Posted on Tue, Mar 05, 2013
About a month ago, I heard author Dan Slater interviewed on NPR. Dan Slater’s new book, “Love in the Time of Algorithms,” explores the history and modern-day implications of the explosive growth of online dating, now a $2 billion business in North America. His book offers an interesting history of computer-aided matchmaking and an investigation into the mystery of whether science, with the help of a computer program, can actually predict love.
When I heard Mr. Slater interviewed on public radio, I naturally thought of all the possible RPO algorithm applications. It seems to me that it would be so much easier for buyers if they could go to RPOmatch.com or RPOharmony.com enter some data, have some automated reasoning applied and out comes their RPO service provider soul mate.
No more RFPs. No more site visits and lengthy presentations. The entire recruitment process outsourcing vendor selection would be completed by buyers’ and service providers’ profiles being connected through mathematics.
For example, if a Recruitment Process Outsourcing buyer entered the follow characteristics:
- Pure play RPO
- Financial Services Life Sciences, Healthcare, Technology and Consumer Brands industry focus
- Has exclusive TRM technology
- Loves challenges, directness and innovation
Then the algorithmic RPO service provider output would be:
Fascinating!
I like everything about this revolutionary matchmaking method except, there would be no need for sales people anymore and I’d be out of a job.
Yeah, now that I think about it, RPO algorithms would never work.
Post contributed by Barry Diamond. Follow me on Twitter @bddiamond
Posted on Thu, Feb 21, 2013
Pinstripe, Inc. was recently recognized by CareerBuilder for its continued Excellence in Applicant Experience. With more than 24 million unique visitors a month and global presence of approximately 300,000 employers around the world, CareerBuilder conducted a study to pinpoint “best-of-breed” practices in communicating with job seekers. More than one million individuals who have applied for positions at more than 1,000 businesses over the past year were surveyed. CareerBuilder applauded the efforts of a lone RPO company, Pinstripe, for its dedication to knocking the socks off of job seekers worldwide.
However, the survey results also highlight a tremendous disconnect between reality and expectation. For example, 82% of applicants expect to be communicated with regarding their application regardless of intent to hire, but only 25% are actually contacted. This 57% gap represents the “black hole” into which candidates feel they are drowning when they apply for a position but are never contacted. Poor applicant experience can damage not only the employer’s brand, but negatively impact market share—particularly for consumer brands whose applicants are likely customers. Fortunately, business leaders are beginning to understand how a negative candidate experience can damage their brand and ability to attract qualified candidates, especially in an era where social media can spread negative perception faster than wildfire.
32% of job seekers note they actively seek to avoid purchasing products or services from a company that fails to communicate something as simple as “Your application has been received.” Pinstripe mitigates this challenge for clients through its rigorous brand standards, diligent training and devotion to outstanding applicant experience. As highlighted by its praise from CareerBuilder and the one million plus candidates participating in the aforementioned study, Pinstripe consistently “knocks the socks off” of candidate experience in the following ways:
- One-call resolution expectations – No robotic voicemail message, or transferring, just answers
- Human contact – Real people answer the phone, chat and email
- Service standards – Resumes are reviewed and feedback provided in quick turnaround
- Dedication – Teams know clients inside and out
- Employee empowerment – Employees are empowered to make decisions for customers
In an era of fiscal uncertainty, a “black hole” may lead to a point of no return; as candidate expectations increase, human resources must rise up and meet this challenge head on. Dedication to service excellence in RPO is how Pinstripe consistently rises up to meet the desires of both job seekers and its clients. Additional insight into Pinstripe’s Excellence in Application Experience Award can be accessed here:
http://www.pinstripetalent.com/news-and-events/press-and-media/bid/143599/Pinstripe-Receives-2013-CareerBuilder-Excellence-in-Applicant-Experience-Award
Posted on Wed, Jan 16, 2013
Recently, Barbara, my wife, had surgery (fyi - she’s doing well) and needed a couple of days to recover. To pass the time as she recuperated, she watched seasons 1 and 2 of Downton Abbey.
For those unfamilar with the show, Downton Abbey is a British period drama television series. The series, set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of Downton Abbey, depicts the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the Edwardian and post-Edwardian era — with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.
Several of the story lines revolve around the issues between the British aristocracy (the people who live upstairs) and the manor staff (the people who live downstairs). The priviledged upstairs lords and ladies want everything to stay the same, while many residing downstairs look to embrace change and rise up in the evolving world order.
As the New Year begins and I survey the Recruitment Process Outsourcing landscape, I see some characteristics of Downtown Abbey in our industry. There are a group of RPO vendors at the top (with "top" being simply defined by size) that are clinging to the old ways of doing things…what they deliver today is basically the same as what they delivered a decade or more ago. Some have maybe repackaged their steadfast products and changed their website, but at the end of the day there is not much difference in what they do and how they do it. Pricing models have not evolved; SLAs look basically the same; and resource org charts are still filled with the same labels.
