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How to Avoid Recruiter Rut!

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

And Top 5 Recruitment Trends for 2012!

This year, I have partnered with Rebecca McNeil from HealthcareSource to co-host Just-in-Time Educational segments!  We plan on tackling topics that are relevant to the challenges recruiters face!

Check out the podcast we did with Miranda Maynard of EMH Healthcare regarding the Top 5 Recruitment trends of 2012.

We also had fun creating a short video on Avoiding Recruiters Rut.

I tell you, I have been practicing what I preach in this video since the beginning of the New Year and…it has helped be more productive, focused and fulfilled every day!

I hope you are having a Perfect Day!

Unrealistic Expectations from Hiring Managers

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

One of the class exercises in our Recruiter Academy Certified Education Program is identifying rebuttals for unrealistic expectations from hiring managers.

The first step in the exercise is to identify unrealistic expectations.  Outlined below are a few of the expectations the students have discussed. 

Sound familiar? :) !

Whenever I facilitate this exercise, I am reminded how much time, effort and energy is wasted when we are not able to overcome (or more importantly – avoid) these unrealistic expectations.  

If you do not consult your managers and educate them on why these are unrealistic (and set realistic service level agreements) . . . your job becomes TWICE AS HARD!

Elite Recruiters are skilled at avoiding and/or overcoming these unrealistic expectations.

If some of these apply to you (see below), I would recommend that you dedicate some time to develop rebuttals to the ones that cause you the most pain :(

I plan on providing rebuttals to common unrealistic expectations in the near future!  So please shoot me an email of other expectations not listed below that you might be experiencing, and any special rebuttals you may use to overcome some of the ones outlined below!

I hope you are having a Perfect Day! 

_________________________________________________________________________

Unrealistic Expectations from Hiring Managers

ASAP To fill:

  • That we will have qualified candidates the day we post the job!
  • Wanting a new position filled yesterday.
  • Hire a hard to fill job in less than 2 weeks.
  • Want position filled ASAP but they don’t make room on their calendar for interviews.
  • Wanting to offer a position on Thursday or Friday and have the applicant start on Monday.

 

You work on MY schedule!

  • Wanting you to drop everything for their phone call or email…constant communication. 
  • If you are on the phone making an offer you can’t answer their phone call.

 

I follow my own process!

  • Expecting a high quality hire with a poorly defined job (requirements/qualifications).
  • Hire someone prior to credentialing being complete because they need someone to start now!
  • Give me the information to schedule interviews in the afternoon for the applicants to interview the next morning.
  • After I’ve sent over 15 qualified applications and the position has been placed on hold, the manager wants you to repost the job so 1 person can apply.
  • Find me a candidate for this position, but you can’t post the job or tell anyone that we actually have an opening.
  • Wanting applicants to interview with 10 + executives and have it scheduled in 2 days.
  • Not really knowing what they’re looking for but expecting us to fill the job-they will just know when it ‘feels’ right…

 

Candidate experience/compensation issues:

  • I want someone who has the most experience, education, skills – but I don’t want to pay them that much money.
  • Wanting the best qualified candidate, yesterday, and they don’t want to pay them their market value!

 

Other unrealistic demands!

  • Oh by the way, I have a preferred candidate I forgot to tell you about, after you’ve screened 100 candidates.
  • Changing their mind about which specific position they want offered to a candidate after the offer is already made!
  • Being responsible for coordinating a large group to interview one person….along with travel time, hotels, airline, etc.

Recruiters – Key To A Productive Start For 2012!

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

Happy New Year! 

As most of you know, I am a huge fan of Brian Tracy.  I thought his post called “The Golden Hour” worth sharing as we head into the new year. 

I know when I practice the rules outlined during The Golden Hour as part of my Perfect Day Routine, I am happier AND more productive.

Speaking of being productive . . . we are excited about some of our upcoming events during January including: 

  • January 19th – Empowering Recruiters to Present A Business Case to the C-Suite – REGISTER NOW
  • January 19th – Release of our 2011 Benchmark Recruitment Metrics Benchmark Study – REGISTER NOW
  • January 19th – Announcement of the 7 Recruitment Organizations that qualified for our ‘Elite’ Honor Roll! REGISTER NOW

I hope you have a great start to the New Year!

