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Fall 2015 Panel Preview: How to go from Pesky Recruiter to Trusted Resource

November 5, 2015 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

By Danielle Boykin

What do you know now, that you wish you had known when you first started out in your career?  Couldn’t we all benefit from the insight of someone more senior than us when we were just starting out???  That’s why I’m so excited to lead a panel discussion at recruitDC’s upcoming Fall event to focus on How to go from Pesky Recruiter to Trusted Resource! 

Please join me, along with Henry Addo from pureIntegration, and Chrissie Hendrickson from Special Counsel, as we share our stories and experiences, what we’ve learned and what we’re still trying to figure out, what we’ve done wrong and our biggest lessons learned! 

Collectively our panel has more than 35 years of hands-on recruiting experience across the IT, finance and accounting, sales, and legal industries.  This will be a great opportunity to ask questions and have an open dialogue with some of DC’s recruiting superheroes!  So whether you are just starting out in recruiting, or are more senior and simply looking for a fresh perspective on the day to day, please come check us out on November 19th at recruitDC! 

For Tickets, please visit recruitDC’s Eventbrite page. 

For more information about our panelists, check out their bios below…

Danielle Boykin is currently a Recruiting Manager with Robert Half, focusing on providing Finance, Accounting, and Operational talent for permanent roles with clients across the DC metro region.  With 15+ years of recruiting and sales experience, Danielle has done everything from corporate recruiting to staffing, from temporary to direct hire, and focusing on roles in the administrative, healthcare, sales & recruiting, and finance & accounting fields.  Danielle has built a considerable network of professionals that she relies heavily on for her recruiting needs, and she’s become known in some circles as “the one to know” when you decide to conduct a job search!  She’s excited to have the opportunity to partner with recruitDC to talk about her journey from being a pesky recruiter, to a trusted partner! Connect with her on LinkedIn

Chrissie Hendrickson has been in the recruiting game in DC for the last nine years.  Initially her focus was sourcing and placing high-level executive support staff for rainmakers in DC while she worked at TRAK Services.  She built a network such that, by a few years in to her tenure there, 85% of the candidates she placed were a result of direct referrals. Two years ago, Chrissie took on a role with TRAK’s parent company, Special Counsel, where she now travels around the country advising and training internal colleagues on direct-hire placement, now in the legal field. Chrissie has learned – both the hard way and the easy way – how to avoid being perceived as some pesky, sales-y, in-it-for-herself recruiter, and instead enjoys the perception (most of the time) as a trusted advisor to both her candidates and her clients. Connect with her on LinkedIn

Henry Addo’s career spans over 15 years of consulting, staffing and talent management.  He has specialized primarily in hiring solutions-driven professionals with backgrounds in technology, digital, marketing, business process, and creative.  Henry is well known for his 6 years of recruiting with Profiles, and most recently joined pureIntegration, a business integration company focused on providing customers with bold solutions to their critical business problems.  Henry’s reputation for providing a first class candidate experience is well known in the DC area, and that’s why he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share more about how he does just that at recruitDC’s Fall event! Connect with him on LinkedIn

Filed Under: recruitDC Conference, recruitDC Events Tagged With: Recruiters, Recruiting Basics, Relationships, Trust

A Quick Reminder: Hiring Is Hard

March 12, 2015 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

By Ian Jones
The NFL held its’ annual Combine event a few weeks ago, where top college football players gathered to be measured, tested, interviewed and put through a myriad of drills to gauge their strength and abilities. The combine is a multi-day event yielding mountains of data, which when combined with endless hours of game film, help NFL teams draft the players they hope will lead them to Super Bowl glory. Or for DC area Skins fans, at least a .500 record.

