Yahoo, Beth Israel Deaconess, and Hyatt each handled the recession and the prospect of layoffs differently. Hyatt, says branding/culture speaker Lizz Pellet in the video interview below, deserves a big thumbs-down.
Video
Ann Troxell: Recruiting Ad Budgets Aren’t Budging
by Todd Raphael Oct 21, 2009, 5:14 am ET
Companies are getting “very comfortable” with the idea that they don’t need to spend a lot of recruiting dollars, says Bayard’s Ann Troxell, in the video below.
Troxell says this comfort stems from the “frightening” belief among senior management that turnover will stay low.
Jobfox’s Steven Toole: We’re at the Turnaround Point
by Todd Raphael Sep 23, 2009, 2:45 pm ET
Steven Toole doesn’t seem as high on social media recruiting as we are. But he is upbeat about employment, saying that a “perfect storm” is brewing for recruiters in 18-24 months as Americans begin a game of job-hopping musical chairs.
Below, Toole talks about these job-market trends, and the upcoming need for a lot of recruiters who have left the profession to come on back.
David Szary’s Green Shoots
by Todd Raphael Sep 11, 2009, 11:28 am ET
David Szary says financial services companies are hiring — a lot. Here, he talks about hiring and retiring in the banking sector and in healthcare. keep reading…
Lowisz: Recruiting is Recovering
by Todd Raphael Sep 10, 2009, 10:00 am ET
You’ve heard that employment is a proverbial “lagging indicator.” Companies wait to hire until they’re sure an economic recovery is underway. Actually, that’s not true, says Stephen Lowisz, founder and CEO of Qualigence. keep reading…
The Little Secret of Recruitment Outsourcing
by Todd Raphael Sep 9, 2009, 4:53 pm ET
Chris Forman of AIRS talks about the economy, how his company is doing, and what’s going on with the recruitment outsourcing business. keep reading…
What’s Happening to Recruiting Departments
by Todd Raphael Aug 31, 2009, 1:08 pm ET
Though so many recruiters have been laid off, hiring still goes on, with maybe 3 million U.S. jobs open. Jeremy Eskenazi talks about who’s doing the recruiting work now, and who might be doing it in a year or two.
Legal Recruiting Firm Tries to Goose Up Its Brand
by John Zappe Aug 25, 2009, 5:17 am ET
How would you brand a newly minted London firm that recruits intellectual property attorneys for jobs all over the world? With a video of a wedding photographer kicking a goose, of course. How else?
Amazingly, that’s what Fellows and Associates has done. And just to make sure you get it, the firm issued a press release over the weekend discussing the video. keep reading…
Social Recruiting Summit Videos
by Todd Raphael Jun 25, 2009, 5:08 am ET
In case you missed the Summit people are talking about up at Google last week, or just want to go back and take another look, here are some videos and recordings Brendan (poor guy had to stand all day) took. We don’t have all of the videos. Also, since this was live, streaming, video, it’s not going to be the picture quality of regular filming.
We’ve got the Fall conference in Florida well stocked with social recruiting sessions, if you missed the event we just had. Marvin Smith of Microsoft will be presenting; there’ll be a couple of legal-related sessions about recruiting using Facebook and other sites; Knowledge Infusion is talking about putting together a social-media strategy; and we’ll be adding another social media session in the coming days. Shoot me an email if there’s specific information on the topic you’d like. In the meantime, a few of the videos are below.
The Evolution of Recruiting
by Scott Baxt Jun 18, 2009, 12:17 pm ET
Earlier this week, I and 224 of my closest friends attended the first ever Social Recruiting Summit at the Google HQ in Mountain View, CA. We were also joined by thousands of you who caught the live stream in your office and at home.
If you missed any of the sessions, several of them have been archived here.
Also check out this video put together by our chairperson Susan Burns and ERE’s Production Manager Brendan Shields, which kicked off the summit. The video tracks the evolution of the recruiting profession and the tools available to our industry from its primitive beginning to where we now stand. We don’t know what’s next, but we do know it isn’t too far away. keep reading…
Play Claydough And Win $100
by John Zappe Jun 15, 2009, 1:39 pm ET
We interrupt today’s wall-to-wall social media coverage to bring you this bit about something old school in the way of promotion: The human billboard.
We’re not talking here about the sandwich sign guys or even the athletic sign spinners you see on street corners pointing to check cashing businesses, tanning salons and new home developments. (Though you would be surprised at how much the jobs pay and just how cutthroat the business is.)
