You have probably read many “how to” articles that provide tips for jobseekers. One tip that almost always makes the list is to have a professional email address. Unfortunately, I was looking through resumes today and found one person who may not have read any of those articles. His email address: rednecktrucker@domain.com Next.
Continue ReadingVideo Resume Reticence
I’m a fan of the video resume concept for sales positions. Salespeople have to interact with clients in a manner that best represents your company. The video resume provides a glimpse into this presentation ability. Yet, according to RecruitingTrends.com, the majority of companies are not accepting these forms of resumes (emphasis mine): Indeed, just one in four (24%) senior executives polled claim that their companies accept video resumes from candidates reveals the survey, developed by Robert Half International, a staffing services firm specializing in accounting and finance and conducted by an independent research firm. When asked whether their company accepts video resumes from job seekers, 58% of responding executives state… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Migration To Niche Job Boards
One of the points we always push when it comes to sourcing is to use multiple channels that still includes online job boards. In fact we use them during our sourcing efforts, however if you talk to other recruiters you will probably hear that running ads on the boards will only get you active job seekers (the unemployed). We find that at least half of the salespeople that respond to our ads are currently working or what other recruiters call passive job seekers. So the one thing we are always looking for are niche job boards to try out. What we are finding is that the niche job boards deliver on their… Read More
Continue ReadingMulti-Channel Sourcing
We preach to our clients that simply placing an onlie ad is not a sound sourcing strategy. Managesmarter.com has an article that gives 3 good, quick tips for leveraging the Internet to fill open positions. The only way to effectively recruit is to use multiple channels. You’re trying to find that one person who is exactly right, and that means exploring multiple avenues. This includes your offline efforts, by the way—don’t stop networking just because you’ve posted a job online. Work multiple sources (both online and real world) to get the word out about your opening. Make sure you’ve got an accurate, well-written, exciting job description. You need a posting that… Read More
Continue ReadingFirst Round Cuts
The frequency of layoffs has started to rise as the economy continues it’s slow progression (no, it hasn’t recessed). Up here in Minnesota we have experienced some large layoffs recently. But there is an interesting point in all of these layoffs when it comes to salespeople. Many times the underperformers are released first as a method for upgrading the sales force. One of the large corporations up here announced a sizeable layoff that reduced their employee count by 5%. Yet, the following week they had multiple employment ads on multiple sites looking for different levels of salespeople. This approach is not surprising as you will see it often during slow… Read More
Continue ReadingTightening The Ad
I’ve been reading through many sales employment ads recently and am seeing a trend – the ads are written tighter. A couple of examples: -Minimum of 5 years of related public accounting and/or corporate sales -A minimum of two years’ business development experience in a pharmaceutical and/or CRO biotechnology, or drug development company. Nothing wrong with this approach since the candidate pool is still relatively large due to the slow economy. One thing to be sure of – the labor pool will tighten up again soon. At that point, it is wiser to move these requirements into preferences and look outside of your industry for transferable skills. One interesting point… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Gasoline Tipping Point
$4.50 here in the Twin Cities. According to this Pioneer Press story: And if the price hits $4.50 per gallon, more than half of the commuters in the Twin Cities said they’ll be looking at changes in their daily commute. The survey found commuters are most aggressive about looking for options in Atlanta, Dallas and the Twin Cities. They are slowest in San Francisco. The gas price is a strong lever in sales recruiting right now, but you have to be prepared to discuss the reimbursement side of the equation. We have noticed a definitive upclick in the discussion of mileage reimbursement/car allowance. In fact, this topic is coming up… Read More
Continue ReadingDefinition Of Insanity-ATS And Sales Hiring
According to Albert Einstein, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. According to a recent post on Recruiting Trends and a 2007 survey from DDI & Monster regarding corporate hiring systems: Less than 50% stated that they were satisfied with current selection systems. At least two-thirds expressed dissatisfaction with the efficiency of hiring systems, even with access to automation technology to help organize and track applicant information. From our experience in the sales world, I would have to say those dissatisfied numbers are much higher when it comes to the results of their hiring system or process for salespeople. So why not… Read More
Continue ReadingAs The Job Market Churns
Quick-hitter article here from HotJobs.com – Good-Paying Jobs Are Ample, But Training Is Critical. The article is a fast read and worth your time, but here is what caught my attention: The job market is always churning. About 7 million workers lose or leave jobs each quarter and, when the economy is growing, more than 7 million are added to payrolls. Companies hiring right now include makers of aircraft and medical equipment, shipbuilders and refiners of petroleum and sugar. At the same time, losses continue to sock the textile, apparel, auto and other industries. 7 million jobs churn each quarter. That is a staggering number and helps to define what… Read More
Continue ReadingOnline Job Movement
The online job posting statistics provide a look at general hiring trends…I think. My question is always in regards to which online boards are being tracked. We are seeing a marked migration away from the big boards to the still-developing niche boards. That migration may be skewing the data from this Inc.com article – I’m not certain. Nonetheless, the year-over-year tracking of the big boards is still noteworthy (emphasis mine): The number of online job postings last month declined 16.4 percent from a year ago, the Conference Board reported Friday. In total, there were 2,591,500 new jobs posted online in April, with healthcare and management accounting for more than 450,000.… Read More
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