An interesting article explaining the differences between Recruitment and Talent Acquisition, provided by, in my opinion, a very good provider of RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) services.

​www.cielotalent.com/blog/cielos-hr-leader-blog/what-is-talent-acquisition-what-is-recruitment-learn-the-difference

An interesting article written by Molly Moseley (LinkedIn Pulse)

Uber provides 1 million rides a day, so it’s likely you or someone you know has used the service to zip around town. Over the past few years, Uber has changed the way we travel, but it has also influenced the structure of business and challenged the idea of traditional employment as we know it.
Uber functions using an on-demand business model in which contracted drivers work independently and on their own schedule. This system has been so successful that other businesses have followed suit. Think about it — what can’t you get through an on-demand service? There’s DoorDash (food delivery), Luxe(parking and valet services), instacart (groceries), Drizly (liquor delivery) and so much more.
For recruiters, the trend of businesses offering on-demand service means tackling unique hurdles. Often the core skills of employees are easily transferable from one company to the next, so it’s important to attract the right talent before the competition can swoop in. Workers often jump around between Uber and Lyft or even work for both. It’s essential for recruiters to be heard by the right audiences and to keep them happy enough to stay working long-term.
If you’re a hiring manager at one of these companies, give yourself a recruiting edge by thinking strategically. To start, don’t put all your eggs in one basket when advertising job openings. Use multiple recruitment solutions to reach untapped talent pools and attract new people in different demographics. You must always be willing to try new sources to stay ahead of the competition.
Next, determine the various audiences you want to reach. Identify your target candidates and start marketing directly to those people. For example, I recently saw an Uber commercial marketing to the stay-at-home parent. It was all about working “after hours” or when your kids’ schedule permits. Bingo! This perfectly targets a specific audience and speaks directly to them while giving them key motivating points for applying.
How can you make jobs irresistible to new talent? Some good old-fashioned extras like sign-on and referral bonuses are highly effective. Additionally, don’t forget the application process itself. The majority of job seekers are using mobile devices, so consider offering a short-form application that is quick and easy to complete from a smartphone or tablet. You can always gather the remainder of the information needed if you’re interested in a candidate.
Of course, one of the biggest challenges is retention. With all of the competition you must face, you need to find a way to set yourself apart. Consider extras like benefits that are not typically offered by on-demand service companies. The more perks you can provide, the more loyalty you’ll earn from staff. (Bonus, they’ll become great brand ambassadors and will be more likely to recruit their friends to work as well.)
Over the next decade, it will be interesting to observe the evolution of on-demand service businesses. With new offerings emerging regularly, the challenges of attracting and retaining good employees will be top of mind for recruiters. To stand out, they absolutely must lead the pack with target marketing and unique benefits.
What other ways do you think these types of companies can attract and retain talent?

Today I have stumbled across two amazing tools for all us recruiters out there, also a great blog site to, at Recruitment Geek.

With the costs of a Recruiter Pro LinkedIn licence and a Xing Recruiter Licence always on the up and seeing as both sites are my stable go to for sourcing, selecting and headhunting candidates, these 2 tools are a very welcomed cost saving.

So try it out - you lose the ability to InMail but hey - you have their name and current company - pick up the phone and give them a call.

LinkedIn X-Ray Search
Xing X-Ray Search

Happy Hunting

Spotted the below today... I know there was a legitimate business reason for watching it...

1. Technical Expertise is Not Enough


When faced with insurmountable medical bills, Walt realizes that he is never going to make enough money working as an employee.Like so many other entrepreneurs, Walt is passionate about his technical skill (chemistry) and he starts a business that has the potential to maximize the return he can get from that expertise, albeit in this case, an illegal activity.

What he quickly discovers is that he knows nothing about actually running a business – inventory, distribution, marketing, collections etc.So he does what most entrepreneurs do – he wings it and finds out with disastrous consequences that he needs to educate himself quickly on how to operate a successful business and how to outsource the things that he does not have the skill or the time to do himself.

The Lesson: If you really want to grow your business, you need to invest in your development, put a good strategic plan in place, outsource tasks to others who can do them well and learn to manage your team members properly.Don’t expect success to be easy. Every business faces its own obstacles and challenges.Those who succeed, do so because of their ability to adapt quickly and take responsibility for their actions.

