Job Code

I may not read Dr. Phil's latest book, Life Code, but there's a worth-repeating story about job-hunting and confidentiality:

A woman extols a potential job opportunity that pays $25K more than her current company. Then feels betrayed by a co-worker who, upon learning this, applies for and gets that job.

Seems like a simple lesson, one that we should have learned by, oh, say, junior high or maybe high school? You remember ... you tell Susie that Phil is dreamy and that Sherry isn't treating him right and ... Susie and Phil are going out on Friday night.

Keep it to yourself if you don't want it to get around. It's still doable, even in this age of exploding media.

Help -- I need a headline.

Everything I'm coming up with is, well, lame. Here's why:

We get all warm & fuzzy when we have a week like this. Two of our recent recruits are in their new jobs and they LOVE them! The employers, one an ad agency and one a nationally headquartered company, are very pleased with the hires they've made, too. In addition, one of those employees was offered 20% more than she asked for! Sure, employers often have established compensation ranges for specific classes of jobs, but still ... 20%? Our temporary employee has gleefully accepted their offer.

So, as we keep looking for more talented professionals every day (http://www.landajobnow.com/static/jobListings.html), we pause to say Thanks! You all are why we do this job!

(headline suggestions welcome)

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.