Conversely, there are RPO service providers who are embracing the new; new delivery models, no governannce structures and new technologies. As these RPO firms look up at the “aristocracy” they see that some of these top firms are starting to lose existing clients and marketshare because yesterday's solutions are not sufficient for the dynamics of today's market. The downstairs RPO providers are truly attracting attention with their ideas, differences and boldness. And while these "downstairs" RPO providers might not be winning every deal, they are turning heads and making progress.
And where does my company, Pinstripe, fit in to Downton Abbey RPO analogy? At Pinstripe, while we are a Baker's Dozen RPO company, we continue to act like we did in the beginning; our attitudes around evolving and transforming continue to drive our success and we refuse to get caught up in our own success and become complacent. Our goal has always been industry substance over industry status. In my opinion, this is the only approach to long term sustainability and professional satisfaction.
Happy New Year and have a great 2013!
Post contributed by Barry Diamond. Follow me on Twitter @bddiamond
Posted on Mon, Dec 10, 2012
2012 has been a great year for Pinstripers and our clients. All year, we have been sharing insights that help with the unique challenges and opportunities in talent acquisition and management.
We’ve assembled a round-up of the most requested content to help you hit the ground running in 2013. Throughout the month we will tweet about each piece so make sure you follow the hashtag #talentmindset on Twitter. And feel free to give the gift of knowledge to your colleagues and share any interesting learnings with them. Enjoy!
1. Quality of Hire: Myth or Measurement
Take a look at the historic problems with measuring quality, view the challenge through a new lens, and learn to establish a definition of quality for each position, develop standards to measure quality of hire, and investigate new screening and selection tools to proceed in a more effective way. Request Download >>
2. RPO 2.0: Paradigm Shift in RPO Value Proposition
According to a report from global research and advisory firm Everest Group, recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) has evolved to what it describes as RPO 2.0 to address the new challenges facing HR leaders in making business impact through their talent acquisition and management practices. Learn More >>
3. Get It Right to Get Results: Creating the Business Case for RPO
The current uncertain economic climate may be the ideal time to consider the benefits of partnering with an external recruitment provider. According to many studies, Recruitment Process Outsourcing solutions consistently achieve results equal or superior to alternative models. This whitepaper includes a thought provoking framework beginning with the definition of RPO, moving to sharing the financial and operational benefits, and ending with a helpful guide for spreading the discussion across your organization. Request download >>
4. HR Executive Magazine: Thinking Global, Hiring Local
In this article, Pinstripe Executive Vice President Angela Hills shared her thoughts on how HR leaders should select and work with a recruitment process outsourcing partner for global hiring. Learn more >>
5. Corporate Recruiting: How Does Your Organization Measure Up?
A strong talent acquisition function enables organizations to source and select the best talent for driving success today and prepares the business for tomorrow’s needs. In this on-demand webinar, Kim Lamoureux, principal analyst for talent acquisition at Bersin & Associates, presents benchmarking data from its 2011 Talent Acquisition Factbook study and shares key insights for improving the quality of each hire. Access on-demand webinar >>
6. Investments in Recruiting: Getting the Most for Your Sourcing Dollars
In this report, we highlight where talent acquisition dollars are being spent, where investments are being made for sourcing and from where new hires are actually coming. This report has been excerpted from the Bersin & Associates Talent Acquisition Factbook® 2011: Benchmarks and Trends in Spending, Staffing and Key Recruiting Metrics. Request download >>
7. Recruiting Analytics: Key Metrics and Approaches for Improving Quality of Hire
In this report, we share quality of hire metrics and approaches for improving quality of hire. This report has been excerpted from the Bersin & Associates Talent Acquisition Factbook® 2011: Benchmarks and Trends in Spending, Staffing and Key Recruiting Metrics. Request download >>
