ERE.net

Google, HR, and Getting Hired

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Earlier this week I tweeted this statistic from an article on ERE.net …

“According to a study conducted by Microsoft earlier this year, 70% of surveyed HR professionals in U.S. (41% in the UK) have rejected a candidate based on online reputation information”

It elicited an interesting exchange with one of my tweeps. Here’s what he said …

–Cindy, seriously are HR folks incapable getting relevant info on their own?

–The reality is it's the wrong use of Social Media – if that's your only use.

–My point was there many pro-active uses for social media rather than HR Sherlock Holms (sic) work.

Here’s the reality … at least according to Cindy’s web worldview. 

Social media allows, maybe even subtly deceives, people to let down their guard. Have you seen some of the pictures people upload, the foul language that fill their tweets and Facebook posts, even the use of poor grammar and misspelled words? The fact is, these things speak volumes about prospective candidates that will never come through in the spit and polished interview process. 

Google, Web 2.0, and reputation management are here to stay. Whether you are a Chief Financial Officer, finance executive, accountant, or new finance grad, what Google says about you matters to prospective companies. And if Google is mute about you, that sends its own very loud message. 

A No Win Scenario

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In yesterday’s coaching session, my client (we’ll call him Jim) told me that, before engaging my services, he received a phone call from a contingency recruiter in California. Jim didn’t know the recruiter, but was told by the recruiter that he had about five or so contacts where he could present Jim. Ahhh, the lure of an opportunity. 

Jim sent off his resume and heard … nothing. He still has heard nothing. My advice, write to the recruiter and inquire to whom he presented his resume, when, and put him on notice that he was not authorized to present his resume to anyone else without Jim’s knowledge and consent. 

Why? Because in this situation, every one stands to lose. 

The recruiter randomly blasts out Jim’s resume to companies in his database so “if” there is an opening at any of those companies, the recruiter can say “he” presented the candidate and claim a fee. If the company doesn’t want to pay the fee, he simply doesn’t hire that … perhaps very qualified … candidate. If the company does hire the candidate, he just might face a lawsuit from the recruiter. Everyone loses.

Sound crazy? Read the story directly from this recruiter on ERE.net. 

Did you notice this sentence? 

“Our candidate put his resume on career builder.”

If you are currently working with recruiters or intend to work with recruiters in the future, the rest of the story is one good reason, and there are many, why CFOs and other senior-level executives should NOT post resumes on public job boards, in my humble opinion. 

The best way to work with recruiters is to build relationships with them before you need them. Most recruiters are professional and credible. It is the recruiters like the one who called Jim that can cause problems for everyone. The only way you, as a candidate, can discern which recruiter(s) is the best fit for you is to have a solid relationship in place long before you find yourself in the job search market. 

Recruiting Top Talent

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I just finished reading Neal Lockhart’s article on recruiting top performers posted at ERE.net. You’all know I love getting into the minds of recruiters … it helps me help my clients. 

Lockhart talks about recruiting pearls, the prized candidates. You know who they are, right … someone who is highly esteemed or valued, and the most sought after. Wikipedia says, “the word pearl has become a metaphor for something very rare, very fine, very admirable, and very valuable."

Prized candidates are not commodities … after all, there is only one pearl per oyster shell. In the game of top talent, there is little competition at the top and each of those candidates has, and can articulate, a clear and compelling value proposition.

So, read the article or not … but here’s a quick take-away. Three questions you should ask a recruiter when he calls you about potential opportunities. 

– Why should I listen to you?

– Why should I be interested in the opportunity?

– Why would I want to work there?

Are you the “pearl” recruiters are competing for … and are you making it easy for them to find you? 

Passive Candidates vs. Unemployed Candidates

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An op ed piece on ERE.net by Jeremy Eskenazi entitled “Where the Truth Lies: The Need for Balance Between Active and Passive Recruiting” … naturally … caught my attention. I say “naturally” because I am always interested in the hiring trends that will affect my senior finance clients.

On one hand, the article mentions the story about a CEO of a major executive search firm who would only present passive candidates because the unemployed folks were, by definition, inferior. (I’m loosely quoting the story now, not giving my opinion).

The other extreme is the school of thought that says recruiting passive candidates (luring someone who is currently employed into another position) is shameful. 

Every recruiter has their preference and, sadly, even in this market the prevailing perception IS that an executive who is employed has a higher value than one who is unemployed. Mr. Eskenazi tackles the balance question. I’d like to talk about the idea of proactively managing your career to exponentially increase your chances of positioning as a passive candidate. 

