I met with my manager one day. She mentions to me, “you seem a bit… on edge. Something wrong?” At the time I probably was having a bad week. Maybe I had some declined offers or some things that didn’t go our way. She says,”you know, it’s ok if you want to work remote and get out of the office. You can be just as productive without distractions.”

It got me thinking and made me realize that her flexibility may allow me to get creative in how to recruit talent.

Enter 2013. Time to make things happen.

I decided to take advantage of my employer’s flexibility, yet be sure that it would benefit our corporate recruiting efforts. Many recruiters and staffing firms talk about the relationship. It’s all about establishing relationships. Agreed. Knowing someone brings down a lot of walls. You learn about people when you’re comfortable around them. You find commonalities and discover new things from people. Meeting face-to-face is key in making this happen. I decided that a couple times a month I would work remote, but in a publicly-accessible location. Coffee shops work well for this. Actually, they should encourage it. If I work out of their location, and bring in 4 people to meet with me, I brought in more business for them. Win! I digress. This is not about coffee shops.

I didn’t think it would be hard to execute, but I wondered if this would really pay off. I had buy-in from my manager and many people I know appreciate those that think outside the box. It’s also known by associates of mine, along with my client base, that I work social media pretty well. I have accounts on Google+ (1200+ followers), Linkedin (1300 connections), Twitter (600+), Facebook (285) and Yammer. I use all of them to some degree. I’m not bragging, but some of those numbers have bearing on what I’ll get to in a moment.

The Plan

Simple. Pick a couple places in town, maybe one on east side and one on the west, that have the following:

• Internet access
• Accessible parking
• Decent location
• Places to sit with 1-3 others
• Staff that appreciate you being there

Pick out dates, two weeks apart, but make sure they’re both not on the same day of the week. If someone is always tied up Wednesdays they’ll never be able to stop by. So switch it up.

Let people know. It’s time to post to all the social media sites:

• Where you will be.
• When you will be there.
• Why you will be there.

If nobody shows up, I still have plenty of work I can do – screening applicant resumes, fielding emails, sending more emails.

Make sure you include address on the where. Just makes it easy for those to know for sure where you’re going to be. Coffee Shop East Madison, is not going to do the trick.

Include date and time. Don’t use ‘tomorrow’ or ‘a couple days from now’.  I’ve already had someone show up on the wrong date because they didn’t see when I initially sent the ‘I’ll be there tomorrow’ message.

The why. People are busy. So what, you’re at a coffee shop. Who cares? Let them know the purpose and make sure it’s not all about you, because it’s not. At the same time you want to be approachable. It’s not a formal interview. It’s to network. Be sure you don’t exclude anyone. I’m an IT recruiter, but other people know information technology (IT) people. It will eventually come around, and I can learn about the backgrounds of other people that are not IT. Offer up an opportunity to provide insight into your company. Or maybe offer to help them with their job search, resume, tips for interviewing or just how the market is.

Results

I ended up speaking to 8 people on the first day I tried this approach. Two were information technology professionals and two were individuals that represented staffing firms. One of the staffing firm contacts wanted to know how to break into our company and earn our business. No big deal. Two more individuals were a couple that I knew personally and happened to be in the neighborhood. Both are looking for jobs. Discussions were all over the place, but they got personal. I heard pets names. I know a bit about their professional life and received some insights into other companies. We’ll be keeping in touch.

Eye Opener

The real ‘ah-ha’ moment was when I saw that each channel of social media was hit in one way or another.

One visitor messaged me on Linkedin ahead of time because we were connected, but a client contact of mine was the one that let him know about my new open door approach. The visitor didn’t actually seem my post about the open door event. Someone else did!

One person was from Google+. I actually connected with her husband, I commented on a post, and she connected to me. She saw my open door thing and decided to stop by because she may lose her job soon.

A friend of mine, who I served with in the military years ago, messaged me on Facebook and asked what I was doing in my civilian life. I told him recruiting. He had a snarky comment about me sounding like a drug dealer, but I got his attention. He noticed. I’m sure more did, but they simply didn’t say anything.