8. Lights, Camera, Action! Is Video Interviewing Right for You?
In this on-demand webinar, Grant Burrall, Strategic Partnership Manager, and Michele Ellner, Director of Marketing, at Montage, a leading video interviewing solutions company, provide an overview of the basic mechanics of video interviewing and discuss how it improves the pre-hire screening process. Access on-demand webinar >>
9. Milwaukee BizTimes: Be Bold: Culture of Innovation drives Pinstripe's growth
Pinstripe’s executive leadership team was profiled in a Milwaukee BizTimes cover story entitled, Be bold: Culture of innovation drives Pinstripe’s growth. Read the complete article and view photos of the team >>
10. Talent Management: Take Employer Branding to the Next Level
Pinstripe Executive Vice President Angela Hills was quoted in the September edition of Talent Management magazine in an article entitled Take Employer Branding to the Next Level. Read the complete article (beginning on page 24) >>
Posted on Tue, Jul 10, 2012
Pinstripe is participating in the @bizjournals #SocialMadness Challenge. Help us win! Vote, Like Pinstripe on Facebook, Follow Pinstripe on LinkedIn and Follow us on Twitter @PinstripeTalent too. You’ll get the latest news on Pinstripe, Talent Acquisition and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). http://www.pinstripetalent.com/socialmadness
Posted on Mon, Jun 11, 2012
Dear Loyal RPOlosophy Readers:
If you enjoy reading our blog and value our somewhat insightful perspectives of the Recruitment Process Outsourcing industry, then please consider taking a few minutes to help us with the The Business Journals’ Social Madness Challenge.
Just follow these four easy steps:
- Vote for Pinstripe under Medium companies on www.socialmadness.com
- Like Pinstripe on Facebook
- Follow Pinstripe on Twitter
- Follow Pinstripe on LinkedIn
Thank you and we really appreciate your help.
Best Regards,
Barry
Posted on Mon, Mar 26, 2012
Recently, Elliot, my son, and I went to Baseball Spring Training in Arizona. Spring training in Arizona is referred to the as the Cactus League while preseason baseball played in Florida is called the Grapefruit League. These have been nicknamed respectively after plants typical of the respective states.
Our father/son vacation was a fabulous 5 day trip that included 4 stadiums (Goodyear, Maryvale, Peoria and Phoenix Municipal) and 8 different teams (Angels, Athletics, Brewers, Indians, Mariners, Padres, Rangers and Reds). We also managed to get in 1 round of mini-golf and a couple of loops around the Lazy River at the Squaw Peak Hilton.
While this was an almost work free vacation, I naturally couldn’t help myself when it came to seeing the similarities between our Cactus League excursion and Recruitment Process Outsourcing.
So, here are my 5 top reasons why Cactus League Baseball reminds me of Recruitment Process Outsourcing at Pinstripe:
- Process Efficiency – Our hotel was 15 to 20 minutes from 5 different stadiums and it seemed that every facility was just off the I10 freeway. The proximity and simple logistics facilitated more baseball and less down time. Our cycle time between games was significantly improved.
- Greater Reliability – The Brewers have only been rained out 3 times in 8 years in Arizona. The weather is predictably going to be great. Even when it cools down to 60 degrees, it is still tremendous for Midwestern fans who are just exiting from their winter hibernation. Knowing things are going to work out definitely reduces stress and makes for a better experience.
- Access to Talent – Cactus League baseball gives the fans a chance to interact with the players. At almost every facility, we able to get right by the major leaguers while they were practicing. We were also able to engage in conversation with them and get numerous autographs. Elliot favorite connection was with Norichika Aoki, the Brewers new outfielder from Japan. Regular season baseball keeps the fans at a distant while the Cactus league is all about access and, ultimately, building customer loyalty.
- Greater Return on Investment (ROI) – Some of the best seats are lawn seating in the outfield. Most stadiums have a grassy slope just beyond the outfield fences and these tickets are only $8.00. $8.00 for a major league game is outstanding. And, almost equally important, we used frequent flyer and hotels points for our airfare and lodging. I probably spent as much going to 4 Spring Training games as 1 regular season Major League game. To me that’s a 4X improvement in ROI!
- Focus on Core Competencies – Our main reasons for going to Arizona was to watch baseball, have fun and just hang out together. The Cactus League is designed to maximize the fan experience and give families an opportunity to be together and enjoy each other. And the baseball is really good too.
So whether you passion is baseball or RPO, I would recommend a Cactus League vacation for the sun, the activities and the almost uninterrupted family time.
Post contributed by Barry Diamond. Follow me on Twitter @bddiamond
Posted on Fri, Feb 24, 2012
In the song “Man or Muppet” from the movie “The Muppets,” Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (voice by Peter Linz) sing about their identity crisis as the man or the Muppet.
I reflect on my reflection
and I ask myself the question
what’s the right direction to go
I don’t know
am I a man or am I a Muppet
if I’m a Muppet then I’m a very manly Muppet
am I a Muppet or am I a man
if I’m a man that makes me a Muppet of a man
As I think about the lyrics from this Academy Award nominated song (written by Bret McKenzie, best known for “Flight of the Conchords,”) I can’t help but wonder about my RPO competitors and their ongoing identity issues.
I believe many of my Recruitment Process Outsourcing competitors struggle with who they are, what competing products and servcices should they invest in and which marketplace(s) do they belong in. This burden impacts both their success and the success of their clients.
So here is my list of the top 5 existential crisis questions most RPO service providers must be asking themselves:
- am I RPO or am I MSP?
