Posted on Tue, Oct 09, 2012
There’s a relatively short list of things I can use to define myself quickly – HR Pro, technology geek, writer – but I’ve added a new one this year: online learning junkie. The fact is, online learning has become easier, more popular and more accessible than ever. The proliferation of online learning tools creates both challenges and opportunities for recruiters. Specifically, Massively Open Online Courses offered by top universities are an intriguing arena for Talent Acquisition Departments to ponder. After a few years of trial and niche offerings, projects like Coursera and edX are now offering free, open courses from the likes of Harvard, MIT, Stanford and Princeton to name a few. And, the free courses don’t have a narrow offering – they run the gambit from the basics of Intro to Sociology to highly technical fields such as Analytic Combinatorics. I personally have been thoroughly enjoying UPenn’s Gamification course with about 63,000 of my classmates.
The challenge online learning presents will be in the capture and certification of knowledge. Under the traditional education system, of course, we relied upon things like degrees, transcripts, and certifications to verify the completion of requirements and the presence of certain knowledge & skills. With massively open online tools, it’s not quite as easy. Challenges such as identity verification and cost burden any system at that scale. Many online learning environments offer a certificate to those who complete and some courses will verify that to an employer or background checker, but the data is at best fragmented and incomplete. Certainly the collaboration of top universities, such as those working with Coursera, will help centralize the information in one place. But how can an organization compare my level of java programming that I learned using CodeYear to the level of java programming of a new computer science grad? I surmise that such a fundamental change will usher in a new importance in skill testing and demonstration. So if a candidate has a strong portfolio of work along with coursework done free and online, perhaps that has more weight than a traditionally earned degree. Undoubtedly, it’s more complex for HR departments than the more traditional method of “Do you have a degree, yes or no?” But for those that are willing to venture beyond the checkbox, perhaps a truly game-changing pool of talent awaits.
That talent pool is exactly where the opportunity may lie for HR. Where there is talent, there will be recruiters. It’s not much of a logical leap to assume that scholars interested in “Information Security and Risk Management in Context” have both interest and requisite knowledge in information security and risk management. I will probably find health care professionals among the students in, “Medical Neuroscience.” I’m not suggesting that you become an intrusive troll and splatter job postings across the course forums. What I am suggesting is that participation in such courses might increase a recruiter’s knowledge, professional network, and drum up a few candidates. And, if you happened to post on a forum with a link to opportunities in your signature or on your profile, that wouldn’t hurt, would it? Particularly in niche fields, network connections matter and the ability to interact with passive candidates in specific fields can be incredibly powerful. Taking advantage of massively open online courses can be a gateway to connections that savvy recruiters won’t miss.
Post contributed by Adam Godson
Follow me on Twitter @adamgodson or connect with me on LinkedIn
Posted on Wed, Jul 18, 2012
In this video blog, Tony Stemen, Adam Godson & Brent Leable discuss three tips for utilizing Google to source for passive candidates. These tips were acquired from participating in the Google Insider: Powersearching classes.
The tips are as follows:
- Using image search in Google to find resumes (Adam Godson)
- Using the site: command to find Google+ profiles (Brent Leable)
- Using the filetype: to locate .xls documents containing candidates (Tony Stemen)
This is an unbiased recruiting video blog that was produced by Tony Stemen (Sourcing Tony), Adam Godson & Brent Leable. Tony, Adam & Brent are experienced recruiters & sourcing technology experts at Pinstripe.
Follow Tony Stemen on Twitter @TonyStemen or connect with him on LinkedIn
Follow Adam Godson on Twitter @adamgodson or connect with him on LinkedIn
Connect with Brent Leable on LinkedIn.
Posted on Wed, Jul 11, 2012
The best stories in business are always told with data. If you, as a recruiter are not relaying your efforts to hiring managers via numbers that allow you to demonstrate the trends and opportunities associated with your search, then you are not speaking their language! I can’t wait to hear how many of you can relate to the scenarios that follow; either as a hiring manager or recruiting/HR professional.