A follower on Twitter messaged me to ask me what I do and asked me when I’d be on his side of town. He thought it was a cool idea and would break down some barriers. He appreciated it.

I had clients on Yammer say ‘Woo Hoo’ when I told them I met a few people. Some may have actually told their contacts about my new initiative and never mentioned it, like my Linkedin person above.

I have posted my second event, to be on Wednesday, Jan 23rd and have already had a couple “hey, I’ll try to stop by” and  a message from someone in California, via Linkedin, wanting to know if it’s working. Solid!

I think I’ve generated some buzz. I don’t expect people to show up every time this happens. I know this. I know peers that want to explore doing this to help establish those relationships. However, I did not do this overnight. It’s taken time, effort and thought. It may seem simple, but it’s not. I know individuals look at my effort and think it’s simple, easy. They don’t see the followers I have and my approach to social media. <Reference aforementioned numbers here> It’s not about the hard sell. It’s really about connecting in some manner. I’m a gamer, so I have plenty of gaming/geeky connections. Some happen to be in my local area and some happen to be in information technology field. They’re not always interested in hearing about every job opening. They’re interested in what we have in common. You have to find a balance. Come across as sales and insincere and they’ll stop tuning in to your broadcast. This is key. It’s also important that you have to actually have a broadcast or audience. Someone that creates a twitter account today and try to kick off a similar plan will have disappointing results.

Feel free to follow me. Ask me questions. I’m open to share. And if you’re ever in the neighborhood and I’m doing an Open Door Recruiter thing, stop by!

Coming soon, Google Hangouts for those that can’t make it face to face!

The Family Tree

T’was in January eighteen ninety-nine,
Dad asked Mother “Will you be mine?”,
This was the beginning to be,
What is now the Fortier family tree.

In October of that same year
Was born their first little dear,
They said, “See how she glows!”
Our first little girl, we will name Rose.

Many days of hard work they did
In the mills known as Amoskeag,
This they did with a will,
In January nineteen one they had a son Bill.

From hardwork they took no chances,
The trunk of the tree now had two branches,
From this great trunk more was to grow,
For in September nineteen two came Joe

Life was filled with many joys
With the one little girl and two little boys,
They would do things quite uncanny,
To help them, February nineteen four along came Annie.

A move now they decided to make,
A house on the hill in Pike they would take,
This they did with problems many,
They nearly forgot, May nineteen five it would be Henry.

The tree now had branches five,
All of them were quite alive,
To dances Mother and Dad went, Dad with a little cider,
To the glee of the five October nineteen six they were joined by Ida.

The three now was outgrowing its nest,
A move had to be made for the best,
A new job at a sawmill,
This would be in East Haverhill.

Dad’s day was long and hard in the mill,
Ma’s day at home as long, but she done it with will,
To clothe and feed they planned like beaver,
For June nineteen eight they would have Eva.

The neighbors were close and joyous,
They would get together and sing as in chorus,
One of the girls next door was Ora,
So in June nineteen ten Ma named her next Cora.

The tree now eight branches it had,
Anohter move to Ma said Dad,
There is only room for one more bed,
In August nineteen twelve it was filled by Fred.

Next door was their new homestead,
This would give them more room not just one bed,
For more room the planned by chance,
Some would they need in May nineteen fourteen for Blanche.

They had a cow, chickens and a hen,
A horse and buggy, a pig in a pen,
In jars went berries and vegetables, pickles in vinegar,
Along came August nineteen fifteen a girl Virginia.

The trunk of the tree was now a prize
To hold all of the branches of a different size,
War One in Europe was now on the start,
It would bring the flu of which the family was a part.

During this sickness there was scacrifice and giving,
Dad said to Ma, “we are sick but we must make a living.”
The fever was as hot as the fire at which played Nero,
During this January nineteen nineteen epidemic was born Leo.

The tree was growing, so was each branch,
From these one could see twigs at a glance,
Love around this tree was an aroma,
Such as it was May nineteen twenty-three along came Dora.