- am I RPO or am I HRO?
- am I RPO or am I ATS?
- am I RPO or am I Temporary Labor?
- am I RPO or am I HR Consulting?
Some might say you can be all things to all people, but at some point you have to make a choice or risk being poor to mediocre at everything you do. Just ask Gary and walter from "The Muppets." Fortunately, we (Pinstripe) know who we are and have a clear RPO vision where we are going.
Also, I’m truly amazed by how much I still can learn from the Muppets.
Post contributed by Barry Diamond. Follow me on Twitter @bddiamond
Posted on Fri, Jan 27, 2012
With the exponential growth of Recruitment Process Outsourcing, recruiters should be enjoying lots of potential RPO job opportunities. And since the average recruiter spends more than 40 hours a week on the job, selecting the right RPO provider is very important to your career and life.
So how do you decide the right RPO career move? What are your criteria? How can you differentiate one RPO employer from another?
The following are five (5) crucial items you need to know about your next RPO employer:
1) What is the company's short and long-term plan?
With my extensive exposure to RPO service providers, I’ve learned that most RPO companies have a short term revenues goals, but lack a long-term strategic vision and plan. The majority of firms find it acceptable to be almost exclusively driven by the market versus trying to influence and shape the industry. One of the things I appreciate about Pinstripe is our clearly defined long-term business strategy and how our executive team readily and frequently shares the information with all our team members.
2) Are you and the company a culture match?
Almost all recruiters I know believe that recruiting is a valued profession and talent acquisition is a critical, strategic business function. However, some RPO firms have commoditized their services so much that any opportunity for recruiters to think “outside the box” and find creative solutions is frowned upon. In the world of RPO, there are providers who give their recruiters the freedom to add additional value and there are other RPO companies just looking for a “small cog in their large wheel.” In my opinion, culture often trumps strategy. Decide who you are, figure out the RPO Service Provider’s culture and choose wisely.
3) What is the company doing about training and development?
Smart RPO companies invest in their employees (both onsite and virtual) and offer a number of ways to continuously learn and develop—not just for your current role but for the role you’d like to have in the future. In my position, I interview lots of recruiters from our competition and have learned that many RPO providers are rushing so quickly to keep up with new accounts or expanding accounts that recruiters are just thrown into the “lion’s den” with little to no initial orientation and virtually zero on-going training. Over the past several years, Anne Bucher, my colleague, as built out a comprehensive “certification” program that every recruiter receives as part of their Pinstripe and client on-boarding process. Sometimes this impacts the implementation and transition timeline; however, long-term it improves recruiter success, job satisfaction and employee engagement (and ultimately clients get better results).
4) What are the opportunities for career growth?
Growth doesn't always mean a new position, it could mean a developmental assignment, a mentoring relationship, joining company employee resource groups or volunteering in the community. However, in regards to internal mobility, Sue Marks, our CEO, shares all promotions and internal moves on a monthly basis. She does to help our employees understand potential career paths, improve retention but most of all to recognize and celebrate employee achievements
5) What are the people who already work there saying?
Nothing is better than hearing first-hand how an employee already with the company has grown throughout his/her career. And since recruiters like to network and talk, it shouldn’t be hard to gather information. . This type of “unofficial” endorsement should be an essential part of any RPO career move.
The key to selecting your RPO employer is simple. Don't just take any job; be discriminating.
Post contributed by Barry Diamond. Follow me on Twitter @bddiamond
Posted on Wed, Jan 18, 2012
Warning: This post has nothing to do with RPO!
99.9% of the time, I focus on Recruitment Process Outsourcing and Pinstripe; however, sometimes I just come across things that need sharing. This might shock some of you, but I do believe there is more to life than RPO.
So this time there will be no discussion of Service Delivery Agreements (SLAs) or Talent Attraction Strategies or Quality of Hire. I'm just here to share something outside of RPO and I hope you will find it beneficial.
Like most of you, I’m always looking for new reading material (especially on those long plane rides). I often struggle to find reliable sources for my book purchases. It can be incredibly frustrating to spend $12.95 on a paperback and realize 100 pages later you made a bad buying decision. So I thought I would share the following book review resource. This comes from the Random House website:
"So what does a publisher at the world’s biggest publishing house read for pleasure? Jane von Mehren is the Senior Vice President and Publisher of Trade Paperbacks at the Random House Publishing Group. Every now and then, she’ll be featuring her favorite new reads in her Reader’s Circle column, Jane’s Bookshelf. And if you’re on Twitter, you can follow her tweets at @janeatrandom."
And this isn't some casual recommendation on my part. I know Jane (she's my sister-in-law) and her suggestions are on target.
Post contributed by Barry Diamond. Follow me on Twitter @bddiamond