Nope. We’re talking about the president and founder of a technology sales lead company wandering around the showroom floor at SHRM’s upcoming conference in New Orleans handing out $100 bills. All you have to do is find Clay C. Scroggins, a/k/a Claydough, walk up to him and say “Hi, Clay” to get one of the five hundreds he’s going to be handing out. keep reading…
ERE Interviews Ted Elliott of Jobscience
by Brendan Shields Jun 1, 2009, 4:14 pm ET
ERE’s CEO, David Manaster, recently caught up with Ted Elliott of Jobscience, a proud sponsor of the upcoming Social Recruiting Summit. Elliott, the CEO of Jobscience, took some time with us to discuss the increasing importance of social recruiting, what Jobscience is doing to take advantage of these trends, and how they are utilizing tools such as the iPhone to revolutionize candidate relationship management. Watch the interview below to learn more and don’t forget to watch our live stream of the Social Recruiting Summit on June 15th!
Changing The Way You Think About Change
by Brendan Shields May 8, 2009, 3:00 am ET
Change is a difficult thing. Oftentimes we are comforted by routine, but when situations arise that call for a drastic change, they are frequently met with resistance. With cutbacks and structural changes due to the recession and other factors, many organizations have had to undergo huge changes. As a result, effective change management strategies are in higher demand than ever.
Riviera Advisors consultant and former ERE expo chairman, Jeremy Eskenazi, joined us at at the ERE Expo 2009 Spring to moderate a panel discussing the challenges and strategies of change management. The panel also included Rodney Moses of Research In Motion/Blackberry, Vicki Perry of the Avery Dennison Corporation, and Aziz Chowdhury of the Baker Hughes Corporation.
Throughout the course of the session, the panel discussed the various changes they have encountered over the years, as well as what has worked and what hasn’t. Rodney Moses brought up an excellent point about how issues can arise when the focus is placed on why the change must happen rather than how the change will happen. Moses emphasized that communication, role responsibility, and openness are crucial during the process.
Another major change that many encounter in their organizations is the change from a decentralized business model to a centralized one. Vicki Perry addressed some of the challenges and resistance faced, especially regarding role responsibilities. Perry found the “myth of the month” strategy to be especially effective, helping to dispel rumors about the new system.
Aziz Chowdhury spoke on the same subject, discussing some of the mistakes that were made and things that were overlooked during the change. He also stressed the importance of communication and dispelling rumors during the process.
The panelists were all in unison regarding the importance of communication during the process, as much of the discord is a result of false expectations. Watch these highlights from the presentation for more!
keep reading…
Trapped By Success
by Brendan Shields Apr 28, 2009, 5:00 am ET
Can a situation ever arise where a company is too successful for its own good? Scott Pitasky from Microsoft addressed this very question at the ERE Expo 2009 Spring in San Diego.
While Microsoft is one of the greatest success stories in modern business, Pitasky said that success can cause a company to become complacent. When this occurs, companies may become set in their ways and fail to adapt with the times. As he simply put it, “you can’t just know what you know.”
Not content to let this happen, Microsoft has made numerous efforts to stay ahead of the game, including its Web 2.0 initiatives for which the company recently received an ERE Recruiting Excellence Award. Microsoft’s Marvin Smith will be covering this in greater detail at the ERE Expo 2009 Fall.
As the presentation went on, Pitasky covered some of the ways to transform your staffing organization “from checkers to chess.” In other words to know where you want to go and think ahead, in place of a more reactionary approach. Pitasky continued on this topic and discussed ways to dramatically change the focus of your company’s workforce within five years.
In addition, an important point was made about the necessity of knowing not just about your company’s demand, but the available supply. By using a funnel methodology, Microsoft developed a system of quickly finding which candidates are qualified for interviews, narrowing down the market, and saving valuable time. Elaborating on this, Pitasky covered Microsoft’s index for quality of hire, helping to identify the most effective sources of hire.
Lastly, the importance of telling your company’s story was made clear. The crucial question brought up was “do you want to create your employment brand or do you want to let someone else do it?” Pitasky discussed some key strategies for using your employment brand to communicate with people in a way that is relevant with them. Watch these highlights from the presentation to learn more!
