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?

 In my last BLOG, I talked about the Recession and “is it over?!?”.  Well, the consensus from all the experts seems to be “YES!”.  Does this mean hiring is next?  I do not know about you, but I am tired of all of the monkeying around and I am ready to be so busy that I will not be able to take a break to even peel a banana.  Ok, maybe not THAT busy but I think you get the picture. 

The answer to “Is Hiring Next” is mostly positive with feedback showing hiring in the next quarter. Many economists, corporate leaders, and others supposedly “in the know” seem mostly upbeat about a recovering economy. Also, many executive recruiters are advising employers to “start getting ready to start hiring.”  HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!  I go ape over news like this! Here is some of what I have read condensed to be easy on the eyes, short and to the point:

• Workforce Management magazine (http://www.workforce.com/) recently reported that “Recruitment process outsourcing providers are seeing an increase in interest from employers…now realizing the need to start hiring again in the next few months.”

• The smartbrief.com survey asked this question: “…when would you expect to restore more normal investment in business, including inventory, staffing, expense budgets and capital projects?” More than 1,000 respondents recorded with these results: 44 percent expect to restore more normal investment in the first half of 2010… 29 percent in the second half of 2010… 12 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010… and 10 percent in 2011 or later. Only 5 percent expect to restore more normal investment in business in the current quarter.

• Recently, CNNMoney.com reported the Leading Economic Index (from the Conference Board) “for a fourth straight month, another sign that the recession is bottoming…”  The report quoted Ken Goldstein, economist at The Conference Board, as saying, “The indicators suggest that the recession is bottoming out, and that economic activity will likely begin recovering soon.”

• Recent survey results released by CareerBuilder.com and Robert Half International, Inc., found that 53 percent of employers surveyed plan to hire full-time employees in the next 12 months. Another 40 percent plan to hire contract, temporary or project professionals in the next 12 months. Survey results came from 500 hiring managers. The respondents reported the average time to recruit a new full-time employee was ranged from 4.5 to 14.4 weeks.

In summary, yes, hiring seems to be next; it’s music to my ears.  We just need to get these companies to buy into it and get that consumer confidence up and through the roof.  No more monkeying around…it is time to get down to business! Let the hiring begin!

I am sure we have all heard variations of this story, legend, chain emails -  call it what you like. The author is unknown and Snopes makes several references to this story from its association with Royals to our fair neighbor Canada. It is a great tale of heart warming anticipation where you hold on to your fork because pie/dessert is coming next and therefore the best is yet to come.

Nice story and all and some may wipe a tear but what the heck does this have to do with you and me, all the unemployed people who have been despairing over the past months and the entire staffing/recruiting/HR bandwagon that has been hurtling downhill all year? You see, I’m the eternal optimist when it comes to new ways of doing things – Web 2.0, automation, spider technology,  semantic, Boolean, 3G, 4G, Artificial Intelligence  – better, smarter, faster, interactive, more intuitive, streamlined, and the fact that mankind is always improving on things.

Don’t get me wrong, there are days/times when I am down. But in spite of the fact that Nearly 16M People Can’t Find Jobs Amid Claims Recession Is Over  or the fact that U.S. Unemployment Rate Hits 10.2%, Highest in 26 Years I have eternal hope.

I and all my tribe are cheering for a quick end to the bad times. OK so shoot me,<gobble, gobble> but if we all don’t think that the only way out of this is up, we’re all toast, man. It is just a question of time.  Because in the midst of the doom & gloom all we need is more good news like Bay Area Tech Company Needs to Hire 200 Recruiters & Sourcers, One Year Contract .

A past Executive Admin once said to me, “The Universe, my dear, has a way of balancing it all out” as I pulled my hair out on a frightfully annoying, ongoing, “client kept changing the specs” search.  A lot of truth in that as I eventually found out.  So let’s celebrate Thanksgiving (I sure hope the more fortunate, still employed among us will invite at least one unemployed family to share the meal) and be “THANKFUL” for what has been and for what we have enjoyed (granted it’s been a while when the unemployment paycheck has been coming for months). 

The next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you ever so gently, that the best is yet to come. Count your blessings and here’s to better times for all.  

Happy Thanksgiving y’all!

This time last year, the kids were back in school and we were riding that staffing wave and “hanging 10” (insert Hawaii Five-O music here).  Soon after, recruiters were left simply “hanging” and some felt like “hanging” themselves (though I do not know of any that actually did thank goodness).  My fellow recruiters started losing their jobs and we knew we were all in trouble.  And now, Ben Bernanke, current Federal Reserve Chairman thinks that one of the worst economic downturns in American history IS OVER (insert happy music here like “Celebration” by Kool & The Gang ).   Every publication and media outlet seems to point that way i.e. The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, FOX News…you name it.  The problems in the subprime market seem contained, consumer confidence is restoring, homes are selling, HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN!!!!!  BUT, BE AWARE that Bernanke also did not detail any significant changes in the immediate future.  Yes we are improving, but not at a rapid pace.  If you ask me, go ahead…ask me…ok, thanks for asking, a full recovery cannot come quick enough.  Bernanke’s Fed, meanwhile, has been giving pretty clear, yes “crystal clear” (thanks Jack and Tom) signals over the past couple of months that it thinks the recession is ending but the recovery will be sssssllloooowwww and weak.  At my firm we support both Corporations and Executive Search and both are showing an uptick in activity, not a rapid uptick, but an uptick nonetheless.  I’ll take that.  Clients that we have not heard from in a while are opening searches and we continue to see activity in the areas of Defense, Energy, Healthcare and Education.  Even new clients are coming out of the woodworks from these areas.  I just look forward to the days when retail, financial services and construction are strong again and I will feel whole again.  Meanwhile, I will continue to satisfy my clients, exceed expectations, watch Wall Street recover and dream about the day when all of my fellow recruiters are back to work and that time should be soon…I hope. ARE YOU READY FOR THE WAVE ?!?!?