As I sit here I am wondering…Are you serious?!?  Is this for real?!?!  Just when I thought the Dow Jones was heading in the right direction, consumer confidence was getting better, the unemployment rate was dropping, homes are selling, companies are hiring (this is a big one!), we as a country get news that our allies overseas are in economic trouble.

And what happens?!?!

 The market has one of the biggest one day drops in history.  Sell Sell Sell!  “OH MY GOSH THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END” think many investors.  We are spending BILLIONS of dollars to fix the US and these countries, in my opinion, are looking at us to bail them out too.  Can you say “MORE billions”?!?  We had to change the way we are structuring this economy and our allies overseas need to do the same. 

Soon I hope we, as a planet, can get ourselves back to where we were just a few short years ago.  But I know these things take time and that Rome was not built in a day.  I anxiously await.

I have been hearing about and am now seeing first hand a developing trend that has me quite concerned.  Having started in this business back in the 1980s, I’ve managed through multiple down cycles; working through the need to maintain my company’s viability and meet client’s perceived need to match price with both value and market considerations.  However, the ‘cram down’ on fees that I’ve seen during this downturn is different.  If what I’m seeing is generalized at all, then I fear it could have lasting consequences on future quality of service.

I am aware that for years, corporate clients have been suspect of just how profitable and therefore, warranted recruiting and retained search fee-levels are.  This debate has ranged from unspoken/seething to healthy debate around metrics and value-add to open cynicism and cyclical rejection of external vendors altogether.  In downturns it is certainly more difficult to rationalize spending fees to hire talent when the perception, and to varying degree, reality, is that on-target and high quality availability of candidates should preclude the need for external search consultants.

On one hand, this is true and after all, we in the search industry fully understand that our services will only be required on a small percentage of all hiring activity going on across enterprises. This said, any perception that when tapped, our services are of less value and warrant significantly lower fees in down markets is both a misnomer and a dangerous precedent. (more…)

Well mine does, sometimes!

I’ve always had a tough time being succinct. Blame it on being a detail oriented, “transparent with the client”; hate to leave out anything Ms. Perfectionist”. My boss’s boss likes to say my middle name is “one hundred percent”. (Actually I quite like that though am not sure who’s getting the last laugh here) And, on the other hand, one of my managers says I write too much aka The Gettysburg. Geez, how to please ‘em all?? I am trying hard to be succinct. Frankly it’s been a bunch of years of trying. HA. OK seriously, I get better each year like a fine wine.

Now here’s what I think about this process. There is really no right or wrong here. Common sense should prevail and of course a good command of the English language or for that matter whatever language you are presenting in. We are so “globally local” these days that you have to “Think Global, Act Local” all the time. So go with what your Hiring Manager likes, go with what your Client likes. Mirror the recipient’s style and you will likely succeed.

Here’s a little ditty I composed (think of Peas Porridge Hot, Peas Porridge Cold)

Some like it long,
Some like it short,
Some like it to the point,
As long as the story is told.

It also depends on the type of recruiting firm (Third Party Recruiter) presenting a candidate – if you are an Executive Retained Search firm (all the details, some use a standard template even), Contingency firm (a resume and few lines may work) or a Staffing firm (take the middle ground here). Moreover, the quality and quantity of details varies by the candidate’s experience, length of work history, accomplishments/accolades not mentioned on a resume (every candidate should be smart enough to list this), the level of the position within the company, the impact this position has/will have on the organization and reporting hierarchy which may lead you to have some additional information than just the usual.

You have to build your case – the story has to be told. After all YOU were the first one to talk with the candidate, weren’t you? Clients have less time and Corporate Client Hiring Managers have even less time so I make sure I include the following data points, at a minimum, in my presentation write-up, aka The Story.

1. Candidate’s full name in the introductory line. Then refer by first name or nickname or with an Honorific (Mr./Ms./Sir) if you need to be formal. This identifies The Who & sets the stage.
2. Brief intro paragraph to summarize what you think this candidate can bring to the table and how his skill set would fit in with the organization. This Justifies the Who.
3. Brief paragraph about candidate’s current job situation and why they may be looking. This is like the main plot.
4. More brief paragraphs about prior work history, reasons for leaving each position. Here you introduce the “Other Characters”.
5. Details on candidate current/most recent compensation. Some history or comp range on previous positions. These are details you don’t want to make obvious but you can’t afford not to share!
6. If the position requires relocation, make sure you discuss this with your candidate (& he/she with the family) and let the client know the candidate is able to and provide soft details if the candidate has family in that area. Otherwise, this can be quite the anticlimactic show stopper in your story!
7. Sum up with a few personal details if gathered on your screening call and wrap it up, re-iterating what great fit the candidate would be. The End.
8. Always ask for the client’s/ hiring manager’s feedback and next steps on the candidate. Action Items.

