I recently received the following text from someone that I was able to help find a new position recently. There is nothing more rewarding than being able to help someone.
Most of us forget why we do what we do professionally and get stuck in a routine. This is a great reminder to focus more on helping others and everything else will fall into place.
The phone rings, you look at the caller ID and it is a client or service provider that you are working with. You need to have a difficult conversation with them that you have put off for several days and let the call go to voice mail instead of confronting the issue. A text arrives shortly after. You don't look at your phone for awhile but you finally do and they texted you a message as well. You go home for the day and can't get the difficult situation from your mind.
Several more days go by and it happens again. Now you are really embarrassed by the way that you have handled the situation and further avoid it. After more time elapses you are in a heated discussion as the other party knows exactly what you have been doing as there is no excuse for lack of professional communications. A situation that may have been not nearly as unpleasant is leading to a fractured relationship because you avoided the conversation. Can you fix it? Probably not, but, if you find yourself in that situation don't get defensive. Confess, apologize and learn. Most importantly, don't repeat the mistake in the future.
Avoidance and omission only leads to pain and damage to your reputation.
During my daily conversations with leaders I often hear that they must utilize their in house recruiting team to fill open positions. I understand and agree with that methodology. Why pay a 3rd party when you have the resources in house to be successful?
There is a time and a place to contract with an outside recruiter. Occasionally positions remain open for a long period of time, create business disruptions, cause client satisfaction to suffer or put an undue burden on staff for a prolonged period of time. Those are the times to consider an outside provider. As most internal company recruiters are assessed on their ability to control expenses, they may be reluctant to work with outside providers. During those times it often becomes necessary for the department head or other person in a leadership capacity to become involved in order to convince the HR/Recruiting group to consider other methods like working with a 3rd party.
As the skills, education, experience become more specialized or rare you can expect terms for your search with a 3rd party to vary. Expect to pay a portion of your fee in advance for the more unique or highly qualified openings. The recruiter that you engage should specialize in your industry and geographic area and be well established. All 3rd party recruiters are not the same. Your ultimate success will be based on choosing wisely. Similar to your business, a highly recognized, well connected, skilled recruiter may not be as inexpensive as others that you may speak with. There is added value in skills, knowledge, and success.
The bottom line: Don't wait for your business to be disrupted to hire an outside recruiter.
Courtesy of the MRI Network
Total nonfarm payroll employment improved slightly in January as robust gains in professional and business services were offset somewhat by declines in leisure and hospitality and in retail trade sectors. The January job gain of 49,000 was in-line with most analysts’ expectations and represented an improvement over the weak December Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report. Unemployment rate fell by 0.4 percentage point to 6.3% in January or 10.1 million unemployed persons.
The BLS noted the labor market continued to reflect the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to contain it. However, the data suggests that the impact of the virus might be lessening; the sharp rate of decline in the large leisure and hospitality sector moderated as government mandated restrictions eased during January.
As noted in the Wall Street Journal today many economists expect the economy could benefit from further government stimulus. Congress is considering as much as $1.9 trillion in additional financial aid to help households and businesses. The proposal would bolster unemployment aid, provide funds for vaccine distribution, and send $1,400 checks to many Americans.
“The resiliency of the U.S. labor market and overall economy is reflected in today’s BLS Employment Situation Report. Our clients’ hiring activity in many sectors of the economy demonstrates that same resiliency as talent consultants from our Network of over 300 executive recruitment offices continue to see solid demand for executive and managerial talent across technical and professional roles,” said Bert Miller, President and CEO of MRI. “But, as demonstrated in today’s BLS data, the job recovery remains uneven in the white-collar roles where much of our Network focuses. I urge political leaders to avoid a ‘government knows best’ solution as they design stimulus programs. It is vital to include input from the people driving private sector hiring that will propel the economy to new heights.”
The BLS reported that in January, 23.2 percent of employed persons teleworked because of the coronavirus pandemic, slightly below December rates. These data refer to employed persons who teleworked or worked at home for pay at some point in the last four weeks specifically due to the pandemic.
In assessing today’s BLS report Dan North, senior economist at Euler Hermes North America saw signs of momentum, ‘it may be a few months before warmer weather, less COVID-19, and more consumer confidence before consumers go on a shopping spree which will provide the real stimulus and job creation.”
