I have been swamped with sourcing activities over the past couple weeks as we work on multiple projects. I am definitely seeing an upclick in hiring activities which is normally preceded by increases in our assessment work. We have seen a tremendous increase in assessments so I take that as a good sign. So a quick sourcing story for you – I’m on the phone with a gentleman and we are deep into the phone interview. He interrupts me to say he needs to step away as his 5 year-old son has gone to the bathroom and the candidate needs to go “wipe his butt.” He proceeds to set the… Read More
Continue ReadingSpelling Does NOT Matter
Here is a new title from a sales employment ad: Accont Exceutive Honestly, if I could spike my coffee right now I would. Whatever price this medical company paid for the ad has been wasted before a single click.
Continue Reading3 Years And A Cloud Of Dust
My apologies for co-opting Woody Hayes’ saying, but I am from Ann Arbor and couldn’t stand the guy anyway. I’m wondering what the Great Recession is going to do to resumes. What I mean is this – many people have shortened tenures nowadays (especially Gen Y). 3 years is turning into a fairly good tenure for a worker. This recession has cost millions of people their jobs. Some will have to start their work career over, essentially taking a “lesser” job and working their way up all over again. In many instances, they will have to jump from job to job to keep moving up during their now condensed work… Read More
Continue ReadingPink Slip Parties?
I received my share of pink slips in my career so this title frightened me when I first saw it in the Twin Cities Business Magazine. However, this strikes me as rather clever: The party, akin to speed dating for the unemployed… The idea is to provide an opportunity for job seekers to mingle with local recruiters in a more informal setting than a traditional board room. Job seekers should dress to impress, bring copies of their resume, and be ready to network, Virgin Mobile and JobsDirectUSA said. The companies call the party “the most fun and laid-back job interview most who attend will ever experience.”
Continue ReadingSocial Skills vs. Sales Skills
If you’re talking you’re not selling. That is an old axiom I learned early in my sales career and it is always true. Talking does not equal selling. Unfortunately, people not experienced in sales hiring often have the opposite view. Their stereotypical belief is that the best salespeople are the ones who are perceived to be the best talkers. This misguided view often leads to bad hires. Here is where the mistake occurs – hiring managers assume that social skills are equivalent to sales skills. Ok, maybe that is too strong, but the assumption is that the social skills are the key to successful selling. Social skills are a component… Read More
Continue ReadingDetails Matter
From a sales employment ad I read this morning: Job Location: Minniapolis, MN
Continue ReadingSpam Sourcing
How is this for a spam approach to applicants? You have been accepted for a high paying work from home job. Click the link below to get all the information: Click Here Sincerely, Hiring Manager p.s. Please claim your position today or it will be given to the next applicant. The “p.s.” line is fantastic.
Continue ReadingThe Illegality Of Facebook Due Diligence
Well, there isn’t any precedence yet, according to this StarTribune article. Clearly the proper use of social networking sites during background checks for candidates is going to be a tremendously important legal topic soon. This topic has been percolating for some time. The article references an obvious starting point: “We can suggest to employers that they include in their application process some statement that says ‘we do reference checking including use of information in the public domain’ and to make it broad enough that if they discover something online it’s fair game,” Ridley said. I have always been one to note that the Internet IS a public domain so anything… Read More
Continue ReadingMonster HotJobs
Breaking news from the big job board world (via press release): Today, we are excited to announce that Monster has entered into an agreement to acquire HotJobs that will provide you with unprecedented access to job seekers and make Monster the leading site for job seekers in the U.S. Upon the close of the acquisition, Monster will also enter into a multi-year strategic agreement with Yahoo!, becoming the jobs and recruitment engine on Yahoo!’s homepage for both the U.S. and Canada. I’m not overly surprised by this news as I believe HotJobs has been fading fast over the past year or two. I still believe the consolidation of major job… Read More
Continue ReadingSwamped By Applicants
I am hearing more discussions about incredibly large responses to sales job postings in this present economy. Some of the companies I talk to are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of resumes they receive. I went back to look at an old article we wrote back in 2005 when the economy was in a much stronger position. In today’s economy, the points are even more applicable: If your ideal sale starts at the VP level, state in your ad that a needed skill is the ability to communicate at the VP level. If your sale involves many competitors, state in your ad that the successful candidate is able to close… Read More
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