Recruiting Bloggers.com

30 Second Elevator Speech

You're at a party. Somebody asks what you do. I'm a recruiter, you say.
But, is that too bland?

Natural Marketing says:

You want people to follow up with questions about
- what services you provide
- why you think you have been successful
- how you are better than your competitors

She asks:

Who would you rather hire? A person who tells you they work for an insurance broker, or someone who tells you they are an insurance broker who loves their job and loves to help their clients solve their financial challenges, find and retain the best possible employees, and keep their clients lives as simple as possible?

My reply: I hate those phony boasters and I know that you do too.

Finding Darth Vader (sourcing tools)

Posted by Maureen Sharib
Todd Raphael of ERE writes in the Fordyce Letter:
Chris Murdock, executive sourcer & knowledge manager, Yahoo!, shared some of his thoughts on popular sourcing tools today at the NAER conference in Redondo Beach (a good place for a weekend afternoon but a pain in the kiester to get to on a work day).
See the mentioned sourcing tools here.
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Attend the MagicMethod FREE one hour LIVE phone sourcing chat tomorrow on Tuesday, May 13 and again on Thursday, May 15 at noon (EST) here!

Sourcing - How to Begin

Posted by Maureen Sharib
This was from March, 2006 and was one of the discussions over on ERE.

“Visualize this thing you want.” ~ Robert Collier

I had a call from a young lady in Germany who’d just been informed that her new position would entail doing all the sourcing for various consultants in her company. Her first task was to locate yield engineers out of mostly semiconductor companies in Germany. She asked me how to do this.

“Challenging, but not impossible,” I told her.

Don't Call Us....

Super-Recruiter, Dave Staats says candidates who initiate a contact with a headhunter are useless.

Over 90% of the people who have approached him do not produce placements. In the past 5 years an approach by a candidate resulted in one deal. He makes his money by accessing candidates who aren't actively looking for a job.

Employee Social Media Requires Internal Commmunication

By Richard Becker

As social media adoption takes hold, some companies are starting to wonder: if employees need to step out of the shadows, to serve as transparent client advocates in a community relations role, where will it leave the company brand? Held hostage by individual employees with no loyalty to the company beyond an individual connection?

A few examples came to mind. And no, not just Robert Scoble.

Sales and Window Dressing

Before the advent of department stores, small retailers used their front windows in a straightforward manner to put their goods on display. The big department store windows were different. They were used to put on a display meant to charm and amaze.

Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, was a window dressers and founded the National Association of Window Trimmers. "Even the male mind, naturally obtuse upon such matters, is forced to marvel at the beauty of the display," he said.

What's the lesson here? Sell the sizzle not the steak. The plain goods are not as emotionally compelling as the context in which they are presented.

That's why some recruiting firms rent fancy offices in downtown towers. But how can theatrics make a job seem magical when the person you are presenting it to understands it quite well? Doesn't familiarity with something that is probably not a dramatic change, rule out big dreams?

Reference: Froma Harrop

"...and I thought I was busted!"

Posted by Maureen Sharib
I've been getting alot of questions lately as to what do I do when the Gatekeeper pushes back. Here is one lesson from Module VI of the MagicMethod telephone names sourcing course and I thought those of you who are interested in the subject might enjoy it.

I was calling today looking for Web Analysts in media companies and I called a company in New York and a very nice young woman named Donna answered the phone but as they sometimes do, she did not identify herself. Instead, she stated the name of the company she works for and, “May I help you?”

I took her cue.

“I hope, so, this is Maureen Sharib – I was trying to call Jeremy Black there in your office - I hit his VoiceMail, can you tell me, is there anyone else in Jeremy’s group we might try?”

Animal Show NOON Eastern Daylight Time

Topic: The primaries from a recruiter's point of view.

Guests: Jim Durbin, Colin Kingsbury

Call in and Listen Only info here: recruitingshow.com

"Pocket Hunting" AKA Names Sourcing

Posted by Maureen Sharib
This was something I wrote back in April of '05 but it's just as relevant today, three years later. It was first set into a discussion in the ASK Maureen group over on ERE. I've been long meaning to set it into MagicMethod as one of the lessons but have not - as of yet!

Browsing through Mark Twain’s personal narrative of variegated vagabondizing “Roughing It”, I came across a term in reference to gold mining I’d never seen before, “pocket hunting”. Twain describes it, “In that one little corner of California is found a species of mining which is seldom or never mentioned in print. It is called "pocket mining" and I am not aware that any of it is done outside of that little corner. The gold is not evenly distributed through the surface dirt, as in ordinary placer mines, but is collected in little spots, and they are very wide apart and exceedingly hard to find, but when you do find one you reap a rich and sudden harvest.