Will You Be Ready When the Economy Recovers?
by Brendan Shields Apr 17, 2009, 3:00 am ET
Classical Economist Adam Smith
Leading economist Dr. Robert Genetski joined us on April 1 at the ERE Expo 2009 Spring to share his wisdom regarding the current state of the economy.
Genetski began by explaining the classical principles of economics and the factors that dictate how the economy works in modern day society. From there, he proceeded to explain issues that have contributed to our current economic downtown, illuminating exactly how things became as serious as they did.
Of most interest to the audience were Genetski’s predictions on how the economy would affect labor markets in the coming months, the challenges we can still expect to face, and an idea of when we will begin to see the economy recover. Watch these highlights and prepare yourself to take advantage of the inevitable economic recovery.
keep reading…
There’s No 45-minute Wait for This Video
by Todd Raphael Feb 13, 2009, 5:40 am ET
Claire Prager of the Cheesecake Factory describes the making of this $30,000, four-minute video developed and produced in two months last year as “pretty painless” — which is not how I’d describe trying to finish off its entire dinner-size Thai Chicken Pasta.
Job seekers are viewing the video at a rate of about 40,000 per year. Their eyes are peeled for an average of 3:48 minutes. (The average for similar videos is 2:33.)
Prager, senior manager, talent selection, was responsible for the overall execution of the video, a task she says MadDash’s good work made easier. The video, aimed particularly at the passive job seeker, was posted on Monster, CareerBuilder, AHRE.org, and HCareers. The Cheesecake Factory shows it again during new-hire orientation (which, we report with jealousy, involves a meal at the Cheesecake Factory), as well as at college career fairs and other job fairs, and on the company’s careers site.
The Cheesecake Factory selected an Area Director, Senior Vice President of Kitchen Operations, Executive Kitchen Manager, and General Manager to play key roles in telling the story. While developing the video, it selected the following elements to include:
- Who is The Cheesecake Factory?
- Quality
- Our People and Our Culture
- Technology and Innovation.
The uber-consistent restaurant chain also owns the Grand Lux Cafe and now RockSugar.
Two Agencies Automating Like Crazy
by Todd Raphael Dec 10, 2008, 8:10 pm ET
I couldn’t help but wonder: who are these two third-party agencies Kevin Wheeler is talking about, around 7:30-ish minutes into this interview? The ones he says are delivering candidates at a single price, on a routine basis, on a quick turnaround? In case you were wondering, too: they are Accolo and Decision Toolbox. keep reading…
Manpower Report Predicts Little Change in Hiring Next Quarter
by John Zappe Dec 9, 2008, 5:26 pm ET
If you think any plans to increase hiring is good news, then get yourself a copy of the Manpower quarterly employment outlook for 2009. (Link at bottom.) Even though two-thirds of American companies expect no change in their workforce numbers during the first quarter of 2009, 16 percent say they’ll be hiring.
A year ago 22 percent predicted hiring gains. Curiously, about the same number of companies expect to reduce the workforce in the 1st quarter as did last year. Thirteen percent now say cuts are coming compared to 12 percent a year ago.
It’s in the big, wide middle where the numbers have shifted. The 67 percent of the companies that say they’ll neither grow nor shrink is almost 12 percent higher than a year ago. In the outlook for the 1st quarter of 2008 Manpower said 60 percent of the surveyed companies foresaw no workforce changes. What changed were the number of hiring companies.
More Bad News: Employment Falling Like a Stone
by David Manaster Dec 5, 2008, 10:18 am ET
Elaine wrote about today’s Employment Report for ERE’s sister publication, The Fordyce Letter, and there’s no other way to put it — it’s just awful across the board.
Three Minutes of Advice On Social Networks For Recruiters
by John Zappe Nov 25, 2008, 5:23 am ET
You’ve read about them. You’ve heard about them at conferences. Glenn Gutmacher did a webinar (still available, scroll down) on them. In fact there’s even an entire conference dedicated to corporate social networks.
With the growing number of providers, starting a private label corporate network or participating in a MySpace or Facebook is about as easy as launching a blog. And just like a blog, social networks need thought, planning and work to be successful.
“It’s important,” says Karen Lash, regional director / interactive strategy at TMP Worldwide, “when you are engaging with the social networks that you do have a strategy.”
So what sorts of things should a recruiter consider before launching a corporate network? We asked Lash and Ryan Esits, senior vice president a chief talent strategist at NAS Recruitment, for their advice. Here, in 2 minutes and 48 seconds, are the basics: keep reading…
