What does it take for Recruiters and Talent Acquisition Specialists to "get it?"
There are Recruiters and Talent Acquisition Specialists, and there appears to be many, that have poor skills in contacting talent and sharing feedback with talent as they do with business partners and clients. It is not because they are bogged down or are too busy. The Recruiters and Talent Acquisition Specialists don't know what to do when faced with talent, business partners and clients that are initiating contact and asking for feedback.They lack the skills. For the most part, there is lip service paid to providing a "positive candidate experience" in the corporate, and third party Recruiting and Talent Acquisition space. Please, from the third party space, do not tell me the client is who you are working for, you are working for the talent also. Believe it!
These same Recruiters and Talent Acquisition Specialists are not sharing information in a timely manner with there internal business partners or clients either. How do I know this? I ask the people I have relationships with questions to gather the data. I have many examples that support my assertions stated here gathered from my own experience in securing engagements, hearing such from internal business partners and from talent I am acquiring for clients.
My thought is "best practices" that are initiated to manage the communication of information that begins with the Recruiters and Talent Acquisition Specialists is a solution. Everyone will be surprised how the quality of the activity/productivity arc will increase if the quality of timely communication is increased. Yes, this will result in a shorter time to fill and higher retention rates (the two staples of best practices). Having said that, I would also dare to say that metrics are misinterpreted to mean "best practices."
That is it, as simply as I could state it. If you want to discuss this please accept my invitation to. Too bad only the Recruiters and Talent Acquisition Specialists that "get it" from organizations that "get it" will want to discuss.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
An Interview Case Study:More techniques that work.
This interview was conducted with Bob Tarver, a Sr HR Professional with experience in all aspects of HR to include national employment laws; proven ability to ensure compliance with all regulatory bodies, including OSHA. Bob has worked to reduce expenses by reducing worker's compensation claims and avoiding fines. Bob also has experience in managing full lifecycle recruiting efforts.
Bob may be contacted at: LinkedIn Robert Tarver Twitter @Btarver or email RATarver@gmail.com
Bob demonstrates how he prepared his "interview blueprint" and how this aided him.
1) Bob how did you use your network to secure your exploratory interview?
I have been active on several social media sites: Facebook, Twitter,
Plaxo, Zoominfo, HRM Today and LinkedIn. For this interview, I developed my contact via user groups on LinkedIn. I had participated in answering a question from member whom I was not connected with. The question was: How to find candidates in tough locations and what methods could be used? I provided my opinion on what could be done. Later, I had remembered that I had several colleagues that lived in the areas that the company in question was looking to break into and I wrote an email suggesting that we should connect on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. I also made several suggestions as to what other HR and Social media pros they should connect with on those sites. Then I stated looking at the companies’ job site where my connection worked and applied for them and let my connection know via e mail.
2) What interviewing techniques did you use?
One idea was to show connection/employer is that I could be a problem solver and not just another job seeker. In addition, I looked for several blog articles on interviewing and tough interview questions to answer. By reading the articles plus reviewing my resume matching up my accomplishments to the answers given.
3) How did I put your interview blueprint together for the interview?
I consulted my network of fellow HR professionals and Recruiters. First, I went to the corporate website of the company I was to interview with. Conducting research about any company that you want to work is very important. Show them in the interview that you understand what the company is about, understand their culture, their history and that you are not just looking for a paycheck, you are looking to make a difference/impact. The next step was to have a practice interview with a Recruiter. This is the best way to really prep for an interview. Who else would have insights into what another recruiter would ask, think, etc. For this I asked David Graziano for help. He had already seen my resume before and we spent close to 1 ½ hours discussing the job description, how my experience would fit and what potential issues that could arise and how to address them. We also discussed the usual questions that are asked and how to answer them without it sounding like the answer was a “canned” response. In addition, I spoke to my contact to get further insights about the culture and to learn more about the recruiter who was to conduct the interview.
4) Bob, what worked, what didn’t work, what did you learn from your experience and how will you use it in your next interview?
I felt my opening response to the question “Tell me about yourself?” went well. I stated “I am a seasoned HR professional, strong in performing generalist functions to include implementing programs that have contributed to saving money for past employers. I’d like to discuss how I might be able to do the same for your organization.” I felt comfortable in answering the questions that were asked of me. The main concept was that I understood it was an information/exploratory interview, not the actual interview that one would associate with open positions.
What didn’t work…what was missing was a lack of specific industry experience; the interviewer felt I did not have the necessary strategic experience they were looking for in the position (HR Generalist/business partner).
What I learned: 1) Good preparation is the key for any interview, 2) make sure you do your research on a company that you want to work for now or in the future. 3) Make good use of your network to discuss your interview techniques, to get insights on how other interviewers think, if they know the interviewer. I’ll be using everything I learned from this interview in future interviews and having more confidence at being comfortable in the interviewing process.
