Kudos to all of you! Over the past week, the posts on the ERE discussion boards have been relevant, though-provoking, and inspiring. You certainly made my job of picking out the top five discussion posts of the week challenging. Here’s what I came up with…
Your Views on Video Resumes
It’s a question we see often on ERE discussion boards … are video resumes “just a trend?” Dianne Pierrot is looking for feedback that might be helpful for candidates rather than employers. After reading several posts on this topic, I think any vendor selling video resumes might be in trouble. Jeff Altman sums up the views of others when he writes “DON’T DO IT.” Jeff, Pam Claughton, and David Rees warn that video resumes can be dangerous for both candidates and employers. Not only are they time-consuming, but they expose candidates to unnecessary biases and leave employers at risk for violating EEO compliance. At HP, David Rees and other recruiters conducted all interviews over the phone to “reduce the influence of looks, dress, and the possibility that a disability might influence the decision.” On a more positive note, Paul Davenport feels the video can help employers identify skill sets for certain job roles such as field sales and marketing.
Monday’s Question of the Day
After reading a list of 10 ways to keep recruiting costs down, I wanted to hear what ERE members are doing in today’s economy to cut costs. Michael Finnell argues that now more than ever, recruiting goals need to align with overall business goals. Recruiters need to act more as consultants and work with hiring managers rather than outsource entire recruiting functions. Sound like a need for workforce planning during these tough times? Michael also recommends negotiating with your job boards for a better rate, and requesting referral fees from recruiting firms to use in your recruitment budget. Sounds like Rosita Cruz would agree with Michael, and offers some specific tips to cut costs including cutting benefits, turning to virtual workplaces, and automating phone messages. Josh Letourneau offers some comic relief on a sensitive topic and Michael Finnell closes his post with some encouragement: “Whatever you do, don’t give up!”
Should Corporate Recruiters Share Silver Medalists with Other Companies?
Sean Rehder thinks so. It can build strong relationships, and ties into an earlier ERE discussion about today’s recruiting field being more open than in the past. After a few heated posts and a little miscommunication, I think we found consensus … if a resume does not come from a TPR, “sure” — forward away. However, if a resume comes from a TPR, it is bad policy for a corporate recruiter to forward without the consent of the recruiter, and the recruiter who sent the resume is entitled to a fee. Rebecca DeBoer had a recent situation where her resume was passed over to another department and she was not informed. She asks, “why do people think our business is not for profit and that our bills are less at the end of the month than other businesss?”
Jobless Rate in CA: 7.7%
Maureen Sharib posts the “highest statewide unemployment rate since March 1996.” Danielle Canon brings the discussion to another level when asking how many of these individuals actually have degrees. Tessa Adler steps up to the plate by reaching out to the State Development Department to find out. They thought the question was very relevant and will provide us an update through Tessa soon. Although Jeff Altman argues that many of these jobs affect teachers, government workers, and manufacturing, Tessa learned that the mortgage and financial industries have been hit the hardest … not a huge surprise. In addition, CNAs and home workers have been heavily affected in California as nursing homes were losing money. One question Maureen brought up that I have also heard several times … is this recession different from past recessions because it is now impacting government hiring? What do you think?
Job Boards
Ah…the inevitable question of the week…what job boards are best? Dan Vaughn is joining a large insurance firm and wants to know what job boards will bring results in his industry. Are Monster and CareerBuilder worth it? Tim Davis and Scott Wilde recommend www.greatinsurancejobs.com. Scott also uses CareerBuilder. Denise Street-Roth is less enthusiastic about CareerBuilder and Monster. She has had success with closer.net but advises Dan to look beyond job boards. She contacts insurance-training schools, networks with insurance professionals and even real estate lawyers, professionals, and mortgage brokers. Good luck, Dan! Keep us posted….