David Szary

Holidays are the Best Time to Source Top Talent!

Thursday, December 15th, 2011

But do you have the Time to do it?  (Call to Action button:  – If you don’t have time to source during the holidays, we can help)

Studies indicate that the best time to connect with passive candidates is during the holidays and into January.  
 
Why?

  • Most are reflecting on the past year, the new year — and they are vulnerable to “listen” to new opportunities
  • Let’s face it — work slows down and they have more time to take a call, meet for a cup of coffee, or sit down and talk!
  • Many will know their ‘fate’ with respect to a year-end bonus. They will know what it is and when it will be paid out.  If they are not happy, they will start a job search so they are prepared to leave once they have received it.

Now this doesn’t mean they will LEAVE their company and start with a new organization during this time. Rather, it presents a great opportunity to connect with top talent and start a positive dialog about your organization and their future goals.  

As discussed in a recent blog most corporations struggle filling approximately 25% of their openings (average TTF for those positions – 113 days!)

Why?

  • Requisition management issues (common triggers – managers not engaged, position goes on hold but still being counted, sourcing req’s tainting data, etc.)
  • Sourcing issue (recruiters not spending the time and/or don’t have the expertise to recruit passive, top talent)

CALL TO ACTION!

If you are not taking advantage of this GREAT TIME to recruit top talent for your difficult to fill positions, we recommend:

  • Dedicating the time to do it! Maybe have fun with a sourcing blitz contest with your team? 
  • Outsourcing it! If you don’t have time to do it (or it is not your cup of tea).

There are quality firms out there that will identify and recruit top talent from your competition for half the cost of recruitment agencies. I will shamelessly plug our sister firm – The RIO Group.  I have seen time and time again how they have deployed targeted recruitment strategies to fill difficult positions and/or develop talent pipelines and your database of talented professionals.

THE TIME IS NOW!

I would recommend running a sixty day report and identifying those positions that are critical to your organization and . . . devise a plan to source for them over the next 45 days.  From experience, it could be the best solution you can implement to start the New Year off right!

10 Dumbest Things Recruiters Do!!

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

So why do we keep doing them?

John Sullivan recently published an article “Top 10 Dumbest things Recruiters do….!

The results further confirmed what we have been preaching for years! :)

Specifically –it is not ONE thing that Elite recruiters do differently, rather . . . it is that they do everything 10%+ better!

It is ‘technique vs. task.’ 

Let’s face it – We all play the same game and do the same tasks. We perform intake sessions with managers, source/interview candidates, manage the hiring process, deliver offers, etc. 

It is those that master the art of each task (IE – proper technique) that are ‘Elite’.  Those that work on their technique rather than just ‘check the box’ and say – - I did the task.

  • Ask employees for referrals – CHECK
  • Do an intake session and post position – CHECK
  • Qualify candidate compensation/career motives – CHECK

But did you do a good job and execute each task flawlessly?

Bottom Line – I find the majority of recruiters do not work at their craft and keep doing dumb things!

Why? Because:

  • They already think they know it all.
  • They don’t really care to get better.
  • They are looking for the ‘silver bullet’ piece of technology or tool to solve their problems that never materialize.
  • It is hard work! 

I love two quotes by Brian Tracy:

Good habits are hard to create and easy to live with”

“Bad habits are easy to create but hard to live with”

As we roar into 2012, are you ready to ‘self-reflect’ and . . . stop doing dumb things :) ?

Are you Ready to create some new good habits?

We have created a Recruiter Competency/Skill Self-Assessment Tool to help you baseline your current performance and develop strategies to improve.

We have had over 2500 recruiters participate nationally!  It is free and . . . we will send you your results (compared to industry averages) once you have completed it! 

I hope you have a Perfect Day and Mr. Sullivan’s survey results (and this blog) inspire you to become an ‘Elite Recruiter’!

Answers to Questions Regarding Lean Recruiting!