As reported by the BLS, in January employment in professional and business services rose by 97,000, with temporary help services accounting for most of the gain (+81,000). Job growth also occurred in management and technical consulting services (+16,000), computer systems design and related services (+11,000), and scientific research and development services (+10,000). These gains were partially offset by job losses in services to buildings and dwellings and in advertising and related services.
Employment increased in local government education (+49,000), state government education (+36,000), and private education (+34,000). The BLS noted that in both public and private education, pandemic-related employment declines in 2020 distorted the normal seasonal buildup and layoff patterns. This likely contributed to the job gains in January.
Wholesale trade continued to add jobs in January (+14,000) as did mining with a gain of 9,000 jobs.
As previously noted, employment in leisure and hospitality declined by 61,000, following a steep decline in December (-536,000). In January, employment edged down in amusements, gambling, and recreation (-27,000) and in accommodation (-18,000). Employment in food services and drinking places was down (-19,000).
Courtesy of the MRI Network
Retail trade lost 38,000 jobs in January, after adding 135,000 jobs in December.
Employment in healthcare, transportation and warehousing, manufacturing, and construction changed little versus the prior month as did jobs in other major industries, including information, financial activities, and other services.
“A critical need is to prioritize upskilling talent as today’s businesses deal with fundamental changes to the world of work spurred by digital transition. Our most successful clients are investing in their current workforce to make them better performers today. More importantly, they are anticipating the new skills their existing teams will need to thrive in future.
“That same model should apply to governmental stimulus programs. They should encourage every company to invest capital into upskilling their current workforce while providing added help to the most impacted industries like hospitality, travel, and traditional retail as they adjust to a new world of contactless purchasing, off-premises consumption, and automation that adds new value to the consumer experience. Provide the stimulus to the businesses who are at the front line of transformation and let the recovery accelerate,” noted Miller.
You have had a position open for who knows how long...days, weeks, months? You finally interview a candidate that you would like to hire. They go through a long process meeting with your staff, your HR team and maybe even your boss. You do a background check, clear professional references, verify education and credentials, negotiate an offer and receive an acceptance. Somewhere before the start date you get the call, I am not going to join your company. Now it is back to the drawing board.
What went wrong?
Some of the things that happen begin with allowing too much time between acceptance and start date. You are allowing their current firm to leverage their advantages to retain them. The issues that you are challenged by may be familiarity, long time relationships, an enhanced ability to provide a raise or resolve other issues that concerned the candidate in the first place. Regardless, giving them too much time before they start puts you at a disadvantage.
Maybe it is about the money. Some clients tell me that they don't like to hire people that are moving for money. I truly don't understand this concept. Money is how we keep score. If you don't offer enough money to insure that a counter from their current firm is unlikely you will often will miss. Professionals invest heavily in their career between tuition, professional licensing and certification, time, and the development of skills. They certainly deserve to be compensated at the highest level for the value that they provide. I am certain as a business owner or leader that you are attempting to maximize your return on investment. Why shouldn't the professionals that you are recruiting do the same? Furthermore, money is also psychological. It is a thank you and a reward. Often when a professional tells me that they feel unrewarded at their current firm I learn that they feel unfairly compensated during deeper questioning. Don't put your ability to hire at risk by allowing their employer to fix that problem easily. Unfortunately, your salary administration structure and your billing rates are not the problem of the professionals that you seek to attract. Everyone of your competitors deals with the same issue. Perhaps your billing rates need revised or you need to view the potential new hire with an eye for added value that they may provide during your interview process.
Communication is key. During the interview process it is incumbent upon you to repeatedly articulate your value proposition, communicate regularly with the prospect, have a timely process where time frames for each step are established and communicated and what expectations should be. Once an offer is accepted, a lack of communications before the start date frequently leads to a counter offer from their current firm or acceptance of another offer elsewhere. Stay engaged. Ideally a start date should be 2 weeks from the acceptance of an offer to limit the chance of a counter offer. During that time someone from your organization, preferably someone that they have met during the interview process, should call the candidate. Communications should be several times weekly and include discussions about questions regarding benefits, equipment needed, pressure being exerted from their current company to stay and more. Continue to reinforce how pleased you are to have them.
Even during the pandemic competition for educated and qualified talent is fierce. Be sure you are ready to do what is needed to make the hire when you find the person that you need.
