Sendouts Blog

Positive; The Word Of The Week

2010-02-16T10:40:00-06:00

It is vital that recruiters are efficiently using every minute of their jam packed work week that starts Monday morning and lasts until Friday afternoon. Are your recruiter's first 60 minutes of their week being effectively utilized and setting the tone for a positive and successful week?

David Szary from Ere.net wrote a phenomenal article about efficiently and successfully running your weekly recruiting meeting titled "Logic Prevails At Well Structured Weekly Meetings." It lays out exactly how to run and what to cover in your weekly meeting. It helps you to ensure that everyone's time is optimized and they leave the meeting ready to have an extraordinary week. You will notice as you read through his agenda that almost all of it is focused on highlighting the positive while still discussing any issues. His recommended meeting agenda follows.

- Share a great, positive story from last week/weekend. Stories don't have to be work-related. Personal, positive stories are the best.
- Business review. Review your current open positions. Discuss status, pending action items, next steps, etc.
- Discuss last week’s achievements. Each week, we recommend each person develop a Perfect Week. This is a list of billable/non-billable activities you would like to get done during the week. These action items can then get scheduled into your Perfect Day routine. At this time, each person should discuss the past week, including:
1. Overall week; how did things go based on what they set out to get done?
2. Top two or three most critical things they accomplished last week.
3. Maybe the two or three things that did not get done last week that will either become this week’s priorities or possibly removed from this week's to-do list.
- Biggest frustration(s) last week. Let it out! We all have had weeks when things don't go the way they were supposed to go. If your frustration is dragging into this week, ask your teammates for solutions to make it better/solve the problem.
- Visualize this week's, "Perfect Week," and post goals in a public location. Discuss the critical things you have to get done (billable/non-billable) to make this week a "Perfect Week." If possible, have each team member post them in a central location (whiteboard in your office?) so everyone can see. As you go through the week, cross the activities off as they get accomplished. Crossing off tasks on a to-do list feels good and can motivate others around you.
- Visualize your, "Perfect Monday." Discuss the critical activities you have to get done today (Monday) to have a "Perfect Monday." Being motivated and productive early on Monday can set the tone for the rest of the week.
- Education. Each week, have a person on the team (rotate this duty each week) discuss something we didn’t know about our clients, recruiting, and our industry. Make sure this discussion is no more than five minutes. Providing a short handout (don't pass out War & Peace)people can take away and read is great.
- End with a positive thought (or two or three) for the day.

Most of his agenda is content that participants bring in, rather than one person talking for an hour straight with everyone else listening. Keeping everyone involved in the meeting is one of the key components to starting the week successfully. In order to do this, everyone on the team must be motivated to reflect at the end of the previous week to make sure they are prepared for the next week.

In addition to participating like everyone else, the manager will need to be responsible for gathering the information for the "Business Review." This information should be easily exportable from your Recruiting Management Software and should be broken down by each Job, Recruiter or Account Manager depending on a company's specific structure.

Trouble at the Office – Generational Tension; Work/Life Balance and BusinessWeek

2010-02-09T14:00:00-06:00

BusinessWeek gets high marks for its special report on Trouble at the Office. Aside from HR and operations effectiveness group heads, recruiters and staffing companies should take note of lessons learned about generational tension and the work/life balance.

The incredible insight garnered on Gen X and Y are detailed meticulously throughout the special report. And, it’s directly from surveys and in-depth interviews from the proverbial horse’s mouth, so to speak. Gen Xers are unhappy at work, so what can recruiters do to help? Just read What’s Eating Gen X.

Any staffing firm working with long-term temp assignments or any recruiter dealing with “I’m an actor, but still need to pay the bills” candidates should read Tips from a Bitter Temp, an enlightening and hilarious look at how to survive a bureaucracy.

And any firm looking to grow, should look at Ram Charan’s thoughts on getting around roadblocks to build business in his Stop Whining and Start Thinking article. Mr. Charan outlines five simple steps on how to help cut through the red tape: “Spring Cleaning”, Streamline, Coach or Remove Indecisive Managers, Make Information Transparent and (last, but most importantly) Celebrate Success.

