that helps get you there. Please read this interesting article written by Jennifer Blanchard | HRTools.com Business Writer.

Organization Mapping is the current trend. I believe in it and can see the value it has.  Be in the know! Know your competitors, know the talent and create the strongest team you can so you can win!!! Having top talent on the team creates at a minimum competitive teams and often times winning ones! But you can only do this if you are aware of the best players out there.

Recruiting Women In Technology SGA's 2011 Study Sneak Peek Preview

Since 1993 we have been specializing in recruiting and conducting passive executive research in the I/T World

The fact is that there are still fewer Women than men In Technology to Recruit!

Our results for just the Fortune 100 are in.  For 2011 there are 17% Women In Technology Leaders in comparison to 15% in 2004 and 12% in 2007. Finding top notch women in technology is becoming less difficult, there are just fewer out there.   No wonder why women in technology continue to encourage young women in high school and college to major in technology. These professionals are mentors and active in multiple related associations and organizations.   As most technology recruiters are aware, recruiting technology professionals can be challenging within itself and women in this space are considered "a hot commodity".

For the next few weeks my staff and I will begin to once again analyze women in technology and release our findings to all of you and the world.  FYI it consists of 1000 Companies.  Stay tuned for the results of SGA's Women in Technology Study.  This particular study is so much fun!

The 17 We have identified from The Fortune 100

1. Charlene Begley President and CEO of GE Home & Business Solutions and Senior Vice President and CIO for GE

2. Linda Sanford, Senior VP, Enterprise on Demand Transformation & Information Technology, IBM

3. Patricia Morrison EVP & CIO - Cardinal Health, Inc.

4. Beth M. Jacob, Executive Vice President, Target Technology Services and Chief Information Officer

5. Kim Hammonds, Chief information Officer of The Boeing Company

6. Nancy Davis, Vice President and Chief Information Officer UTC

7. Maria R. Morris,Executive Vice President, Technology & Operations MetLife, Inc.

8. Linda Gooden is Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin’s  (IS&GS)

9. Diane M. Bryant,Vice President and Chief Information Officer (CIO) of Intel

10. Rebecca Jacoby Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Cisco

11. Barbara G. Koster Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Prudential Financial

12. Susan O'Day, Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer The Walt Disney Company

13. Twila M. Day, Vice President and Chief Information Officer at SYSCO Corporation

14. Eileen Slevin, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, New York Life

15. Linda A. Mills Corporate Vice President and President of Northrop Grumman’s Information Systems

16. Theresa Wise  Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Delta Air Lines

17. Noel Brown Williams Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer HCA Information Technology & Services

This is it for now, but stay tuned..

If you are interested in this full list feel free to contact me at sgreco@sheilagreco.com.

Thank you for visiting  www.sgatalent.com

World Class Recruiting

Recruiting Top Talent and Creating World Class Recruiting Organizations Were The Common Threads in SMA's Event This Year.

The day began early as usual, with a gracious opening from Chloe Rada.  The day went by quickly as the speaker line up had many top-notch Industry Thought Leaders, Talent Acquisition & Sourcing Experts.  The Keynote was Andres Tapia, who provided us with compelling insights and practical information on why recruiting and retaining diverse talent is a business imperative for any organization.  Among the speakers, as always a crowd favorite Gerry Crispin who was a great moderator with a five star panel of experts such as Annie Chae, Chris Gould and Tito Magobet.  This session proved to be very informative.  Each speaking openly about their background's,  experiences and shared with us a few of their successes. I am sure everyone learned something from this session.

What a great day for LinkedIn!  The company went public, how exciting for many. Another great panel joined Kevin Krantz, Enterprise Relationship Manager, LinkedIn and discussed the many uses of LinkedIn as a tool for recruiters.  The panel consisted of Suzi Edwards, Diane Hughes and Michele Portfilio.  The day ended with a session on Recruiting Metrics, nicely presented by Steve Lowisz.

This powerful professional community was warm, and friendly, often sharing their own experiences with each other during  sessions, in private and during the event's breaks.  The evening cocktail party  sponsored by us, Sheila Greco Associates was very joyous one.  The room was filled with laughter, buzz around the topics discussed and it was quite obvious people really enjoyed being there and with each other.  This Chicago SHRM is one of a kind we really enjoyed it since it gave us a chance to reconnect with clients, friends, and develop new relationships with future clients.

Again we want to thank Michele and Chloe for giving us the opportunity to be part of this event.  We were a proud sponsor and look  forward to being part of this community.

If you work in Human Resources, Recruiting, Talent Acquisition, and/or Executive Search in the Chicago area you need to be part of the SMA of Greater Chicago organization.

Executive Recruiting Trends

The Importance of Human Touch and Pipeline Development are Center Stage for 2011's Executive Recruiting Trends

The Top 5  SGA has Heard Lately………

#1 In-sourcing vs. RPO:

This trend is toward selective, not full, recruitment process outsourcing. We will see outsourcing occur more often in the recruitment of high-volume, repetitive roles, and for the function of candidate sourcing only. There will be more RPO growth in the U.S. than Canada; more Canadian markets are focused on building internally. More executive recruitment functions are moving in-house, which is reflective of a growing transparency in the market. Increasingly, candidates can go online and see for themselves who holds which recruiting or leadership positions at a company, for example, rather than being forced to stay in the dark or play the guessing game to get in contact with the correct person.

