Sirona Says

Recruiters: The world is moving on, why are you still standing still?

2012-01-27T10:11:20+00:00

I am amazed. Honestly I am truly amazed.......

What planet are many recruitment companies living on when it comes to the future of their businesses? Over the last few months I have spoken to many different types of recruitment business, from small to huge, generic to sector specific to micro-niche etc, and I am staggered by the level of resistance to change.

In my opinion, I think we are seeing more change in the recruitment sector now than we have seen for many years. Exciting isn't it? Well it maybe for some people, but it seems that my industry - recruitment - still wants to sit back, watch decide on its fate at a later date. Here are 10 points why I think recruitment agencies just cannot afford to wait any longer to make changes:

Job seekers (the lifeblood of recruiters) are suffering from are suffering from 'job board-itus' and are now using less job boards. YET recruiters are now using more job boards in the hope they will find the people they want. Only one answer to that - DIMINISHING RETURNS.
Candidate exclusivity is extinct. The days of being able to get exclusivity (and the subsequent 'control') from candidates is well and truly over. The proliferation of social media and openness of data has seen to that.
Job adverts - the longstanding default for recruitment companies - are producing less and less relevant results. No longer can recruitment consultants simply take a job requirement from a client, place an advert and fill it from the advert response. Firstly, the likelihood is that the client has already done this, and secondly 'job-board-itus' mentioned in point, means good candidates are less likely to see the adverts and actually apply.
The one and only income source for recruitment companies - their fee-paying clients - are relying less and less on recruitment agencies for recruitment. They are doing more direct sourcing, building better career sites, using recruitment technology more effectively than ever, utilising the power of their brands via the social channels and actually using the same resources (job boards, LinkedIn etc) as the recruitment companies themselves!
The once successful days of hitting the phones solidly from 9-5 with meaningless scripts and (lets be honest here) sh*t so-called sales calls are over, in my opinion. Too many companies and candidates have been on the end of them, and they have developed a much harder and apathetic approach to the them. However, the days of quality, researched, knowledgeable and respectful sales calls is very much here - they are the ones that clients AND candidates are happy to receive.
There is still a massive expectation, that as long as recruitment agencies keep doing what they have always done, things will 'turn round in the end', and their businesses will return to successful times again. Doh! Do you read the news? Does the word economy mean anything to you? Things will never go back to the way they were - surely your decreasing sales figures will show that.
Many recruiters are under-skilled in many of the new methods needed to survive in the changing recruitment world. To be fair, this is more circumstance and speed of change that anything else. The ability to think laterally, be creative in sourcing techniques, strong relationship builders, multi-taskers and be prepared to accept change, are not necessarily in-built in today's recruitment needs. Training is needed to help them adapt and change.
There is SO much focus on next month's perm targets / contract numbers / billings / reveues / targets / (have I missed anything here?) that little time is spent developing strategies for the next 3,6 and 12 months. It is as if the world just revolves around the next 4 week cycle. What about the word relationship? Time invested in these now, more often than not yields success further down the line. The better recruiters have always understood this, and have invested their time accordingly.
Big data has happened. Everyone (whether they like it or not) has a digital footprint online across the social web. That means with the right tools and training everyone can be found. Online sourcing is now at levels like never before. It is for this reason that point 2 above has happened. And there are some really awesome tools recruiters can tap into immediately to find good people. Of course, the sourcing is just the first stage, engaging with them is another!
It is actually 2012, not 2007. Just checking that you realised that - I have been convinced in my many conversations that recruitment owners haven't realised!

This is not a recruitment agency bashing post at all - recruitment is in my blood, why would I do that? There are massive opportunities in this market at the moment, for those with the vision, speed and desire to change to take advantage of them. New skills niches are opening up every day, candidate sourcing has hugely opened up your available options to find good people, and with your competitors still sitting on the social fence, you have a real opportunity to steal an march on them.

