PeopleShark

#HireFriday: Update

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 17:30:00 +0000

I am so happy to see the work that is going on around me. Recruiters are busy again. Jobseekers are more hopeful. I am more hopeful. And I am busy with new projects and new customers (yay!).

In the midst of all this, I took a few minutes a couple of weeks ago to participate in the #hirefriday Twitter movement. I offered to meet with a jobseeker who wants to relocate to the Seattle area. It is my mission in life to know every recruiter in Seattle, so I'm certain I can help.

We met in person at my favorite counter-culture coffee shop. He wore a suit and tie. The first thing I told him was to ditch the tie. We don't do ties in Seattle. (I know -- conventional wisdom is that you should dress up for interviews. You should. But in Seattle dressing up means looking like a Banana Republic mannequin. Ties scream amateur.) Then he told me about his skills and his experience, which were impressive. He has worked for large, complex organizations. He has worked in Asia. He speaks four languages. He returned to school to get his MBA.

Somebody, somewhere, told him to downplay his experience. Since he was an unknown, he would have a hard time getting into prestigious Seattle companies, so he should try to get his foot in the door in a coordinator or junior analyst role.

Bullsh*t.

I told him to rework his resume. Highlight his expertise. Being conversant in Mandarin and being fluent may be different, but his obvious facility for language and understanding cultures makes him an asset to companies. He has skills that 99.9% of the other applicants don't have. I told him to stop going to job fairs and increase his LinkedIn network by 400%. I told him to target companies, and then target jobs within those companies and that together, we would get him in.

I can do this, because I don't have a fancy corporate recruiting job. I can advocate for one candidate. It feels good.

Sharks, be warned. I have a referral for you.

#HireFriday: Starting a Movement

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Tue, 18 May 2010 22:18:00 +0000

You're out there. You know who you are.

You feel guilty.

Because your recruiting process sucks.

Your company -- you -- treat jobseekers and candidates poorly.

You are a recruiter. An HR Manager. An ATS or job board vendor.

A handful of good folks on Twitter have started a grass roots movement. It's called #HireFriday. The idea is that on Fridays, the recruiting community takes action to help jobseekers.

You (like me) might be tempted to simply post an open job with the hashtag #HireFriday on Twitter. But we're asking more of you.

We're asking that you connect with an individual jobseeker and point that person in the right direction. You can do this on Twitter, or on Facebook or LinkedIn. Maybe there is a candidate languishing in your inbox or ATS. On #HireFriday, take action to help a person with their job search. Deliver the bad news, if you must, but tell your candidates where they stand. Remove expired job postings from your website. Offer resume coaching. Share a helpful article. Find Margo Rose on Twitter or her blog -- she has plenty of ideas. She is the brainchild.

Over the past few weeks, I have talked to jobseekers about using social media. And while they're all very interested in how to pimp out a LinkedIn profile, or connect on Twitter, they're more interested in why they're treated so poorly. Hundreds of resumes submitted and not one response. Silence after interviews. Filled positions still accepting resumes. Job boards that sell their contact info to spammers and marginal third-party services.

They're angry.

It's not all our fault. The interwebs delivered way more candidates than we could handle. One recruiter with 35 reqs and 20 hiring managers isn't unusual. But we own fixing the problem.

Let's start small. #HireFriday

30-Day Twitter Challenge (Twitter for Newbies)

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Mon, 17 May 2010 19:35:00 +0000

New to Twitter? Lurking for a while, but still don't get it?

Is Twitter for you? Maybe. Maybe not. It takes a bit of time to understand the usefulness of Twitter.
We'll send you one action item a day for 30 days. At the end of our journey, you will be Twitter-literate.
Then, you decide if Twitter is for you!