Tuesday, November 29th, 2011

Learn what Henry Ford Health System did to improve recruiting performance.

Two weeks ago, Barb Matti, Director of Employment for Henry Ford Health System, facilitated a webinar regarding their recruitment organization’s “Lean, Transformation Journey”.

It was our most well attended webinar of the season with over 450 attendees! Because of time, we could not answer all the questions from interested participants.

Barb was gracious to answer the questions outlined below.

If you want to view the webinar – click here

I hope you’re having a Perfect Day!

 

It sounds like it was a mix of strategies to achieve your successes (new ATS, jobs2web and LEAN initiative)…but would you say was the biggest single contributor to the success thus far?

It really was a package deal. Doing the LEAN hiring process improvements without the new ATS and advanced Sourcing technology would not have worked. I would recommend you start with the LEAN review which helps identify the problem areas and things like technology will quickly service as contributors to success as well!

 

Was there a consultant who you worked with during this initiative?

We did look at metrics and staffing resource planning development with David Szary from LEAN Human Capital when we implemented the organizational model. The ATS and new hiring process implementations were all done in-house. David also helped with providing information on what other companies may/may not be doing as we were benchmarking along the way.

 

What do your Sourcing Specialists do if their job family is light on requisitions?

They assist the Talent Selection Specialist with screening and phone interviewing. They will also help with other job families and continue efforts on building networks for their own assigned areas. They help support the interview blitz days in partnership with the TSS and Hiring Managers.

 

I know you routed fewer candidates to the hiring manager. But did recruiting end up screening fewer candidates as well? If so, how did you do that?

Yes. Talent Selection became more intentional on what and where they were posting. Having a focused posting strategy defined by an intake with the hiring manager is critical. We also built more robust screening questions in the ATS to help identify and screen out anyone who we do not think is best qualified – meeting both requirements and preferences as defined by the conversation during the intake.

 

Do you have service level agreements around the availability of hiring managers for interviews?

We have an SLA with hiring managers – however, shared accountability is a challenge that will never go away and the culture has not adapted to this practice consistently. Regular communication is the key and that starts with a clear well defined intake session so expectations are set from the beginning.

 

Is the On-Boarding Agent the main (only) contact for the candidate? How does the process work from the candidate’s standpoint?

The On-Boarding Agent is the only contact from the point of offer to start. Once the offer is accepted, the On-Boarding Agent contacts the candidate and they are given clear direction on what will be taking place and what is needed from them as it relates to pre-employment screening, background checks, benefits information, orientation enrollment, etc. The candidate meets with the On-Boarding Agent before they start to take care of things like the I9.

 

Did the Recruiters find the job more interesting when you removed some tasks (onboarding, sourcing, etc.)?

Yes, specifically this freed the Talent Selection team up to be more of a strategic partner to their managers and provide a higher touch candidate experience.

 

How is the Sourcer’s performance evaluated? What metrics do you track for them?

This has been a work in progress. We use source tracking, the number of resumes routed to Talent Selection, quality of candidate survey feedback, and social networking utilization. We are currently working with our ATS vendor to try and define a sourcing scorecard to follow candidates they have sourced through the workflow and link them to interviews/hires.

 

How does your requisition approval process work? Do you have any challenges with it?

Requisition approval is done through the ATS. This was one of the biggest challenges before we implemented the new system. We have multiple BUs with different approval committees. However, we were able to identify a process and it is automated. The automation helped to minimize the number of days jobs were sitting with managers because the approval flow is all real-time and can be viewed by the submitting manager and Talent Selection so we can see what is pending approval.

 

How do you separate sourcing req’s from EEO tracking obligations?

Applicants who apply to the Sourcing reqs are also subject to the EEO tracking requirements. We have a process in which the applicants from the sourcing reqs are eventually linked to an active req.

 

Do you survey hiring managers regarding quality of hire after 45 days (IE – 6 months, 1 year)?

We do not currently but plan to add a 6 month time frame next year.

 

In your model, who schedules the candidate interview with the hiring manager? Who makes the offers?

The managers schedule their interviews and in most cases TS makes the offer.