2. Establish a Premium Brand – Then Charge a Premium Price

Walter White was a world class chemist and as a result, he consistently produced the highest quality crystal meth that you could buy.In fact, his trademark “blue sky” was widely recognized by both the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and drug users as “the bomb”.Walter could easily have cut corners and produced a mediocre range of product that appealed to the mass market at a discount price, but he didn’t.His pride in his own expertise and his commitment to excellence meant that he owned the upper end of the market.

By creating unprecedented demand for his unique formulation, he could dictate the terms his product was sold under and the price consumers would have to pay.In Walter’s own words - “Corner the market, then raise the price,” White says. “Simple economics.”

The Lesson: If you insist on competing based on price, you are doomed to failure.Anyone can cook crystal meth (or make a mediocre version of the product/service that you are currently selling) but only one person can truly be the best in the world at creating the most pure version on the market. To grow your business and succeed, you must be willing to do what it takes to cure the #1 pain that your customer has with buying your product/service.

3. If You’re Good Enough, You Can Get Away With Murder


There is no denying the fact that Walter White was the best in the world at cooking crystal meth.This fact rendered him virtually untouchable. Waler’s unparalleled cooking skills keep him alive time and time again.Even Gus Fring (the chicken man and notorious drug lord) couldn’t afford to kill him after it became clear that both Walter and his junkie sidekick Jessie, were loose cannons. When Gus came close to finding a replacement, Walter was quick to eliminate his competition, thus restoring his own unassailable status. Even Jessie, as flawed and messed up as he was in his personal life, was excellent at distribution and sales, thus making it difficult for Walter or Gus to eliminate him easily.

The Lesson:If you are without question, the best at what you do, you cannot easily be fired or replaced and you can charge a premium for your expertise.

In order to find top talent to fill the most important roles at your company, you'll most likely want to advertise that you're hiring those positions online. But finding, recruiting and hiring excellent employees isn't as simple as slapping a quick job description on a random job board online and hoping a needle will spring out of the haystack.

If you want the best talent out there, you have to make an impact in the digital space and you have to stand out.

Give yourself an informed head start with these 9 important questions to ask when searching for viable candidates online:

1. What should I do first?

Once you've defined the position and the ideal type of candidate, your first move is to carefully craft a standout job description. It's equally important to showcase your organization’s personality and culture in the description, as it is to clearly communicate the position's requirements and responsibilities.

In a lot of cases job descriptions turn people away because they're sterile and overly clinical. Get creative and make yours stand out by letting your company's personality really shine through.

Some other aspects of the job to describe in compelling detail include: job title and tasks, skills and qualifications, company overview, the location of the job, salary range and benefits, employment type (full-time or part-time) and contact information.

2. What are the top paid job sites? 

There are dozens of fee-based career-focused websites that can easily put your employment listings in front of millions of job seekers. The best-known and most reputable are LinkedIn, Indeed, SimplyHired, Glassdoor, Monster and Jobserve.

All of these deliver applicant responses directly to whichever email address you tell them to, but generally not for free.

3. What will it cost?

Fees and pricing structures vary. For example, Indeed offers pay-per-click (PPC) job listings, which typically cost between £0.12 to £0.75 a click. The more you spend per-click, the more often your listing will be seen. You can set budgets for each Indeed listing, adjust your spending as you go and stop your ad any time.

Monster charges a one-time fee from £159 for a one month-long job posting, with prices dropping for each additional listing. Jobserve offers per-listing pricing as well, starting at £299 for a 30 day posting.

LinkedIn prices job postings based on the geographic location of the available position. To find out how much it costs to post a specific job, go to the Post a Job  page and specify the job location at the bottom of the page. You can buy a single 30-day LinkedIn job posting or you can purchase a five-pack or 10-pack of job credits for a discounted price.

4. Are there any free job listing options worth considering?
There are a glut of no-cost, freemium-style online job listing services, but most, like Jobvertise, come with a host of cumbersome caveats. These often include limits on the number of resumes you can view, the types and number of search criteria you're allowed to use and other annoying restrictions. Many won't even show you potential hires' contact information. Overall, these free services are best avoided.

You could, however, consider posting a free job ad on Gumtree. Keep in mind, however, that the caliber of candidates you probably hope to attract are more likely to take you seriously if you invest in reputable, paid career websites that they know and trust.