Thanks, Indiana

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:14:00 +0000

Northwest Indiana SHRM Keynote

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I'd like to thank the great team at the Northwest Indiana SHRM chapter for the invitation to deliver a keynote at their annual meeting. I talked about the history and future of talent acquisition. The videos didn't work -- a bummer, because they were great videos. If you get a chance, check them out. Some of my favorite examples of employer branding.

A special thank you goes to Sharron Hillman, the VP of Programs, an incredibly gracious and welcoming new friend! She made sure that I got there and back in one piece.

I met some wonderful folks doing cool things. I learned that many organizations are still afraid of social media. I learned that many HR practitioners also wear recruiting hats (I wrongly assumed that all HR organizations had spun off their recruiting organizations. Many haven't. I live in a bubble.) I also learned that I am winging it, without a strategy. So I will spend the rest of the day d eep diving into strategy.

Of course, being on the road brings adventure. Turns out that I arrived right in the middle of the Kitchen and Bath trade show, and there were no rental cars to be found, unless you were willing to rent from a guy with a "mobile office" and pick up a pretty filthy wreck at the McDonald's near the airport. For some unexplained reason, he was being followed by the cops. Um, OK. Turned out just fine. The guy was a small business owner, having his best week ever. I'm happy I was his customer. I hope the cops didn't catch him.

Become the Mayor of Recruiting

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 23:48:00 +0000

Something I Love More than Twitter!

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:27:00 +0000

Hello to all of my Shark, Talent Acquisition, Sourcing, Recruiting, Headhunting, and Staffing Friends! Heading to Sourcecon/ERE in San Diego? Then let's make sure we connect. Send me a shout out if you're going. Let's have coffee/glass of wine/dinner. Hell, I'll even get up early for breakfast! Stop by our booth (107) for a Tweetajob demo or to win a fabulous prize. Try to take me down at the #erepoker charity poker tournament. But don't leave San Diego without saying hello, at least! This may surprise you, but I love face-to-face conversations even more than Twitter!

Webinar Slides: Wooing Passive Candidates on Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:30:00 +0000

Wooing Passive Candidates on Twitter

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A Rant about Clay Shirky

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:39:00 +0000

When I was in the first grade I walked right up to the drama teacher and informed her that, henceforth, I should be the lead in all student productions. She looked at me as if I were a dead gnat in her ice cream.

I learned something that day. Or so I thought. I learned that self-promotion is frowned upon.

So I stopped doing it.

Clay Shirky thinks that I should start doing it again. In a fascinating essay in which he all but endorses lying as a way to make it to the top, he says that women suck at overstating their abilities and self-aggrandizement.

It's like he punched me in the gut, virtually.

I have spent the last year immersed in more self-promotion than I care to admit. In the name of getting Tweetajob off the ground, I have:

Volunteered to speak at conferences
Written articles for industry websites and publications
Gone on TV to talk about social media
Been interviewed for videos and podcasts
Asked folks to mention me/Tweetajob in their blogs or Twitterstream
Nominated Tweetajob for awards
Said self-serving stuff in sales meetings
Thrown myself a party
Written my own press releases
Taken a foxy mall pic, to appear more professional
Nearly tackled a venture capitalist, insisting he see my demo
Blogged, commented, chatted, Twittered and Facebooked about myself/Tweetajob incessantly

And still, it's not enough. I don't know how long I do this without hurling up my copy of Crush It.

I have long fooled myself into believing that skill, knowledge, passion for the work are just rewards. But we don't live -- and we certainly don't work -- in utopian meritocracies. The truth is, I have winced as many less talented people - men and women - pole vaulted off my back to get the spoils. These people were good at making sure they got what they wanted.

So, even as I rail my fists at Mr. Shirky, I am stepping up my self-aggrandizement program. I have to. I have waded into the pool of internet startups, dominated by men with lots of practice overstating their abilities. I have chosen to swim with the sock puppets. In the process, I am likely to piss some people off. I'm sure some of my Facebook friends have "hidden" me. I will be unfollowed.