The Challenge
The hiring manager wants me to find a senior level professional in a town of 75,000 people who has an MBA or CPA and is willing to work for $20K less per year than the going market rate. Of course, the candidate must be local because they aren’t paying for relocation. You say, “I will do my best, but there are some clear limitations here, dear Hiring Manager.” You try to explain your insight as to these limitations, but this hiring manger is certain this person is out there because “so many people need a job right now.” PURPLE SQUIRREL??? (Ya’ think?)
Recruiter’s response to the challenge WITHOUT data:
You go back to the hiring manager and tell him/her, “Hiring Manager, I’ve been working on this search for close to 30 days. I have posted this job, looked on LinkedIn, emailed everyone I know and I ran an ad in the local newspaper (gasp – a print ad?). Nobody is responding and I just don’t think this person exists! If we increase the salary by X$ and open this up to relocation, I really think we could find someone in the next largest city to us.”
Recruiter’s response to the challenge WITH data:
You demonstrate with a chart or graph that you reviewed 227 resumes, sent Linked In messages to 40 of your contacts, sent out an email campaign to 400 email addresses you found from sourcing a conference attendee list, made 22 phone calls asking for referrals and spent $920 to run a print ad (again, gasp) in the local newspaper whose circulation extends to the next biggest city and accrued additional costs for posting to the job boards that the company requires? You were able to provide additional information on what kinds of responses you are getting when you hear back from candidates: “I got responses from 22% of the people I contacted. 10% of those were not interested in the position responsibilities, 25% of them were not willing to drive that far for work, 44% of them said the salary was too low and 21% did not provide a reason for rejecting the opportunity.”
I won’t explain the obvious from here. Track your sourcing and recruitment marketing efforts so you know where you’ve been and where you are going with your search. Tell your story like an expert! With this thinking, your hiring manager will see you as a strategic partner because you are speaking their language!
Post contributed by Tegan Trovato
Follow me on Twitter @TeganTrovato or connect with me on LinkedIn
Posted on Thu, May 17, 2012
I recently started teaching a refresher course for Pinstripe – Boolean Basics. Providing this training has given me some great insight to the experience of other recruiters and I have realized a few things about my own experience with Boolean searching, continued learning and how much a recruiters’ ability to grow his/her skill set impacts a company’s bottom line.
In college I was first exposed to Boolean search methodology for a research course I was taking. I had no idea that only three years later I would land a job in the recruiting industry. More interestingly, I spent the first two years of my recruiting career “posting and praying” that the right person would apply or that I would be able to pillage my network for the ideal candidate. I spent those years not knowing that I could use the Boolean search methodology I learned in my college research course to source candidates!
I am sure that some of you are reading this and thinking, “Duh, Tegan! What did you think recruiting was?” What a great question! Don’t you wonder how many talented people are out there in recruiting roles and are not being taught the basics of sourcing? Sometimes, in your organization, you just need to take it back to the basics.
Recruiters are fantastic people in my opinion (but I could be biased). Good recruiters are creative, self-directed, hungry to learn and eager to please. Most of us are notoriously Type “A” perfectionists and we really hate to find out that we don’t know everything. Here at Pinstripe, we refer to ourselves as Type "P." The challenge for a driven recruiting professional is taking the time to keep learning in the midst of filling requisitions and being a good partner to hiring managers.
There is a second key piece here though; does the organization the recruiter works for foster an environment of learning and promote the sharing of ideas and best practices? Is there a leader who is keeping a pulse on recruiting trends and tools and cascading that information down? Or is the organization focused only on metrics and the bottom line?
The math is simple here (and this is my favorite kind of math). If a recruiter isn’t given the basics and offered a chance to keep up with changing trends and educated on new tools, they fall behind in their goals. When a recruiter doesn’t hit his/her goals, seats stay open, productivity lags, employees across departments work double-time (triple in the current economic climate) and the bottom line suffers. Your recruiter’s productivity and skill directly impacts your organization’s profitability.