5. How many websites should I list my job openings on?
I recommends only posting to two or three sites at a time, but not the same time. See how well your job advertisement performs on each platform over time. If not enough candidates -- or, worse yet, entirely mismatched candidates -- are streaming in, it's time to switch to a different service.

6. Can't I just go after ideal candidates directly on LinkedIn?
There's no reason not to. And that is what I do! Posting job openings online isn't the only way to reel in the perfect hire. You can also pursue active and passive job seekers by performing detailed advanced searches of professional profiles on LinkedIn and expressing interest in them.

If you discover someone who looks like a fitting match, you can contact the person via LinkedIn InMail. To access InMail, and to see expanded LinkedIn profiles and perform even more advanced profile searches, you'll need a LinkedIn Premium account. It costs though.

7. How long should I list job openings online?
Typically until you find your ideal candidate, which can sometimes take several weeks or even months, depending on the response and compatibility of the applicants you attract.

In the meantime, I would suggests that you refresh your job listings by changing them up and keeping them exciting with fresh, new words and information at least every 30 days. If not, they could get stale and cause job seekers to suspect that no one wants the job.

8. Should I create a career or jobs page on my company website?
Yes. It should be dedicated to highlighting your available positions and the various benefits of working for your company. You should also build a company page on LinkedIn that lists job openings.

And don't forget to optimise your career page for mobile access. 80 percent of job seekers are using mobile devices to search for jobs, so it's critical to make it easy for them to navigate and interact with it from their tablets and smartphones.

9. How can I incorporate social media into my candidate search?
Encourage your current employees to share your company job postings across their own social media accounts, including Facebook and Twitter, and especially LinkedIn. It not only helps spread the word about openings that need filling, Browne says, but also communicates a vote of confidence in your company from someone they know or are associated with.

An interesting article hear that rings very true in todays world. 

"I lost my job after working for more than ____ years at the same company. In that time, I had a variety of responsibilities. I worked in a half-dozen departments. As the company changed, I would take on new projects as needed. I was a "Jack-of-all-trades." 

I thought when I lost my job I'd find it easy to get a new one because of all I have done. I've got so many skills and abilities, my resume is three pages long. And yet, I can't seem to get an interview. As I research positions on job boards, I find myself saying, "I can do that!" But, having applied to over 40 jobs, I've yet to get a single interview. 

What am I doing wrong?"






The answer is simple: When you try to look like a match for everything, you match nothing.

A Job Opening = Specific Problem To Solve

When a company has an open position, what they really have is a particular problem that needs to be solved. The person chosen to be hired will be the one that can solve the problem the best and at the right price/salary. When you are promoting dozens of things about yourself, aka being a Jack-of-all-trades, you overwhelm the hiring managers. In fact, you distract them to the point they are unable to see you as a match, let alone what you actually do full stop . Not only could you appear overqualified, or worse not experienced enough given the amount of different skills over the time period involved, they may also assume you are overpriced as well...resulting in your resume going in the "no" pile. 

The Solution? Tailor your applications dependant on what is required.

If you find yourself in the Jack-of-all-trades situation, I suggest you tailor your resume/application inline with the needs - DO NOT "BLAG"/PROMOTE AREAS YOUR ARE WEAK IN OR HAVE NO EXPERIENCE IN - the likelihood is that you will be found out during interviews which is a very uncomfortable position to be in...

Here's what to do:

Step 1: Identify the top 5 skill. You have many skills, but you need to focus hiring managers on the skills they and you are most passionate about using on a daily basis. Not only will this put you on the potential shortlist for a specify opportunity but also it will focus you in your job searching and applications process so you can find a job that plays to your strengths.

Step 2: Map out how those skills support an employer in solving a problem. Clarify how will you use these skills specifically to save and/or make the company money. Ask yourself, "What pain will I alleviate when I utilize these skills for an employer?"

Step 3: Quantify your track record of success in these key skills. You need to be able to back up your abilities with facts. Articulate examples of how you have used each of these skills to help an employer so you can justify the cost of hiring you.

So a colleague of mine recently asked for advise on how to setup their LinkedIn profile correctly to gain maximum exposure as an active job hunter, so here it is:

You should consider your LinkedIn profile your online resume. It should have all the same information that is on your resume including your qualifications, your experience, and your skills.