Small price to pay. Tweetajob is frickin' awesome. It is the future of job posting. It kicks ass and leaves its competition in the dust. Unfollow me if you must. I don't care. I care about the thousands - maybe millions - of folks who might get a job because they can get job tweets to their mobile phones. If it takes a bit of hyperbole to make this happen, so be it.

By the way, have you voted for Tweetajob in the Shorty Awards?

Evolution of Job Posting

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 02:53:00 +0000

Progress

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I am Black, and I am Proud

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:08:00 +0000

Sometimes I happen upon a bit of information that is so stunning, so out-of-this-world crazy, that I simply dismiss it as media hyperbole. This is likely what happened when someone mentioned Sammy Sosa's recent skin transformation, apparently an elective process, achieved by a "skin softening" cream.

For those of you as well-versed in baseball as I am, you likely remember Sammy's incredible 1998 season, when he raced Mark McGwire to beat the record for the most home runs in a single season. In the end, Mark McGwire won the race with 70 home runs, 4 more than Sammy. It was exciting, even for people like me, who almost never pay attention to baseball.

This bit of sensationalism, however, would have been filed away in the useless trivia section of my brain, had I not happened upon this article in the New York Times: "Whitening the Resume".

The article describes Black jobseekers who alter their resumes to seem "less Black" to potential employers. They change their names, leave off historically black colleges, and avoid references from black colleagues. In a tight job market, being black, they believe, can decrease the chances of getting a foot in the door.

None of this is new to me, of course. My parents' generation -- especially those with middle class aspirations -- warned us that White organizations wouldn't hire us if we talked, dressed, or any way appeared too "Black". The 70s -- when I grew up -- was all about debunking these limitations. "I'm Black and I'm proud" was as much a statement to black conformists and assimilationalists as it was to White America.

So, here we are again. Times get tough, and Black pride takes a seat in the back of the bus. Getting a job takes precedence over authentic identity.

I hope those jobseekers in the articles find jobs. I also hope they find a way to exist in corporate America without having to deny a pretty important and unavoidable fact: they were born Black in a country -- in a world, even, if my Japanese and Indian and Jamaican and and Argentinian and Dominican friends are representative -- where White holds more value that Black. Light over dark. It's an old story. And it should not be allowed to persist.

Me? I'm too old to go hiding who I am. Plus, I think I'm pretty OK. My heritage, history and culture make me unique and are assets. They provide a perspective that you can't buy in a box. And any organization I join had better think so, as well. We are approaching a time in which self-expression, difference and creativity are valued and valuable. Please, let's not hightail it back to the late 1950s.

I hope Sammy Sosa gets into the Hall of Fame, if that's what he deserves. And I hope it's because he tried really hard to hit 71 home runs, not because he's got softer, lighter skin.

More Twitter for Recruiters

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:51:00 +0000

Webinar: Twitter For Recruiters

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Six Factors that Might Explain the Entrepreneurial Bug

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:38:00 +0000

It's been more than a month since the launch of Tweetajob. Each day brings new surprises; since the mid-90s I have worked in corporate settings, in a recruiting role. How, someone asked the other day, did I come to launch an internet startup?

Well, I don't know, exactly. I have always been open to new challenges, new jobs, new companies, new ideas. I am also aware that I am fortunate to start a business in an era where information is so abundant, tools so accessible and ideas so plentiful that it feels silly not to pursue some dream or another.

So as I ponder the answer to the question -- how did I decide to launch an internet startup -- I think it is important to point out some of the factors that made it an easy decision.

1. SaaS and Cloud Computing

We started with next to no money. No big investors. No cushion. Every spending decision ~~was~~ is a big deal. Tweetajob is built using Amazon Web Services, specifically Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). EC2 allows us to build a website with growth capacity. Equally important, we only pay for what we use. We did not have to invest in expensive server capacity early on. We employ a cloud storage solution for our database, and work with other Software as a Service (SaaS) companies to perform a variety of other tasks related to the website. Most SaaS companies -- like Salesforce.com and GotoMeeting -- have monthly subscription models, providing us with world class services at affordable rates.