Jason Alba, of Jibber Jobber renown, wrote a blog post two years ago and re-posted it today. It looks at a career management mindset versus a job search candidate. It is the essence of how one proactively positions himself as a passive candidate versus reactively, and unintentionally,  achieves positioning as an unemployed candidate. 

When you manage your career like you manage your company, department, or division, you have a plan and you are constantly and consistently executing that plan. It’s a fluid process, not stop and go which only puts you on the endless merry-go-round of look for a job, find a job, work a job, lose a job … and … repeat. 

All the cool Web 2.0 technology available today has made building and maintaining a strong visible presence and social network easier than ever. Seriously, what title would you prefer … passive (and able to be found) or unemployed (and all over the job boards)? When you proactively manage your career, you have a much better chance of choosing your title!

Navigating Through Gatekeepers

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Since my client’s coaching session yesterday was focused around getting past gatekeepers, the article at ERE.net today was very timely.

Gregory Pankow, Candidate Development Project Manager at RW Stearns, Inc. wrote an insightful article and provided an extensive Guide to Using Voicemail to Circumvent Gatekeepers as a downloadable file.

While this is written for the recruiter audience, it can also benefit the job seeker. Since the potential to thoroughly ruin your chances does exist when you try to beat the system, use these strategies discriminately. It is ALWAYS most beneficial to try networking your way in the door first, befriending the gatekeeper second, and employing stealth tactics as a last resort!


Are You an Explorer?

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If you are, recruiters are looking for you! What, exactly, is an Explorer?

Earlier this week, Lou Adler delivered a teleseminar for ERE.net entitled “A Story About Bulls and Bears – How to Tame the Economic Cycle.” The purpose of the seminar was to guide recruiters in sourcing top quality candidates in this crazy economic period where the tendency is even greater for candidates who are employed to stick their head in the sand and pretend their position is secure.

With all the “unemployed candidates” available, why would such a teleseminar even be necessary? If you’ve been following my posts, you know that I talk constantly about the high desirability and value of passive candidates. The Explorer is the crème de la crème of passive candidates.

Mr. Adler drew an arc and starting at the bottom left with an “employed candidate,” he continued along the arc with Explorers, Tiptoers, Googlers, Networkers, and Posters … these are the phases a candidate will pass through as he moves from job to job. According to Adler, the folks recruiters want are the Explorers … semi–passive and, because they are not looking, will need to be found by recruiters … and NOT through public job boards.

Are you one? With a solid record of contributions, a clear and compelling brand, and a strong digital footprint, you, too, can be a highly–coveted Explorer. And if you are currently unemployed, the moment you land is the time to position yourself as the Explorer recruiters are seeking.

Recruiting the Passive Candidate

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You may recall that following the Kennedy Recruiting Conference in Orlando last October, I reported that the overriding theme among the internal recruiters attending the conference was the desire to recruit “passive candidates” … almost to the exclusion of those who were unemployed.  The perception of the unemployed candidate is that they are somehow less … less desirable, less qualified, less attractive.

Now, I know that is not necessarily the case; and if you are one of those unemployed executives, chances are good that you are offended (or worse) by that perception. Sadly, the perception is true and “perception is everything.”

Lou Adler is a thought leader in the recruiting industry and recently penned an article entitled “Recruiting Passive Candidates in Tough Economic Times,” which was published in ERE.net Daily. Here’s the opening to his article:

Consider this as a basic truth: in tough economic times every job looks better, especially the one you already have.

This would imply that during recessions there are fewer good people actively looking and it’s tougher to get the best passive consider to even discuss your career opportunity. If this is the case, one could conclude that the bulk of the people who are looking during economic downturns tend to be those who are unemployed or marginally employed.

Since this group does not represent the best-of-the-best, you’ll need to rethink your entire sourcing strategy to make sure it’s targeting the people you want to hire.

If I can impress one thing on you, Senior-Level Finance Executive, it is to repackage and begin positioning yourself LONG BEFORE you think you need to look for a job. Assuming you are an accomplished passive candidate, proactively managing your career means you will minimize the chances of being viewed as “not representing the best-of-the-best.”

Linked In and Zoom Info

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In a recent article for ERE Daily, Lou Adler contrasted the differences in two recent searches his company conducted. While the article was interesting, what should be interesting to you is this ….

Of the seven candidates he presented, six were found on Linked In and Zoom Info.

Do you have a branded, visible presence where recruiters are looking for candidates?