Wendy Weber on Executive Recruiting

I was commenting on an Associated Press report that for the first time in a long while, more people are leaving jobs voluntarily than involuntarily. To read the piece in its entirety, click here.

The First Half of 2010
Executive Search and Recruiting
Survey Results are in…

In an ongoing effort to stay abreast and keep you informed of the Executive Search Industry trends, The Executive Recruiter’s Roundtable surveyed 3,797 Executive Search Firms in the United States. The questions on the survey ranged from your company’s history and the current state of your company to your opinions regarding the 2010 year.

• 19% of the companies responding had a 50% to 75% increase in revenue for the first half of 2010 compared to the first half of 2009.
• 43.1% believe that the demand for recruiting is improving, while 25.9% say the demand has stabilized.

It is refreshing to see optimism on the hiring front.

Now you have 30 seconds to change your mind and Undo a send in Gmail! http://mashable.com/2009/03/19/gmail-undo-send.

Over the past few years, I have heard a variety of opinions about Search Engine Optimization, and the staff required to keep a site properly optimized. Obviously, a major internet retailer will have SEO pros on staff. But you would be surprised at the number of companies that rely on ecommerce as a substantial part of their marketing mix that don’t have search professionals on staff.

Some feel that once “set up”, SEO is a function that needs only to be tweaked to keep it properly running. They engage a consultant, and say that once the basic structure is established, it is not a discipline that requires a team, or even a full time employee, to keep the site on the first page of Google.

Others feel that SEO is an ongoing challenge that never “ends”. They say that you cannot look at it as a function that will remain “on course” without constant attention.

The analogy that came to mind was my stock portfolio. Initially, I had to make decisions about the mix of investments. I consulted with experts, and we established a portfolio that provided a mix of risk and return that I was comfortable with. But almost immediately, the portfolio loses balance, as some investments grow and others shrink. It takes care and ongoing attention to maintain optimal results. In my opinion, it’s the same with SEO. If you choose to set up a SEO program and allow it to run itself, you may find that while you are still receiving new visitors to your site(s), you may not realize how many additional visitors you may have had if you had provided the necessary resources to achieve ideal optimization. Good search optimization professionals bring your organization many times the cost of their own salary in terms of the visitors and ensuing revenues they generate.

Any loyalty marketing professional who isn’t aware of the relevance of location based social networks should read this piece regarding Foursquare in the Wall Street Journal: click here.

I talked about the explosion of location based mobile networking in an earlier blog post, and its use has been growing at an impressive rate. Foursquare alone has 2.4 million users globally, and is growing 30% to 40% a month.

On Foursquare, many businesses encourage repeat visits by rewarding customers with freebies on their fifth or tenth check-ins. “The good thing about Foursquare versus Twitter and Facebook is it’s tied to a location, and, essentially, it can be a digital loyalty card,” says Allison Mooney, vice president of emerging trends at consultancy MobileBehavior LLC, a unit of Omnicom Group Co. “It’s closing the loop between digital social media and the actual point of sale.”

I have been an occasional user of Foursquare ever since I saw its founder, Dennis Crowley speak at an industry conference earlier this year. I became intrigued.

It has not been without its technical glitches. Every so often I find myself unable to “check in”, and have to follow a series of commands to reset my Blackberry. Also, I am waiting for my contemporaries to adopt it. I’m certain I’m on the older end of the demographic for Foursquare users, and just as I waited patiently for my colleagues and friends to adopt Facebook and Twitter, it may be a matter of time before my network of contacts embrace location based social networks. I am still waiting for the day when I unexpectedly connect with a friend through Foursquare at the airport or the coffee shop…but I think it will be great fun!

Interesting to hear of 2 stories yesterday regarding disgruntled workers quitting their jobs in dramatic ways.

One was the Jet Blue pilot who, upset with a customer who wouldn’t follow directions, cursed out the entire plane on the public-address system, activated the inflatable emergency evacuation slide, then slid down it, escaping into John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The other was a Broker’s Assistant who quit her job by sending a company-wide email with photos of her resignation letter written in a series of dry erase board posts that contained specific issues with her manager.

It’s a sad reflection of frustration in the workplace that employees are driven to the point of such extreme measures. Clearly, they are burning bridges and forsaking any hope of a recommendation when they choose to exit in such a fashion.

I would have advised these employees to practice one final measure of restraint, and quit if they like, but minus the drama. I hear the Pilot has been lauded by many as a hero. But I suspect this is by other disenfranchised workers, not potential employers.

Wouldn’t it be nice if employers were proactive about keeping a finger on the pulse of their staff, and keeping morale at a higher level?