2. Social Networks

I definitely would not have had the courage to start a business without a solid network of advisors, mentors, potential customers and partners. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Delicious, Slideshare and a few other networking sites make it possible to engage with my network as often as needed. I get answers, help, resources, responses, whatever I seek - fast. Marketing efforts began with a list of my contacts, an e-mail marketing SaaS, a blog, a Facebook page and, of course Twitter. We also rely on offline activities -- such as events and direct sales, but even those are augmented by social media.

3. The Economy

Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention. Word. To the mother. When you know that layoff might be in your future, you start inventing new ways of making a living. I also give props to the economy because there is no way I, an unlikely entrepreneur with no money, could have convinced a high performing team to work for equity in any other environment.

4. Corporate Project/Program Experience

When I started this, I hadn't the foggiest idea of how to run a business. I like ideas and could spend all of my time generating new ones. I tolerate metrics. Budgets are a necessary evil. Meeting deadlines = credibility. A strong communication plan is the difference between success and failure. All of this stuff I learned while running corporate recruiting programs or projects. Turns out this stuff works when running a business, as well.

5. Luck

I've written about this before. Call it providence, fortuity, optimism, positivity (really, is that a word?), but it's definitely a factor. Just when I feel I've hit a wall, something lucky happens that keeps me going. Without some sort of motivational impetus, this would be just too hard.

6. Passion and Curiosity

I love recruiting. More specifically, I love thinking and talking about recruiting. I fell in love with Twitter and couldn't stop myself from learning everything I could about it. How it worked. Why it worked. The technology. The psychology. Who runs it? How and why did they come up with the idea? Then I found myself obsessed with figuring out how to make Twitter useful for recruiting.

I had coffee with a few recruiting friends last week. Someone mentioned that they just didn't agree that Twitter and social media were necessary tools of the trade. We had a fascinating conversation that could have gone on all day, as far as I was concerned. I never get tired of this stuff, which is good, because once you launch a business, you pretty much live it 24 hours.

#socialrecruiting - a glimpse of conferences to come

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:33:00 +0000

Back from NYC, where we attended the ERE Social Recruiting Summit. I was there as a vendor (Tweetajob sponsored lunch), a speaker (I had 10 minutes to Keep It Real, and moderated an unconference session) and as an attendee. I am still buzzing from the energy that emanated from the participants. Sure, the topic was social media, so a certain amount of excitement was a given. The conference framework, however, was the catalyst for a different level of engagement.

Leanne Chase, who runs the Career Life Connection Community, blogged about a contrasting experience at the Kennedy/Onrec conference in Chicago, just two weeks earlier. I was also at the Kennedy conference, and there was a remarkable difference in the energy, the content and the engagement. My observations of how social media fueled deeper discussions and connections in New York:

I made many new friends. There was less awkwardness and more hugs because I'd met many of the participants on Twitter. Some were Facebook friends. Our existing online relationship made it easier to connect in person.
I was lucky enough to sit near an outlet, so I had juice all day. I fired up Tweetgrid to follow the Twitter discussions, as well as stay connected to other important topics (such as tracking the buzz about my startup). The tweets provided foundation for richer discussion, more interesting questions, a platform for challenging ideas, and links to presos and related material.
Tweetups, impromptu and planned dinners and coffees, and general merriment was made possible through the use of Twitter, Facebook, text messaging and other social media outlets. Everyone was in the know. This was the case at both conferences. (At the Summit, there was even an underground bake-off.)
ERE livestreamed much of the Summit, making it possible for viewers to observe and participate from afar. Did this cannibalize conference attendance? No way! ERE shared excellent content with more than 300 viewers, many of whom expressed desire to attend the next summit. Web 2.0 openess at its best.
In New York, there was less separation between vendors and attendees. Vendors participated fully in the discussions. Old schoolers like me mixed freely with the up-and-comers like Jessica Lee and Afton Funk (who can definitely hold their own and teach us a few things!). Most of the speakers stayed for the entire program to participate in the discussion.
The informal structure made room for experimentation and spontaneity. John Sumser used Prezi to wow the crowd. The unconference sessions generated lively discussions. If I missed something, I just checked the Twitter stream.
The conversation continues, long after the conference. The Twitter hashtag #socialrecruiting is a source of fresh material - blog posts, observations, connections and shout-outs, as well as a way to remember the highlights of the actual events.

