Strike up the band. Break out the confetti. The market’s going to love this. The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 8.3 percent and non-farm jobs grew by 243,000 in January.

This morning’s monthly report from the U.S. Department of Labor blasted through even the most optimistic of expectations. The jobs gain would have been the largest since May 2010, except that the Labor Department’s data group adjusted 2011′s jobs numbers. Now, only March (+246,000) and April (+251,000) had stronger numbers.

January is the second consecutive month to beat estimates. Economists predicted anywhere from MarketWatch’s tepid 121,000 to the more optimistic 182,000 in the Bloomberg survey. None of the widely reported surveys saw a decline in the unemployment rate.

Indeed, the unemployment rate, which has been declining very slowly since hitting a peak of 10.1 percent in late 2009, is now at the lowest point since February 2009. The government report also put the number of unemployed at 12.8 million. A year ago it was at 13.9 million.

While governments continued to cut jobs — federal jobs were cut by 6,000 and local government cut 11,000 positions — the private sector added 257,000. This was more than 50 percent higher than the ADP estimate earlier in the week.

Most sectors added jobs. Manufacturing accounted for 50,000 new jobs. The services sector as a whole added 176,000 workers, with much of the gain coming in what the government calls “professional and business services.” This includes temp workers and employment services (+33,200) and accounting and bookkeeping services (+12,500), likely due to ramping up for tax season.

Healthcare, a consistent growth area, was up by 30,900 positions. Leisure and hospitality, another growth area for several months, was up by 44,000. Even the battered construction industry managed to add 21,000 jobs during the month.

Only finance (off by 5,000 jobs) and the Information sector (-13,000) lost workers. The latter sector includes far more worker categories than computer professionals and data processing, although these areas also lost workers. The bulk of the loss — 7,900 — came in the motion picture and recording industry.

On top of the strong January numbers, the revisions by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics resulted in improving the overall hiring numbers for 2011 and further. For November and December alone, the BLS revisions showed 60,000 more jobs than initially reported.

Finally, the government said average hourly wages for all non-farm workers rose 4 cents during the month to $23.29. While the average workweek for all workers was unchanged in January, the manufacturing workweek increased by .3 hours to 40.9 and overtime increased to 3.4 hours.

The overall report was so strongly welcomed it sent stock futures soaring before the market opening. The Dow Jones Industrial average futures jumped 95 points.

One cautionary note: The Monster Employment Index, which tracks jobs posted on career sites and job boards, including Monster, has been declining since October. For January, the Index stood at 133, down from October’s 151. The Conference Board, which also tracks online job postings, showed an increase in January, as it did in December. But the total online listings are still not as high as they were in April last year.

HR services company ADP says the U.S. added 170,000 private sector jobs in January, providing more evidence that while the economy isn’t backsliding, it also isn’t advancing.

Indeed the January number came in below the average of 182,000, which is what economists in a Bloomberg survey were expecting. A Dow Jones Newswires survey however put the number right at 170,000.

The ADP report also adjusted down the December numbers from the initial 325,000 to 292,000.  Nearly all the January gain, says ADP, came from companies with fewer than 500 workers, and all but 18,000 of the new jobs were in the service sector. Manufacturing added 10,000 workers during the month.

A year ago, ADP said 190,000 private sector jobs were created in January.

Yesterday’s report, says Peter Boockvar, equity strategist at Miller Tabak, “compares to the 2011 monthly average of 160,000 and thus points to a continued recovery but the mediocre pace this far into a recovery still remains frustrating,” He estimates that Friday’s official report from the U.S. Department of Labor will show 165,000 non-farm jobs created in January.

The ADP National Employment Report, produced jointly with Macroeconomic Advisers, is closely watched by economists as an indication of what the official U.S. Labor Department jobs report will show. The government report is usually released on the first Friday of every month.

The two reports rarely match, largely due to differences in methodology. The government report also includes public sector employment. ADP’s report does not. However, as the Globe and Mail (Canada) said in reporting yesterday’s report, “Take the number with a large pinch of salt, but pay attention to the trend.”

