RecruitSmart - Articles

RPO 101: Minimize risk, maximize returns

Tue, 30 Aug 2011, 13:31:00 EST

In a tough economic climate, RPO - Recruitment Process Outsourcing - can be a terrific alternative to traditional recruiting solutions. It doesn't have to be a 2-year implementation that drives everyone crazy with meeting after meeting and administrative headaches. It's really just about approaching the recruitment function a little differently, having a clear understanding of the pain points that need to be addressed, and establishing some clear goals. It's okay to start small!

Preparing for baby-boomers in the workplace - and retiring out of it

Sat, 30 Jul 2011, 14:24:00 EST

Today, Baby Boomers - people born between 1946 and 1964 - represent 30% of the population, and the majority of managers in North American businesses. While there's been a lot of attention paid to attracting, recruiting and retaining Gen Y employees, Baby Boomers present different challenges. Some studies suggest that baby boomers are headed for retirement en masse, while other studies say that, thanks to the fact that we're living longer, healthier lives, baby boomers are interested in working past retirement age. How can organizations prepare for this demographic shift?

Does the world really need LinkedIn, BeKnown & BranchOut?

Thu, 30 Jun 2011, 00:30:00 EST

This week, Monster launched its new Facebook application, BeKnown, designed to allow people to use Facebook for professional networking. When LinkedIn abruptly cut off BeKnown's - as well as rival BranchOut's - API access, effectively preventing users of the apps from importing information from their LinkedIn profiles, everyone started talking about the effects of data-sharing across applications.

For recruiters, however, the other big question right now is: Do we really need more than one major professional social networking site? Facebook has 7 times as many users as LinkedIn - does this make a Facebook-based application a better long-term play than LinkedIn, or will Facebook be undone by its own privacy problems?

How to Write a Fabulous Job Post (Even When You're Tired)

Tue, 31 May 2011, 18:45:00 EST

All of us like to look at - and admire - those lists of '10 Greatest Job Ads'. We forward them to our (recruiter) friends, and we know that they attract better applicants, faster. But sometimes it's 4:30 on a Friday afternoon, you've got to get a couple of jobs posted in time for the weekend browsers, and seems easier just to copy and paste whatever the hiring manager has sent you.

Don't let that happen to you! With a little bit of advance planning, a few simple rules, and a handy thesaurus, you too can write a job ad that has originality and sex appeal, even on a Friday afternoon!

Are you building great relationships with clients?

Thu, 28 Apr 2011, 00:38:00 EST

There's a lot of information out there about managing relationships with candidates, but recruiters have another, equally important set of relationships to manage: Relationships with clients. Whether those clients are internal (for corporate recruiters) or external (for agency recruiters), successful client management is crucial to recruiting success. In this month's article, we discuss ways to improve your relationships with clients, in terms of specific job requirements and long-term.

Recruiting is changing. Are you?

Tue, 29 Mar 2011, 06:01:00 EST

In the past few years, more and more Canadian organizations have started to rethink their approach to recruiting: Instead of dismissing recruiters as 'order takers' and recruiting as simply a glorified application-processing role, they're increasingly recognizing that recruiting is a strategic function that can make a real difference in winning the war for top talent - and a real difference to the bottom line in all kinds of ways. Whether you're an agency recruiter working on commission or a corporate recruiter working to internal metrics, are you out-performing the competition?

Getting the culture right: Recruiters can't sell it if it doesn't exist

Sun, 27 Feb 2011, 00:08:00 EST

Ask great candidates why they decided to apply to or accept a position at a company and most of the time, they'll give you the same answers: "I applied because I heard it was a great place to work. I decided to work there because I got such a good feeling when I first walked in the door, and from everyone I met."

Positive word-of-mouth (the kind that helps spread the word that Acme Inc. is a 'great place to work') and a great 'vibe' (the kind that gives candidates a good feeling when they walk in the door, and informs the interactions they have with the people they meet pre-hire) doesn't just happen by accident. It's a result of a concerted effort to build a strong, positive organizational culture.

Recruiters can't sell a fantastic culture if it doesn't exist. So how do you get the culture right?

Recruiting 3.0: 5 Characteristics of the New Recruiting Function

Thu, 20 Jan 2011, 01:16:00 EST

When organizations could count on always having more candidates than jobs to fill, the recruiting function tended to be seen as administrative rather than strategic: Recruiters were just the people who processed all the applications because HR or other departments were too busy.

Today, as baby boomers retire out of the workforce en masse, the Canadian economy rebounding well from the 2008-09 recession, and fewer younger workers entering the workforce (and entering it later than previous generations), recruiting for many roles and industries has become a sellers' market.

To win the war for top talent, the new recruiting function has to be strategic, nimble, and accountable. These 5 characteristics of the recruiting 3.0 are a great opportunity for recruiting professionals.

Recruiting 3.0: What we'll be thinking about in 2010

Sun, 19 Dec 2010, 01:43:00 EST

It's that time of year again! The countdown to December 31, during which every recruiting consultant, self-proclaimed guru, visionary, thought leader and badly-dressed pundit starts making their big predictions for the recruiting industry in the year to come. (And then gives it a title guaranteed to get retweets, like "10 Biggest Recruiting Disasters Coming in 2011", while hoping that by next December, no one will remember that none of them actually happened.)

Don't worry - we're not going to do that. But we are going to tell you what we'll be thinking about this year.