I'm not saying that the Kennedy Conference didn't offer some of these elements. It was a well-run event, and I'll participate next year, for sure. I believe, however, that conferences will get much better as a result of rethinking the format, the participation, and the communication channels. Just like everything, social media will change the way we do it.

Lastly, I met a jobseeker at the Monster Social Tweetup. She was fabulous. She works in HR/benefits now, but is really interested in recruiting. She's in NYC. Get at me if you'd like to see her resume.

Employee Referrals in the Age of Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:29:00 +0000

Blowing through the Windy City.

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:08:00 +0000

I am heading to the Windy City for the combined Onrec (Online Recruiting) and Kennedy Conferences. I have several agendas for this trip:

Present at the Sourcing Summit. Topic: Employee Referrals in the Age of Social Media.
Sit on a panel with a bunch of smart folks to discuss mobile recruiting.
Mingle in the Tweetajob booth, shouting to everyone who will listen that we are going change the world, I tell ya'! If the shouting doesn't entice you, we'll be giving away t-shirts and tweets and more.
Catch up with old friends, hang out, have a drink or two, especially if they attend the Tweetajob late night Blogathon or the Fail Spectacularly Party hosted by Laurie Ruettimann and Jason Selden.
Meet up with my Chicago friends and family, have a juicy Portillo's combo sandwich.
Maybe head to Milwaukee to see friends and family there, too.
Have a glass of champagne with the Tweetajob crew, to celebrate a job well done!

That's what I'll be up to. Best way to reach me this week? Send a tweet. It's come to that.

FLIP'D; T-24 to Tweetajob!

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:39:00 +0000

How's it Going?

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:32:00 +0000

I am having a good time. I am in the honeymoon phase of entrepreneurialism. We are just weeks away from launching our site/product. I can't wait to show it to you. But I have my orders from engineering: show the production site to anyone upon penalty of death.

I have had to give up some features to in order to meet our launch deadline. I have cleaned out my bank account. I am convinced we will make trillions of dollars and change the world.

This week I am working on marketing materials and conference appearances. This is stuff I love to do.

What keeps me up? The thought of building a business on a platform I don't entirely control (Twitter). We have a plan B. Hoping that my partners, who are putting in a Herculean effort for the big fat salary of $0, realize mega return on investment. I am humbled by their generosity and commitment.

I get emails and Facebooks and tweets every day with words of support and encouragement, as well as advice and resources. These little messages mean the world to me, and I am grateful to have such kind and supportive friends.

So that's how it's going. I'll share a sneak peak as soon as I can.

The Purplest of Them All

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:33:00 +0000

First, watch this video lifted from the Yahoo! Yodel Anecdotal blog:

Shewondia Mills, Yahoo! Security Guard Extraordinaire @ Yahoo! Video

Isn't she just terrific? I think it's only appropriate that we honor workers like Shewondia on labor day weekend. Every organization is (or could be) filled with employees who want to bring their best selves to work. Yahoo, for all of its strategic missteps and competitive troubles, creates a work environment that accommodates unique styles, out-of-the-box thinking and creative approaches.

When I worked there, I met many Shewondias. Engineers, lawyers, accountants who loved their work and took pride in doing great work. It was an exhilirating environment, and I did some of my best work there.