Change is upon us, and worryingly I see too many recruitment agencies prepared to sit still and watch the business world pass them by at an alarming pace. Many would expect me to bang-on about social recruiting and how you must implement it tomorrow just to survive. Well the truth is, this is much bigger than just using social networks to recruit. This is about a more fundamental review of what you think your recruitment business is actually going to look like in 1-2 years time. Now is not the time to 'suggest a review' in 6 months time (which is what one of the big household name recruitment companies have just done), now is the time to figure out how best you can get competitive advantage while you still can.

If you like reading this blog, then click on the orange RSS icon here and get the latest Sirona Says posts delivered to your RSS reader or your inbox the moment they come out.

Do your eyes glaze over when you see another social media conference?

2012-01-26T09:51:07+00:00

Have you seen the Skittles adverts with millions of the sweets absolutely everywhere? Don't you think that is like social media conferences? They are simply everywhere, aren't they?

Now, to be fair, I like attending a good conference - especially ones where I get to meet some great people, learn from the speakers and interact with the event (sadly that only usually happens at the unconference style events). I have also spoken at many conferences, and have a good number scheduled this year, so I am not certainly not advocating stopping them. My point is that too many 'similar' style conferences with a questionable target objective, just muddy the waters for the good ones that are out there.

Whatever happened to innovation, creativity and daring to be different? Ok, I know, the sceptics will say, they don't sell tickets and you need to 'play it safe' to get attendees to make it a viable event. But what does viable really mean? Viable for branding, marketing budgets or reputation?

As I say I have nothing against conferences at all, but I do have three questions..........

Are conference organisers actually giving people what they want for their money? Do they take the time to understand their audience? Do they poll previous audiences to ascertain what they would like to see at future events? And then do they action the feedback? Do they analyse the back channels like Twitter to see what is resonating 'outside ' the conference? If it was video streamed - what did the audience watching it think? Is the content accurately targeted at the audience the even has been marketed to?
Attending a conference is a big commitment both in terms of time and cost, and attendees need to make sure they feel that it is going to be value for money for THEM. Getting the 'package' right for an audience ( speakers , venue, event organisation, level of interaction) is THE gauge of success. I appreciate this is not an exact science, but there is at least plenty of examples to look at. For example before I agree to any speaking at an event, my primary question is whether it is the right audience for my content, so that I can ensure I am able to add value to their day. If the audience is not right for my messages, I simply decline the invitation, and try to recommend other more suitable speakers for them.
Are they simply guessing what they think people want from a conference and therefore taking a chance they have got it right? Just because other conferences/ events do things one way with case studies, the same big brand keynotes ( thinly disguised as a sales pitch), Q&A panels etc, does that mean everyone has to do the same? Does it all have to be 'copy cat conferencing'?
[Devils advocate time - if there are no really good case studies or speakers with powerful stories to tell, should you even put a conference on in the first place? Just asking!]
Several years ago I took part in something radical that many people thought lunacy - an unconference run by Bill Boorman - TRULondon. No presentations, an element of randomness and a large dose of free speech. Sounded crazy at the time, but it actually worked well - why? - because the audience wanted to actively participate. They wanted to comment, share their experiences AND challenge the speakers (track leaders in unconference land). Two years on Bill obviously hit the right note, he now has 29 TRU events scheduled all over the world this year, with Paris and London next up in February.
While the TRU events are great, personally, I like to see conferences mixed up - some 'learning' from others and an unconference style, so the audience can interact with the speakers about the relevant subject matter. Where I have participated/attended in those type of events they have worked really well. What about you, what style do you like?
Do conference organisers even care if they successfully fill the auditorium and bank the cash? Cynical I know, but we are in a commercial world! The reality is there is big money to be made, in social media conferences. Is there anything wrong with getting a great venue, hiring charismatic and interesting speakers and giving people a great experience for the day, in return for a healthy entrance fee? Of course not - if there is perceived value and interest , demand will alway be there. But jumping on the social media bandwagon with a large email database to market an event to, isn't my idea of a good conference.