Why recruiting and employment brands are more important than ever

Fri, 05 Nov 2010, 00:20:00 EST

Combine the baby boomer exodus with the Gen Y birthrates and the Millennial workplace revolution and you have a talent marketplace that looks a lot different than it did 10 years ago. The under-30 crowd wants to make a difference, feel invested and passionate in their work, and they have more information about exactly where the employment grass is greener than ever before. The key to attracting top talent in this environment? Recruitment and employment branding.

Recruiting 3.0: From 'order takers' to 'strategic business units'

Thu, 07 Oct 2010, 00:11:00 EST

As recruiting becomes increasingly strategic - and less transactional in the eyes of the rest of the organizations, the onus will be on recruiting professionals to raise the bar. Today's recruiting professionals - whether in a corporate, contract or 'agency' setting - have a real opportunity to advance the profession.

As with all professions, recruiters can help raise their profile - and their respect - by ensuring they're on top of their game. In a fragmented market, specialists are more valuable than ever.

Apply Behavioural Based Interviewing Techniques to References

Thu, 02 Sep 2010, 03:36:00 EST

BBI (behavioural based interviewing) has long been a key evaluation technique when interviewing candidates for a position. But it can also be an effective way to elicit information about a potential hire from people the candidate has submitted as references. This can be particularly helpful when the candidate - or his/her references - aren't senior managers and need prompting to get beyond the basic reliability, competence, etc.

40 ways to promote your job opportunities

Tue, 17 Aug 2010, 17:59:00 EST

Not getting enough candidates? Or maybe you're just not getting enough great candidates? Maybe you need to find a way to cut through the clutter to reach the A-listers. Here's a list of 40 ideas for promoting your job opportunities. Some of them you're probably already using; some you may never have considered (when was the last time you saw a flash mob at an HR conference?). Either way, this list is bound to spark some good ideas (and if you come up with one that isn't on the list, let us know - we always like to hear about new and creative ideas!).

You wasted 250 recruitment marketing opportunities last week alone.

Tue, 10 Aug 2010, 22:18:00 EST

Every candidate interaction - from the first time they visit your jobs page to the first day they walk through the door as a new employee - is a marketing opportunity: It's an opportunity to build your recruitment brand ("We're worth leaving your current job for!"), your employment brand ("This is a great place to work!") and your consumer brand ("Our products and services are fantastic!"). Phone, email and in-person conversations with candidates are especially valuable: As marketing professionals know, nothing is better for brand-building than one-to-one communications with people who actually want to interact with you. You have hundreds of candidate interactions every week - how come you're not using them more effectively?

How to get media coverage that'll boost your recruitment brand

Fri, 06 Aug 2010, 17:35:00 EST

The Canadian economy may have lost a few jobs last month (or not, depending on who you believe), but all the recruiters I've talked to in the past few weeks say the same thing: This is the busiest August they've had in years. These days, their biggest challenge isn't finding new clients - it's finding enough great candidates to fill all their open requisitions. So it's not surprising that one of the questions I've been asked most often in the past few weeks is: "How can we build some buzz and improve our candidate flow - fast? Oh, and I haven't got much of a budget." The answer, dear recruiters, is PR and media coverage.

Apply Supply Chain Principles to Recruitment

Wed, 04 Aug 2010, 01:55:00 EST

The term 'supply chain management' is one of those business terms that you hear a lot, but think maybe you need an MBA to understand. But in fact, 'supply chain' isn't complicated at all: It's just a term used to describe the process by which stuff is made, distributed and sold. Supply chain management is all about making that process more efficient. The same principles can be applied to recruiting - and they can make a big difference in efficiency, efficacy - and the bottom line.

The 2-Minute Interview (and other ways to streamline interviewing)

Tue, 27 Jul 2010, 05:22:00 EST

Ah, the interview process. So critical, yet so time-consuming; so potentially illuminating, yet so potentially problematic. And as any recruiter - corporate or agency - will tell you, if a recruiting project or engagement is going to get bogged down anywhere, it's going to be at the interviewing stage. Scheduling alone - especially if the candidate needs to be interviewed by multiple people in the organization -can prove a nigh-on insurmountable challenge. In this article, we offer some tips to streamline the interview process and keep the process on track.

Effective Telephone Screening: Plan First, Talk Second!

Mon, 26 Jul 2010, 04:55:00 EST

Telephone screening (or T2T, to use industry jargon) can easily be the most time-consuming - and administratively taxing - part of the recruitment lifecycle, especially in high-volume projects. Done right, it can cut your time-to-hire and cost-per-hire dramatically. Done wrong, it'll exponentially increase your resourcing time (and have you pulling your hair out in the process). The key to great T2T results? Plan first, using the 3 steps outlined below.

Vision + A Little Self-Promotion = Recognized Expert

Sun, 25 Jul 2010, 03:56:00 EST

You may be the leading Canadian authority on recruiting in your industry or market segment, but are you really perceived as an expert by your colleagues and senior management? One of the biggest challenges recruiting professionals face, particularly in a corporate setting, is being perceived as strategic, big-picture thinkers rather than transactional 'salespeople' who just put bodies in seats. This article discusses how to position yourself within the organization and how having a strategic recruiting 'vision' can make a big difference.

The Best Offense is a Good Defense: Learn from your competition

Thu, 15 Jul 2010, 17:46:00 EST

Now that the economy is back on track, the A-list performers who kept their heads down during the recessionary period of 2008-2009 are thinking about making a move - and your competition knows it. But don't panic: Thanks to the internet, it's easier than ever to keep tabs on your competition, who and where they're recruiting, and how their compensation packages compare with yours. Staying aware of what your competitors are doing will help ensure you win the war for top talent.