That trend, though, is hard to read. While there hasn’t been a negative month since September 2010 (when census layoffs influenced the numbers), job gains have hovered around 100,000 for most of last year. Only in four months did the official numbers break 200,000. In three months, they were well below 100,000.

Like the job numbers, other signs are positive, if tepid. The Conference Board last week said its Leading Economic Index improved slightly in December  to 94.3. It was the third consecutive monthly increase in the index. (The Board also announced changes in how the index is calculated.) Yesterday, the Board’s monthly count of jobs posted online showed 61,300 more jobs in January than the month before. It’s only the second increase in job postings in eight months.

Economists, now, are not expecting any surprises in Friday’s government report. The Wall Street Journal says economists are expecting it to show 125,000 new jobs and no change in the current 8.5 percent unemployment rate.  Reuters puts the number at 150,000. And Bloomberg, which wrote a long piece this morning about growing optimism in the financial markets and among economists, says the Friday jobs report will come in at 145,000.

Many of our clients are staffing and recruiting firms, and because of this we have a unique perspective on the industry. So when it comes to our own hiring processes, we try to glean best practices from industry leaders, but we also try things our own way. As we iterate and refine our methods, we thought it might be interesting to share what we’ve learned.

A little background to start. InsightSquared is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but for all intents and purposes we are a Boston-based startup, and that means we are in a competitive city for hiring. Yes, the overall Massachusetts economy has slowed as of late, but the technology startup sector is red-hot. In fact, all across the country, some small/medium tech businesses have increased payroll by almost fivefold, and are having a tough time hiring quick enough. Not only are startups competing against each other, but large companies like Apple and Google have increased their workforce size by 50% in the last two years, snatching up a lot of talent. Either way, tech recruiting is an area of growth and we can tell that recruiters are acutely aware of it.

What Recruiters Should Know

On vacancies…

If you ask a tech startup whether it’s hiring, you usually get this response: “For the right candidate,” meaning that they are never done hiring. In a field where speed and talent wins, if a stellar developer even comes within the vicinity of the office, he/she will be snatched up faster than an intern can be stuffed in the server room to make space.

On interviews…

We’re over the gimmicky interview logic puzzles as many startups seem to be. Real-world coding questions are given to developers during interviews, most from actual problems we have faced in the company. Thinking on one’s feet quickly is giving way to being able to think through coding problems carefully and thoroughly.

On turnaround time…

Speed wins. We try to make a decision on a candidate within a week, oftentimes less. Being quick and responsive to candidates works, especially for really talented ones that may eventually have multiple offers on the table. As a recruiter, we know you already work fast, but startup turn around time might be faster than you think.

On activity spurts…

HR activity at startups come in batches. The people doing the interviews and decision-making are also the people running every other aspect of the company. We’ll focus on hiring intensely for a week or two at a time, then get too busy with the actually product to spend time on it. A recruiter working with startups should be aware of these cycles and strike when the iron is … not in an all-hands-on-deck product release.

On selling points…

It’s hard for anyone to compete with Google or Apple’s bottomless pockets, and that includes Exxon and the U.S. government. That’s why the culture of a startup is a big part of negotiations, as this sets us apart from the giants. Can you really own your project at large companies? How much autonomy do you get? How cutting edge is your work at a behemoth? How much upward mobility is there, and how quickly? Getting in on the ground floor of an exciting startup is a huge selling point that makes us competitive with the antitrust line-toers of the world.

On fee agreements…

We know recruiters like to advise each other, “Never send a candidate without a fee agreement in place,” but we think you may want to reconsider. The danger for a startup is to have dozens of fee agreements floating out there. That’s a lot of capital to put aside for hires. Furthermore, going back and forth on a fee agreement contract takes up precious time in the process that most startups don’t have. On the other hand, we understand the dangers on the recruiters’ side: what’s to keep a startup from taking a resume and contacting them directly?