 

How do you function with such a small # of Sourcers considering all the different talent pipelines that need to be developed in healthcare?

We tweaked the model over the last two years and don’t feel this is small. We have the right mix to support the different needs of our organization. You have to define what Sourcing is and which job families really need sourcing and that becomes the focus of the job. Sourcers are not assigned to all jobs.

 

At what point do the Sourcers hand the candidate off to the Talent Specialist? Do the Sourcers make offers?

Sourcing will do the initial outreach to pre-screen and will do phone interviews. Once a candidate is pre-qualified, they are routed to the TS through the ATS. Sourcers are not involved in the offer process.

Some Cool Stuff at HealthcareSource!

Friday, November 11th, 2011

I was asked to speak at the HealthcareSource User conference this year regarding our Recruitment Metrics Benchmark Study Trends.

It was an excellent conference in many respects but what jumped out most to me was  . . . how they have listened to their customers

The updates to their core products and introduction of new products (including SourcingManager) seem spot on.  

HealthcareSource recently partnered with ASHHRA on the 2011 Healthcare HR Initiatives Survey*.  They solicited input from healthcare human resource professionals regarding top initiatives for reducing costs, improving patient satisfaction, and patient safety.  69% of respondents chose “streamlining HR processes” as the key HR initiative to cut costs!  

This is what we preach and teach every day! :)

With that critical information in mind, they have made significant updates to Position Manager to make it simple, easy and efficient to use.  In addition, they are adding a host of reporting capabilities that will allow them to provide the key data required at the enterprise, department, and individual level to quantify a recruitment organization ROI to key stakeholders and drive performance improvement initiatives!

The fact that they will pull most of the data required to participate in our Healthcare Recruitment Benchmark Study (free of charge) is an added bonus :) .

I was also really impressed with their new Sourcing Manager product!  Again – they have made it simple, easy and efficient to manage all job board postings within a few clicks.  It is similar to a top end catalog shopping experience. Quick, easy and efficient.

Most importantly – it provides the analytical platform required to analyze your recruitment advertising spend.  While many products/agencies focus on Cost per Click or Cost per Application, SourcingManager provides process efficiency metrics from ‘Click to Hire’.  They provide cost per hire and benchmark data across job boards. Cool, Cool, stuff. 

They truly understand the principles important to Lean, efficient staffing process. And that the goal is not ‘clicks’ or applications’ . . . IT IS QUALITY HIRES! :) .  

It is great to see folks listening to the customer and developing solutions to meet their needs.

Recruiters – The Backbone of an Organization!

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

I’d like to share a thought I had on the road this week.  Having had the opportunity to analyze recruitment performance at over 100 health systems throughout the nation, the statement “Nurses are the backbone of the health care delivery system” often comes up. This flattering statement is well deserved!  With RNs making up 23% of our health care system’s workforce . . . nurses literally are the backbone given their dominant presence in the hallways :) !

With that said, I want to be the unofficial first person (I’m probably not but . . .) to say that “Recruiters are the backbone of each and every organization” we work for!  We are the folks that identify the talented candidates that drive our organization’s success. 

Given this fact, it amazes me that:

  • There is no degree in Recruiting (IE – Bachelor’s of Science in Business – Major: Talent Acquisition :) )
  • Many in recruiting view the position as a ‘stepping stone’ versus a ‘destination’ role.
  • Most have learned their craft thru unstructured ‘over the shoulder’, webinars, or conference learning sessions!
  • We often don’t get the credit we deserve regarding our organizations overall performance.  If we didn’t find/recruit the top talent. . . .?

So what does wearing this lofty new title mean?  

  • You need to be educated on the art & science of recruiting.  Of course I will plug our Recruiter Certification Program as a powerful structured educational program.  But, if not ours, find one and take it!
  • Be proud to be ‘the backbone of the organization’!  Recruiting, in my mind, is a destination role in an organization.
  • Remember that respect is earned!  Effective recruitment skills + strong knowledge of the business/service line you recruit for = respect from key stakeholders (hiring managers, candidates, executives, etc.)!

I hope you are having a Perfect Week.

Seeking Presenters to Share Thier Story!

