Are there any recruiters or corporate recruiting people out there, who still don't understand the power of web 2.0?
Well, thankfully, Amitai Givertz has done you a big favour! He wrote this excellent short presentation, succinctly explaining why web 2.0 is so important to the recruitment world. This is a must read!!
If you liked this format, why not view the one that I produced for Slideshare - Social Media is here to stay
Images are more powerful than words,today's post!
These are taken from an absolutely superb presentation by Michael Marlatt from Cloud Recruiting. He gave the presentation at Sourcecon 2008 in the US, which by all accounts was the best of the show. The full presentation can be downloaded from his website.
A post I wrote last year on the top 10 handshakes, created a huge amount of interest (and still does via Google), so when I came across these video's on the Times Online website, I thought it would be worth mentioning, because for recruiters this subject should be second nature - body language.
Do you know what Steepling, Posture Superiority, Feet pointing, Preening, Deception, Posture Congruence and Powerplay have to do with recruitment?
Well they are all forms of body language that we all use every single day in our jobs -some rightly and some very wrongly!
So, if you want to know when someone is lying to you, then I suggest you watch the first video - it is essential for any recruiter (am I saying that candidates lie?????).
The second video is on body language while giving a presentation - again something that recruiters should be adept at, that is if they are client facing.
The third video deals with the most famous recruiter trait (well it is for some of the more arrogant idiots in our industry anyway) - exerting power and control over a subordinate (colleague or interviewee). So if you want to avoid coming across as a complete nobhead in the future, then take note.
Interview body language is next - and is an absolute definite must to view. As recruiters it is something we are doing all the time, but are you giving the wrong signals? Watch and check if you are in this fourth video.
The final video is very interesting, and deals with the body language when trying to negotiate a promotion - we have all been in that meeting at some time!!
Overall, this makes a nice set of video's to watch - not too long, but useful in its content. Just ignore the blatant advertising for Canada (what's wrong with the UK??) at the beginning (sorry you Canadian readers, nothing personal!).
As a someone who has been in recruitment for many years there is one word that you learn to respect above all. That word is ASSUME.
If you are lucky, then whoever trained you in recruitment will have given you the old saying, " learn to know what assume really means - if you assume something then you make an ASS out of U and ME!"
So this morning, when my excellent newsletter from Mark Whitby arrived in my inbox, on the subject of assumptions being dangerous for recruiters, it was too good not to share!!
So here are the top 10 assumptions a recruiter should DEFINITELY not make (if they want to be successful that is!).
1. Assuming the candidate will get good references.
2. Assuming the candidate will prepare for the interview.
3. Assuming the candidate will show up!
4. Assuming the candidate is only interviewing with your client.
5. Assuming you already know what the client is looking for.
6. Assuming the client is using you exclusively.
7. Assuming the client won’t use you exclusively.
8. Assuming the client can and will sell their opportunity to the candidate.
9. Assuming the client will offer the right package.
10. Assuming the candidate will accept the offer.
And there is a bonus one that we definitely should not forget........... Assuming the candidate will stay in the job once they’ve started. (Nothing worse than having to all that work again is there - or even worse refunding a fee!!) Now remember what happens if you assume something??
For all you recruiters needing to improve you skills check Mark out - it is definitely worth your time. I have a number of his training CD' and they are excellent!! Here's what he does. Mark Whitby - The Recruitment Coach - helps recruiters and recruiting firm owners to maximize their billings and business performance. If you want to generate more clients, candidates and placements, get your FREE tips now at: http://www.RecruiterTrainingOnline.com.
I was reading Marketing Week over the weekend, and read an article on marketing to the over 50 year old age group.
The graphic above show the results from a survey carried out for the article showing how the over-50's believe they are perceived by marketers - obviously very poorly!!
It got me thinking. What would the results be if the same survey was done within the recruitment industry? (Yes I know we are not allowed to discriminate, but it does happen as we all know!)
Would candidates over the age of 50 also feel that many recruiters patronise them?
Do many of the 'young' recruiters see the value of this age group in filling their assignments?
Do they even give them a chance?
I have heard many horror stories about our industry, from over-50 year old candidates. I would say that the biggest complaint is more about respect - respect for their skills and experience. There are many recruiters who do respect and value this age group, but there are also too many that don't.
I just wonder how big that figure is?
Having attended the CIPD show on recruitment and retention this week, it has left me feeling a little disillusioned. Don't get me wrong, the show was very good and it was very well attended by many companies, but there seems to be a state of apathy around recruitment - more specifically, how to recruit new employees using modern technologies.
You are probably reading this and thinking I have gone mad, after all isn't every company saying they are trying hard to recruit talent? Well they may well be trying to recruit staff, but they are using the same recruitment tools and methods they have always. They seem to be allergic to trying anything "new" - and by "new" I simply mean online (reactive and proactive), networking, social networks, blogs etc
They have their heads firmly stuck in the sand, and are not even coming up for air to check on what is happening around them!
Continue reading "Sticking your head in the sand is not the answer!!" »
Jim Stroud of the recruiters lounge, the award winning blogger/recruiter/speaker has written a book that is going to be very popular amongst recruiters and even some corporate recruiters. It is called Resume Forensics - and it is a comprehensive guide on how to use Google, Yahoo and MSNLive to find CV's - free! Click here to download the ebook . In the meantime here is a video to give you a taster of what to expect in the ebook.
I came across this site today, and I have to say it is certainly a little different. But did it get the message across - not immediately, and I had to try and figure out what they did! It is all well and good having fancy clever animated sites, but unless they convey the message clearly then they sort of miss the trick don't they?
Nice idea, but a little off track for me!
Lemmings are known for mindlessly following other lemmings, even to the point of destruction. Many recruiters could be described in the same way - it could be that they are following successful people, following what the perceived 'right thing to do' is, following others because they have no direction or it might be as simple following because they are told to. And yes they could also follow to the point of self destruction as well!!
What happened to innovation and being remarkable and being different? There are genuine innovators in recruitment, and they have been successful because they did something different, and were brave enough to do so. Seth Godin, in his latest good book, Meatball Sundae, would describe these people as remarkable and he is right. They are not afraid of leading the innovation curve and trying different ideas, different recruitment methods, different attraction methods, different ways of pricing etc
While the recruitment world needs lemmings, is there too many of them? And is there enough recruitment Seth's?
As a regular reader of Jim Stroud's excellent recruitment blog - The Recruiters Lounge - I wanted to share his latest strategy of getting 5000 subscribers to his blog ...... and quickly. It is a very simple concept (but clever!), and it revolves around his latest book, Resume Forensics.
When you subscribe to his blog, he will send you a free copy - nothing new there - but here is the catch. He won't distribute the book to anyone until there is 5000 subscribers!! And when he gets 5000 subscribers, the free aspect goes, and it goes on sale normally. As I said, fantastically simple but effective!!
So how does he get 5000 subscribers? He uses everyone else (like me here!) to distribute the message for him, after all it's in my interests - the sooner he gets the 5000, the sooner I get my book!! This book does promise to be very good, so subscribe here to get your free copy......quick!!!
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