These days, the answer is reputation. Startups have little to no clout in the industry and are very wary of a bad reputation. We’re working to get a talent base, a client base, an investor base; the risk of garnering a bad reputation with a recruiter is not one we’d take. Instead of withholding talent for a fee agreement, recruiters might want to lead with a resume of a good candidate off the bat and make clear that if we are interested, we need to work with him/her. It’s nowhere near a big a risk as you think.

Are you recruiting or hiring for a startup? What has been your experience?

To find out more about InsightSquared, visit www.insightsquared.com.

Dear Barb:

Do things normally pick up early in the year? Which quarter of the year is historically the best for our profession? I keep hearing different answers to this question and felt if anyone could provide an accurate answer, you could.

I also wanted to thank you for the free webinar you recently did “What can you expect in 2012?” We have already implemented many of the ideas you shared.

Mary Jane R., Austin, TX

Dear Mary Jane:

In the current market, there is no reason that would prevent you from having four strong quarters. The Staffing and Recruiting Profession is cyclical and tied to economic conditions that are often not predictable. Historically, I’ve not seen one particular quarter that consistently stands out.

The key to consistent production is planning and keeping numbers, stats, and ratios. This allows you to determine the exact results you need daily to hit or surpass goals set. The most important number to track is your send-out numbers. If you increase your send-out totals each month (only first interview counted) you will increase your production and income.

Often recruiters write off December as a slow month and yet I know many Staffing and Recruiting Firms that broke company records this last December. It goes back to the phrase, “If you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right!”

Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS

Would you like to Ask Barb a question? Email her at support@staffingandrecruiting.com. Each month in The Fordyce Letter print edition, Barbara Bruno answers questions from individuals in the Recruiting Profession. We will bring you some of these Q&A responses from Barb each week on FordyceLetter.com.

For years employers have been screening candidates based on content on social networking websites. Candidates using poor judgment online may be screened out of the process.  Now employers and recruiters are turning to social media to aid in the selection of knowledgeable and well-connected employees.

Klout measures an individual’s influence across social media entities, such as Twitter.  Data under consideration are network size, amount of content generated, and volume of interaction. That data is processed to produce a Klout score ranging from 1 to 100.  The higher the score, presumably the higher the individual’s social media influence.  Klout scores are categorized into measures, including “True Reach” (size of engaged audience), “Amplification Probability” (rate of action taken on message, such as retweets), and “Network Score” (value of a person’s engaged audience).

Consideration of a candidate’s Klout score is the latest trend in recruitment.  As social media proficiency and influence are becoming more valuable in many occupations, the Klout score is becoming a valued source of knowledge contributing to a hiring decision. It may not be a primary determining factor, but it could help tip the scale in a candidate’s favor.  All things equal, a candidate with a high Klout score may win the day.

However, sometimes a new trend can lead a manager to make a costly hiring mistake. Some managers are eager to hop onto the next great idea, even when it’s not the appropriate method for all job vacancies. In other cases, a hiring manager may place more importance on a Klout score than appropriate. It’s the job of a seasoned recruiter to put the Klout score and other candidate data into perspective to facilitate the decision making process.

For example, is a low Klout score a sign that a candidate is less valuable?  Does it weaken a candidate’s brand?   Not necessarily.  For every individual actively building a social media empire, there are hundreds of candidates reviewing, analyzing, and utilizing the data found on social media sites.

Obviously, in some positions, social media interaction is critical; in others not so much.  A community manager with a low Klout score may want to spend some time on his personal brand to build his clout in his area of expertise to increase the Klout score.  A database administrator with a high Klout True Reach score may be very impressive if she is using her time blogging about her field. However, if she is known in social media as the ultimate authority on the Battlestar Gallactica, it is very impressive but may not give her the edge when interviewing.  There are many instances when a Klout score is not relevant due to the occupation or industry.

