LEAN, Just-in-Time Recruiting!

A recent study I saw had some clarity around candidate ‘types’. It is the first study I have seen in a while that segments the candidate labor pool into more than these two categories. Of the 140mm +/- people in the labor force (Bureau of Labor statistic), this survey suggests the following:

– 14% are seriously/actively seeking a new position
– 20% are casually looking (a few hours now and then)
– 32% are passively looking (if something comes along, I’ll take a look at it). I call them ‘Listeners’’!
– 34% are not looking!

I think the biggest “ah-ha” I took away from this info is something I intuitively already knew. There is a big difference between these candidate groups:

- Active candidates – All over the web, in our in-box, at job fairs…Quality suspect
- Casual lookers – They will look at postings on the web… have a resume updated and ready to go.
- Listener’s – If you call or email . . . they might respond (if you have a good message) . . . but you have to hunt them down.
- Not looking – Completely different animal. They are incorrectly labeled by some as “passive candidates”. But that is not true. They are not passively looking, they are not looking. Recruiting this candidate type is 5x harder than active/casual/listeners but represents the largest segment of the market (34%)

What does this all mean?

- When you say you want (or do) recruit “passive” candidates . . . you need/should to be more specific.
- If you are not an active candidate, it does not necessarily mean they are a passive candidate.
- The largest segment of the labor market is still not being recruited by most recruiters….

OK, OK – - I will admit that the New Year has put me in “Goal Setting/Planning” mode. As with many of you, I am trying to start the year “doing the right things right the first time”.

With that said, I have made a commitment to goal setting & planning again . . . Over the last year or so, while I have continued to develop quarterly, weekly, and daily goals/plans (I started doing this in 1993!); I can’t say that I have always “practiced what I preach”.

So over the holidays, I put together goals for 2008 and the first quarter of Q1. What am I going to do differently this year (so far…)?

1. I am reviewing my goals each week (usually over the weekend as I do my Perfect Day/Perfect Week Plan). You can’t develop goals then put them away. They have to be part of your life.
2. I have re-committed to the Perfect Week Plan. For those that haven’t attended one of our workshops, check out the Article I wrote for ERE a few years ago (A Perfect Week, The Perfect Day). This is already paying dividends in that I am more focused throughout the week.
3. Just trying to have the discipline to stick to my perfect day plan. It can get easy to create a plan, then push it aside once the day starts.
4. This 3:00 O’clock Coffee Break thing (see 1st post below) is helping as well.

For those of you that don’t have clear, written goals for the year, don’t have a quarterly plan and/or don’t do weekly/daily planning – - I can’t think of anything more important to improve your performance.

To help motivate you and to provide some solid advice on this subject, I would encourage you to read ‘Eat That Frog’ by Brian Tracy. What an awesome, motivating book on this subject. Some powerful messages I picked up from reading the book (I have seen some of these statements before . . . and it was great to read them again):

“Only about 3% of adults have written goals.” These people accomplish five and ten times as much as people of equal or better education and ability but who, for whatever reason, have never taken time to write out exactly what it is they want.”
“One of the most important decisions you will make each day is you’re choice of what you will do immediately and what you will do later, if you do it at all.”
In study after study, of men and women who get paid more and promoted faster, the quality of “action orientation,” stands out as the most observable and consistent behavior they demonstrate in everything they do. Successful, effective people are those that launch directly into their major tasks and then discipline themselves to work steadily and single minded unto those tasks are complete.”
“Many people confuse activity with accomplishment.”
“Whenever you complete a task of any size or importance, you feel a surge of energy, enthusiasm and self-esteem.”
“Rule of Greatness – Think on paper.”
“There is one quality that one must possess to win; and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants and a burning desire to achieve it.”
Another motivating piece of material is ‘Going the Extra Mile’ from the book – Think and Grow Rich from Napoleon Hill.

Both of these books inspired me and most of all . . . improved my performance and productivity.

Let me know what you think.

I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

So the other day, I looked up and it was 3 O’clock.. While I started the day with my “perfect day” plan, this day was kicking my butt!

Interruptions, unexpected requests, etc. had completely through me off my game. Honestly – I couldn’t believe it was actually 3. I would have swore it was only 12 or 1….

Do you ever have days like this?

Recruiting has to be one of the most “humbling” professions on the face of this earth. Heck, I have been recruiting for close to 20 years now and some days I feel like it was my first.

I think the most humbling and difficult task we face as recruiters is staying on ‘offense’ during the day. By that I mean managing our time, staying focused on critical activities and making sure we get thing done in spite of all the constant interruptions, emails, changes in priorities, etc.

A ‘day’ in the life of a recruiter is like a football ‘game’. While you hopefully start your day with a game plan, once the day/game starts, anything can happen.

In football – - injuries, sacks, fumbles, interceptions, weather – all can change the outcome of the ‘game’.

For us in recruiting – - changing priorities, emails, candidates declining offers, unexpected meetings – - all can change the outcome of the ‘day’.

Throughout a football game, coaches and players are “re-planning” based on what is happening (real-time) during that game. The best teams know how to re-adjust to these changes/challenges and ultimately . . . win more games than they lose.

The best recruiters I know do the same. In spite of the all the changes/challenges, they get more done during the day then their competition.

Sooo – - as I sat at my desk the other day, it dawned on me that 3 O’clock in the afternoon is like the start of the 4th quarter of a football game. Say you work 8/10 hours a day (ok, ok… sometimes 12), A quarter of the day is around 2 1/2 to 3 hours day.

While I sat there frustrated that I was ‘losing’ at that time, I still had 25% of the day to win the game!

While I couldn’t change what happened during the first 3 quarters of the day, I could control how I finished my day. So I stopped what I was doing, got a cup of coffee and reviewed my plan. I identified the critical activities that I should focus on for the last quarter of the day. Refocused and remotivated – I attached the last part of my day with passion and accomplished a ton!

This was such a productive, positive, motivating activity . . . . I am going to do this (when I am not training and/or traveling) each day I am in the office.

I set up a re-occurring, 15 minute meeting in Outlook at 3:00 pm each day. I am going to do my best to not book that time with client meetings, interviews, etc. I am going to use these 15 minutes to help me get re-focused (and re-motivated) to finish the day strong.

I will let you know how it goes…..

PS – Does anyone have any “tips” they can share to manage your day, manage your time and stay focused & motivated during the course of the day? If so – please let me (us) know!!!!!