How did I spend the first two years of my career not knowing that Boolean is a valuable piece of my job? I, along with everyone else in the company, was focused on the bottom line. We were building a business and focused on key pieces of what it took to get there; land clients, find candidates, fill jobs, repeat. We didn’t take the time to look at the factors that fall in between.
Human Resources Leaders, as you look inside your recruiting department or at the recruiting strengths of your RPO partner, are the employees being offered training and development? Are they plugged into what is going on outside of your company’s needs? Can they tell you about a new trend, trick or tool they’ve heard about or used in the past six months?
Recruiters, are you taking at least an hour a week to read up on industry publications, joining professional associations, combing LinkedIn or Twitter for interesting bits of knowledge?
Do tell: how do you stay on top of the ever-changing trends and technologies to ensure that you keep learning?
Post contributed by Tegan Trovato
Follow me on Twitter @TeganTrovato or connect with me on LinkedIn
Posted on Thu, May 03, 2012
Pinterest is the newest trend to hit the social networking scene. Pinterest is a content sharing service that allows members to “pin” images, videos and other objects to their pinboard. Essentially, it is a virtual pinboard for any information, images and videos you want to come back to in the future.
It is the fastest growing network since Facebook and accounts for over 3% of all web referral traffic. That is a huge percent for a site that was only launched a mere 2 years ago!
Typical user demographics include: (note that these are not correlated)
- Predominantly female (68.2%)
- Age 25-34 (27.4%)
- Income $100,000 (28.3%)
- Geographic (East south central: Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee)
- 50% have children
Now what does all of this mean for recruitment? Well for one, it is another resource pool of potential job seekers just waiting to be found. Though there probably aren’t too many candidates using Pinterest as a job seeking tool yet, it can definitely be used for sourcing. You can search candidates by keywords (i.e. RN or nursing) and see who is following certain organizations or trend boards to get an idea of what the candidates interests are. You can also search by location and individuals can add their Facebook and Twitter profiles.
Candidates can also use Pinterest during their job search efforts in numerous ways, including to:
- find companies that they want to work for. Pin boards can help job seekers get a sense of the company’s culture, priorities, outreach strategies and overall tone.
- create a visual resume, portfolio, etc.
- find career advice from college career centers
- find career advice from career experts
- insprie themselves to find what makes them happy
Pinterest is still an invite-only site, but it is easy to join. As long as you know someone who has an account, they can send you an invite and you’re set to go!
Do you see Pinterest being used as a tool for recruitment besides sourcing in the future? How are you using Pinterest now?
Post contributed by Brittney Horn
Follow me on Twitter @BrittneyLHorn or connect with me on LinkedIn
Posted on Wed, Apr 25, 2012
Sourcing is an important skill in recruiting today to find candidates, especially for tough-to-fill positions. More and more organizations are looking for their recruiters to have sourcing skills. In this video blog, Tony discusses three keys to basic sourcing skills that every recruiter should have:
- Learn Basic Boolean
- Research in Google
- Be Creative (Think Like Your Candidates)
This is an unbiased recruiting video blog that was produced by me - Tony Stemen (Sourcing Tony), Sr. Sourcing Recruiter at Pinstripe. I've been in the Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) industry for over five years, with most of that time focused on Sourcing Strategy & Candidate Generation.
Post contributed by Tony Stemen
Follow me on Twitter @TonyStemen or connect with me on LinkedIn
Posted on Mon, Mar 12, 2012
Finding your passion within the recruiting industry.
When I started in the Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) industry over five years ago I started doing phone screens and quickly realized that I wasn't passionate about what I was doing. One of the great things about the RPO industry is that there are so many facets to be involved in. So, I sought out other parts of the industry and I realized I enjoyed sourcing - figuring out the best ways to find the candidates to fit specific positions. What are you passionate about in the recruiting industry?
This is an unbiased recruiting video blog that was produced by me - Tony Stemen (Sourcing Tony), Sr. Sourcing Recruiter at Pinstripe. I've been in the Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) industry for over five years, with most of that time focused on Sourcing Strategy & Candidate Generation.
Post contributed by Tony Stemen
Follow me on Twitter @TonyStemen or connect with me on LinkedIn