There are legal aspects of using social media to make a hiring decision.  As a recruiting professional, it is important to stay abreast of changes in this area of employment law.  One reason it may be a risky addition to a formal hiring plan is that social media provides a glimpse into a candidate’s religion, sexual orientation, marital status, gender, and age.  Because those items are protected by anti-discrimination laws, an employer is forbidden from using that data as a hiring factor.  The line could be blurred unless filtering safeguards are implemented so hiring managers do not receive those details.  Additionally, this is an opportunity for training of both human resource managers as well as hiring managers.

The bottom line is that this is an area to watch.  As a professional recruiter, you can increase your clout with your clients by remaining knowledgeable in this evolving space in the world of employee selection.

WHAT IS HYPE vs. WHAT IS HIP

This is the time of year when recruiters ask me about which industry conference to attend. More specifically, “WHY THE FORDYCE FORUM?”

It’s a really good question. If you’re going to take time from your desk and money from your bank, you deserve to return home able to make more placements than when you left.

I’ve attended over a hundred conferences over four decades. Every size and shape of industry confab you can imagine. National, regional and state associations, chapters, societies, franchises, networks, retreats, boot camps, cruises, sleepovers, whatever. Among the few people who have attended more is Fordyce founding father Paul Hawkinson. We’ve done every kind of presentation from “marquee” to “just you and me.” Paul and I would return from one shindig after another marveling at what is hype and the lack of hipness thereof.

The Fordyce Forum is the realization of Paul’s dream to combine the benefits of a convention with the benefits of a more personal learning experience. When ERE Media acquired The Fordyce Letter in 2006, its expertise at hosting conferences made the event possible.

Unlike the one-large-size-fits-all staffing conventions, you won’t be hobnobbing with nurses registry or temp service folks. You won’t be taking precious placement time talking with spouses who don’t know a job order from a fee schedule. You won’t be crunched in a folding chair in a huge meeting room trying to take notes from an enter-trainer. You won’t be deluged with vendors selling things you can’t use.

The small niche recruiter enclaves have the right idea. There, you can really learn from high billers who fight their way through placement after placement every day like you. The problem there is that smaller conferences can’t attract enough professional trainers. The trainers don’t charge, don’t sell much product, and don’t generate consulting gigs because there aren’t enough people. So they pass on the smaller groups.

I’m like you – I’m too busy for small talk. I’m into efficiency. Results. Now.

When you sign up for the Fordyce Forum, you’re getting:

1. The best real-world training on the placement planet.

Amybeth Hale, the TFL Editor, invites everyone to submit proposals for sessions – megabillers, trainers, or anyone else with a solid background and idea. Since the other hosts of conferences don’t have the reach of TFL, they can’t start the selection process from a universe like that. Then Amybeth works with the conference chair to select the best and brightest to present the most practical sessions.

Amybeth knows what’s happening and listens to the buzz. A few knowledgeable people make the selection, so the roster of speakers is balanced. Their message is consistent, and the presentations complement each other.

2. An optimum learning environment.

Even the best trainer can’t train the acrobats while the circus is going on.

The large associations don’t hold “conferences,” they hold conventions. People don’t “confer,” they “convene.” Raffles, door prizes, awards, junkets, backslapping speeches, and an amorphous mass of people milling around. Distractions everywhere.

But at the Fordyce Forum, you see recruiters staying after the sessions to talk to the speakers about something that really matters to them. It usually centers around bill paying.

3. A “mastermind group” of sophisticated peers.

There’s a high degree of interaction among the participants. The quality of the participants is also high. Since virtually everyone there makes management or professional placements every day, there’s an instant identification.

From the halls around the meeting area, through the bars and up the elevators, recruiters share problems and solutions informally. Sourcing, presenting, closing, collecting.

There’s no pretentiousness.

4. Much Fordyce family fun.

You look around and so many people are enjoying themselves. Talking about what they love most. They’re smiling!

They feel right at home, and they really are.

5. Flawless execution.

Kate Wilson and her conference team are simply amazing. I need to tell you this because they make it look so easy.

Everything goes smoothly because they’re professionals at what they do. You don’t waste time waiting for a session to start, trying to get something resolved with some well-intentioned volunteer, or losing your way in some cavernous maze.