Bob may be contacted at: LinkedIn Robert Tarver Twitter @Btarver or email RATarver@gmail.com
Bob demonstrates how he prepared his "interview blueprint" and how this aided him.
1) Bob how did you use your network to secure your exploratory interview?
I have been active on several social media sites: Facebook, Twitter,
Plaxo, Zoominfo, HRM Today and LinkedIn. For this interview, I developed my contact via user groups on LinkedIn. I had participated in answering a question from member whom I was not connected with. The question was: How to find candidates in tough locations and what methods could be used? I provided my opinion on what could be done. Later, I had remembered that I had several colleagues that lived in the areas that the company in question was looking to break into and I wrote an email suggesting that we should connect on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. I also made several suggestions as to what other HR and Social media pros they should connect with on those sites. Then I stated looking at the companies’ job site where my connection worked and applied for them and let my connection know via e mail.
2) What interviewing techniques did you use?
One idea was to show connection/employer is that I could be a problem solver and not just another job seeker. In addition, I looked for several blog articles on interviewing and tough interview questions to answer. By reading the articles plus reviewing my resume matching up my accomplishments to the answers given.
3) How did I put your interview blueprint together for the interview?
I consulted my network of fellow HR professionals and Recruiters. First, I went to the corporate website of the company I was to interview with. Conducting research about any company that you want to work is very important. Show them in the interview that you understand what the company is about, understand their culture, their history and that you are not just looking for a paycheck, you are looking to make a difference/impact. The next step was to have a practice interview with a Recruiter. This is the best way to really prep for an interview. Who else would have insights into what another recruiter would ask, think, etc. For this I asked David Graziano for help. He had already seen my resume before and we spent close to 1 ½ hours discussing the job description, how my experience would fit and what potential issues that could arise and how to address them. We also discussed the usual questions that are asked and how to answer them without it sounding like the answer was a “canned” response. In addition, I spoke to my contact to get further insights about the culture and to learn more about the recruiter who was to conduct the interview.
4) Bob, what worked, what didn’t work, what did you learn from your experience and how will you use it in your next interview?
I felt my opening response to the question “Tell me about yourself?” went well. I stated “I am a seasoned HR professional, strong in performing generalist functions to include implementing programs that have contributed to saving money for past employers. I’d like to discuss how I might be able to do the same for your organization.” I felt comfortable in answering the questions that were asked of me. The main concept was that I understood it was an information/exploratory interview, not the actual interview that one would associate with open positions.
What didn’t work…what was missing was a lack of specific industry experience; the interviewer felt I did not have the necessary strategic experience they were looking for in the position (HR Generalist/business partner).
What I learned: 1) Good preparation is the key for any interview, 2) make sure you do your research on a company that you want to work for now or in the future. 3) Make good use of your network to discuss your interview techniques, to get insights on how other interviewers think, if they know the interviewer. I’ll be using everything I learned from this interview in future interviews and having more confidence at being comfortable in the interviewing process.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
So the techniques actually work...
This is a guest post by Assad Faquir. My appreciation and thanks Assad!
As one of the millions of people "in transition" I have experienced the highs and lows of "funemployment." As most unemployed people can tell you, one of the highest highs is when you get a call back for an interview. Similarly more than a few us can agree that the lowest low is when that same interview leads no where. For me, I had a few interviews that ended with a "your skills are impressive, BUT we are going with another candidate." Which I know is the professional version of "its not you its me."
After my 3rd or 4th dead end interview in 8 months, I changed the focus of my job search to selling my skills on a contractual basis. The change worked, but I was facing the same "interview" problem with the decision makers I was meeting. I simply couldn't get a commitment from any of them. However I was determined not to squander all of my new opportunities, so I crowdsourced my problem to the experts I know on Twitter. A few people offered advice but one, David Graziano, offered a few minutes of his time to give some techniques. I explained to him that I have a hard time selling myself, and since all interviews are sales calls he offered some good advice. I asked David at what point should I stop trying to sell and let the interviewer sell themselves? David gave me a tip from his personal bag of tricks. He said, when you reach that point of selling yourself too much, ask two questions:
1) What are the problems/issues you have run into trying to get the job accomplished currently?
And after they answer and you have some brief discussion, follow up with:
2) What solutions have you attempted to overcome these issues?
I took David's advice and ran with it. The next morning when I had my 2nd interview with a local bank I reached my maximum sales volume and deployed question 1... and the interviewer ate it up. The interviewer confessed all the struggles they had with the job. It gave me a chance to both empathize and dialogue my experience with similar problems. Then came question 2...again the interviewer ate it up and shared with me all of the solutions that led nowhere. The answers provided by the interviewer allowed me to again empathize with the struggle, but now I could offer some real examples of how I could solve the problem beyond what they had already attempted. In other words I was selling myself as the solution without making it obvious.