I have attended some excellent social media conferences over the last year, and I hope they will be as good this year. As I said at the start, I attend conferences to learn and to meet good people - I just hope that continues with the social media conferences I attend in 2012.

You have no doubt attended some social media conferences, what has been your experience with them? Why not share your experiences below - good and bad - and maybe they might just enlighten a few people considering a future social media conference!

If you like reading this blog, then click on the orange RSS icon here and get the latest Sirona Says posts delivered to your RSS reader or your inbox the moment they come out.

How social recruiting can help you recruit the 'unicorn' talent

2012-01-24T09:16:40+00:00

Let's get this straight - social media is a revelation for recruitment and anyone that thinks differently should exit left. Social recruiting is here to stay.

One of the real strengths of using social media in recruitment, is the ability to find many more candidates. However this can also be a false positive.

Just because you find these rare and sought-after talented individuals that you crave, it doesn't then follow that they will have any interest in you! If you don't adapt your approach to making contact and engaging with these people, you might as well be recruiting unicorns for all the chances you have of succeeding with them.

That may sound a little harsh, but take LinkedIn for example. How many of us have been on the receiving end of the (quite frankly) stupid and naive emails from recruiters?
"Hi [first name familiarity when don't know them], I am a recruiter for BB Bloggs Inc [like it is going to impress you] and I have just picked up an assignment for a superb new job that would be perfect for you [how the hell to you know, you haven't even spoken to me before]. Can you let me know if you are interested and I will send you the spec through."

'Unicorns' need better treatment than that! They need careful handling, understanding and above all they need to be respected. They won't engage with you unless you demonstrate your knowledge and skills - only then will they they trust you and allow you closer.

Social media has broken down the sourcing boundaries - if anyone has even a glimmer of an online presence, then the chances are they can now be found by a myriad of tools, ranging from Google to the niche search tools like Pipl, Followerwonk and many others like it.
Finding the rare talent is one thing, getting them to talk to you seriously, is another.

The skilled recruiters have a magic skill - they are able to use a telephone well. They don't hide behind an email, they trust in their knowledge and ability to be able to engage with the much sought after unicorns on their level. They are not inhibited by them, because they understand and respect them.
Many recruiters (both in-house and 3rd party) haven't (yet) been given the skills to reach out and engage with these people effectively. Most resort to emails and messaging in a very amateur way (as per my example above), with very limited results. They might well have success with the 'active' talent, but they won't be catching any unicorns any time soon.

If used properly social recruiting is able to give these recruiters a huge lift when it comes to engaging with people - both candidates and clients. The ability to utilise the social channels for gathering large amounts of useful background information on people may seem like stalking (to non-recruiters) but it is a great way of initiating and developing relationships.

Then of course there are the many communication channels offered with social media.

The hard-to-engage-with candidates (often referred to as 'passive'), our beloved 'unicorns', may well have a 'public' profile on LinkedIn, but many have given up talking to recruiters there, for the reason I highlighted at the beginning. So what do you do?
The answer is to find them in the social habitat they are comfortable in and engage them there.And when I say engage with them, it means understand them, respect them and communicate with them in a way dictated by the social habitat you find them in. Each social platform has its own communication etiquette that needs to be adhered to, for better chances of success.

That may be sites like Facebook, Twitter, Xing, Tumblr, specialist communities or niche forums. Of course you can use social media to find them! [Try using Boardtracker for hunting out the niche discussion groups and forums]

Social recruiting will never replace the art of using voice communication to create and evelop relationships, but used correctly it just may help you add a few more 'unicorns' to your stable!

If you like reading this blog, then click on the orange RSS icon here and get the latest Sirona Says posts delivered to your RSS reader or your inbox the moment they come out.