The team’s attention to detail, warmth, and genuine caring make the event a pleasure to attend.

6. Jeff’s On Site!

Once a year I meet with recruiters personally, confidentially, and for free. Only once; only there. We’ll pump my 45 years of experience into whatever placement or law things your heart desires.

I put my money where my mouthpiece is because you’re a cut above. How do I know? You showed up.

If you schedule a session, I look forward to helping you with whatever placement law issues you’d like to discuss.

Giving back to you is my way of thanking you for investing in yourself.

No lip … take the trip, and you’ll see WHAT IS HIP.

. . . and that’s WHY THE FORDYCE FORUM!

Dear Barb:

I’ve heard you say, “When in doubt send them out! Too often we screen out candidates our clients would hire.” Do you have any empirical evidence or data to support your assertion?

Alan T., Sarasota, FL

Dear Alan:

Every time an experienced recruiter has left my firm over the past 33 years, we have generated a higher level of revenue from their clients. The main reason: They “knew” what their clients would hire. I believe we never know what our clients will do. They surprise us on a regular basis. If our candidates meet the minimum requirements of the job specs we have been given by our clients, we need to submit that candidate and allow our clients to make their own decisions on whom they hire. We have placed hundreds of candidates we didn’t necessarily like, but our clients loved them.

This is what I’m referring to when I say, “When in doubt – send them out.” I’m not talking about sending unqualified candidates, but I am trying to teach recruiters not to think that they can read the minds of their clients.

Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS

Would you like to Ask Barb a question? Email her at support@staffingandrecruiting.com. Each month in The Fordyce Letter print edition, Barbara Bruno answers questions from individuals in the Recruiting Profession. We will bring you some of these Q&A responses from Barb each week on FordyceLetter.com.

“Unemployment is expected to remain above 8 percent for the next four years.” That gloomy assessment of the U.S. economy from FedEx Chief Economist Gene Huang is echoed in any number of reports and economic predictions.

“Most predictions,” says an economic analysis by the Society for Human Resource Management, “are less optimistic now than they were when 2011 began.”

What especially worries economists is whether the slow job growth is due to employer cautiousness — in which case growth will accelerate when economic confidence returns — or whether it is structural, meaning some jobs have been permanently eliminated, much the way automation obsoleted elevator operators.

“It is a fair bet that aggregate demand remains the main problem while pockets of skills mismatches persist, despite the high number of job seekers,” says the SHRM analysis.

The latest economist to weigh in is Gad Levanon, director of macroeconomic research for The Conference Board. Last week, he dissected recoveries of the past to examine the rate of job growth across multiple industries. What he found is that “the current employment recovery is the second slowest on record.”

His analysis led him to conclude that job growth this year is going to be a lot like last year.

Like Huang, the St. Louis Federal Reserve doesn’t see unemployment moving much below 7 percent before 2014 and even then, the Fed says it might even be up around 8 percent. That’s despite the Fed’s guess that real GDP is likely to be over 3 percent, possibly even up to around 4 percent.

Levanon’s analysis, though, offered some support for the SHRM view that it is weak demand that’s limiting job growth. One look at the chart and two things jump out. The first is how small the percentages are now compared to recoveries of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The other is how robust the growth in temporary workers is.

The latter is a good sign. It suggests, at least, that the current pace of job growth is likely to continue. While a nearly 32 percent growth in temporary staffing since June 2009 would historically signal a spurt in full-time job growth, that may not be the case in this recovery. Instead, it may evidence that some structural changes are occurring in how employers manage their workforce.

This is not the same as automation eliminating jobs, but is a response to business cycles — as when retailers add staff in the fall for the holiday season — or project-based needs, or the natural ebb and flow. In other words, more employers may be including the use of temps as a strategic part of their workforce, and not merely as a precursor to fulltime hiring.

This so-called “secular growth” theory is certainly debatable. A Morgan Stanley research paper last spring challenged the notion that temporary and contract workers are becoming a strategic part of corporate employment in the U.S. and worldwide.