The NFL draft is a recruiter’s dream. The league has a near monopoly on top talent. Nobody freezing his tail off for the Saskatchewan Rough Riders is doing so voluntarily. NFL Scouts can review and analyze every single play candidates made in games on video, as many times as they want, in super slow motion. Each player’s exact height, weight, 40 yard dash, and vertical leap is not only verified at the Combine, it’s posted all over the Web.   A Left Tackle can’t pad his resume. And here’s the kicker, once a player is drafted by a team, only that team can offer him a contract.   There is literally no competition for that player’s services.

NFL General Managers have months to prepare for their selection. They have as unlimited access to prior performance, unbiased tangible physical data, and a monopoly on the player they select.   Seems impossible to screw up this hire, right? Wrong. The list of top NFL draft picks that failed is long – Tony Mandarich, Ryan Leaf, Gino Toretta, and pretty much every single player ever taken by the Jets.

And it’s not just the busts that highlight how challenging hiring can be. Take this pale, slow, barely athletic looking kid who had 198 other players selected ahead of him in the 2000 draft. As much as the Patriots should be admired for their handling of personnel over the years, if they knew that this soup sandwich was going to become the greatest QB of all time, they’d have traded the farm to take him first overall.

This post offers no solutions, but hopefully some sense of perspective to every executive, hiring manager and recruiter struggling with acquiring great talent. We don’t have the luxury of perfect information, talent monopolies, and transparent access to the entire talent pool.   We hustle, trying to differentiate our opportunities, evaluate candidates for job and culture fits, and land the best talent with only a fraction of available and semi-verifiable data. All under intensive competitive and time sensitive pressure.

So keep grinding, keep doing everything you can to reach your hiring goals. Take time to enjoy the victories, and not dwell too much on the defeats. Because even in a perfect situation, hiring is hard.

Ian Jones is always interested in discussing recruiting and hiring, but averages roughly one blog post per Presidential term.  His stories are much more entertaining over happy hour anyway, so follow Ian on Twitter and DM with the day and time.  He’ll be there.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Hiring, Recruiters, recruiting

Countdown To recruitDC: Mark Batenchuk On Candidate Engagement

December 10, 2014 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

Ed Note: The fall 2014 recruitDC event is just days away. The schedule is packed with great interactive content and I am honored to moderate the engaging talent panel. We’re sharing a final sneak peek with you, from Mark Batenchuk of Scope Group.
How do you define candidate engagement?

Successful candidate engagement is the epitome of effective recruiting. It is the art of combining skill, effort and time in order to attract and secure top talent. While candidate engagement is a relatively new buzz word in the industry, top performing recruiters have been experts in “practicing” candidate engagement for years.

Three key elements of candidate engagement include:

  1. Attraction – Woo talent and cut through the noise. Sell folks on the opportunity, organization, company culture, the staff—even a candidate’s potential future boss! It takes persistence and marketing savvy.
  2. Relationship building / Rapport – Quickly establish trust and find common ground.
  3. Feedback – Prompt feedback throughout the process is essential to continue building trust and respect – especially during long hiring timelines.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: recruitDC Events, Uncategorized Tagged With: Candidate Engagement, Candidate Experience, Hiring, Mark Batenchuk, recruitDC, Recruiters, recruiting

Countdown To recruitDC: Mike Bruni On Candidate Engagement

December 9, 2014 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

Ed Note: The fall 2014 recruitDC event is just days away. The schedule is packed with great interactive content and I am honored to moderate the engaging talent panel. We’re sharing a sneak peek with you, where each of the panelists will provide their perspective of candidate engagement.  We are going to continue the series with Mike Bruni of Leidos.
How do you define candidate engagement? Why this is so challenging?

In recruiting terms, candidate engagement is the connection between candidate and recruiter as well as the rapport built between the two. It is the most important aspect of recruitment. First impressions are important and this sets the tone for the entire process.  This also includes the approach taken by a recruiter to identify and connect with a candidate.

