ERE.net » Brendan Shields

Optimizing The Candidate Experience: Enhancing Your Recruiting Programs

Brendan Shields — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:57:37 +0000

Erin Peterson joined us to discuss how to improve a candidate’s experience during the hiring process and the positive impact it can have on your hires and employment brand. Watch it here!

Quick and Free Ways to Source Executive Talent Online

Brendan Shields — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:08:32 +0000

Sourcing guru Shally Steckerl joined us on our webinar series to discuss strategies and free online tools that can help to facilitate sourcing executive talent. Listen to it here!

Creating a Personal Brand: Increasing Your Online Presence

Brendan Shields — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:55:08 +0000

Toby Nathan joined us on our webinar series to discuss the importance of establishing a personal brand, tips for doing so, and tools you can use to facilitate the process.

Watch it here!

2009 Corporate Staffing & Recruiting Part II: Trend Updates and Survival Ideas

Brendan Shields — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:49:37 +0000

Dan Kilgore and Jeremy Eskenazi returned to the show to give us an update on trends and predictions we had discussed at the beginning of the year. We took a look at how the past few months have played out, how the trends have changed, and what we can expect for 2010.

Watch it here!

Generation Y: Bridging the Generation Gap in Corporate America

Brendan Shields — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:00:00 +0000

ERE was joined once again by J.T. O’Donnell as we discussed generational differences and how to overcome them in the workplace.

Watch it here!

ERE Interviews Ted Elliott of Jobscience

Brendan Shields — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:14:40 +0000

ERE’s CEO, David Manaster, recently caught up with Ted Elliott of Jobscience, a proud sponsor of the upcoming Social Recruiting Summit. Elliott, the CEO of Jobscience, took some time with us to discuss the increasing importance of social recruiting, what Jobscience is doing to take advantage of these trends, and how they are utilizing tools such as the iPhone to revolutionize candidate relationship management. Watch the interview below to learn more and don’t forget to watch our live stream of the Social Recruiting Summit on June 15th!

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Changing The Way You Think About Change

Brendan Shields — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:00:33 +0000

Change is a difficult thing. Oftentimes we are comforted by routine, but when situations arise that call for a drastic change, they are frequently met with resistance. With cutbacks and structural changes due to the recession and other factors, many organizations have had to undergo huge changes. As a result, effective change management strategies are in higher demand than ever.

Riviera Advisors consultant and former ERE expo chairman, Jeremy Eskenazi, joined us at at the ERE Expo 2009 Spring to moderate a panel discussing the challenges and strategies of change management. The panel also included Rodney Moses of Research In Motion/Blackberry, Vicki Perry of the Avery Dennison Corporation, and Aziz Chowdhury of the Baker Hughes Corporation.

Throughout the course of the session, the panel discussed the various changes they have encountered over the years, as well as what has worked and what hasn’t. Rodney Moses brought up an excellent point about how issues can arise when the focus is placed on why the change must happen rather than how the change will happen. Moses emphasized that communication, role responsibility, and openness are crucial during the process.

Another major change that many encounter in their organizations is the change from a decentralized business model to a centralized one. Vicki Perry addressed some of the challenges and resistance faced, especially regarding role responsibilities. Perry found the “myth of the month” strategy to be especially effective, helping to dispel rumors about the new system.

Aziz Chowdhury spoke on the same subject, discussing some of the mistakes that were made and things that were overlooked during the change. He also stressed the importance of communication and dispelling rumors during the process.

The panelists were all in unison regarding the importance of communication during the process, as much of the discord is a result of false expectations. Watch these highlights from the presentation for more!

Trapped By Success

Brendan Shields — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:00:48 +0000

Can a situation ever arise where a company is too successful for its own good? Scott Pitasky from Microsoft addressed this very question at the ERE Expo 2009 Spring in San Diego.

While Microsoft is one of the greatest success stories in modern business, Pitasky said that success can cause a company to become complacent. When this occurs, companies may become set in their ways and fail to adapt with the times. As he simply put it, “you can’t just know what you know.”

Not content to let this happen, Microsoft has made numerous efforts to stay ahead of the game, including its Web 2.0 initiatives for which the company recently received an ERE Recruiting Excellence Award. Microsoft’s Marvin Smith will be covering this in greater detail at the ERE Expo 2009 Fall.