Well needless to say David's trick worked to perfection and within 2 days I had a 4 month contract offer in hand. The advice David gave me broke my habit of focusing on ME in the interview and allowed me to focus on the real needs of the company. Which when you think about it is the key to any interview or sales presentation...focusing on the problem and becoming the solution, not assuming you ARE the solution to an unknown problem.
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Journey Takes An Interesting Turn
In my previous Post, “You won’t believe this…” I shared with you my experience of directly contacting the VP of Talent Acquisition and my subsequent experience. Well, my journey with the same organization takes an interesting turn.
I was contacted by a colleague, not employed by the organization, and informed that another VP in the same organization (Talent Acquisition) was interested in speaking with me about providing Consulting services to the Talent Acquisition team. I am sure you that you can appreciate the irony in the twist of events. I was interested and excited to meet with the VP and begin to develop a strategy of how we could partner together to work with the challenges that we were going to face.
Our meeting lasted 35 minutes (scheduled for 30), it was professional, cordial and open. I was impressed with the philosophy of the Talent Acquisition team in partnering with the Hiring Managers in the supported line of business within the company. It appeared to me, based on my brief discussion, that the “partnering” was challenging on a behavioral level for the Talent Acquisition team. The Hiring Managers were saying; “This is the way that it is and will be.” The Talent Acquisition team was saying; “Okay, but…” I will not bore you with the particulars; I know that you all understand.
I inquired about accountability of the Talent Acquisition team and the accountability of the Hiring Managers to each other. I was informed: “The Hiring Managers are challenging at times.” I continued to probe and received the same reply.
I then suggested that this is where I viewed our first challenge: Gaining a commitment from the Talent Acquisition team and the Hiring Managers to ensure each other’s success. I framed this by stating that we had to engage the Hiring Managers and Talent Acquisition team in discussions about specific behaviors, time frames and deadlines to occur. This is when the VP said that there was another meeting that needed to be attended. Thirty five minutes had passed. We thanked each other and I said I would follow up by phone the next day and we agreed upon a time. I followed up with an email summarizing our conversation and stating that “mutual accountability” was a key to success.
Upon my next day’s follow up, I was informed that the Hiring Managers would “never buy into an aggressive approach” and they would be “too uncomfortable” with the approach. I attempted to overcome the objections and was unable to.
Here is my take. We, as Talent Acquisition Specialists, must hold ourselves accountable for our behaviors. We must take ownership and make commitments to the Hiring Mangers that are mutually agreed upon and that we know we can keep. We need to model the desired behavior. We can begin this modeling by facilitating a dialogue and process by asking two very simple questions of all involved: “How can we help each other and the Talent in hiring for the position(s)?” and “What do you need from me to ensure our success?”
STOP pointing fingers at each other and engage each other thru helping each other to be successful by sharing meaningful content. Partner, eliminate the “uncovered agenda” of the hiring and interview process.
Yes, I have a template for this; yes it is going to be uncomfortable for us as Hiring Managers and Talent Acquisition Specialists. Change and growth always are. We (Hiring Managers, Talent Acquisition Specialists and Talent) are in this together. Are we all committed to our mutual success? I am.
I was contacted by a colleague, not employed by the organization, and informed that another VP in the same organization (Talent Acquisition) was interested in speaking with me about providing Consulting services to the Talent Acquisition team. I am sure you that you can appreciate the irony in the twist of events. I was interested and excited to meet with the VP and begin to develop a strategy of how we could partner together to work with the challenges that we were going to face.
Our meeting lasted 35 minutes (scheduled for 30), it was professional, cordial and open. I was impressed with the philosophy of the Talent Acquisition team in partnering with the Hiring Managers in the supported line of business within the company. It appeared to me, based on my brief discussion, that the “partnering” was challenging on a behavioral level for the Talent Acquisition team. The Hiring Managers were saying; “This is the way that it is and will be.” The Talent Acquisition team was saying; “Okay, but…” I will not bore you with the particulars; I know that you all understand.
I inquired about accountability of the Talent Acquisition team and the accountability of the Hiring Managers to each other. I was informed: “The Hiring Managers are challenging at times.” I continued to probe and received the same reply.
I then suggested that this is where I viewed our first challenge: Gaining a commitment from the Talent Acquisition team and the Hiring Managers to ensure each other’s success. I framed this by stating that we had to engage the Hiring Managers and Talent Acquisition team in discussions about specific behaviors, time frames and deadlines to occur. This is when the VP said that there was another meeting that needed to be attended. Thirty five minutes had passed. We thanked each other and I said I would follow up by phone the next day and we agreed upon a time. I followed up with an email summarizing our conversation and stating that “mutual accountability” was a key to success.
