For most recruiters the make or break moment comes at the end of the process, when it’s time to negotiate the offer. A successful negotiation means that the process concludes with a hire, and the recruiter rides off into the sunset. But a successful negotiation doesn’t mean coming out on top with a low-ball offer that... [full article »]

There is a major shortage of talent. Critically needed foreign workers cannot make their way here because temporary work visas are snapped up on the first day they become available. If you were thinking this is about high-tech workers, you would be wrong. This is about fashion models. What few people know (and maybe even fewer... [full article »]

On the last day of the ERE Spring Expo, over drinks in the Sheraton San Diego lobby, someone mentioned that we’re a few years away from a time when everyone will have access to all the candidates who exist. This is not a stretch by any means. Subscriptions to the major boards and sites like Zoom... [full article »]

We may be in the midst of a recession with increasing unemployment and fewer jobs, but that’s not likely to have much long-term effect on shortages of talent. We’ve all read about the aging of the population and other demographic factors. The likely effect of these on availability of talent has been extensively written about. But... [full article »]

Innovations in recruiting have been occurring for over several millennia. I recently wrote about some in an earlier article about the Roman army. The Romans were by no means alone. Other societies (the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Chinese) also contributed to the developing recruiting practices, some of which are still with us today. These practices... [full article »]

The election this year is considered a watershed event in American politics. We have, at this time, three individuals who have a good shot at becoming president. While there are plenty of reports on who will best serve what groups’ needs, it would be instructive to look at who would be of most benefit to... [full article »]

There are lots of jobs to fill; not enough candidates, and many are poorly qualified; arcane laws around hiring; and fierce competition for talent. Sound familiar? You could be a recruiter for the Roman army in the 4th century B.C. In the collections of the British Museum, there is a decree signed by Julius Caesar in... [full article »]

As practiced today, diversity is chiefly about improving the ratios of gender and race among applicants and hires. In a recent article, I discussed that while this may appear to be a worthwhile goal, the evidence from multiple studies demonstrates that this limited view of diversity is actually counterproductive. Instead of delivering any significant business... [full article »]

Marvin Smith, project manager for Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices division, co-wrote this article. Diversity is a subject of great importance to recruiters. Most organizations have some stated diversity goals. Larger employers have director-level positions and even entire departments devoted to the goal of increasing diversity. Corporations are estimated to spend over $8 billion annually on diversity... [full article »]

When it comes to talent, you and your company have your own ideas about identifying the most valuable employees. That’s the way it should be, since your company’s need for talent depends on its strategy and circumstances. So it stands to reason that your company is in the best position to decide what talent is... [full article »]

For anything to have value it needs to be measurable. In fact, in scientific circles it’s an article of faith that if you can’t measure something, it doesn’t exist. So the time it takes an electron to orbit an atom is precisely known in yoctoseconds (one quadrillionth of a second). We’re a little short of that... [full article »]

Recently, I wrote about video resumes and their somewhat dubious value to recruiters. But a recent conversation with John Sumser has prompted me to expand on what I wrote, since maybe video resumes need a second look. In my earlier commentary, I said I was unclear about anyone’s motivation for creating a video resume, given that... [full article »]

I recently became aware of a recruiting innovation: the online video resume. The first site offering these is RecruiTV. Video resumes have been around for decades but had little popularity because of the logistics of creating, distributing, and viewing them. However, now anyone can get a webcam for under $50. Distributing videos online is simple, so... [full article »]

I just returned from the first of many HR conferences to come this season. At some, one of the main events are panel discussions featuring industry analysts. They are touted as holding the promise of deep insights into trends that will affect our professional lives in the future. As many who have attended these can attest,... [full article »]

Recently I attended a meeting of HR executives at the leadership development center of a big company based in Minneapolis. The subject of the meeting was recruiting challenges, particularly the difficulty in finding top talent?the A players. Appropriately enough, on one wall of the facility was a saying: “So easy to find an army, so... [full article »]

In the last few weeks I’ve been contacted by a number of people looking to hire recruiters, and apparently having little luck. I’m also seeing big increases in bonuses offered for employee referrals, and signs of frustration (and desperation) among HR professionals in charge of recruitment. Some of my friends who run search firms are... [full article »]

The previous article in this series described how staffing metrics in general óand quality in particular ó are being poorly implemented at many organizations. Today’s article expands on the ideas presented earlier by discussing the characteristics of hiring systems that will provide organizations with the ability to consistently make effective hiring decisions. Defining Quality No... [full article »]

Ptolmey (150 A.D.) used to teach his students that the sun went around the earth. After all, what could be more obvious? This seems to the prevailing approach when it comes to metrics for staffing. The most popular metrics relate to cost, time, and quality. We take it for granted that producing these numbers will... [full article »]

Job boards are ten years old this year. Boards are today considered an integral part of the recruiting process, so much so that many recruiters take it for granted that a posting on a board and searching a resume database is the first step in filling a job. The dominance of job boards is fascinating,... [full article »]

The last six months have seen an influx of new entrants to the ATS arena. These include two ad agencies, an assessment vendor, and a background checking services provider. Many more are in development. An existing ATS provider also recently announced that its product is available for licensing as a private label offering. While each... [full article »]