And I would venture to guess that Shewondia is a direct result of the Yahoo! employer brand, Think Big! Think Purple! Shewondia mentions that she joined Yahoo! about a year ago, probably at the height of the Think Big! Think Purple! promotional hype. Perhaps the branding played a role in her decision to join Yahoo! It's very likely that the employer brand provided her with clues that it was ok to paint your nails purple at Yahoo! and call everyone gorgeous. That is exactly how an employer brand should work. It should provide clues about the culture and environment, and encourage employees to live up to the company values.

I remember many conversations about the Think Big! Think Purple! tagline. When we were working on the concept, many had doubts. "It doesn't make sense," said some. "What is 'thinking purple'?" Our marketing folks advised us to forge ahead. "People will get it." And they did, and continue to. Rock on, Yahoo!

Oh and did you note, near the end of the video, when one of Shewondia's daughters said that her mother was much happier since getting the job at Yahoo? That's our mission, sharks, to match folks to jobs that make them happy who, in turn, will spread that happiness -- in the guard shack, the cafeteria, the data center, the cube farm, the conference room and the board room.

Happy Labor Day.

Love More Deeply, Be Fearless and Take Risks

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:53:00 +0000

Today's post honors Jeffrey Walker, who passed away yesterday, the result of complications from cancer. Jeffrey was an entrepreneur, musician, blogger, artist and at one time he was a colleague.

We traded emails a few times, and I read his blog from time-to-time. He was one of those people on the periphery of my life who was in my corner, supportive from afar. I always found something inspirational or funny in his blog posts. At odd moments, I would think of him and hope that he was conquering his health battles.

Anyway, he loved music, and this is truly beautiful. Enjoy.

We're Gonna Kill Social Media, or Get Sued Big Time!

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:25:00 +0000

It's back-to-school week, even for sharks. Lots of talk about upcoming recruiting conferences, tweetups, some folks report that they're seeing more reqs, others are picking up new pencils and spiral notebooks.

The folks at Peopleclick and Careerbuilder are doling out extra credit reading. Both released studies about the legal implications of using social media during the recruiting process. Peopleclick's complimentary eBook, Social Networks and Employment Law was written by Dr. Lisa Harpe of the Peopleclick Research Institute. The folks at CareerBuilder partnered with Harris Interactive to survey over 2600 hiring managers and HR professionals about their use of social media.

Here's what's got me all snarly and ogidated (made that one up, patent pending):

These reports claim that 35% of employers use information obtained on social media sites to disqualify candidates. That's a big uptick over 22% reported last year.

Sharks, are you CRAZY?

If you don't stop doing this, you and your organizations are going to get sued. Big time. And that's not all. If you don't stop doing this, the kids will abandon open social networks (like Facebook and Twitter), altogether, then we won't even be able to source them.

Social networks should be used to SOURCE candidates only. If you see something weird, inappropriate or offensive, pretend like you didn't see it and proceed as normal. Yes, I said ignore it. Proceed as if you have found the name and contact info only.

Here's why:
The law prohibits us (here in the U.S.) from making hiring decisions based on a bunch of stuff readily visible on social networks, such as race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. While you would never *think* of dismissing a candidate for any of these reasons, the mere exposure to this information make your decisions suspect in a legal arena.

So what if the potential candidate has posted an obscene picture or badmouthed a previous employer on a social networking site? Surely, we don't have to hire or even interview such people? Such poor judgment has nothing to do with following government guidelines and are good reasons to dismiss potential candidates, right? Wrong.

Here are just a few reasons you should consider the candidate, despite poor online behavior:

It could be a case of mistaken identity
The person's profile may have been hacked, like this young woman's unfortunate ordeal
The person might be a highly talented, stellar employee who just happens to be a free spirit, exemplifying a generational difference in communication boundaries
The person (or a group of people) may sue you because they believe that the cause of your dismissal was religion or age, and not naughty pictures or poor grammar. How do you prove otherwise?