Upon my next day’s follow up, I was informed that the Hiring Managers would “never buy into an aggressive approach” and they would be “too uncomfortable” with the approach. I attempted to overcome the objections and was unable to.
Here is my take. We, as Talent Acquisition Specialists, must hold ourselves accountable for our behaviors. We must take ownership and make commitments to the Hiring Mangers that are mutually agreed upon and that we know we can keep. We need to model the desired behavior. We can begin this modeling by facilitating a dialogue and process by asking two very simple questions of all involved: “How can we help each other and the Talent in hiring for the position(s)?” and “What do you need from me to ensure our success?”
STOP pointing fingers at each other and engage each other thru helping each other to be successful by sharing meaningful content. Partner, eliminate the “uncovered agenda” of the hiring and interview process.
Yes, I have a template for this; yes it is going to be uncomfortable for us as Hiring Managers and Talent Acquisition Specialists. Change and growth always are. We (Hiring Managers, Talent Acquisition Specialists and Talent) are in this together. Are we all committed to our mutual success? I am.
Monday, August 23, 2010
You will not believe this....
Recently I was attempting to secure a position with a large financial services organization as a Sr Talent Acquisition Specialist. I did what I do and I went to LinkedIn and searched for the VP of Talent Acquisition and called. To my pleasant surprise I was immediately connected to the person, not a voice mail! In the course of my conversation I was told that the organization does not accept phone calls from candidates or resumes sent directly to the recruiters. I was told that if one of the "excellent recruiters on the team" determined that I was a "fit" for the position I would be contacted. This was stated in a very professional cordial manner and I was complimented for my tenacity. I did attempt to overcome the objection to the call and my asking to send a resume directly to a recruiter or calling the recruiter three times and was denied three times, again with the utmost professionalism. I do respect the VP's position. I was informed that because of the volume of applicants that managing individual contacts was unproductive.
Wait, this is a Talent Acquisition position we are discussing correct? Aren't Talent Acquisition professionals tenacious by definition? We hunt, source and seek out new Talent by definition, correct? When I was managing Talent Acquisition pros I was impressed if they called a Sr Manager directly to introduce themselves and the reason for the call. I encouraged and modeled the behavior. I have had a successful career doing this and I have trained others who are currently being successful using this technique among others to the "right thing."
If organizations want to Post and Pray when seeking a specialized talent/skill set so be it. I would be so bold as to say good luck and if you don't want to interview a Talent Acquisition Specialist that is tenacious, then you may want to re-think your Talent Acquisition Strategy or do much praying. Just saying...
Wait, this is a Talent Acquisition position we are discussing correct? Aren't Talent Acquisition professionals tenacious by definition? We hunt, source and seek out new Talent by definition, correct? When I was managing Talent Acquisition pros I was impressed if they called a Sr Manager directly to introduce themselves and the reason for the call. I encouraged and modeled the behavior. I have had a successful career doing this and I have trained others who are currently being successful using this technique among others to the "right thing."
If organizations want to Post and Pray when seeking a specialized talent/skill set so be it. I would be so bold as to say good luck and if you don't want to interview a Talent Acquisition Specialist that is tenacious, then you may want to re-think your Talent Acquisition Strategy or do much praying. Just saying...
Monday, May 10, 2010
Announcing a Social Recruiting Strategy Service Offering
I am pleased to announce that I am now adding Social Recruiting Strategy to my portfolio of Talent Acquisition Services. If your organization is searching for a way to understand and implement a Social Recruiting Strategy I am inviting you to contact me and begin a dialogue.
If you are Talent seeking an opportunity I am inviting you to contact me and we can begin a dialogue regarding how I can assist you in developing your Personal Brand and marketing yourself using LinkedIn, Twitter, FaceBook and other Social Networking platforms.
I maybe contacted at 1 401 294-1079 or dgrazj@yahoo.com.
If you are Talent seeking an opportunity I am inviting you to contact me and we can begin a dialogue regarding how I can assist you in developing your Personal Brand and marketing yourself using LinkedIn, Twitter, FaceBook and other Social Networking platforms.
I maybe contacted at 1 401 294-1079 or dgrazj@yahoo.com.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Social Recruiting...Good & Bad Guys
This was an excerpt from my thoughts on the @Animal Radio Show http://bit.ly/4khIBF.
I really am searching for what the Social Media Recruiters do and how they do it. Techniques, questions, recruiting skills.
Am I the only one that feels this way? Why do Personal Branding experts choose not to respond to a request for help in leveraging a relationship to facilitate gaining information? Inquiring minds would like to know...just saying.
I really am searching for what the Social Media Recruiters do and how they do it. Techniques, questions, recruiting skills.
Am I the only one that feels this way? Why do Personal Branding experts choose not to respond to a request for help in leveraging a relationship to facilitate gaining information? Inquiring minds would like to know...just saying.
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