Professional Summary. 
The Professional Summary section of your profile is a good way to highlight your experience. Select an Industry, because recruiters often use that field to search. Don't forget the Headline, because that's right at the top of the page when someone views your profile. (Include Currently Seeking New Opportunities right at the top!)

Keywords and Skills. 
Include all the keywords and skills from your resume in your profile. That will make it easier for your profile to be found in search results not only from LinkedIn Searching but through external search engines (Google, Bing, etc.)

Contact Settings. 
Let your connections and the public know what you're available for. Options include: career opportunities, consulting offers, new ventures, job inquiries, reference requests. 
Include your contact details (Mobile, Email, etc)
Set your profile to visible to all which will allow everyone to see your profile in full and contact you. (You can always switch this back to Network only when required)

Groups:
Join relevant business groups as they hold a wealth of information, networking opportunities and jobs that never go to market as the group members recommend or apply directly (The client can post jobs for free in groups)

Heather Parrot, June 25, 2013
“Taking Intelligent Risks” is one of our values at LinkedIn; but beyond that, it’s valuable advice for anyone in the talent acquisition space. When you hire someone it’s kind of a leap of faith (a risk) regardless the rigor of your interview process.

As recruiters our role is to help put “intelligent” in front of those risks when making hiring decisions. Talent pipelining is one way to do this.

What is talent pipelining?
Talent pipelining – or as I like to call it, “relationship recruiting” – is building long-term professional relationships with passive talent for future opportunities. This means getting to know the talent landscape, the actual people, regardless of whether or not they are looking to make a career change immediately.

Developing a talent pipeline requires a shift from reactive recruiting to proactive recruiting. Your mindset should switch from recruiting to fill an open position to thinking about who your company will want and should hire in the future. Talent pipelining isn’t a short term strategy and takes time to develop and nurture, but in the long term the benefits worth the investment.


What are the benefits of talent pipelining?          
1. It allows the recruiter to be a consulting business partner vs a req filler:To be successful at pipelining, the recruiter needs to do a deep dive into the company’s business and the industry. You must understand your company’s long term plans, current talent in the organization and potential talent gaps. The recruiter must also quickly come up to speed on the competitive landscape, understand who the key players are, and follow the trends in your market. Having this strong industry knowledge, will allow you to engage in more meaningful conversations with the business to help make smart hiring decisions and also gain respect and trust from the talent in the industry.

2. It can open up a flow of quality candidate referrals, eliminating the need for cold calls:As you start to develop relationships with people in the industry, they will often feel comfortable referring your way co-workers or other professionals that have great potential and experience. This way your talent pipeline itself becomes a source of trusted referrals and warm introductions – cold calls and getting past the gatekeeper might even become a thing of the past.

3. It shortens the time-to-fill for open positions:Talent pipelining allows you to be two steps ahead in the hiring process and saves time in actively sourcing and narrowing down the ideal candidate profile. This gives the recruiter valuable time to develop a customized strategy to attract and hire key individuals. You will already know the talent and what is important to them in order to consider making a career move.

It also allows the recruiter to better influence strategic hiring decisions for your business by educating the hiring managers on the talent landscape. This will help boost the hiring manager’s confidence that they are making an intelligent hire vs. cycling through many candidates to try to figure out who is the best available candidate.

4. It allows you to measure culture fit, long before the candidate’s first interview:Even the best talent won’t be successful in the long term if they don’t click with the company’s culture and values. By getting to know the talent in advance, you have more time to gain deeper insight into their personalities and helps you confidently detect how the candidates will fit culturally vs. just how strong an interviewer they may be.

5. The candidates also see big benefits from pipelining:Developing relationships with the recruiter is a benefit to the candidate as well. Often times, individuals that are top performers and those passionate about their work, don’t have time to look for new opportunities.

Having trusted recruiter relationships gives the individual a career advisor, and ensures there is someone keeping them in mind when it’s time for the next career move. Having an open conversation with a recruiter, also gives the candidate a better view into the company and ensures they are taking an intelligent risk when considering their future. Last but not least, thanks to talent pipelining the candidate knows who to reach out to when they are ready to explore opportunities.

I have to admit, that pipeline /relationship recruiting is some of the most fun and rewarding recruiting I have done in my career. The bottom line is this: relationships matter! This person may or may not join your company; regardless it is worth the investment and can often be a connection point to your next hire and that is an intelligent risk worth taking.