However, in a provocative and data-laden analysis of the staffing industry, BMO Capital Markets says “it may be different this time.” While the firm doubted the secular growth notion, now it’s not so sure. The research report issued earlier this month says:

However, by this point in the cycle, we should have seen a significant switch from “temp” to “perm,” but we have not; temp jobs represented nearly 15% of totals jobs added in the current recovery – by far the highest of the first 21 months in the past six post-recession periods – and given the current sluggish rebound, total employment may not return to its pre-recession peak for the first time ever.

There’s evidence now, says BMO, that the proponents of secular growth may be right “and the industry is seeing some secular growth as corporations use temporary staffing more strategically as part of their overall human resource policies.”

In an economy of high unemployment and a large pool of qualified candidates, some employers may be under the impression that recruiters are not as necessary. This is untrue. In a market like this, professional recruiters may focus on different aspects of their practice to better support clients and increase revenue.

Too Many Incoming Resumes Is Not Always a Good Thing

Many clients are overwhelmed with the hundreds of unsolicited resumes they are receiving on a weekly basis. You may aid your clients by establishing a more efficient screening process or by assuming the screening function. For some clients, they may elect to outsource other phases of the candidate selection process to decrease their internal workload. In most cases, a skilled recruiter can handle the process much more effectively.

Time to Let Go of Dead Weight

The slow job market may present opportunities. Top candidates who may have been difficult to acquire in the past may be open to new opportunities or may be the victim of a closed company. As an astute professional, you can assist clients to identify weak performers and replace them with highly productive individuals.

The Other Side of the Coin

If your client is faced with a layoff or an outsourcing initiative, this is another chance to provide support to the human resources manager who may be burdened with associated layoff tasks. When the client company is strong again, you will be there for the hiring wave.

Recruiting and Interviewing Boot Camps

Often in a down market, companies consolidate jobs. If one of your client companies has inexperienced managers assuming hiring tasks, consider offering training classes on interviewing techniques or the legal aspects of employee selection. Recruiters can conduct in-house training at a client location or lead a one-day workshop for multiple clients. Supplemental training via electronic newsletters is another way to reinforce the training and stay in touch with the client.

The Value of Your Knowledge

A human resources manager may have a shortsighted or short-term view of the job market. You offer the value of experience over a wide span of time and expertise in multiple job types. You are the best person when it comes to efficient sourcing strategies. Recruiters are acquainted with the supply of talent on a week-by-week basis as well as the demand for specific jobs. Analyzing the supply and talent balance is second nature to you. Talk with your clients to determine their needs and advise when it is wise to search for talent or if it is more advantageous to develop talent internally. Don’t underestimate the value of your knowledge.

* * *

The bottom line is that in a busy market, recruiters are working feverishly to locate and place clients. Recruiters produce results through the timely sourcing of quality candidates. In a slow market, recruiting professionals have the chance to shine in a different way. The above value-added services will have a dramatic impact on clients’ businesses, resulting in loyal clients for many years to come.

As a physician recruiting agency, we have the usual challenge of any recruiting firm—serving our two different constituencies — candidates and clients — and the challenge of working in a specialized industry, healthcare, which has detailed credentialing requirements that vary based on the state, private versus government, and client to client. Additionally, our agency recruits for six high-demand specialties, each with its own set of expertise and requirements.

To help serve our two customer segments, we divided our account executives into two roles: marketers, who deal directly with clients at healthcare facilities, and recruiters, who work with physicians. Also, each of our recruiters and marketers staffs for a single medical specialty.

About seven years ago, we developed our Research Consulting group, a training program for account executives, to accommodate our unique organizational structure. I took over the RC group about five years ago. I started at the company as an account executive, and I had a passion for sales training. When the opportunity to manage and develop my own sales team presented itself, I was very enthusiastic about it. I am an example of the various career-path options that are available to all associates within our organization. This process guides associates through different stages of their career in a very organic manner by giving them the support and training they need along the way.

