How Recruiters Make Decisions

If you're frustrated with lack of or slow response from your recruiting firm, take a minute to think about these things:

*Did you communicate the urgency of your staffing need?
*Have you been responsive in the past when presented with candidates?
*Is your compensation range competitive?
*Are you a shopper ... wanting to do the recruiting firm's work instead of establishing a partnership where they can do the work for you?
*Is your hiring process so lengthy that top candidates often get other offers first?
*Do you conduct cattle calls and enlist three or more firms simultaneously?
*Are you constantly competing with your recruiting firm?
*Do you continue to change your specifications as you interview more people?

Hiring Sales Professionals

Sales recruiting is up -- good news for just about everyone. We know that companies are doing better when the phone starts ringing for sales professionals. We also know that there are lots of landmines in this path and Princess Diana isn't here to help get rid of them.

Some employers have a formal process, but in many small to mid-size businesses on-boarding consists of signing employer paperwork and learning where the coffee and kitchen are. We know because we, too, are a small business. And, coincidentally, we are getting ready to hire a temporary staffing manager.

Here are some links/resources to successfully onboarding new sales pros:

Understand who can sell to your customers: http://www.super-solutions.com/HowtoHireTheMillionDollarSalesPerson.asp#axzz1ZkWBOvnp

Four Key Skills Salespeople Need: http://www.ere.net/2011/01/19/hiring-salespeople-trust-or-consequences/

Look at it as an on-going training process, NOT a hiring event: http://salestrainingconnection.com/2011/08/05/on-boarding-sales-people-its-not-your-fathers-oldsmobile/

Onboarding salespeople is one of the toughest things my small businesses face: http://smartsalestips.com/2011/04/25/is-your-sales-person-onboarding-program-causing-underperformance/

When we enrolled in a sales training course in the past, I asked a trainer friend her opinion of some that we were considering. It won't surprise you to hear: "Any of them can be good, if you follow them."

So noted!

Yes, You Have To.

We get asked: If a job posting asks for salary history or requirement, do you have to fill it in?

Sadly, yes. It’s a horrible system. But HR has to institute every possible automated screening tool because they are overrun with candidates, many of whom are not in the least qualified.

One of our candidates said he was frustrated with online applications. They always asked for his salary history, he said, and he was concerned that his response would get him eliminated. I explained to him that by not following—fully—the instructions and requests in an online posting he was probably wasting his time using that venue.

Too many people, too few jobs. And it’s hurting everyone — keeping the talented, qualified people from getting the attention they deserve. But you really need to apply online exactly as the employer has requested.

Once again, that’s why it’s important to network. You need pull-through from a networking contact on the inside of the employer organization, to overcome being tossed aside for arbitrary, unknown criteria.

Last post, we were singing ...

and now, we definitely need to add to the choir. More jobs! Seriously, please take a look and pass it on to people in your network: http://www.landajobnow.com/static/jobListings.html

Now, there's a need for:

*traffic manager for agency
*senior art director for in-house agency
*account manager(s) -- in-house and agency
*admin/recruiting intern for LandaJob
*production artist for corporation
*on-going temporary designer -- avg. 20 hr/wk
*online marketing manager for corporation
*CRM director
*PR manager for agency

We got embroiled in a Linked In discussion last month about search firms/headhunters/recruiters that took on a (bleak and angry) life of its own; a creative talent had some very nasty things to say about our profession. Although we're sorry to hear it, long ago we realized every profession has some bad apples. And we continue to try to illuminate the process and rules of the road to manage expectations, but some people aren't interested. We've got a track record that says we mean it when we say we put the employers' and employees' needs before our own. And, as we say to our clients: track record is everything.

Jobs are springing up all over

You should be grateful that I type, not sing. Consider taking a look at our partial list of search assignments and forwarding on to a friend: http://www.landajobnow.com/static/jobListings.html

We need:

*a Design Director for an NYC cosmetics giant
*an Account Planner for a Chicago agency
*an Editorial Asst. for a KC contract/temp assignment
*CRM and one-to-one experts

... and a lot more. It's like watching tulips bloom! Write, call, send your resume -- throw your hat in the ring.