For recruiters, it’s quite challenging as you need to approach different candidates using different methods and communication styles.  Recruiters face generational differences, skill differences, branding issues, etc. when approaching candidates.  I would say that engaging candidates is challenging, fun, and elusive.  It’s all three wrapped together.  Engagement includes the hunt, connection, and the ability to convince  a candidate to express interest in a particular opportunity.  The rapport that you build with a candidates sets the stage for the entire experience. [Read more…]

Filed Under: recruitDC Events, Uncategorized Tagged With: Candidate Engagement, Candidate Experience, Mike Bruni, Recruiters, recruiting

5 Things Recruiters Don't Normally Share With Job Seekers

November 10, 2014 by recruitdc 4 Comments

By Susan LaMotte
As a talent strategy consultant and career coach, I tell clients all the time: “I get the other side of the equation.” Companies like that I coach job seekers, and job seekers like that I consult with talent acquisition teams at companies. 

Having a foot in both worlds means I don’t forget what it’s like on both sides of the aisle. It’s like recruiting bipartisanship. But every once in awhile, I take sides. And job seekers, this is for you.

There are a million nuances to being a recruiter — like many jobs, to an outsider it may seem straightforward. But there are multiple stakeholders, laws and budgets vying for attention that make it really difficult sometimes. And the more you know and understand, the more effective you’ll be. Recruiters may not want you to know their secrets, but here are five tips to help you get both feet in the door and the attention of a recruiter. You’ll thank me now. They’ll thank me later.

1. An important part of a recruiter’s job is inside sales.

Like any job, recruiters are measured, evaluated and lauded (or not) based on how well they perform. But it’s often with strange (to you) metrics like time to fill, or percentage of job postings (called requisitions) that have closed. More rarely are they measured on quality of hire (i.e., how well you’re performing a year after you’re hired). This means recruiters are biased towards selling candidates to the hiring manager. Hard. They want that job to close fast. So make it easy on them to sell you.

Bottom line: Don’t assume they’ll figure out your skills are transferable. Apply for jobs where you’re clearly a fit and supplement any networking, cover letters and phone screens with clear examples they can turn around and use. One time a candidate had a unique technical skill so he called to explain it and tell me why it mattered in our business. I loved that.

2. Weird behavior makes recruiters nervous.

Being on the phone all day can make a recruiter crazy. That means in between interviews, sourcing calls and offer deliveries, they’re sharing tales of insanity — odd calls, strange answers to interview questions and tales of incredulity (such as: “Why did this guy apply to three different jobs? Does he not know I can see all of them?”) There’s nothing wrong with getting a recruiter’s attention, but if you cross a line, they’re just going to ignore you. It’s just like dating. Say “I love you” too soon, call too many times in a row or try too hard and you’re out.

Bottom line: Make an effort to get noticed but don’t border on pathetic. Follow up and check on your candidacy but don’t call every day or start sending LinkedIn invitations to the entire team. If it feels strange, don’t do it. Making the recruiter nervous is a reason for them to focus on someone else. I once had a candidate email me every day. Stalker — you’re out.

3. Sometimes it’s a crapshoot.

A recruiter typically has a collection of requisitions she is responsible for. In most companies, it’s usually an unmanageable number (at least to the recruiter). So in the morning, she may come in and open her ATS (applicant tracking system) and start looking at what resumes came in for what position (requisition) overnight. She’s human, so while scanning resumes, she might be distracted by her boss popping by, a tweet or a phone call. That means some resumes get the six-second glance, some get 30. There’s no guarantee of fairness — it’s absolutely impossible. And if she already has enough candidates interviewing, she might barely glance, if at all, at new resumes.

Bottom line: Sometimes it’s a crapshoot. You might feel like you’re a perfect fit for the job, but the timing of when you apply or simply how busy the recruiter is that day could determine your fate. That’s where networking comes in. Never apply for a job cold. Make a connection in the organization first that can check up on your candidacy with the recruiter. Depending on where she is in the process you might not get a fair shake, but at least you’ll be in the know. As a recruiter, I could ignore resumes in my ATS queue but I couldn’t ignore a colleague at my door asking about a referral.