Twitter's Uncrowned Queen

Twitter transformed Laura Fitton from a housebound hausfrau to a fully-booked, jet-setting social media consultant. "All my work now comes from people I know through Twitter," she says, "All of it."

And, once starved for intellectual stimulation, she is now refreshed by her regular contact with stimulating people.

How does Ms Fitton use Twitter? She posts links to her blog postings and multi-media experiments on Seesmic, Qik, Utterz, YouTube, Blip.tv, TwitterGram and Flickr. These are all used to "send out little snippets" of her life. Some are business-related; most are personal. (When her car was robbed, Laura complained to the Twitosphere and was love bombed with support).

She does believe, however, that Twitter should be used for business. "You miss out massively," she says, "when you dismiss this stuff as new-fangled and faddish.... Find the people in your organization who are drawn to it, and give them a little space and encouragement to discover and play."

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat Log Friday, May 2, 2008

Posted by Maureen Sharib

The MagicMethod Fourth Classroom Chat on Friday, May 2 went further into Gatekeeper psyche issues. Attendance was spotty (it being Friday) but as usual, there was excellent class participation.
MagicMethod Classroom Chat Best Remark of the Day
"What "works" for one sourcer might never work for another. You have to find your own compass on this stuff." ~ Maureen Sharib
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MagicMethod Classroom Chat
Friday, May 2, 2008 Noon – 1p.m. (EST)
Maureen Sharib Hi everyone - today's class (Friday) will be some more on Gatekeeper Techniques - bring yours to share!

Maureen Sharib Have you read One Lesson Lois? It's seminal reading for phone sourcers - it's listed below in the Forum and it's required reading for students of MagicMethod!

Maureen Sharib I just posted "Confessions of a Former Gatekeeper" down below in the Forum - the issue came up yesterday in class (Gopi brought it up) about how Gatekeepers lie.
To read the whole chat log go here.
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Today's MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Clasroom Chat will address this topic today at NOON (EST) over on the MagicMethod network! Its' FREE - be there!

Steve Rothberg Discusses Facebook

Facebook allows a recruiter to tap into the network of good employees to find other people like them.

Soon, Facebook will allow you to send highly targeted recruiting ads to its members.

Facebook will not replace job boards. Job boards will pay the pay per click fees to lure people from Facebook into their databases where employers can see them. This is cheaper than having each employer do so herself.

Source: xtremerecruiting.tv.

Bill Vick Interviews Shally Elvis Steckerl

Recruiters who want to be on the edge waste a lot of time working with tools that are going to be the real deal in the future.

Every year there is a hot new technology that promises to deliver passive candidates to your doorstep.

Monster is a proven resource. Linkedin makes people tons of money. But most recruiters don't know how to use any kind of database search engine well.

Shally doesn't recommend long search strings. He recommends a search that takes ten minutes or less.

Shally claims no contact manager is robust enough to handle the hundreds of thousands of contacts recruiters must have to do their jobs well.

Source: xtremerecruiting.tv

MagicMethod Classroom Chat Log Thursday, May 1, 2008

Posted by Maureen Sharib

The MagicMethod Classroom Chat on Thursday, May 1 went further into Gatekeeper issues and the subject “Attitude and Stance” of Telephone Sourcing. There was excellent class participation.
MagicMethod Classroom Chat Best Remark of the Day
“Yes, my mother had more names that Satan.” ~ Tim Todd
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MagicMethod Classroom Chat
Thursday May 1, 2008 Noon – 1p.m. (EST)
Recruiting Animal If you call into a small company in which there is only one receptionist and you don't get the names you need, when you call back do you only do it at lunch so you avoid the gatekeeper.
Maureen Sharib NO I offered that to you in the event you were having trouble. When I call into a company I do it with the intention of getting her to cooperate w/ me from the GET-GO. It does not matter if it's small or large, I befriend her from the start. And when I "call back" repeatedly, sometimes it becomes laughable and the two of us do exactly that - we laugh at my "frustration"!
Recruiting Animal She didn’t want to give you any info the first time so she doesn't care if you want to act like her friend the second.
Denise Gabbard Maureen-- you are so right about befriending people from the start. I've heard recruiters (with lots of experience) be evil to gatekeepers, and then they don't understand why they can't get the info they want.
Maureen Sharib What are you talking about Animal? You're assuming SHE DOESN'T WANT TO GIVE ME ANY INFORMATION!
To read the whole chat log, go here.
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Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, May 6 for another MagicMethod classroom chat at noon (est) here!

What is the difference between Sourcer/Recruiter?