Lastly, if we turn social media into HR-ninny hunting grounds, candidates will lock us out sooner than you can say "twitter". They will migrate to closed networks (remember all of those juicy user groups that were closed to recruiters because of excessive spam?) The beauty of social media is that it provides a platform for anyone to discuss anything. Recruiters, being clever, will continue to mine these platforms for candidates, as they should. But be mindful that we are not there to judge potential candidates on what we find on social networks. Find 'em on a network, then go about the business of doing the real recruiting work of finding out if they have the necessary skills, qualifications and behavioral traits to do the job by screening, interviewing and reference checking.

Now, I hate policy as much as the next shark, but we're not in Kansas anymore. Talk to your employment counsel, write up some "social media and recruiting" guidelines and make sure everyone gets trained. Everyone, including HR business partners (who are scared to death of social media and potential lawsuits. Be impressive; be proactive) and hiring managers. If you're committed to providing a fair candidate experience, put something on your career site that reminds candidates that you regularly search social media sites and perhaps even provide a few suggestions that help them with online reputation management.

Anybody out there already doing this? Would love to hear from you.

(P.S. This post is result of a Twitter conversation with Karla Porter, who will soon share her thoughts on this subject on her excellent blog, Human Capital and New Media.)

Six iPhone Apps for Recruiters : ERE.net

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:18:00 +0000

Six iPhone Apps for Recruiters : ERE.net

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Job Boards not Dead, but check the Sick and Shut-in List

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:48:00 +0000

Job Boards are sickly, maybe dying. Why? Because despite advancements in technology, integration with ATS systems and strong customer partnerships, job boards have steadfastly refused to report their results in terms of the only metric that matters: hires. Job board marketing departments will share all kinds of data, and try to convince recruiting leaders that clicks and impressions and conversions are reason enough to pay $100-$300 for a single job posting.

The truth, in my experience, and found in the CareerXroads Source of Hire Survey , job boards only account for 10-15% of hires made, yet they capture a significant portion of any recruiting department budget and overwhelmingly account for sourcing expenses.

It's time to call the job boards on the carpet. Prove that you're worth it. Do the hard work, the last mile of ATS integration and research. Tell us the number of hires made, and the type of hires made as a result of postings and job board database searches. For years, job board reps have told me that it's just too hard, they can't get behind corporate firewalls to get the data, the tracking isn't accurate, etc. etc. etc.

My answer to the job boards? Get it done or lower your prices. Recruiters can/will find a way to make up for the 10-15% of hires made - through referral programs, social media, job fairs, SEM, direct sourcing and about a dozen other channels.

(Full disclosure and fine print: I am working on a job broadcasting solution, similar to a job board. The beta release - planned for fall - does not have the ability to track hires. Our solution, however, will be significantly less expensive than job board solutions)

Donut Maker or Top Chef?

noreply@blogger.com (Carmen) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 03:26:00 +0000

Jessica Owens, a lead recruiter at Bungie, sent me this message through LinkedIn. I thought it was worthy of a post...it's a recruiting management question that pops up quite often:

Recently, a co-worker and I were discussing the optimal ratio of recruiters to Priority 1 (hot, must fill, whatever!) reqs. A question came up that went something like this "if a recruiter is supporting 5 distinct disciplines, what is the maximum number of unique reqs that person can support at a time?". And it got me thinking. As a valued member of my recruiting network, I have a couple quick questions for you:

1) How many distinct disciplines do you believe a competent, full-cycle recruiter can successfully support?
2) How many unique reqs, across multiple disciplines, do you believe a competent, full-cycle recruiter can successfully support?

The answer, of course, its that it depends. Lame. But I think I have a good metaphor, and even a math formula, that might help managers figure out how to deploy recruiting resources. Think of recruiters as chefs in different settings.