And there are a multitude of articles about the generational differences, wants, needs and how to communicate to each group. Starting with A Boomer’s Guide to Communicating with Gen X and Y to Don’t Treat Them Like Baby boomers to how Unilever is trying to painfully bridge the tech divide in Go Ahead, Use Facebook.

What Makes You So Different?

2010-02-02T11:00:00-06:00

During the Sales process we are frequently asked "What makes you different than your competitors?" I know the answer to that question but when I turn it around on the client they occasionaly stumble through their words. Think about how you place yourself and your firm within the industry and what are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Maybe you focus on quality or industry knowledge. I would love to see more companies (in any industry) focus on Customer Service.

I recently switched from a terrible cable service that shall remain anonymous. Their product was very high quality but their service was the absolute pits. I am a patient person, but during my final meltdown I found myself screaming "I just want you to tell me that you're sorry! That's all I want from you!" I threatened many times to cancel my service but never did they care. Their robotic "customer service" individual just replied "let me transfer you." I finally cut all ties with that evil service provider and have never looked back.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I love shopping at Trader Joes. They benchmark friendly. My mood is some how lightened when I leave the store. I once wrote in to their corporate website applauding them on their great people and products and within 24 hours I had a sincerly thankful response in my emial inbox.

Here are my final thoughts: There's nothing more rewarding than building a relationship. Even if that relationship doesn't bring you monetary success at that moment, trust me one day it will. Customer Service is a dying virtue. You can automate every business process but Customer Service still needs that friendly human touch.

Can Your Clients Admit Weakness?

2010-01-06T12:19:31-06:00

Simply put, a recruiters' goal is to find top talent to fill positions for their clients and make a fee. But what happens when a client can't admit they have a need or worse yet, don't know they have a need. After reading an article on Business Week about a company called Bonobos, I realized how the mentality of some CEOs needs to change in order to propel their businesses forward. In the Business Week article, Andy Dunn details his company's rapid growth and success followed by declining profit margins and workforce shortages. Dunn came to the realization that in order to grow his business he needed to step back and let the "plumbers do the plumbing". He did this by hiring a recruiter to find the missing pieces to his business and ultimately grow.

By helping a client or prospect identify what they don't know, you can create an opportunity to not only make a placement but to also transform your client's business by finding the right talent to fill the void. Asking your prospects or clients "what are you not good at" may ruffle some feathers, but keep in mind you're doing this to help them and ultimately help the business.

Who needs resolutions?

2009-12-31T11:06:00-06:00

With the new year upon us resolutions are all the talk with friends, family, and at the office water cooler:

"This year I am going to eat healthy, work harder, have a better attitude, spend more time with my family.” Let me fast forward to Feb 1 2010. What’s that I hear???? “Can I supersize that fry and coke, is it 3 o’clock yet, that’s impossible, not today son I am too busy .”

Why is it we start out the year fired up to run a new race and achieve new levels of success in our lives only to fizzle out? It’s simple, it’s a stinking resolution not a goal with an action plan. It’s trying vs training. You don’t just show up to run a marathon because you want to, but because you set out a goal to do so and day by day met goals to get to that point.

Here are 6 quick tips to cross the finish line out in front in 2010:

Prioritize- The New Year is a great time to get a new perspective on your life and prioritize what is really important. Create a priority list and then rank them from greatest to least. Everyone I know including myself is spread way to thin because we lose sight of our main priorities. Focus in on just a handful of key priorities in 2010.
Create a plan- I have yet to meet anyone who has blown out their goals without a plan to do so. Write down your yearly goals and then break them down into to micro goals by month, week, and day. Remember goals are achieved in daily doses. If you don’t believe me, just go into the gym on Jan 1 and try to get on a treadmill or use the equipment. IMPOSIBLE. There are people everywhere. If you wait a month later the gym is a ghost town. Why? Everyone wants to lose 30 pounds, but no one has a plan on how to do it.
Identify speed bumps.- Before you jump into the race of achieving your goals, identify any possible speed bumps that will keep you from having success in meeting your goals. If you don’t eliminate speed bumps from your life they soon become roadblocks. This may be negative people around you, YOUR attitude, or that fast food that seems so convenient.
Partner up. Get an accountability partner. Life is tough and we all have had those days where you just don’t feel like running the race. Connect with a goal buddy to keep you on track, someone that can elevate you to greatness.
Visualize it-At the start of every year my team and I create our GOAL BOARDS that we keep at our desk. Every day it is a reminder of the key drivers in our lives. Personally, Professionally, Financially, and Spiritually. “You become what you think about all day” Earl Nightingale
Run everyday- When you have clear goals in front of you it makes getting out of bed and starting your day that much easier. Get up every day ready and run the race with perseverance.