4 Tips you need to know about when using Twitter

2012-01-17T10:19:41+00:00

Twitter is brilliant but at the same time it can be v-e-r-y frustrating! So much to learn and so many 'mistakes' to make, whether you are newbie or an old hand.
But to be fair, Twitter themselves don't make it any easier, with their 'rules' and constant evolution (they call it improvements!) of their platform. Heck, things can never stay the same in 'social land' for more than 5 minutes can they?
Anyway, I just wanted to highlight four of these things about Twitter that you may not be aware of, but are important to understand when using it. Here they are:

Twitter stops you from seeing some tweets. This happens when people are having a conversation on Twitter - using the @twittername at the start of the tweet. When a tweet begins with @twittername Twitter interperates this as a Reply. Only those following both you and the person you mention will see the tweet in their timeline. When you mention someone using their @twittername in the body of your tweet, everyone can see it. Thanks Katharine Robinson for that gem.
You get more clicks on a link depending on where you place it in a tweet. This sounds strange when the message is only a maximum of 140 characters, doesn't it? Well some research by Dan Zarella has shown that putting the link 25% of the way through the tweet, gives you the best chance for a click on it! Only way to see if it true, is to test this yourself!
You won't see all your re-tweets in your timeline. This gets a lot of people confused and equally frustrated, as it doesn't allow them to see who has been sharing their tweets, and therefore not allowing them to engage with them directly.
It is to do with the 'official' re-tweet link on Twitter.com and on the official Twitter apps. Once someone has re-tweeted your tweet having used the 'official' Twitter.com (or app), each time someone else re-tweets it, you won't see it. Twitter won't show it in in your timeline again. Fortunately if you use a third party Twitter application like Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, CoTweet etc (both desktop and mobile versions) you have the option of changing the style of re-tweet, therefore allowing everyone to see them in their timelines.
Twitter controls who sees your tweets. No big surprise here is there? I mean Google and Bing do it every day. It is to do with Twitter Search - search.twitter.com - they have their own little algorithm that 'scores' your tweets and ranks them in the search results (that is if they are not overloaded with the billions of tweets they have in their data set!) So when you are searching on Twitter search, make sure you do multiple searches around the same search queries, to find what you are looking for (and don't forget searching relevant hashtags).

For all the above Twitter 'issues' there are work rounds, and as always with social media, people are happy to share them. If you do have 'strange' things happen on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc it is always worth asking people in social land - someone will have the answer........somewhere!

And of course if you are not following me on Twitter, why not start today :-)

Follow @andyheadworth

If you like reading this blog, then click on the orange RSS icon here and get the latest Sirona Says posts delivered to your RSS reader or your inbox the moment they come out.

Are you guilty of one of these 10 social recruiting misconceptions?

2012-01-12T09:55:19+00:00

I have had the pleasure of sitting down with many recruitment companies over the last few months, to talk to them about how best to use social media in their businesses. What has been refreshing (compared to this time last year, for example), is many of them have now realised that using social media in recruitment actually does take commitment and time investment, to make it successful. [Note: I didn't say all - some even still think it is free and is easy peasy!]

Something else that has been interesting is the fact that people think there is an 'out of the box' solution for them that they can just plug into their business, and *bingo* they are 'doing' social media! The fact is, every single company is different. They have different goals, objectives, audiences, people, strategies etc etc
A successful social recruiting strategy can only work if you integrate it into both the objectives and goals of the business, AND integrate it with the technologies and working practices of the recruiters/consultants.

This got me thinking.............

What are some of the other common mis-conceptions that I regularly have to 'clarify' when talking to people about using social media for recruiting? Here are ten of the most common:

Just having a LinkedIn profile doesn't mean you are actually using it for recruitment. How many 1st degree connections do you have? 100% profile? Status updates? Company status updates? Using signal to track people and opportunities?
A Facebook page where you just post your jobs and have 24 fans is definitely NOT social recruiting! Use the wall for interesting and engaging content - videos, photos and comment; put your jobs on a separate tab using applications such as Broadbean or Work4Labs.
You don't have to be on all the 'main' social networks. Actually understand where your social media audience is. Just because everyone else uses certain social networks, doesn't mean you have to - especially if your target candidates are not on there.
Don't expect instant gratification via social media. This is a longer term strategy, integrated with all parts of your business. It requires consistent work, involvement and commitment to make it a success. Of course there are ways to manage your time effectively, but it still needs managing.
Candidates will not subscribe to, follow, 'like', friend or connect with your company just because you set up social media sites. Yes they may want a job, but more importantly there needs to be a reason for them to subscribe to, follow, 'like', friend or connect with you. That usually means interesting and engaging content that resonates with them.
Just because the company pitching for your business say they do social, doesn't mean they do. There are many 'agencies' currently badging themselves as digital, social media agencies who don't actually do it themselves! [This is a fact - I have met with a good few!!] The solution is simple - if they don't actually practice it themselves, with a good active blog, Facebook Page, LinkedIn profiles or Twitter accounts - all with reasonable subscribers, fans, followers, activity and engagement, then questions need to be asked!
People actually need to see and find your social media presence. Don't make the mistake of putting tiny logo's at the bottom of your website - they need to be well above the fold of your website AND prominent - and (this is going to sound so obvious, but it so often wrong) make sure you link them to the right social websites!
No it is most definitely NOT FREE. Some platforms may be free, but time and people resource isn't - even it is your internal workforce. Do I need to make this more obvious?
Stop blocking social media access for your employees - do you really think they don't go on Facebook and Twitter during the day? iPhones, Blackberries and Android smart phones have seen to that! Yes have some rules and guidance, but realise social media can HELP them find more potential candidates for your business.
No, social media is not a fad. You can no longer ignore it - it is now firmly entrenched in our society, both work and play. Learn to embrace it........ and very soon!

For some of you, these may sound very obvious, but they crop up every single day. It is more simply because people don't know than anything else.

If you have any that you come across every day, then please share them in the comments below - it is always good to hear what people's social media perceptions are when it comes to recruitment.

If you like reading this blog, then click on the orange RSS icon here and get the latest Sirona Says posts delivered to your RSS reader or your inbox the moment they come out.

The Recruiters Perfect Storm [short video]

2012-01-10T11:33:36+00:00

At the end of last year, I delivered several presentations to groups of recruitment companies, that seemed to hit a few nerves (positive ones I might add!). The aim of the presentations was to try to get recruiters to understand that the recruiting landscape has changed significantly, and that they need to be thinking a little differently for any future prosperity!

As they were so well received, I have recorded a series of mini presentations based on sections of the presentation I delivered.

Here is the first of these mini-presentations, The Recruiters Perfect Storm

Other mini-presentations in the series are:

The Recruitment Apple Tree

Tha Candidate Communication Puzzle

You Can't Ignore Generation Y

These are intended to be bite-sized video presentations, focused around one small subject. If you like the concept I will continue with further mini-presentations over the coming months.

If you like reading this blog, then click on the orange RSS icon here and get the latest Sirona Says posts delivered to your RSS reader or your inbox the moment they come out.

Is this Australian IKEA recruitment campaign the most creative ever?

2012-01-04T18:25:45+00:00

I don't need to make comment on this superb video. Pure genius from IKEA in Australia for such a simple AND FREE recruitment campaign! So simple yet so effective.

Thanks to Martin Lee from Talent Works for the heads-up on this video!

If you like reading this blog, then click on the orange RSS icon here and get the latest Sirona Says posts delivered to your RSS reader or your inbox the moment they come out.

Dear Recruiter: R.S.V.P. #SocialRecruiting

2012-01-03T09:56:01+00:00

Dear Recruiter,

It may have escaped your attention last year,as you were busy shuffling CV responses from your job board adverts, that it was getting harder to find and engage with prospective candidates?
I know you haven't got time to think about building relationships with candidates and thinking more than one month ahead in your office. How many months of missing your targets will it take for to realise that the game is changing fast?
You know that thing called social media that you have been dismissing as a waste of time for you? Remember the conversations we had in 2011 - "Twitter is rubbish"; "Facebook is just for mates", "Google Plus - what the hell is Google Plus? "; "We are already on LinkedIn" - well, unless you start eating some social media humble pie, it will be your competitors hitting your targets, not you.