As the presentation went on, Pitasky covered some of the ways to transform your staffing organization “from checkers to chess.” In other words to know where you want to go and think ahead, in place of a more reactionary approach. Pitasky continued on this topic and discussed ways to dramatically change the focus of your company’s workforce within five years.

In addition, an important point was made about the necessity of knowing not just about your company’s demand, but the available supply. By using a funnel methodology, Microsoft developed a system of quickly finding which candidates are qualified for interviews, narrowing down the market, and saving valuable time. Elaborating on this, Pitasky covered Microsoft’s index for quality of hire, helping to identify the most effective sources of hire.

Lastly, the importance of telling your company’s story was made clear. The crucial question brought up was “do you want to create your employment brand or do you want to let someone else do it?” Pitasky discussed some key strategies for using your employment brand to communicate with people in a way that is relevant with them. Watch these highlights from the presentation to learn more!

Will You Be Ready When the Economy Recovers?

Brendan Shields — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:00:36 +0000

Classical Economist Adam Smith

Leading economist Dr. Robert Genetski joined us on April 1 at the ERE Expo 2009 Spring to share his wisdom regarding the current state of the economy.

Genetski began by explaining the classical principles of economics and the factors that dictate how the economy works in modern day society. From there, he proceeded to explain issues that have contributed to our current economic downtown, illuminating exactly how things became as serious as they did.

Of most interest to the audience were Genetski’s predictions on how the economy would affect labor markets in the coming months, the challenges we can still expect to face, and an idea of when we will begin to see the economy recover. Watch these highlights and prepare yourself to take advantage of the inevitable economic recovery.

How to Court a New Hire

Brendan Shields — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:15:15 +0000

The comic strip on the left is NOT how you want your onboarding process to go.

We were joined yesterday by recruiting thought leader Elaine Orler of Knowledge Infusion to discuss onboarding with a limited budget. With budget cuts becoming widespread in many companies, onboarding is unfortunately a process that often gets cut.

Elaine revealed that an effective onboarding process will reduce turnover in the first 30-90 days and increase productivity among new hires. In addition, effective onboarding can help your brand and reputation.

New hires form opinions of your organization starting on day one. Through bypassing redundant forms and busy work on the first day, new employees are more likely to form a positive opinion of their new role. By welcoming an employee into your business culture as soon as possible, you are in turn preparing them to succeed at their job.

Throughout the course of the webinar, Elaine covered onboarding strategies that included extending existing technology, improving collaboration and communication, and introducing new tools that can help onboarding efforts.

By using a “conversation ecosystem” with third party applications like Facebook, Twitter, and blogging, it’s possible to quickly engage a new hire into the social community of your business environment. Also, by implementing a mentoring or “buddy system” with existing employees, you can acclimate new employees to their roles. In addition many of these strategies cost little to nothing.

At the conclusion of the presentation (about 40 minutes into the video) Elaine answered a plethora of questions from the audience. Among the topics covered were how to onboard current employees into new positions, the challenges of onboarding across different countries and cultures, and different strategies for onboarding across generations. View the slideshow and archived video of the presentation below to learn more!

Nurturing Your New Hires with Effective Onboarding

Brendan Shields — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:48:40 +0000

Effective onboarding is essential to any company’s success when new hires are brought on, yet it can be one of the first programs to be cut from the budget during a recession. By using creative techniques to advance the onboarding process, you can expect to increase your return on investment, enhancing the experience for new hires and improving employee retention.

Join recruiting leader Elaine Orler and I for tomorrow’s webinar, as we explore how to get the most out of your onboarding process in these difficult times. We will be examining methods to develop onboarding without raising costs, such as implementing new technology to increase collaboration and data sharing.

Elaine will be taking questions after the presentation to respond to your thoughts and concerns about onboarding. Make sure your company realizes the importance of effective onboarding to ensure employee retention. We still have plenty of space so sign up today!

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Wednesday, March 11th
2:00 – 3:00 PM EST
Register Here
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If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at brendan@ere.net.

Laying the Groundwork to Maximize Your Talent Acquisition Efforts

Brendan Shields — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:53:37 +0000

As many in the recruiting industry know, it can be challenging to implement a talent acquisition system within an organization. However, with an effective talent acquisition process in place, a company can achieve great results as well as avoiding pitfalls such as reduced responsiveness and a negative impact on the candidate experience.