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

As I reflect on the unofficial close to ‘Conference Season’ for the holidays, I am further convinced that what makes a conference great (to me) are the dynamic presenters that:

  • Are motivational
  • Are funny
  • Have real life experiences/case studies to share
  • All of the above!

From my conversations with other professionals at these events, I seem to be part of the majority that think this way.  There’s nothing worse than listening to a person pontificating on the abstract theory of a topic telling you ‘what’ you should be doing. 

I would rather hear the un-sanitized ‘real life’ case study related to something we all struggle with or want to learn about. I want the ‘how to’ strategies. I want to hear about the challenges and the success story regarding the journey!

We try to provide this type of experience when presenting at conferences or via our webinars.  So, I’d like to shamelessly plug our next webinar!   

Henry Ford Health System’s Journey to Migrate to a Lean, JIT Recruitment Organization!
Presented by Barb Matti, Director of Talent Acquisition at Henry Ford Health System
November 2, 2011 from 1:00-2:00 PM EDT
Register Now

In addition, I want to encourage all of you folks that are motivational, funny or . . . have real life experiences/case studies to share . . . TO SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US! 

The National Association for Health Care Recruitment (NAHCR) is currently seeking presenters (Call for Presenters) for their Annual IMAGE Conference which will take place in Indianapolis next July!  They’re seeking presentations that involve “real life” programs and case studies including topics such as: Allied Health/Nurse Recruitment, Behavioral Interviewing, HR Role in Investigations, Health Care Best Practices, Health Care Recruitment in Non Acute Care Settings, Recognition Programs, etc. 

If you have not attended IMAGE before, I can assure you that it is a great conference!  

ALSO…..If you have  a case study to share, we would love to discuss spotlighting you on one of our webinars! Just email us.

The benefits of being an industry presenter include:

  • Being recognized as a credible spokesperson within our industry
  • Public recognition for your peers/team
  • Forcing you to document your case study for internal customers to learn about
  • Getting a chance to network with other industry thought leaders :)

I hope you take the opportunity to share your story!

PS – Take a look at the poll results from last weeks blog show below.

 

Are you a 'fan' of video interviewing?

 

Are you considering utilizing video interviewing in the next year?

 

Are You Currently Utilizing Video Interviewing in Your Hiring Process?

Are You a Fan of Video Interviewing?

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011

Last week I was interviewed by HealthcareSource regarding my thoughts on video interviewing.

I have to say that overall, I am a big fan of video interviewing (and Interview Manager® :) ) for a variety of reasons including: 

  • Interviewing ‘out of market’ candidates – - Why wouldn’t you have a dynamic video interview prior to bringing someone in? It is good for both parties to ‘meet’ in a two-dimensional format to see if it makes sense to move forward and the cost savings (versus just a phone view prior to flying a candidate in) are HUGE!!!
  • It allows managers to review and compare candidates.  This is a really cool feature!
  • The entry portal can provide a really professional candidate experience including the ability to provide video links, etc.
  • Remote managers can participate in the interview – - saving time/money for all parties.
  • Candidates that do not have a video camera get one FOR FREE!  So those folks that you might think are ‘technology phobic’ (because they don’t have a camera) . . . can see how easy it is to use :) .
  • Helps drive a Lean, efficient staffing process!

One of my clients commented “If I could just get more candidate to meet with my managers, they would get excited about our facility, location, and job opportunity.  But I often can’t get them to fly in to visit us!”  What a wonderful, risk free way to engage both parties to explore and see if there is a mutual interest!?

One candidate commented that video interviewing can also set a positive tone about how leading edge the organization is regarding technology (a good thing!). “If HR is using new technology . . . I bet the entire facility is!”   

I have another client starting to implement a video interview platform for all entry level campus hiring.  This is a great way to consistently evaluate candidates in a market segment used to using technology.  Of course this platform probably isn’t the right tool for your non-exempt hires. 

For many situations, video interviewing makes perfect sense to me!  But, I’m curious what you folks think.  Please provide us with your input by responding to the polls below.  I will publish the results of what you’re thinking next week :) !