“Happiness is an emotion associated with feelings ranging from contentment and satisfaction to bliss and intense joy.”“Wikipedia. Do you have problems keeping your internal clients happy? Do you arrive at work first thing in the morning dreading e-mails and phone messages from certain hiring managers? Do you ever have the urge to chase some of your... [full article »]

Do you know my friend MJ? You should, because that will almost certainly be you someday. But more on that depressing reality later. Let’s start with MJ’s reality first. He is 45, brilliant, accomplished, and well-spoken. He is politically savvy, knows the right things to say in all situations, and even looks the role of a... [full article »]

I believe that business processes of major importance should move toward excellence. Simply stated: from bad to good to better to best. I don’t think that is asking too much of something as important as recruiting. However, I have concerns about whether this is actually happening. Allow me to illustrate three disturbing examples in this article. [full article »]

Please allow me to take a quick breather from my writing so I might ask you a question: Isn’t it time you wrote an article? Surely you must be tired of my face by now, perhaps even what I have to say and how I say it. (Just wait until you see my new pic; Mac... [full article »]

“You know what they say: ‘Innovation is the one thing that we have to focus on; it’s innovate or die.’ And I don’t believe that. I think there is something really wrong with this huge notion that everything is innovation.” - Alf Rehn, Ph.D., Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Royal Institute of Technology [full article »]

Interviewing candidates and gauging their fit for a culture and position is one of the most indispensable tasks a recruiter performs. The more a recruiter knows about a candidate, the better equipped they are to add value to the hiring process. That’s why getting to know the candidate and understand what they are looking for,... [full article »]

The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws…Just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced... [full article »]

This article originally appeared January 17, 2007. Agency folks tend to see the corporate world as bureaucratic and slow to make decisions; more specifically, they see most corporate recruiters as lacking the requisite skills and bare-knuckle tactics required to make things happen. [full article »]

Studies have shown that many organizations target as much as 33% of all new hires to come from the organization’s employee referral program. Here are five of the reasons why: [full article »]

I have been involved in more conversations about the future of recruiting than I care to remember. At first, they seemed productive, but they soon became noisy and infused with bloated egos; hardly the thoughtful and introspective dialogue for which I had hoped. As of late, I have given up on those conversations and get... [full article »]

I am sure that you have been there. You have a candidate you’ve been working with for a few weeks and you have built a solid relationship. The candidate has been on a couple interviews with the hiring manager. Things are going well as the candidate and the client are each delighted with the thought of... [full article »]

According to Wikipedia, “a control freak is a derogatory term for a person who has an obsessive need to control other people or situations.” Seldom do I argue with Wikipedia on matters of definition or fact, but I will say that being a control freak can come in handy if you happen to be in the... [full article »]

Recruiting is, within many organizations, slowly emerging as a more credible and well-informed force within the business community. As a result, many recruiters can have a more significant impact in hiring decisions, as organizations look not just for growth and the talent required to gain a competitive advantage, but for guidance and counsel on how... [full article »]

Lou Adler recently wrote an excellent article, and I sensed a bit of frustration in his tone. He even mentioned going off to Starbucks to write that novel he’s been thinking about. Believe me, I can relate. The tone of Lou’s article also left an impression in this writer’s mind that he is not... [full article »]

Recruiting is a team effort. It’s most effective when the parties that make up the team move quickly and effectively through the process to get the job done. This is, of course, easier said than done, but let’s takes a quick moment to identify the three primary members of this illustrious team: The candidate The recruiter The hiring... [full article »]

Someone once said that in this life, suffering is mandatory but misery is optional. I concur; but so many of us live day to day with more frustration, anxiety, and stress than is really necessary. We try to never lose a resume, to get back to every candidate and to attempt to close each and... [full article »]

Whether you realize it or not, we’re all in sales — that’s how we get what we need to make it through the day. We push, we pull, and we make things happen. Recruiters know this and have long ago come to the conclusion that the better we sell, the more successful we will become... [full article »]

If you look at best practices as “us” and see worst practices as “them,” I can assure you there are more of them than there are of us. As a matter of fact, I suspect the numbers are not even close. Be that as it may, this New Yorker has always been short of patience... [full article »]

I love December for a lot of reasons, not the least of which being that it’s a great month for recruiters to do some really important things. For example, it is an excellent time to renew and solidify relationships with hiring managers. It is also a great opportunity to reach out to the candidates you... [full article »]

Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Obviously, Murphy was a recruiter. If he did something else for a living, he would have been a bit more optimistic. Whether you believe in Murphy’s sad bromide or not, as a recruiter it is a good idea to do all that you... [full article »]