Platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and a variety of proprietary platforms are becoming core to successful recruiting, learning, relationship building, and marketing. However, most organizations are operating without an overarching strategy that defines how to get a solid and visible return from their social media approaches. Recruiters have become caught up in the technology... [full article »]

Most recruiters complain that they cannot find the top talent or the talent they really need. Despite efforts to build databases and talent pools, they still struggle. In some case, lesser qualified people apply, but not the ones they identify as best. In other cases, good people apply but want too much money, or otherwise... [full article »]

There has never been a more challenging time to be a corporate recruiter. Hiring managers are very demanding and expect fast, personalized service by knowledgeable recruiters. Given the current unemployment rate and the perceived availability of talent, they may be unrealistic in what they expect. Nonetheless, they are the primary customer and need to be... [full article »]

I see many recruiting functions wavering back and forth between centralized, decentralized, and some hybrid forms of organization. Recently this has been made worse by the increased number of virtual, contract, and part-time recruiters and the global spread of sourcing and social networks. I usually end up, when talking to recruiting leaders, in the age-old... [full article »]

Labor Day in the U.S. is almost here. Many other countries also celebrate a labor day, which has always seemed an unusual event to me. We didn’t celebrate such a day at all until Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City. Interestingly, this is a date that coincides well with the world’s entry into... [full article »]

It’s almost back-to-school time, and many of you are getting ready to hit the campus circuit (something I’ll talk much more about  at 4 p.m. on October 27, in Florida). If you are like most recruiters I know, you will be — unfortunately — falling into the routine of setting up and delivering information sessions... [full article »]

There is a common language used by top-level managers in every company. It is a language centered on business concepts and understanding a handful of concepts. For example, CEOs instinctively move toward the action that will maximize profits and minimize costs or expenses. Investment is the first concept, and cost savings is second. To them... [full article »]

As a recruiter, how would you describe the culture at Apple, Microsoft, AT&T, or at your own organization? Being able to distill the essence of an organization’s culture into a few well-thought-out adjectives is worth a lot. Sometimes I ask a wide variety of people to come up with a few adjectives that describe a... [full article »]

How much should we let chance and circumstances define who we hire, rather than continue to invest time in tough screening and many interviews? In the simplest terms, should (and maybe even does?) randomness play a large role in selection? Is it better to have a loose, easy-in and easy-out hiring practice than a much... [full article »]

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. --Andy Warhol It is time to change the recruiting game. Someone has to reinvent a process that is aged, inefficient, and marginally successful in procuring high-performing employees. Over the past 20 years recruiters have been given magical tools starting with applicant... [full article »]

Building a social network is only the first step to getting the best candidates. A social network helps you gather potential candidates together and it provides a way to deliver and receive information. But typical social networks tend to be weak at getting candidates excited and engaged about working for you. Part of this is... [full article »]

The simple question I always ask myself when I see an organization advertising an open position is: “Why would I work for them?” The answer to that question is the essence of employment branding, which I define simply as the amount of attractiveness an organization has to an average candidate. Try this experiment: ask five... [full article »]

Social networks have grown to the point where they now challenge traditional ways of communicating, marketing, and recruiting. One of the measures we often use to determine the success of our networking is to count the number of people in it. But this is not really a valuable measure: I have over 10 million first,... [full article »]

This recession is accelerating a trend that was already underway: the tendency of organizations to outsource and decentralize non-core functions. I define core very simply: anything that generates revenue (e.g. the sales team), invents new products or services (e.g., R&D) or deeply touches customers (e.g. consultants, advisors). And, let’s face it, internal recruiting functions are... [full article »]

Strategic workforce planning is a relatively new concept and practice for most organizations. Many firms have a simplified form of workforce planning in place which is focused on replacement of people in current positions and functions. It is a rare experience to find an organization that has thought through its future needs and balanced those... [full article »]

As we still shiver with the last gasps of winter, it is hard to think about September and the advent of the college recruiting season. But, now is the best time to decide whether college recruiting makes sense for your business, and if so, where and how you will find the right people. College students... [full article »]

How different is what you do today from five years ago? Are you able to find and hire top-notch people faster than before? Have you invested in systems, technology, and process improvements to lower costs and improve the speed to find and present qualified candidates? If not, you are clearly lagging behind those who have,... [full article »]

I have spent days with clients who are struggling to find a balance between the demand being placed on them and the resources they have. While this is a very old story, it is being written in a new way. Prior to this recession, most organizations were willing to add people — whether contractors or... [full article »]

Bill Wall was faced with two choices: take a job he didn’t really find interesting, although he was well-qualified to do it, or continue to try and build up his fledgling Internet design company. In the end he was able to do both by convincing the boss-to-be that he could do the majority of his... [full article »]

Recruiting is about to be forced to start looking for people and assessing them in very different ways than they have. The nature of organizations is transforming right under our noses, but most of us are too deep in the forest to see what is happening. Over the past 100 years business owners and human... [full article »]