The tree now had all its branches,
To keep it from harm they took no chances,
Life was hard during the depression,
They had the family around them, they showed compassion.

The family now started to leave
To start branches on their family trees,
With a start Ma and Dad did wonder,
Here we are with just the two younger.

Each tree must lose a branch in time,
It happened to this tree, it seemed a crime,
June nineteen thirty-seven shattered was this life sublime,
Henry was taken by the volts of a high tension line.

The trunk of this tree was strong you could tell,
It quivered a little but never fell.
Life had to go on as before,
This Ma and Dad knew quite sure.

Life went on as best could be,
World War Two didn’t shake this tree,
It was standing strong and stout,
Many sprigs from the branches did sprout.

This tree was now five decades or more,
The twigs on the branches came to more than two score,
Another branch now would depart,
September nineteen fifty-eight Joe was taken with a bad heart.

The trunk and the rest of the branches stood tall,
Ma and Dad knew we wouldn’t let this tree fall,
It stood straight and tall till nineteen sixty-eight
In February God Ma did take.

There now was a scar on the trunk,
But from it the branches never shrunk,
The tree now was old it was growing late,
Another scar in August sixty eight God Dad did take.

Before he left he said to me, “Don’t let these branches part.”
I said, “Dad i think it is only a start.
We will keep this old tree intact,
Some way we’ll do it, some act.”

As time went on God would call,
Two more branches would fall,
It was Cora first in January seventy-nine,
February nineteen eighty Bill wasn’t far behind.

The branches grew closer you could see,
They were doing all they could to protect this old tree,
What to do, what was the conclusion,
It was decided to hold a reunion.

From heaven above they gaze at the action,
A smile crosses their face wtih satisfaction.
“As one said,” Dad remarked, “it was only a start.”
How right he was, those branches never did part.

As you read this and ponder,
What will happen to this tree you wonder,
Worry not, as you well can see,
In heaven God has started another Fortier family tree.

Leo
June1983

I have only met a few people from this image. With some of what you read above, a few weren’t even alive when I was born. My great aunt Rose is seated to the right of great grandfather Cyrille. She’s a splitting image of my great grandmother Adelaide (Derosier) Fortier. Then there’s aunt Dora. She’s the youngest – standing. My aunt Ginny (Virginia) is there, but I’m not sure if she is immediately left of Dora. I say that because of her smile. Otherwise I’d guess she’s the one sitting to Rose on the far right. My grandmother, Blanche, is sitting on the far left.  Despite not being the youngest of them all, Dora was, she passed away in Sept of 2006 at the age of 92.

For the size of the family, there’s not a lot of them around. At least from the recollection of my father. Many were married and had 1-2 children, but few had any more than that. My grandmother, Dora, and Ginny were the closest. Probably because of their closeness in age and location. Dora and grams lived in Connecticut, while Ginny lived in Vermont. Ginny and Dora each had a son. Dora’s son Jim was my fathers side kick growing up. I’m sure Jim was his favorite cousin. My father is not a spring chicken and the baby of  all the offspring, so I’m lead to believe that there are not many of his cousins around and I can’t say if his generation had kids. There’s a chance, but I’ve never met any of them. These would be considered 3rd cousins, etc.

I posted a version of this on Google+ but I felt that, while interesting, it was probably not the forum for something more personal.  Some would have found it mildly interesting, but a bit odd to read from a complete stranger so I moved it over here adding some of the commentary.

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View entire job description or apply online!

Who’s Job Is It To…?

Isn’t it recruiting/HR’s job to find people for my positions?

Many individuals know that people have certain duties and responsibilities in a company or on a team. Most people understand this. Recruiters perform a lot of leg work when it comes to filling an open position – sourcing candidates, writing & posting jobs, screening resumes, setting up phone screens, performing phone screens, routing information to hiring managers, arranging face-to-face interviews, breaking bad news to declined candidates, making offers, etc. Yes, those are all duties of the mighty recruiter. Keep in mind that many recruiters have learned their craft by understanding what the hiring manager wants. They know people. They can talk to them, but the expert in the area they’re recruiting for is the client – the hiring manager. I’m an IT geek, but I don’t claim to know exactly what it takes to be successful in their area.