Posted by Maureen Sharib
A soucer is usually someone who is dedicated to producing names and list generation for a particular job opening or search assignment. A sourcer may very well work directly for a recruiter. A recruiter on the other hand will usually have full life cycle responsibility. This of course can include sourcing as well as candidate development, salary negotiation and managing client expectations. Breaking down respsonsiblities simply by titles relative to your specific question, a recruiter could also be a sourcer, but it would be unusual for a sourcer to be a recruiter.

Other LinkedIn Answers here.
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Join the MagicMethod NING network and attend the noon-1 Q&A classroom chat opportunity to learn about phone sourcing!

Build the Action Habit via Pointless Activity

You don't see any reward in action.
You don't see how you can get your task done on time so you do nothing.
It really might be too late to finish the task on time if you start now.
But that's a reason to go into action. Why?

There are two possible rewards:
1. Better late than never.
2. You are building the habit of being in action and that is one of the greatest rewards you can ever receive.

The success of the immediate product is a secondary issue. It is primarily a vehicle to build the action habit, an absolute requirement for a decent life.

One more time:
a. The procrastination habit is a killer.
b. You have to create a counter habit.
c. Use any task, pointless or not, to get into the habit of action.

Reference: Dave Bohl at Dumb Little Guy. His recommendations are quite different but the title meant a lot to me: Beating Procrastination is Easy – Once You Get Moving. Movement is the goal. Not results from the project at hand.

One Lesson Lois

Posted by Maureen Sharib
Seminal reading for phone sourcers!
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Be sure to attend today's NOON (est) FREE MagicMethod Telephone Names Sourcing class!

Animal Show Guest Fights Back

After battle over personal branding.

From: Susan Strayer.com

Today I joined the Recruiting Animal as his radio show guest for a high-energy debate about personal branding. You can listen to my defense, err, the debate here.

It is strange to me that so many people react to personal branding as a farce or a non-event. Being the best isn't enough when there are a lot of people who are the best (make the company the most money, are "A" players, land the blue chip clients). ....

So for all you detractors out there, please go ahead and keep doing a great job at work. A lot of people do a great job. If you're one of them, how do you stand out? What combination of features, of behaviors make you the one that's remembered?

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat

Posted by Maureen Sharib
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The second MagicMethod Classroom Chat on Tuesday, April 29th honed in some more on “Handling the Gatekeeper” and there were about thirty-five people in attendance. Several participated, asking some very good questions.

MagicMethod Classroom Chat Best Remark of the Day
"She'll think u know Shirley." - Andrea
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Maureen Sharib Some people think that in order to engage a Gatekeeper you have to be her bosom buddy. Anyone know what I mean?Have you ever picked up the phone and some stranger, all gushy sticky warm, says "Hiya, Maureen howya' feelin' today?" This makes my blood boil ‘cause I know this character couldn't give a rat's ass about how I'm feeling and he's putting me on the spot as if I should know who he is.

Recruiting Animal When you call a company back the next day and get the same gatekeeper. You have a very distinct voice. Don't they recognize you?

Phone Fear

BASE jumping: you parachute from a high place wearing a wingsuit which allows you to fly. The suit gives you webbing between your arms and legs similar to that of a flying squirrel. It is also called a birdman suit.

This is an incredible video of a man flying through a valley in a base jump. I've never seen anything like it. (Click on incredible video to see a larger view)

Headhunting is an essential feature of a free-market economy

Posted by Maureen Sharib
HEADHUNTERS are at large in the public sector, trying to nab the best people. Bad news, you might think, unless you are one of those being hunted. Those who have made it to the top are generally prompt to return headhunters’ calls.

One of the keys to success in business and finance has always been to keep in touch with the headhunters who specialise in your area. This now applies to the public sector, too.

But what about your employees? Naturally, senior management would like to prevent their staff from walking out, especially if they have invested time and money in them and rely on them for key skills.

How to quickly find related job titles for your search strings free

by Glenn Gutmacher

Disclaimer:  I am not compensated by Broadlook, but my employer is a paying customer and I occasionally review pre-release versions of their products, which gives me a chance to inject feedback.  I'm happy to report they've incorporated a few of my suggestions this time...

Success Tips From Bowler, Dave Bryant

1. Never be afraid of experimentation.

2. If uncertain, ask a coach or experienced player to help you....

3. Accidents are the result of poor preparation.

4. When tiredness creeps in skills seep out.

5. No matter how long the match, believe you can keep trying longer than your opponent. Stay unwaveringly patient and hang on until he breaks down.

6. A true professional in any sport must remain cool, unemotional in the application of his shots yet be sensitive enough to raise his game in a critical situation.

7. If you feel tension taking control.... soothe your nerves by using breathing

Source (edited).