Don’t ramble, stick to the facts, and interject some opinions.

As for that Gettysburg Address reference – well guess what – the client thanked us for the details and thought it very informative. Lucked out on that one!

We all have our styles and checklists. So how do you write yours? What do you include? What do you stay away from?

Everyone hates receiving “those” emails. The emails that pull at your heart strings and put you on guard, for example: the emails about missing or very ill children, and the robbers in parking lots with ether-filled perfume bottles.  Cell phone users that must register their numbers with the national “Do Not Call” directory or their number is going to be released to telemarketers. Or get completely wound up that you may have a virus that will wipe your hard drive and melt the motherboard if you open the email. Forwarding “those” emails to family, friends, and co-workers just to find out it is Fiction, a Hoax, that you were Duped. Then there are “those” emails that provide half truths and include links to sites where they can check it out themselves, but the link doesn’t actually apply to the email being sent like the virus warning emails: Postcards, Invitation/Olympic Torch, Life is Beautiful, etc…

Of course there are the emails that are Fact, the Truth, and you would be Helping Out if you forwarded to your friends, family or co-workers. Like the newest email about Spokeo (Similar online services: pipl, ZoomInfo, ZabaSearch, Radaris, and Intelius. Spokeo compiles aggregates of information pertaining to individual names, email addresses, and phone numbers from public online sources such as phone books, real estate listings, and government records, plus profile entries from sites like Facebook, MySpace, Amazon.com, LinkedIn, Flickr, and multiple other sources.), or the UPS/FedEx/DHL Delivery Failure virus emails. But 9 times out of 10 it’s going to be one of “those” emails.

I am an IT specialist and part of my job is to check out “those” emails when a co-worker receives them so that I can alert everyone as to the validity of  the email, and whether or not  any action needs to be taken or the email just needs to be deleted. Nevertheless, when I have received “those” emails in my personal account I respond to the recipient with the facts and if it’s one I haven’t seen before, I check it out, and reply to the person letting them know if it is fact or fiction. In hopes that they will not spread the fiction and get anyone unnecessarily worked up about something that has most likely never happened or will ever happen.

There are SO many of our family, friends, co-workers that forward these emails on to everyone in their contacts or just to people they want to help protect because they would rather be safe then sorry. To what end! I recommend YOU debunk the latest urban legend or virus hoax by checking them out your self. It only takes a minute of your time, and not only will you be more informed, you will not spread the fiction and know the facts. Here are a couple of sites I use:

1.  Google- It’s easy, and you’re already online. Just type in the key words from the subject line of “those” emails. And viola Google will be provided with several sites that will prove or disprove the validity of the email. (I picked Google, but you can use your favorite search engine to investigate.)
2. Snopes- Their information is update and accurate. On occasion when proven wrong Snopes updates their site to reflect their findings. It’s become a little commercialized, but one of the more complete urban legend and virus hoax site.
3. TruthOrFiction.com- A different format than Snopes, but I really like it. Great up-to-date information on eRumors, viruses, and Internet hoaxes. And their “Here are the top 20 stories on TruthorFiction.com this hour:” can be entertaining reading.
4. About: Urban Legends- This about.com subsite is hosted by David Emery. He is ardent about finding and debunking rumors, myths, pranks and odd stories.  I like his format as it reads more like a newspaper.
5.  BreakTheChain.org- This site tries to educate you that e-mail is an unreliable medium for sharing information and the first step to reducing the amount of junk is to stop sending it yourself. This site if frequently cited by media sources when looking for authoritative resource on chain mails.
6. Sophos – This anti-virus company keeps a small list of hoaxes and urban legends.  Their focus is more on virus hoaxes.
7. Symantec- Their hoax list is pretty good but seems a little dated.  Maybe that’s because most hoaxes today are really recycled from earlier hoaxes. However it’s a great comprehensive site to check out the latest Threats, Risks, and Vulnerabilities.

I hope you have gotten something out of this and these are just few of the sites I use. I am very interested to know about your favorite urban legend, virus hoax sites.  Comment on this post, to share with me and our readers. AND hopefully I have helped a few people who were waiting for Bill Gates (or anyone else for that matter) to send them money, merchandise, or a free trip and they will stop forwarding “those” emails.