Hiring Manager, Ultimate Expert

The hiring manager knows the type of person that will do well in their environment. That’s been mentioned. The manager not only knows what initial questions to ask, but also how to follow up given answers with even more questions, probing deeper and deeper to gauge knowledge and depth of knowledge on a given subject matter. Eventually they’ll know more about the candidate than a recruiter. They will know what tools they use, how those tools work, how the tools relate to their own area. The manager will know other staff that perform the same job duties as the candidate and can compare skills. The hiring manager is typically tuned-in to their own industry. They keep up with trends in their industry. They keep up with the changes. They adapt. With that, the hiring manager will attend conferences, seminars, and events that cater to their area of expertise.

Finally  - The Network

Through these events, along with industry insight, the hiring manager will build a network – direct and indirect. The direct network contains first level contacts – people they know. These could be ex-employees or supervisors. Maybe they moved to another company, in this day and age it’s overly simple to keep in contact with those individuals. As previously mentioned, the hiring manager will attend events and meet more people. The manager may connect with online groups that talk about their area of expertise. Some of those contacts may connect to the hiring manager on Linkedin, online forums/groups,  or Twitter. Their is a common interest – their industry. These latter contacts become indirect. They’re more passive. The hiring manager may know ‘who’ they are, but not know them as in-depth as their first level contacts. Nonetheless, it is here that everything comes together. This is where the hiring manager can help. They can provide guidance on where to post their job opening(s). This audience is the network that needs to know about your job opening.  If they’re not interested, they may tell someone else they know. A ripple effect begins. As humans, we like familiarity. We’re more likely to make a connection with someone where there’s a level of familiarity. A referral or a connection can remove some initial reservations.

Guidance

Hiring managers, don’t sell yourself short. You can be an asset in the recruiting process. Rest assured, us recruiters will do all the heavy lifting for you but your help can go a long way.  Some things you can do to help:

• Share the link to your online job posting to your network – groups, social networks, etc
• Talk to friends and family about your opening. Social media is not the ‘be all end all’, and your network is not only online. Spread the word
• Provide the recruiter with ideas on where to post your position – college campuses, newspapers, etc
• Let the recruiter know where you, and similar professionals, hang out – events, establishments, etc

Together, as a team, we can make it all work.

When consulting with past clients I’d often start the conversation with, “so you want to be doing social media. Ok. What are you trying to achieve?” It’s the marketing person’s first question. Brand awareness is a good one. Spreading the word, similar to brand awareness, is a good one. I think we need to be there, etc.

But what about interacting with your client base?

Knowing what people are saying about not only your company but your products and services can allow you to be a better company, provide better products/services. You provide more value. The days of 800 numbers and email are still around, but I don’t have time to be on hold or wait for a response. I’ll throw my complaint on Twitter for everyone to see. Like many social media experts, you can’t control the message, but you can help steer it in the right direction. In the past people could complain about your company and you didn’t have to care. Why? Because their reach was severely limited. They tell their friends and family. Now, they can tell the whole world and wage an online war against you. They can create parody websites domains, YourCompanyNameSucks.com. They can put their disgust on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Friendster (does anyone still use Friendster?), etc. People can be very vindictive if they feel slighted. Ensure they don’t.

So what do you do? Well, be active in social media. Have the proper accounts, but be sure you aren’t just blasting stuff out there. Be sure you’re interacting. Recognize those that recognize you, especially if they like your brand and company. Thank them for retweeting and sharing your info. Respond to people.  Put keywords into the tools you use for social media so they can alert you to those talking about your company, product or service. Your goal is to have ears all over the world tuned in to as many conversations that has to do with your industry, your company, and your products/services. This is a cocktail party that happens 24×7 all over the world. Attend it.

This article was inspired by a conversation I had with a staffing firm.  Let me just say that we were in the process of extending an offer to a submitted candidate only to hear that their salary increased from the time of submission. We made it work, but the situation presented itself again, with the same firm.