Filling a Need

Our objective for the RC program was to take associates with all sorts of backgrounds — previous recruiters or not, sales or non-sales, healthcare focus or not, experienced or straight out of school — and prepare them to work with healthcare clients and physicians in our specialty focus areas.

Aside from its official role as a lead-generating department, the RC group is essentially an incubator for the specialty divisions. Strictly speaking, our formal training program lasts for only a week, but in fact, the RC training and learning are ongoing until the new associate moves to either a recruiting or marketing position in one of our specialty divisions, based on the employee’s readiness and the teams’ needs.

Initially, we only made a stay in the RC group required for people without prior experience in the field. We’ve since made it mandatory for all associates working in either marketing or recruiting. I’ll explain how we arrived at that decision later.

The Program in a Nutshell

During a new associate’s first week, he or she participates in the formal training program, which includes a combination of classroom teaching, shadowing, and hands-on learning. In other words, we target all three learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. They spend mornings in classroom training covering a wide range of topics including traditional sales training, healthcare, and specialty-specific training and database training.

In the afternoons, we use peer teaching by pairing up new RCs with experienced marketers and recruiters to shadow. That’s when they have an opportunity to observe the practical application of what they learned in theory in the morning. We also allow new RCs to observe existing RCs at work. Their feedback is great because the senior RCs have recently experienced what the new RC is just learning. Problems like overcoming objections that veteran marketers and recruiters just do by second nature are very fresh in RCs’ minds, so they can be very helpful peer teachers as well. We make it a point to expose new RCs to associates with different sales styles so they can see that there’s more than one way to approach a selling scenario.

Another unique aspect of our program is that we don’t hire people into marketing or recruiting roles; instead, we expose them to both. The two roles are each unique and appeal to people for different reasons. We’ve found that once they’ve gone through the program and are ready to be promoted, they’ve really become comfortable with one of the two roles, mainly because they had a large part in deciding how to shape it. This approach is one of the reasons why our RC program is so effective.

Our RC program’s success is evident in a lot of different ways, but one very important benefit is our employee retention rate. We have one of the best retention rates in the industry at 87 percent. That goes a long way with clients and physicians because they value the relationships that they build with our associates over the years.

Continual Feedback

An important ingredient in the success of our program is a continual feedback process in both directions. We receive anonymous feedback from new employees at two points. In the first feedback survey, at the end of the first week of employment, we ask them whether the training materials and presentations were effective, whether or not they felt comfortable asking questions, whether the training prepared them to do their job, and so forth. After about a month, they take a second survey where they tell us whether we need to put more emphasis on some topics, less on others, or add new topics altogether to the training. The beauty of our feedback process is that we don’t have to wait until the end of the year to make those changes. We can implement changes immediately. Each time we conduct the training program it’s different. We make tweaks to the training literally every time we give it.

For instance, we started getting feedback that one of our modules was not as helpful as the others, so we opted to turn it into an e-learning lesson that RCs can take on their own time. That way we freed up our time to put more emphasis on the modules that were most valuable.

Our RCs receive regular feedback also. We give them formal and self-paced exercises. We listen in on their calls. We monitor the number of calls they make and their talk time. And we report on the amount of gross profit they helped book.

The ROI of Training

As mentioned earlier, we decided to make the RC program mandatory for newbies as well as veterans. A little over a year after I took over the RC group, we conducted an analysis comparing the performance of associates who had gone through the RC program and those who had not. We found that RC graduates produced more gross profit as a whole, and they ramped up a lot faster than the non-RCs. Our RC program paid for itself in spades.

As a result of this analysis, our training program has grown and flourished. In addition to the RC group, we have ongoing training throughout the year for all our associates through our Lunch and Learn program and other training offered by our parent company. Each associate has a personalized training plan tailored to his or her career path. And we’ve recently begun a mentoring program, which pairs our vice presidents with directors whose interests and career goals complement each other. Later, those directors will mentor senior associates.

There’s a tangible ROI from training. I see examples of it walking around the company every single day.