A Top Chef, for example, must know many complex recipes and make many dishes, but because they are likely to work at a gourmet restaurant with fewer tables, they don't have to produce as much as a Donut Maker. Top Chef-type recruiters are often found in startup or small companies, or executive search firms.

Conversely, a donut maker only needs to know how to make donuts, but he has to make many, many donuts. Donut makers have to have a streamlined process. A retail recruiter, focused on hiring sales associates, might fall into this category. Private chefs are rare, indeed. Their repetoire doesn't have to be huge, and they make a few meals a day. I don't know many recruiters who fall into this category, perhaps a few successful consultants who work with a limited number of clients.

Most corporate recruiters fall into the Cheesecake Factory Chef category. Have you ever seen the menu at this place? It's huge. And they serve many many dishes in the course of a day. Most recruiters find themselves with many position profiles, and too many open positions. In fact, it may be worthwhile for recruiters to study how each Cheesecake Factory restaurant serves 2000 customers a day.

Many Cheesecake Factory-style recruiters find themselves in impossible situations, overtaxed, too many reqs, candidates, hiring managers, emails and phone calls. I've written about this before, this concept of Truth in Recruiting. We're afraid to tell the truth. We can't handle as many reqs (effectively) as we think we can.

To get back to Jessica's question, how do we figure out recruiter capacity in advance, so that we don't overburden recruiters and evaluate them fairly? I have taken a stab at developing a methodology. I'm sure it's not perfect, just a start. Got criticisms or questions? Add them to the comments, please.

So let's assume that the recruiter on Jessica's team, who works in five different disciplines (I would say that's on the high end) is a Top Chef, that is, while the profiles are numerous and distinct, she doesn't have a huge number of positions to fill all at once. The key to figuring out how many she can successfully support is having a bit of data from past recruiting activities. Looking at 12 months of prior activity, Jessica will need to know:

Average number of positions filled by recruiters (for illustration purposes, let's assume that recruiters in Jessica's division each filled 75 positions last year, an average of 6.25 positions per month)
Average Time to Fill for each position, or estimate based on average Time to Fill for all positions
Position Difficulty, as determined in this 2x2:

So let's make this a bit more scientific (believe me, I have had to turn out spreadsheet after spreadsheet that tried to estimate recruiting resources needed, so even if you believe that recruiting is more art than science, and "it depends" is a reasonable answer, if you are a recruiting manager, someone is going to ask you to figure this out).

Assign a value to Time to Fill (TTF), say 1 for quick 2 for medium and 3 for slow (or Jessica could aggregate the actual Average Time to Fill for all of her positions)
Assign a value to Difficulty (D), 1 for easy, 2 for medium, 3 for difficult

Let's assume that the positions in Jessica's org have TTF value of 3 (slow) and a D of 2 (moderately difficult). The hiring managers in her organization don't move fast, and it's not always so easy to source the candidates. Now for the math. If I get this wrong, help me out. There is a reason I am recruiter and not an engineer. Here is the formula I concocted:

Translation: Fills per Month equals Average Monthly Fills per Recruiter reduced by time to fill required and level of difficulty. Assumptions: it's twice as hard to hire medium value positions, and 3 times as hard to hire higher value positions. You can adjust these assumptions to appropriately fit your recruiting environment by changing the values of TTF and D. Difficulty can be defined in any way that makes sense for your org (i.e., perhaps there are few candidates with the skills you need, or you have difficulty attracting people to your remote location).

So, in Jessica's case, the recruiter would be responsible for about 1 hire per month.

What do you think? Play around with this...let me know if this makes sense. Do you have a formula or methodology that you use to determine recruiter capacity. How do you evaluate the different types of recruiters in your organization?

Mad props to Jessica for thinking about this stuff and reaching out to her network to get a discussion going.

Talent, Creativity, Innovation: Nathan "Flutebox" Lee and Beardyman @ Google, London

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