4. They influence but rarely, if ever, decide…

A hiring decision usually comes from the hiring manager. It may even have to be approved by his boss. The recruiter doesn’t decide. She will contribute to the discussion and provide opinions on interactions with candidates. She’ll provide context like salary ranges or market analyses, but she won’t decide.

Bottom line: Don’t rely on the recruiter throughout the entire process. Figure out who else is important in the decision-making process and build relationships. Send follow-up emails that show you did your research and take them up on the offer to ask additional questions. Just don’t go overboard. Weird behavior makes hiring managers nervous too. (See #2).

5. …but they have a tremendous amount of insider information.

Recruiters know what the hiring managers are like, what matters most to them and what interview strategies succeed. So don’t ignore them. It’s really important to have the recruiter on your side. You want to make their job easier and set them up for success. In turn, the recruiter can share that valuable insider information if you just ask: “As I prepare for the interview later this week, any suggestions you have on what matters to the hiring manager are greatly appreciated — I really value your advice.” The worst they can say is no.

Bottom line: A strong relationship with the recruiter is part of the equation. Recognize that she’s busy and may have a million priorities (while the job you want is your only one right now). Respect her time and help her help you. In return, she may be able to help you prepare, understand and strengthen your candidacy over others who don’t even bother to ask or care. As a recruiter I often felt under-appreciated. Thanks from a candidate and recognition that I played an important role in the process went a long way.

Susan Strayer LaMotte is the founder of exaqueo. She helps startup and high-growth companies develop cultures, build employer brands, and create talent strategies to help scale and grow businesses. Follow her @SusanLaMotte.

Ed Note: This post was originally posted on Startup Collective and was republished with the author’s consent.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Candidate Experience, Hiring, Recruiters, recruiting, Susan LaMotte

Looking Back On Talent Connect 2014

November 4, 2014 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

By Danielle Boykin
I’m fresh off the plane from Talent Connect in San Francisco, and am trying to put into words how I feel about the overall experience.  Here are the highlights: San Francisco was beautiful, the Giants were going to the World Series, the weather was pleasant and the fog was minimal…what’s not to like?

Here’s my report card for the event:

Efficiency: B
The Moscone Center was amazing, but my initial encounter there was to walk into a line of 1000+ people waiting at registration on Day 1.  Wait, I’m confused…didn’t I register online already? Why am I waiting in line for registration?  It was simply for the swag bag and badge, but perhaps they could have allowed us to print our own badges prior, or had them at our hotels upon check-in, and then all the bags could have been distributed a whole lot quicker. The registration line made most of us late to our first learning session.

Speakers: B
In my first session, the speakers gave a captivating talk on how to make a mark with your personal brand on LinkedIn.  In less than 30 minutes I got plenty of takeaways on personalizing, customizing, and optimizing my profile…huge value add!

But not all of the sessions were as valuable, and that’s not just from my perspective. I heard many people commenting at the networking events and meals that they had a bad experience at one of the sessions.  I always asked, “Which one?”  I was anxious to see if they simply weren’t going to the same great sessions that I was going to, and that was often the case.  The consensus seemed to be that a lot of the presentations were very light in their content, often leaving us wanting more.  In the 60-minute “How to Influence Your Hiring Managers” presentation on Tuesday afternoon, the presenters said “thank you” and had clearly finished up what they had to share with us…in only 29 minutes!  So we headed to the snack tables and did some more networking.

Networking: A
The networking piece was probably what I found most valuable during my entire time atTalent Connect.  I recruit recruiters, so this was like being a kid in a candy store for me, 4000+ recruiting/marketing/branding professionals all in one place!  I met people from all over the country, so it wasn’t like everyone I met was a potential candidate—but they were a potential resource.

Breakfast on Tuesday morning proved the most interesting when I had a chance to sit with a “Talent Hacker” from Nebraska.  We had a great conversation; it was a collaborative, genuine exchange of best practices.  We recounted our recent successes and failures, explained different recruiting techniques, and shared what we think works, what doesn’t work, and how to keep moving forward.  That conversation, right there, was worth my time. That was worth the trip.