This New Years say adios to the resolutions and hello to the new goal driven you. Run on…..

Tuesday's Child is...Full of Productivity

2009-12-16T08:38:00-06:00

Robert Half International produced a study that found Tuesday is our most productive day at work. The thought process is that we spend Mondays getting our "to-do lists" in order, so that Tuesday is spent accomplishing the tasks. My question is, what happens Wednesday through Friday?

I recently read an article that reported companies lose an average of two hours per day of employee productivity because of multitasking and related interruptions. The study also found that this loss added up to $588 billion in lost productivity.

If you are a recruiter, you know what I'm talking about. You've spent countless hours on non-income producing tasks. Here are some things to look out for as well as a few suggestions:

E-mail A-D-D: We tend to open our e-mails every time it dings. While we might feel obligated to see who's vying for our attention, it completely disrupts our workflow. Here are some suggestions: If your e-mail is more than a few sentences, pick up the phone instead. Also, only check your e-mail three times a day.
Not working from a "to-do list:" Don't follow in the footsteps of the Robert Half International's study participants. You should have a prioritized "to-do list" every workday. With a prioritized list, you aren't so susceptible to the day's ad hoc events. It also creates a specific, proactive purpose.
Not finishing what you began: Stop jumping from task to task. Everytime you start and stop, minutes and eventually hours are tacked on. Stay focused on the task at hand. For starters, put your phone on silent and let your voicemail answer calls. Stay glued to your seat until you've worked from point A to point Z. Put a Post-It note on your monitor that states what you're working on. It sounds silly, but believe me, it helps.

The industry's top-producing recruiters have found ways to stay focused and increase productivity. The bottom line for recruiters is focusing on tasks that generate income.

Hat Tip, Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk

Recruiters: The Ambassadors of Brand

2009-12-09T11:52:00-06:00

When one thinks of "branding", images of major brand icons and multi-million-dollar marketing campaigns come to mind - Apple, Coke, Google, just to name a few. But the essence of branding is more integral than that, and recruiters have a big role to play as "brand ambassadors". A recent article by Leslie Stevens points out that "the application process is really an extension of your employment brand. You should never underestimate the impact of negative chatter in the marketplace.” She mentions that large companies, like Pepsi, are looking to enhance the candidate experience as a way to extend the brand into the hiring process. How can recruiters become their client's brand ambassadors?

1) Understand the brand goals of your client and how they want to project themselves to the world
2) Make sure the touch points you have with candidates extend your clients brand message (emails, phone calls, website job postings)
3) In candidate interviews be enthusiastic about your client's brand, mission and vision and make sure you can communicate that quickly and simply
4) Don't be shy about critiquing your client's brand promise in their candidate relationships. Identify gaps, where they exist and recommend improvements.

The core value a recruiter offers to its clients is finding top talent. In order to do that, recruiters must often first become brand ambassadors before they can become candidate generators.

Failing to Prepare is Preparing to Fail

2009-12-02T12:31:00-06:00

Eighteen years ago, Dr. Robert Kaplan of the Harvard Business School developed a methodology for strategic business planning. It's something every "do-it-yourself" entrepreneur can't afford to miss out on. It's called the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). Some may have heard about it. But not enough are putting it to use.

President and CEO of Sendouts, Donald E. Breckenridge, Jr., explained how recruiters and firm owners can apply the methodlogy in a March 2008 Fordyce Letter online. He explained the basics -- which are centralized around the idea that business activities should be aligned around the vision and strategy of the organization and that there should be metrics to measure success. Breckenridge also explained the four-fold perspective:

The Financial Perspective
The Customer Perspective
The Internal Process Perspective
The Learning & Growth Perspective

The BSC truly helps define the right perpespectives. It is an undervalued asset to those in the recruiting and staffing industry. Check out the article in Fordyce Letter online. When implemented, the BSC provides the line of attack to define, communicate, measure and manage a business strategy and to achieve ultimate decisive and critical financial goals.