Join me, along with Sean Kent and Rob Sunderland, as we examine the advantages to an effective talent acquisition system and how to go about implementing one. Rob will speak from personal experience about how Southern Company, one of the largest electricity generators in the US, recently transformed its talent acquisition process and the positive results it had.

Sean and Rob will be addressing questions at the end of the presentation, such as how an effective talent acquisition system can specifically help your organization and what factors you should be aware of when implementing one. Many have already registered but we still have space available so be sure to sign up today!

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When: Wednesday, March 4th
2:00 – 3:00 PM EST
Register Here
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If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at brendan@ere.net.

The Plight of the Renaissance Man

Brendan Shields — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:39:34 +0000

Recruiter Academy Founder David Szary joined me and over a thousand others yesterday to cover how the role of the recruiter is changing in 2009. With a myriad of factors such as a struggling economy, new sourcing tools and technologies, and Gen Y entering the workforce, it was apparent that the recruiting industry is going through a period of major change. Szary addressed the need to adapt in order to succeed, stating that “the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting your results to change.”

In examining the trends, Szary predicted the end of an era for the “generalist” recruiter. As more sourcing technologies and specialties emerge, he made the point that being a jack of all trades and a master of none is no longer feasible. “Make yourself invaluable” was the number one takeaway of the presentation. By specializing and becoming an expert in a select few areas, recruiters are less likely to be considered expendable in tough times like these.

Following the presentation (about 45 minutes into the video) Szary took questions from the audience, addressing a variety of topics. I particularly enjoyed David’s thoughts on the future of middle class recruiters & sourcers and changing mindsets around the use of new sourcing tools. View the slideshow and archived video of the presentation below to learn more!

The Changing Role Of The Recruiter

College Recruiting During a Recession

Brendan Shields — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:22:06 +0000

As the economy continues to affect the recruiting industry, companies have been making budget cuts in many areas. College recruiting is often one of the first programs to go when deciding how to appropriate the budget during a recession. However, as past recessions have taught us, this can prove to be a costly mistake in the long run, creating gaps in succession plans for entry level management roles several years down the road.

Join me, along with talent management strategist Dr. John Sullivan, for tomorrow’s webinar as we explore college recruiting during a recession. We’ll be taking a look at why you should continue college recruiting despite the economy, the financial impact of your efforts, and how to attract the best talent using a variety of mediums.

Dr. Sullivan will be taking questions at the conclusion of the presentation to address your thoughts and concerns regarding college recruiting. Don’t wait until it’s too late to find out why and how you should continue your college recruiting efforts in 2009. We still have plenty of space so sign up today!

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Wednesday, February 11th
2:00 – 3:00 PM EST
Register Here
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If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at brendan@ere.net.

Gain a Foothold in 2009

Brendan Shields — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 21:29:46 +0000

Last Friday I was joined by talent acquisition gurus Jeremy Eskenazi and Dan Kilgore of Riviera Advisors to discuss what 2009 has in store and how we can gain an advantage even in these difficult times. Although hiring is expected to continue to weaken throughout 2009, they showed that by thinking creatively, companies are able to survive and even succeed during the recession.

For instance, companies have been able to compensate for a reduction in placements by insourcing what is typically outsourced, unbundling packaged services, and conducting internal assessment to weed out inefficient practices. Sometimes practices are so steeped in tradition that it takes a step back to realize they are no longer working. It’s a time to optimize your business and resources such as applicant tracking systems to be as efficient as possible.

They also discussed how difficult recruiting passive candidates has become as people have become afraid of leaving the security of their current jobs. There are still pros and cons to passive recruiting, but the dangers of exclusively recruiting passive candidates in the current economy were made clear.

At the conclusion of the presentation (about 45 minutes into the video) Jeremy and Dan fielded questions from the audience. I found their thoughts on recruitment process outsourcing and passive recruiting to be particularly interesting. View the slideshow and archived video of the presentation below to learn more!

2009: Corporate Staffing & Recruiting Trends and Predictions

Gazing Into the 2009 Crystal Ball

Brendan Shields — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:30:44 +0000

I believe it was Monty Python’s “Life of Brian” that gave us the ever optimistic “Always look on the bright side of life.” While times are certainly tough as we get rolling in the new year, prospects may not be as bleak as anticipated at the close of 2008. Join me, along with talent acquisition experts Jeremy Eskenazi and Dan Kilgore, for a webinar this Wednesday as we discuss what we can expect, both the good and the bad, in 2009.

