If you have ever been in a situation when checking references on a candidate you uncovered negative references and/or performance reviews, you are not alone. What you do with the information is key. This is one of the most misunderstood, hence mishandled, situations preventing good candidates from being hired. I have seen people get poor... [full article »]

I recently read an article suggesting that recruiters only spend six seconds reviewing a resume to determine whether or not a candidate was a fit to the job they were attempting to fill. 6 Seconds?! My initial thought was, “How can a recruiter get enough information to determine whether or not a candidate is worth... [full article »]

I read an article last week about job candidates being asked for their Facebook passwords so that potential employers can examine their personal activity. It also covers law enforcement agencies making similar demands of their applicants. So at the risk of getting tarred and feathered, here I go. When did companies decide that it’s okay... [full article »]

Knowing that some readers of ERE.net are not in recruiting, I wanted to address a question that Todd was sent about how to get into recruiting. This is an appropriate topic for recruiters still green in their careers as well as recruiters with years of experience. The questions were as follows: How do I make... [full article »]

I received an email recently asking for articles on recruiting best practices within immature companies. It’s a solid request but broad in scope because, depending on who you ask, “recruiting best practices” will vary with the number of people you ask. What I feel are best practices may differ significantly from someone else’s. I say... [full article »]

There’s probably not a week (or maybe even a day) that goes by in which we don’t read about how technology will help you in your business, whether it be a smartphone, tablet, computer, social media, applications, etc. I think many of us have the need to use every type of technology out there without... [full article »]

Without effective, intentional communication, your company won’t thrive. Communication consists of three parts: Oral (Verbal) Non-Verbal Written Each of these is necessary and they work together in concert. Your communication needs to be consistent from the CEO to the lowest levels of your organization. Without consistent, clear communication you will encounter a multitude of problems... [full article »]

Have you thought about how much it costs to fix a problem after the fact vs. preventing it from happening in the first place? In a February 2011 McKinsey report one of the companies interviewed for the article had a struggling executive team. McKinsey reported about the executive team and their company: “Fewer than one... [full article »]

For the sake of this article I’m going to assume you know how to qualify your candidates from the moment you speak to them until they’ve signed the offer letter and started. I’m going to assume you’ve been communicating effectively with them throughout every step of the process and have been asking quality questions to... [full article »]

Do you know what an experienced recruiter “looks like”? If hiring a recruiter to build a talent strategy, would you know the interview questions to ask to determine if candidates can do the job like any top talent you’re in search of? I pose this question because I see a multitude of job postings for... [full article »]

I recently received an email with a job spec on it. An associate who had received it from a recruiter forwarded it to me because of my feelings on this type of “recruiting.” She (the recruiter in question) was obviously spamming the job opening to her entire email list. The email follows: Subject: HR Software... [full article »]

One of the things that frustrated me when I was a recruiter was a poorly written job description. This was just one of many puzzle pieces that provided the impetus for me to leave recruiting and work on aligning talent strategy with corporate strategy. For those of you who are responsible for writing job descriptions... [full article »]

Our country has gone from conversations about how to recruit and retain quality employees in a market with low unemployment just a few short years ago to conversations about how to find a job in a market with record unemployment numbers. What’s missing is the most important conversation, regardless of our economic situation. No one... [full article »]