All us recruiters know, we’re not working with widgets. We get it, but there’s an art to making all this happen. When it all comes together, it’s awesome.  When it goes south, it can get really bad. It can even tarnish the reputation of the recruiter and the firm if you can’t handle salary correctly.

Know When to Fold ‘Em

A firm knows the budget of their client. Part of determining if the request is a legitimate one, worth the firm’s time, is making sure salary for the role has been determined.  When screening candidates for the role the staffing firm knows what budget they’re dealing with and what candidates are in range and which ones are not. Those outside the range should be discarded and not considered for the role. It doesn’t do much good to submit a person if they are way out of salary range. Keep in mind there may be wiggle room, but use caution and discretion.

Presenting the opportunity to the candidate is simple, but expectations need to be very clear. “When we met, you said you were looking for a salary of ‘x’. I have an opportunity at Company ABC as a ‘Insert Title Here’. I’d like to submit you over to the company with salary expectations of ‘X-ish’. ”  Again, this all comes down to the initial meeting where salary expectations are set. It is very uncool to have this change in the middle or end of a deal. Lock it down up front and you’ll save everyone’s time. “Is this good with you? Is there any other financial considerations we need to let the client know about – stock, options, obligations to your current employer like tuition reimbursement or relocation obligations, etc. We want to le the client to be completely aware of all the details.” This should really ensure there’s no communication issues on this delicate subject. If the candidate replies to your salary inquiry, remember you’ve already met with them once during the initial meeting, with “well it depends on the job”, be sure lock this down again. This may include sending official job description and reiterating that you aren’t sending them to to be a CIO under the guise of the duties equal to a Sr Manager in an Enterprise environment with 3000 staff.

Know When to Walk Away, Know When to Run

Good firms will actually know when to pull the plug if the deal seems to go south. Should a candidate reconsider the salary, maybe they believe the position should really pay more than what is proposed, the candidate should withdraw from the process if the difference is considerably higher. However, the firm should be the party responsible for having this discussion with the candidate and make the ultimate call. What could end up happening is that the firm looks like they’re playing a game with the client.

All the aforementioned details, if they go bad, is what we call “losing candidate control”.  Put your firm above the candidate. Your business depends on it. You can always find a different candidate, but don’t let them tarnish your reputation. Reputation is much harder to develop and it’s the integrity that business ethics relies upon.

Don’t let the candidate play games. You can have honest conversations with candidates you represent IF you have mutual rapport between each other. It takes two to tango. Firms that meet face to face with their candidates and are honest and have candid conversations with each other will provide a level of trust and openness that will prevent catastrophes down the road. This does not mean that it’s kumbaya, unicorns and rainbows, but it will facilitate a healthy, honest, discussion.

Fast forward a few years when that soldier has worked in the private sector for over a decade. You start to get a feel for the different careers, staff and management level duties and responsibilities. Many roles have their set hours. Sure, people work longer, put in over-time, have to meet deadlines and put in 50+ hour weeks, but the work schedule is typically set. Accountants go to work, adjust the books, make entries, etc. Project managers map out timelines, coordinate with teams, etc. At night they all go home – unplugging from the day. Some may work from home, but again, you disconnect and most people do.

What about the recruiter?

The recruiter’s job is to be connected. You don’t always have to be in recruiter mode? “So tell me, Mr Waiter, what do you like most about your current role?” But getting to know people, and connecting and establishing connections, is a major part of our role as recruiters.

Many mediocre recruiters fall into the 8am to 5pm mindset, similar to other staff positions. Hell, maybe they don’t get paid enough to be engaged all the time. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of business-hour recruiters that do very well and certainly go above and beyond, but compare that to the recruiter that really wants to understand people, looking for opportunities at any time in any environment, and the results can lead to making things happen. Isn’t that what it’s all about? I’m talking about being the Recruiter, 24×7.