Overall
Talent Connect was a great experience.  Could the learning sessions have been better? Always, at every event, but that’s why it’s so critical to plan ahead.  I definitely recommend looking at the different learning tracks and reading what they are about, so you can determine which tracks/classes are going to be the most beneficial to you as a recruiter, a manager, or someone who is looking to bring back content to train a team of recruiters, as I am planning to do.  Two days of classes, networking, great conversations, not so great food, and the occasional adult beverage, and I think I got what I was looking for…personal development, professional development, and a chance to grow my network.  Thank you LinkedIn!  Looking forward to next year!

Danielle Boykin is a Corporate Recruiter at Celerity IT. You can connect with her on LinkedIn or find her on Twitter

Ed Note: This post was originally published here, and was republished with the author’s consent. 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Danielle Boykin, LinkedIn, networking, Recruiters, Talent Connect

Join Us For The Next recruitDC Event – December 11th!

October 20, 2014 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

Join us for the next recruitDC! Our upcoming half day conference will be hosted at the USAToday/Gannett building in McLean on Thursday, December 11th from 7:30am to 12:30pm.
We have an exciting line-up for this half day conference, starting off with Talent Advisors: The Next Frontier from Dion Love, Senior Director at CEB.

Following this session, we will host roundtable discussions to share and learn best practices on topics such as: Boolean Search Strings, Veteran Hiring Best Practices and Managing Recruiters & Building Effective Teams.

You will then have a choice between two breakout sessions: Engaging Talent or Recruiting Leadership. Panelists and presenters come from many different companies in our community including The MotleyFool, Bozzuto, Leidos, Rosetta Stone, CEB, Triple Canopy, to name a few!

Remember to register early, as tickets will go fast! https://fall2014recruitdc.eventbrite.com

Filed Under: recruitDC Events, Uncategorized Tagged With: networking, recruitDC, Recruiters, recruiting, sourcing

Turning The Tables – Job Searching As A Recruiter

October 6, 2014 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

As recruiters, we’re uniquely positioned to see job searches on a daily basis. We see how they start, the progression of the interview cycle, and the end of the cycle where a candidate lands in their new job. As is often true, it’s hard to see something clearly when you are right on top of it. Recruiters are notorious for being good at facilitating this type of life change for others, but for also having a very hard time to do it for themselves.
Many questions start to surface as you prepare to dive into the job search as a recruiter marketing yourself. Is my resume up to date? Who have I kept in touch with? Who do you reach out to? It’s also interesting to think about how recruiters perceive candidate experience when they are in the middle of a search….for themselves. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Candidate Experience, Career Path, Job Search, networking, Recruiters, Social Media

Expectations, Meet Reality

September 17, 2014 by recruitdc 2 Comments

By Doug Munro
I came across a job posting recently that highlighted the chasm between expectations and reality in many small and mid-sized companies when it comes to recruiting. I’ve edited a bit for space, omitted some of the usual requirements – excellent communications skills, etc. – and added a few observations. I will not share the company name to protect the innocent (?), but it is a common issue. The role is billed as Recruiting Manager/Recruiter hybrid for a federal contractor and the opening lines paint a nice enough picture, but the duties, hours, and potential heartbreaks keep building up. 

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Doug Munro, Job Descriptions, Job Search, Recruiters, recruiting, Recruiting Management

Social Media Recruiting in the Defense and Intelligence Community

August 28, 2014 by recruitdc Leave a Comment

By Kathleen Smith
The buzz concerning social media for recruiting and employer branding has reached a ball-142738_1280fever pitch. What was once thought impossible, namely access to social media sites, and is now permitted. But now that the gates have opened many are in a quandary as to how to implement social media. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Government Contracting, intelligence community, Kathleen Smith, networking, Recruiters, recruiting, Social Media, sourcing

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