How do you convince cynical executives to fund a social network recruiting effort? It’s hard to argue against the statement that social networking (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) is an extremely hot topic in business. But I have yet to find a single CFO or senior executive willing to fully fund a comprehensive social network recruiting strategy... [full article »]

Some numbers indicate failure so clearly that you can’t help but pay attention to them. For a minute, assume the role of a senior executive who has just been handed a business scorecard containing performance numbers in five critical business areas. After looking at the numbers below, would the data make you cringe? 70% of users are... [full article »]

For more than a decade, I have worked tirelessly to maintain my status as a recognized global expert on employer branding. I have advised numerous firms; developed positioning methodologies now in use by many HR consultancies and recruitment marketing firms; given dozens of employer branding presentations; and have even written a book on the topic. Despite... [full article »]

Parts one and two of this three-part series introduced why focusing on retention is and will be a mission-critical activity as economic recovery continues. The series introduced retention strategies categorized as 1) laissez-faire and 2) all-employee. In many organizations, the subject of prioritizing positions and people is a highly political one. While many accept that certain... [full article »]

No matter how long you have been in the HR profession, this might be the only comprehensive list of retention strategies you have ever seen. This is true because retention is not yet a distinct discipline, and because most retention managers and consultants laser-focus on their favored approach. In order to provide you with a big-picture view... [full article »]

As the economic turnaround picks up steam, turnover rates in many organizations are likely to skyrocket and recruiting replacement workers of the same caliber will be extremely challenging. Study after study has confirmed the notion that many employees would have left their employers months/years ago had the option to do so been viable. The economic downturn,... [full article »]

One of the worst-kept secrets in recruiting is that source of hire data is inconsistently gathered and rarely accurate. To many corporate recruiters, the validity of source of hire data is a non issue; after all, once the hire is generated, their role is over. However, if you view recruiting as a marketing and sales... [full article »]

It’s hard to argue against the concept of strategic integration. Having related business units working closely together, rather than operating as independent silos, almost always increases efficiency, reduces errors, and improves overall results. There’s no better example of what integration can accomplish than the modern-day supply-chain organization, which used to operate as four independent functions (purchasing; inventory... [full article »]

If you want to be strategic and make quantum steps in performance, look outside your familiar zone. Step beyond the best practices in your industry and find new ways to leverage your resources, including talent. In fact, the best way I know to learn about radical new approaches and innovations is to examine the best practices... [full article »]

Being strategic always requires some degree of unconventional thinking. If you are a corporate recruiting manager and you are looking for an opportunity to have a strategic impact, you need to understand why today is literally the best time to be actively recruiting in at least the last 25 years. I’ll demonstrate why there is a... [full article »]

Most corporate recruiting functions inexplicably restrict the effectiveness of their employee referral program by limiting senior management participation. Instead, recruiting directors should design a unique “executive referral program” that encourages executives to make referrals for your high-level openings. You might think a separate program is unnecessary because high-quality referrals should flow naturally from your executives as part... [full article »]

Last week in Part 1 of this series, I mentioned that as the global economy continues to emerge, many organizations may find themselves needing to cut labor costs on a recurrent basis. During times of economic decline, the need may be for drastic cuts, which the options presented last week can address, but it... [full article »]

When many organizations are faced with the need to cut labor costs, the approaches taken are generally unscientific and poorly researched. Many simply do what other organizations acting before them have already done. The decision-making seems almost whimsical, with the final option selection process akin to throwing darts. The end result of such whimsical action is... [full article »]

For many organizations the time is right to build capability within the talent acquisition function to recruit executive level talent. Globalization combined with aging leadership demographics imply that a majority of organizations will need to recruit a record number of external leadership candidates in years to come, the cost of which would be prohibitive... [full article »]

Now is the perfect time for organizations to bring executive search capability in-house. While the business case for this strategic shift has been clear for some time, ongoing cost-containment efforts combined with increasing demand for strategic staffing make now the perfect time to execute the shift and build out the tools/approaches needed. In many organizations, executive... [full article »]

Breaking the “War For Talent” / War On Talent Cycle Most people in recruiting and talent management are just so busy that they don’t have time to step back and build programs or marshal line managers to participate in programs that successfully let them see the “big picture.” As a result, many organizations are just starting to... [full article »]

Last week I introduced this series on the use of “live” video interviews by briefly discussing the business case and primary advantages for organizations adopting the emerging best practice. This second and final installment, built on the list of advantages introduced last week, introduces some problems you should anticipate and proposes some approaches to... [full article »]

Most of the media coverage these days about recruiting is devoted to social networking, mobile recruiting, and blogging, but the recruiting technology likely to have the most impact if it continues to catch on at the current rate is interviewing candidates “live” from remote locations. The approach I call “interviewing from anywhere” takes advantage... [full article »]

(Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment in Dr. Sullivan’s series. Here are Part 1, Part II, Part III, Part IV, and Part V.) No matter how enthusiastic your employees are about participating in an internal movement program, they are bound to be somewhat frustrated if there aren’t a wide variety of assignments available for them... [full article »]

(Editor’s note: This is the fifth installment in Dr. Sullivan’s series. Here are Part 1, Part II, Part III., and Part IV.) In this part of the series on job rotations and stretch assignments, I will highlight three key tools or approaches that rotation program managers can use to make an organization’s job rotation program more... [full article »]