Many highly qualified people are getting bombarded by my peers in the staffing industry. Some firms stretch the truth and outright lie to candidates in hopes of landing a placement and collecting that comission check. It ultimately sours the pool and ruins it for reputable firms and recruiters. ‘Being out there’ allows you to be active but not pushy. You’re attempting to be the passive bilboard. Nope, I don’t need that yet, but I see it on the way to work.

Being 24×7 also allows you to network. It’s not always the person you’re talking to but the person they know. With social media the degrees of separation are becoming less and less every day. The old adage, “it’s a small world” has never been more true.

So yeah, it’s about ‘being out there’. It’s about working not only for your open positions today, but your open positions tomorrow. You want to be the person that candidates trust and know. It’s all about timing. The more stars you have, the better chance of them aligning.

Yeah, I’m out there. That’s my goal. Are you ‘out there’?

Before fleshing this out, it’s important to understand the roles and motivations of those involved when dealing with a job vacancy.

The Firm

No, not the Grisham novel, the IT staffing firm. The sole purpose of the firm is to place a candidate at a company and charge the company an hourly rate while paying the candidate for doing the job. The account executive wants to deal with the people that make the final hiring decision and are holding the money.

Human Resources

HR will be typically be responsible for posting the job, gathering the applicants, phone screening the applicants, partaking in the face-to-face interview, construct an offer, extend an offer and on board the hire. Some will say this is a key responsibility of the HR rep and ultimately save the company the expense of hiring a firm. The HR rep will feel it’s their job. If a firm does this, then what’s the value of the HR rep. When I refer to HR rep it’s typically not a corporate recruiter, necessarily, but can be.

The Hiring Manager

The hiring manager is the ultimate decision maker and needs a person for the vacancy in a timely manner. While they collaborate with the HR rep, they know what they’re looking for – experience, skills, industry lingo, and have more weight in the hire or not hire decision. They also have the budget ok to make the hire, hence they hold the purse.

You can make the above relationships work, but there has to be mutual respect among all parties.

Considerations

Is using a firm to staff the vacancy a viable option?

Maybe it’s a tough skill set. Partial to working in the IT staffing area, many HR reps don’t understand the skill sets required for a technical hire. Sure, the soft questions can be asked and answered, but how do you determine if the person is even in the ball park, technically?

Then there’s the money issue. Some small companies say they can’t afford the 20% placement fee or the equivalent contracting bill rate for the candidate. Some will debate that the cost to hire via a firm or HR comes out the same, but that’s for another article.

Say the position has been open for 6 months without any viable candidates. The use of a firm may be justified.

What firms don’t understand is that their may not be an open position. Many account execs make cold calling part of their daily duties. Why advertise in the Yellow pages when you have an account exec that’s supposed to advertise the firm’s services through the ‘dialing for dollars’ model? Just ensuring the managers are aware the firm exists is part of the mission of the account exec because, eventually, the manager is going to need to hire someone and the firm wants to be there with open arms.

Now consider the hiring manager only allowing their choice firm to work on a given job opening. This creates animosity from other firms. “Why does Firm XYZ get the req, and we don’t?” What’s their incentive to work _with_ the company and not go around the reps of the company? HR can help level the playing field. If nobody gets the special treatment, and everyone gets a crack at the job, then money can be better negotiated and ethical competition can occur.

Happy Happy, Joy Joy

The ideal process is that firms work with what’s acceptable as outlined by the company/client, but also ensures that it’s enforced. If a firm is engaged, multiple firms are notified at the same time. The rules, guidelines, policies apply to everyone in the process – from how applicants are submitted all the way to the offer stage. This prevents a lot of issues. If a staffing firm tries to skirt the process, then ensure the hiring manager understands why it’s not in the best interest of the process and shows a unified front. Do they really want to get bombarted by account execs a couple hours a day? Surely they have better things to do.

There are ways that the three-way relationship can work. People just need to understand how it can be beneficial to everyone. It really comes down to this. If one party has a motivation that supersedes the other two, the playing field will be titled and chaos will ensue.

Be sure to put in your own 2 cents worth in the comments section!

Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net