This show went from being a “don’t miss” to a “don’t bother”.  For years we were exhibitors, then we cut back to simply attending, and last year, I couldn’t even see the value in spending a week out of the office to travel to CA for the show.  Apparently most of my clients felt the same way, because  very few of them attended.  Even a “rival” recruiter, with whom I have a friendly relationship, indicated that his attendance turned out to be a waste of time.

I took a look at the promotional brochure for the upcoming DMA conference, and was pleasantly surprised.  It looks like the focus has finally evolved to digital and social media.  I’m intrigued!

Are you planning to attend this conference?

Chris Erickson wrote an article in this week’s New York Post called Unemployed:  The Scarlet U.  It talks about the frustrating experience many unemployed job seekers have of being eliminated from consideration for job opportunities because they are currently unemployed.  One posting actually read, “Must provide proof of current W-2 income.”

There is a certain mentality that “if it’s such a buyer’s market, why would you go to somebody who’s been terminated?”  Please let’s not punish the victim!

Given the cutbacks in recent years and the state of the job market.  many talented people are out of work.

The one concern that I give credence to is that someone who is jobless may take a job, any job, to get back among the ranks of the employed, and move on when something better comes along.  Someone who gave up another job in order to accept employment would be less likely to move on quickly.

Overall, I agree with a recruiter who was quoted as saying, “If you neglect someone for the simple reason that they got laid off, you’re being very narrow in your perspective.  The last cycle of layoffs hit some extremely talented people.  A lot of really good people got caught.”

Employers, please do yourself as well as prospective employees a favor.  Review resumes with an open mind and a measure of compassion.  If you see the work history of someone who has never been with an employer for more than a year and a half, you have no reason to think they will stay with you any longer with you.  But if you see the story of an employee that has stayed at previous jobs long enough to make significant contributions, receive promotions, and flourish professionally in the past, I think you would be making a big mistake to take a pass just because their current status is “looking for my next career move”.

I am a big user of social media sites for networking.  In fact, I utilize them on a daily basis.

They are great way for recruiters to identify, and reach out to,  candidates that they would not otherwise be aware of.

But I encourage direct marketers…in fact all working people, to do a better job of simply staying in touch with others in their field.  A phone call to stay in touch.  A lunch “for no reason”.  Passing along information that a colleague may find to be of interest.  People are simply more predisposed to respond well when they don’t feel that you are meeting with them to see what they can do for you.  In any case, it’s more fun meeting with someone before you need something from them.

I have a friend who has run his own business for 10 years.  He does a good job of staying in touch with others in his industry.  In the course of a friendly lunch last week he was surprised to be approached about a job opportunity.  Although it was unexpected and he has enjoyed self-employment, he is flattered and interested in exploring the possibility.

Before I was a recruiter I had a career in magazine circulation.  Over the course of my career I held 3 jobs, each of which I became aware of through personal relationships.  When I went to an industry function, I didn’t sit at lunch with my co-workers; I met new people, and exchanged business cards.  It was a little awkward at times, but important.  When someone I met at a DMA function called me months later about what turned out to be my second job, I was truly surprised.  She was savvy; I was just learning the power of creating a network.

I heavily use LinkedIn.  By and large, when I reach out to my network I have something to offer; a career opportunity.  My contact may not always be well received, but at least I am offering something that is potentially of value.  I have passed along my share of LinkedIn “introductions” on behalf of others.  I guess it’s a step warmer than a cold call, but really, not much.  In the name of networking, someone is requesting that I endorse them to my contact.  Think about how you would receive such a contact.  Would you welcome it?  More like tolerate it.  Done best, networking creates a valuable matrix of people communicating with people…an exchange of information, opportunities and knowledge.  More frequently, networking really means “asking for a favor”.

People respond well to people they know.  Please don’t be “too busy” to stay in touch with the people who have impressed you, or to be an available mentor to those who admire you professionally.  You will enrich your  network, and you may also expand your professional horizons.

Just when I thought I had seen it all, resume wise, I received a resume with a QR Code.

I didn’t have a clue as to what to do with it.  I learned that although initially QR codes were used for tracking parts in vehicle manufacturing, they are now used in a much broader context, including both commercial tracking applications and convenience-oriented applications aimed at mobile phone users (known as mobile tagging).

QR Codes storing addresses and URLs may appear in magazines, on signs, buses, business cards, or just about any object that users might need information about.

Beside the code were the words “Scan code with your smart-phone camera to get more info.”  Before I could do that I had to download a free app so that I could scan the code. I chose ScanLife Barcode Reader.  Once I took a picture of the QR code, all sorts of interesting information was transmitted about the candidate.

There was a mini-resume complete with a  photograph of the candidate, and a 2-page Question and Answer session.  The final page contained some personal information about the candidate, intended to humanize him.

The wave of the future?  I don’t know.  It was fun, and easy enough to access the information once I downloaded the app.