Think Sourcing

From Foxnews.com – Economy Shrugs Off Weak Housing and Automotive Sectors As Employers Add 167,000 Jobs in December. We are encountering extended sourcing cycles right now due in no small part to compensation increases. Employers stepped up hiring last month, boosting payrolls by a brisk 167,000 and keeping the unemployment rate steady at a still historically low 4.5 percent. Workers’ wages grew briskly. The latest snapshot of the nation’s employment climate, released Friday by the Labor Department, showed that the jobs market ended 2006 on a strong note and provided fresh evidence that the troubled housing and automotive sectors aren’t dragging down employment across the country. We have implemented numerous… Read More

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Ad Format

I saw this section in a sales ad this morning: Day to Day – At a glance The section contained seven bullet points explaining the tasks of a typical day in this role. It was a quick read section that provided enough insight into the position to pique the interest of the right candidates. The brevity of the section is the factor that makes it work. I would not recommend 25 bullet points with every daily task – just provide the flavor for the candidate.

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Top 10 Hiring Mistakes

Inc.com offers up this slide show that nails it – 10 derailing mistakes that can short circuit any hiring process. A couple of my favorites: Jumping to conclusions Don’t be too hasty when reviewing resumes. A 30-second glance isn’t enough to eliminate a candidate. Be fair, and take the time to discover the truth behind a resume. I would take it one step further – don’t jump to conclusions after interviewing the candidate either. We have sat through many interview debriefs where the hiring manager took one piece of data from the interview and ran it out to a sinister trend in the candidate. There is nothing more frustrating than… Read More

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January Is Active

From a promotional email from CareerBuilder.com: Last year, job searches on CareerBuilder.com increased by over 60% in January, breaking all previous job search records. Obviously, CareerBuilder is trying to sell employment ads, but the quoted statistic is remarkable. We hear people complain about finding talented salespeople using the big online boards but we have consistent success with them. The boards may be a problem for some positions, but I don’t think that is the common cause. From what I see, many companies post ads that are . . . well, atrocious. Here’s my Minnesotan view on it: Imagine you are on a large lake that is renowned for good fishing.… Read More

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Pour Some Sugar On Me

Each morning I peruse the sales employment ads to see who is hiring and what ads they are placing. I came across a local company I have never heard of and was impressed by a bullet point in their ad: Accountable for achieving sales goals within an assigned territory which has key accounts. The emphasis was theirs. This approach may seem trivial, but it is important in putting the right bait out their to find the right salesperson. Companies often have glorified visions of a single salesperson with minimal marketing help being able to take a zero revenue territory and grow it into a highly profitable territory. This can happen… Read More

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What’s Not In It

Just a quick thought to start this new year – one way to spot a suspect opportunity is if the employment ad spends more words describing what you don’t have to do as opposed to what you do have to do. I just read an ad that spent multiple sentences and bullet points explaining what the position did not entail. Mainly, it sounds like you don’t have to work.

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Extended Sourcing Times

Inc.com has a 3 paragraph article titled Job Seekers Expect Long Search. The article briefly reports on a “call-in survey.” I’m not sure how reliable that approach is, but the results are consistent with our present-day realities. Job seekers expect to spend seven to 14 months searching for work, according to a call-in survey conducted by outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Anyone who has been sourcing of late knows that it is a tight market.

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Another Cover Letter

Destined for the circular file: I am currently seeking full time employment with a company that I have the possibility to expand my resume. The statement seems innocuous enough, but reread the last part. “Expand my resume” speaks volumes to their self-focus and little to what contribution they will make to the company.

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Online Ads

From Fortune/CNN Money.com: A market research firm called Borrell Associates is now claiming that in 2006, online ad spending for employee recruitment – a.k.a., help wanted – has for the first time surpassed comparable spending in newspapers. The actual amounts are $5.9 billion on the Web vs. $5.4 billion for newspapers.We haven’t seen the full report, but in a thorough post, Alan Mutter quotes this nugget: “When the history of Internet advertising is written, recruitment sites will undoubtedly dominate the first chapter,” says Borrell. “In 12 years, these sites have grown from a few job boards to hundreds of niche competitors. Online recruitment now accounts for 25% of Internet advertising.”… Read More

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Ace Ventura – Vet Recruiter

From our local Pioneer Press: A specialist veterinarian in Eden Prairie, Goullaud regularly receives letters from faraway clinics imploring him to “join our team.” Glossy recruiting brochures breathlessly promise him the chance to practice veterinary medicine “the way it could be the way it should be” if he would just relocate.The age of high-tech, big-bucks veterinary care has arrived, and specialists like Goullaud are riding high. With pet owners willing to pay more than $3,000 for canine pacemaker surgery, $1,250 for a stent and $600 for a CT scan, clinics are clamoring to add upscale services. I’m stunned at the fact a canine pacemaker even exists let alone the cost.… Read More

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