MagicMethod Phone Sourcing Classroom Chat

Posted by Maureen Sharib
April 28, 2008 Noon – 1 p.m. (EST)
Yesterday's class centered around “Handling the Gatekeeper” and there were a couple dozen people in attendance for the Inaugural MagicMethod Classroom Chat . Several of them participated and there were some very good questions asked. By the way, I had a note from someone before class started that several people from one company wanted to attend BUT their company's firewall had the site (like many other Internet sites) blocked. Did you know 64% of U.S. companies deny their employees access to social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, etc.? If you have trouble signing in you might want to talk to your company's IT department about unblocking the site.

MagicMethod Classroom Chat Best Remark of the Day
“For what it's worth - my Mantra in Recruiting is the telephone is the shortest distance between two points and beats the Internet hands down.” ~ Bill Vick
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Recruiting Animal Do Gatekeepers ever recognize your voice?

Maureen Sharib Have I ever been recognized? Sure! All the time. In fact, I say, once we've est'd some rapport (this usually takes 2-3 calls), "It's me again!"

Kristin Scala Do you have experience sourcing for Financial Advisors? Any recommendations getting past the gatekeepers at wealth centers?

To view the entire MagicMethod Classroom Chat Log, go here.

Be there TODAY again at Noon (EST) for ANOTHER MagicMethod Classroom Chat.

Word of Mouth Marketing

Author: Recruiting Animal

Word-of-mouth information is extremely credible. Especially in face-to-face conversations with family, friends and co-workers.

On a scale of 0 – 10, 80% of consumers ranked word-of-mouth advice as credible at a level of 7 or higher.

49% of all receivers of word-of-mouth product information say they are highly likely (9 or 10 on the 10-point scale) to relay the advice they have received to someone else.

And, nearly half of all receivers of word-of-mouth advice say they will likely make a purchase based on the conversation.

Source: Natural Marketing

FIRST LIVE MagicMethod phone sourcing class - FREE!

Posted by Maureen Sharib
TODAY at noon (est) until 1p.m. This is a LIVE INTERACTIVE experience - chat with Maureen and other sourcers to learn the tips and techniques of telephone sourcing from some of the best in the business.

Your questions regarding telephone sourcing can be/will be asked/answered in the Chat Room. Today's subject will be "Handling Gatekeepers" (or whatever else comes up).

The MagicMethod telephone sourcing class will meet weekdays (except Wednesdays when Maureen is on the Recruiting Animal's Radio Show) at noon (est) until 1p.m. Make it a habit to be there!

You must join the MagicMethod NING group (it's FREE and EASY!) to attend any of the classes. Go here to begin.

What Is All This Business About Passives Vs. Actives, Anyway?

Posted by Maureen Sharib
This was a discussion started in July of '05 over on ERE. You can see the original here.

"You get your names over the telephone?” the potential customer wanted to know.

“How do you do that?” he further inquired.

“After I’ve gone to the net or my former research for some names to get in with, I pick up the telephone and I dial,” I answered.

“That’s novel,” he reminded. “Can you get names for me?”

It’s that simple. Or is it? The main reason we’re hired to names source is usually because a hiring manager has a very specific problem – he has an open position that is not easily filled by the traditional venue of perusing easily available and multitudinous resumes.

Jungle Jargon

Posted by Maureen Sharib
By: Inc. Staff January, 2006
All business subcultures have their own way of talking, and recruiters are no different. Here's some slang from the frontlines of the talent wars.

Lift-out n. When an entire team of employees is recruited from a competitor at once: "Good news: We engineered a complete lift-out of ACME Corp.'s programmers."

On-boarding v. To hold frequent follow-up meetings with a recent hire to ensure he or she is happy in the new position: "I've been on-boarding with Jane ever since she became a vice president; frankly, I'm worried that she's being poached by ACME."

Where the Talent Is: 100 Sites to Find the Elite in Any-Given-Field

Posted by Maureen Sharib

Anyone who's ever had the challenge of looking for great employees, especially those in specialty fields, can tell you that it's no easy task. There are a lot of job seekers out there, but unfortunately, a lot of them aren't what you're looking for. So how can you separate the gems from the rest of the crowd? First you have to know where to look. Here are 100 sites that can help you narrow down your search, no matter what kind of employees you're looking for.

Very interesting blog by Heather Johnson.
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Chat LIVE with real time sourcers here!

Differentiate Your Identity

You're at a party and someone asks you what you do. You say you're a recruiter. That's a very general definition and it means trouble because if you look just like your competition, no one has any special reason to come to you.

If you want to stand out, you have to stand for something special. It could be your market niche. It could be your price. But it's got to be something.

Source: Natural Marketing