#2 Talent Pipelining:

The importance of building a talent pipeline, as it helps employers get more return out of their recruitment efforts using the fewest resources, build a stronger employment brand, and create better relationships with candidates. Talent pipelining needs to be built into the recruitment process for key roles, as the push of relevant content and information to “nurtured” candidates helps build a company’s employment brand and increase passive candidates’ engagement and trust.

#3 Human Touch is Needed:

A poor or lengthy recruiting process can really hurt your organization’s chances of bringing the best talent onto your team. Just as candidates must sell themselves to you, you must sell your company to candidates. What’s your employment value proposition; how are you attracting, engaging, and retaining quality talent?

Begin to create a more candidate-centric recruitment process by adding more of a “human touch” to your process. Communicate with candidates when at all possible, and let them know where they stand as the process moves from phase to phase.  View all candidates as a customer or potential future customer, client or employee.

#4 Social Media for Recruitment:

Social media: It can be really overwhelming. Most of us are familiar with the major social media platforms — and they are playing an increasing role in recruitment as companies realize they must diversify their recruitment efforts to stay on top. Mobile technology is emerging as a recruitment channel, as companies are also realizing the power of texting and mobile apps for recruitment. Even location-based social networking sites like Foursquare have growing possibilities for businesses and recruitment. Tablets like the iPad are also becoming more popular for work use as these devices increase the business applications offered, and companies are beginning to examine the power of tablet applications to help strengthen their employment brand and company profile.

Video interviewing is a trend that more and more businesses (and candidates) are starting to pick up on, and platforms like Skype, the largest network on the Internet, are also becoming more popular for use in interviews or for virtual meetings.

Using these mediums can be powerful — but the content you put out and the messages you are sending to candidates and employees must be relevant.

#5 The Demand for Experienced Recruiters:

Recruiters today are being asked to do more with less, making it increasingly difficult for them to be successful. The demand for experienced recruiters is high — and the recruiter of yesterday has changed to reflect a demand for those who have an in-depth knowledge of the company for which they’re recruiting.

What are you hearing?

Here Today Gone Tomorrow...Who is doing the updating?

People Change Jobs & Do Not Always Make Changes to Their Public Profiles!

Bad Names are a commodity! Quality Names are Not!

We all use social media and recruiting tools such as , LinkedIn, Jigsaw, SGA ExecutiveTracker, and others. Some are free and others are not, but we use them to source names for recruiting. One thing we must all understand is that fact that we need to get to these professionals today! Time is of the essence and it should be all about Quality not so much about quantity. Especially in the recruiting world.

We put our profiles out there on many free sites, but how often do we update them? How often do we answer questions, network, send over referrals? As we continue to get busier we will need to spend our time wisely, mostly focusing on things that we need to get done. Yes we will continue to network, but making instant contact is where it is headed.  Recruiters need emails, direct dials, cells phone numbers and more. Consider using tools which complement each other and be wise to the fact that not all tools will give you the hire each and every time. Tools that offer telephone verified information will win in the end!!!! Solely relying on the person to update their own profiles may not be all that smart.

Quality information yields the best results. 

Recruit! Go After The Ones You Want!

Be Proactive!

The Art of The Conversation!

Chapter 3, The Recruiting Campaign.

The Passive Candidate Research created the list, presented the recruiter with the lay of the land by showing WHO is at the right level, company and just awaiting our network and recruiting call. Begin to Network, Network, Network!!! It does get you many potential candidates to review, compare and contrast! So take advantage by calling, texting, emailing, talent your client wants, not the ones who are actively looking! I am not saying to dismiss the active candidates, I am saying that to proactively go after the passive ones! As we make a way through the list, we cannot forget to use such tools as SGA ExecutiveTracker; Linked In & SGA Live.

The recruiting campaign ultimately provides us the pipeline of candidates we will be presenting during the life cycle of the search. So you need to be giving it 100%.

Happy Hunting!

Intelligence is Everything....

Hiring Intelligently is the Only Way to Hire.

Being aware of the potential talent pool is critical to your success.

How do you know you recruited the best just because you made the hire?  Well, the truth is you don't.   You need the intelligence to be sure you did.  You do this by being totally aware of the potential talent universe.  You need to have the "inside view" of the talent pool of the professionals on your target list.

Time and time again we have proven there are significant benefits of knowing where to find the best talent, who they are and how to obtain access to them.  This is all available by using passive candidate research when you recruit.  This is done by building organization charts centered around the talent you are seeking.  This process does not necessarily need to be expensive but any cost involved is well worth it.

Successful companies have the intelligence on their competitors, back yard warriors, best of breed companies and the talent within each.

In order to be competitive you need to have the best talent.  Today a company's best asset and competitive edge is its people.   Having said that, when you are recruiting and/or looking to upgrade internal talent, become aware of whom the best players really are.

Follow my SGA Playbook and come back daily for information regarding recruiting the best with knowledge and intelligence.

Monday - Chapter 1 Who

Tuesday Chapter 2 Recruiting & Research Strategy

Wednesday Chapter 3 Recruiting Campaign

Thursday Chapter 4 Evaluation & Selection

Friday Chapter 5 Presenting With Knowledge & Intelligence