As we all know, the recruiting industry is always changing and we can certainly expect more new developments in the months to come. We’ll be taking a look at trends to see what kinds of big picture changes we can expect this year, and more importantly what this means for YOU.

Jeremy and Dan will be taking questions after the presentations to address your thoughts and concerns for what awaits us in 2009. We already have over 400 people registered but still have plenty of space so make sure to sign up today!

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When: Wednesday, January 28th
2:00 – 3:00 PM EST
Register Here
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If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at brendan@ere.net.

Newman’s Secret Sauce: Quality Over Quantity

Brendan Shields — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 17:01:04 +0000

Ed Newman, president of The Newman Group, joined me and 920 others yesterday on a webinar to discuss more efficient ways of finding talent. Ed addressed the problem of wasting valuable time “funneling” a large group of potential candidates to make a placement. Using the age old wisdom of quality over quantity, Ed shared his tips for increasing social ties within one’s own organization and finding employees with the most social currency. I found particularly interesting the points about how hiring managers should focus more on true networking relationships with a smaller group of quality candidates rather than aggressively marketing to a larger group of people. Networking events and meetups can foster a strong relationship, worthwhile because “hiring people we know increases quality because there is a shorter time to employee engagement.” These points are covered 15 minutes into the video.

He also covered how social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and newer developments like Twitter and TouchGraph, can help to understand your network better and make more efficient placements. Ed also fielded such tough questions as “How to organize a successful social event to help hiring managers initiate” and particularly interesting to members of Gen Y like myself “How to separate your personal and professional life on Facebook and other social networking sites.” See the slideshow and archived video of the presentation below to learn more!

Beyond Funnel Mentality

View more presentations or upload your own. (tags: technology acquisition)

Finding Top Talent Today Requires a Shift in Thinking

Brendan Shields — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:55:20 +0000

It is now more important than ever to be able to effectively find top talent. While it may be tempting to start with a large pool of potential candidates and narrow them down, this method is hardly efficient and uses up valuable time. Join us for this free webinar as Ed Newman addresses this problem and offers effective talent acquisition solutions for the new year and beyond.

Beyond the Funnel Mentality — How a Shift in Thinking Will Transform the Way Companies Engage Quality Candidates.

Over the past two decades, companies have strived to become more efficient in the way they handle talent acquisition. Traditionally, that has meant reaching out to large numbers of candidates and sifting them through the largest funnel possible in the hopes of identifying a few top choices — but the funnel mentality has its limitations. The process is cumbersome, and it does not always yield the quality candidates an organization seeks. The good news is companies have many options for breaking out of the funnel mentality.

Ed Newman

In this session, Ed Newman provides insight on an approach to better understanding available talent; building networks; measuring, managing and improving those networks; and creating a talent acquisition culture that is focused on delivering known, high-quality candidates. This is a chance to learn about an approach that is practical, results-driven, and promises to transform the way companies drive talent acquisition in the future.

Hope to see you there! Check out our other upcoming webinars as well:

January 28: 2009: Corporate Staffing & Recruiting Trends and Predictions.
February 11: College Recruiting on a Shoestring Budget — Low Cost Ways to Land the Very Best.

Steve Lavin on Recruiting

Brendan Shields — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:02:59 +0000

You may know Steve Lavin from his broadcasts on ESPN or his former role as the head basketball coach at UCLA. Lavin recently spoke at the ERE Expo in Hollywood, Florida, sharing his anecdotes and wisdom with the audience. Although not a recruiter, his lessons rang true for everyone and there was much to take away from his game plan for overcoming life’s challenges.

Watch the highlights below.

Jan Hopkins’ Sweep of America

Brendan Shields — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:59:05 +0000

Former CNN anchor Jan Hopkins presented an inspiring view of our economic struggles at the ERE Expo on October 29.

Although admitting that our current economic situation was unprecedented, Hopkins retained a positive outlook on the situation. Both looking to the past and to our future, she provides information on what has led our economy to the state it is in now, and what the recruiting industry must do to profit in these difficult times. Watch these highlights to learn more.