On behalf of social media, we - Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and LinkedIn and our many friends would like to welcome you to the 2012 Recruitment Party of The Year - Social Recruiting.
There will be lots of Researching, Sourcing, Tracking, Engaging, Communicating, Informing, Learning, and of course, Recruiting.
As with all good parties you will be getting a goody bag to go home with in the shape of more new candidates, long lasting relationships and maybe a few more placements along the way.

Remember, it is a party so make sure you bring along a nice bottle social media profile or two, and start talking to people and networking like you know you want to.

Have a great party and make some great friends :-)

Kind regards

Social Recruiting

Picture idea from here

If you like reading this blog, then click on the orange RSS icon here and get the latest Sirona Says posts delivered to your RSS reader or your inbox the moment they come out.

Bring on 2012 - it is going to be an exciting year for recruitment!

2011-12-22T10:04:04+00:00

I just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you. I have been writing this blog for nearly 5 years now >> *wow!* , and I still get as much of a buzz about writing it as I did when I started. The continual feedback and comment I get from readers of this blog around the world just adds to the motivation.

2011 has been an interesting and busy year and has seen me do work in Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, France and of course the UK. After 22 years in the industry, I still love learning about recruitment, and understanding how different cultures and countries approach the same problem of finding talent. I am hoping that next year that will continue to happen, with new opportunities to explore.
I also had my first business book published this year - Smart Social Media Recruitment Strategies, which has had excellent reviews. At the end of the year, I took up a Non-Executive Director role with a really interesting social recruiting tech start-up. No more details just just yet - but more will be revealed early next year.

The social recruiting concept seems finally to have reached acceptance with companies - both corporates and recruitment agencies. People talk about 2012 being the year of the mobile - well I think it will be much more about 2012 being the year of integrating social recruiting into recruitment strategies far and wide.

One thing that is definite for 2012 in the recruitment industry, and that is change. Social media, the recession and the talent shortages have flipped recruitment on its head. The question for me is how quickly companies, recruitment agencies and software vendors will react to the ever changing needs, demands and expectations of the talent worldwide.

Bring on 2012 - it is going to be an exciting year for recruitment!

If you like reading this blog, then click on the orange RSS icon here and get the latest Sirona Says posts delivered to your RSS reader or your inbox the moment they come out.

When was mind reading part of your social media strategy?

2011-12-19T12:39:45+00:00

This is a little end of year rant on a subject that winds me up every single day, when I look at adverts, websites, posters and shop windows walking down the high street!

Everyone is now using the ubiquitous logos of Twitter and LinkedIn, placing them (seemingly) on anything that moves connected with their corporate brand.
I have absolutely no problem of course; online, they are (usually) hyperlinked to the relevant Twitter and Facebook accounts the company wants you to follow. Simple.

BUT and it is a big BUT: why do people make the mistake of doing the same thing offline where you can't add a damn hyperlink? They just post the logos and expect people to find them!! Not as straightforward sometimes, with the need for unique names on both Twitter and Facebook. I am sure you know what I mean, you see it every day. Just like this below:

The problem with this is simple.....

Where do I go to follow them? What is the Twitter name or the Facebook page name? Are the readers of the advert, poster, shop window, newspaper etc etc expected to be mind readers? Do you really want to take the chance that interested people won't find you on Twitter or Facebook?

This is, for me, the most dumbest marketing message you can give - a call to action with no defined destination to send people to!

With a simple addition of some names and maybe even a QR code you can make it so much better:

If you take the guesswork and the need for mind reading away, you might actually get more people following you on Facebook and joining your Facebook page!

[If you wondering about the QR code, and how to make them, all you do is insert a URL into this QR code generator and you get your very own QR code for free].

If you like reading this blog, then click on the orange RSS icon here and get the latest Sirona Says posts delivered to your RSS reader or your inbox the moment they come out.