Sourcing New Ways to Source

2009-10-20T10:34:00-05:00

In order to become a magnet for top talent, staffing and recruiting expert Barb Bruno says it is important to find at least one new way to source per quarter.

Barb reminds recruiters that the lack of top talent is actually a good thing. After all, if it was simple for clients to find top talent, they wouldn't need recruiters.

Recruiters should take Barb's advice. The good news is, it shouldn't be too challenging of a task. The industry has more available sourcing tools than ever. The biggest challenge with sourcing is knowing when and how to use the available tools. Use name generating software like Broadlook or TalentHook to quickly generate current titles, companies, e-mail addresses and phone numbers. For more network-based sourcing, most recruiters are using online social and business networking sites.

As recruiters embark on sourcing expeditions, they should keep in mind that more sourcing means more candidate information. They'll need systems in place to manage the information overload. An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) with advanced sourcing tools will import resumes in real-time from Internet job boards and social networking sites into a recruiter's database.

Take Barb's advice, and remember to stay organized along the way. Using Barb's words, "Become a magnet for talent."

Got WOW Customer Experience?

2009-10-13T15:29:55-05:00

I was on my way to a conference in Las Vegas sitting on the airplane, (I know what you are thinking really rough job, right?) and in a snap I remembered why I fly Southwest Airlines. The free peanuts? Nope. The unassigned seats? Nope. The fact that they fly only one type of airplane to keep their costs down? Nope. All these things are great reasons why Southwest airlines is the airline of choice for people nationwide. But for me it’s all about the people and their commitment to the customer experience. Let me give you an example; Just a week earlier I flew out to South Carolina on an airline I won’t mention. They were running late and as soon as I stepped on the plane a flight attendant TOLD me : ”Sir, can you please move you are in my way!” and asked if I could please sit down, that I was holding things up. I sat down, shut up, and behaved myself the rest of the flight.

Fast forward just one week where David Holmes our flight attendant welcomed us in a nontraditional way asking us to participate in a rap. That’s right a rap! The entire plane stomped and clapped as he rapped the normal boring announcements, you know the ones that normally put you in a coma and make you feel as if the person on the other end of the mic is getting tortured. Here he is brining it home:

Now our plane was a little more pumped up and you should have heard the things being said afterwards by the passengers: “ That was awesome.” “Can you believe that.” “That’s why I fly Southwest.” I turned to one of my colleagues and said: “I love SWA.” Are your customer saying those things about you? If not chances are you missed the customer experience boat and it has already set sail. But it’s not too late to jump aboard. Here are 5 tips to turn it around:

Take a risk: BE BOLD. This is a great time to separate your company from all the other companies out there that are just scrapping by. For example while all other airlines are charging $20 for checking bags, Southwest airlines lets your bags fly free and even has created a branding and marketing campaign that your bags are being treated unfairly by the other airlines. Other airlines saw it as another revenue stream (short term) SWA saw it as away to differentiate themselves to their customers (long term)
Unwrap the Gifts: Your major role as leader or manager is to put your people in positions to use their areas of giftedness. In the example given, a leader at southwest believed in David enough to hire him and gave him the flexibility to use whatever gifts he had to WOW the customer. Don’t stifle the creativity of your employees from creating an amazing customer experience
Release the Power: Let go of the power. Give the power to the people to make whatever decisions necessary to take care of the customer. Get rid of policies and procedures and put yes into their vocabulary
Define the Win: Determine what a win looks like to your team and to your organization and how to measure it . Maybe it’s response time, client retention rate, or referrals. Whatever it is know what your WIN is!
Reward the troops: Celebrate wins EVERYDAY as a team and with your customers. Set certain benchmarks for excellence and achievement milestones. Winning is fun and everyone loves a good celebration

Infuse these 5 tips into your company and you will be cruising by your competitors in your customer experience hovercraft in no time. Remember, love your peeps, love your customers and they will love you back…