http://betterhiringtoday.com Helping managers to pick the right person for the job, every time. Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:15:08 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Friends and readers - as you have probably guessed by now, BHT is on hiatus.  You can expect the team here to crank back up sometime in Q4 2010. Thanks, and stay tuned! --Adam http://betterhiringtoday.com/2010/06/22/bht-on-hiatus/ Welcome to the next decade! If you're anything at all like most people, you've taken at least a few moments to think about your resolutions for the new year.  Maybe you're going to finally use that gym membership you've been paying $79.95 a month for (for the past three years), or ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2010/01/05/whats-your-new-years-recruiting-resolution/ You've seen this movie before: Manager interviews "superstar" salesperson and feels relieved that this prayers have been answered.  Superstar candidate negotiates a base salary and draw that's way out of the comfort zone of the manager, but, hey, she's going to be worth every penny.  One month into the relationship, nothing ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/12/21/hiring-salespeople-on-a-temp-to-perm-basis/ The American Staffing Association's index measuring changes in temporary employment rose to a monthly reading of 75 in August from 71 in July (out of a baseline value of 100, which was pegged in June 2006).  The index has risen for six consecutive weeks since the July 4 holiday, the ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/08/28/staffing-index-rises-for-4th-straight-month/ Here in Chicago, where unemployment  in June topped 11%, the market for full-time professional positions is very, very tight.  Large employers here are very hesitant to increase permanent headcount, but are finding that their lean workforces aren't keeping up with demand. The solution?  Hiring contractors. Last week, I met with a large ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/07/29/firms-shifting-to-contact-based-workforce/ While the unemployment rate in the Information Technology sector is faring better than in other job categories, it's still not rosy.  A new survey out yesterday explains why. Almost half (46%) of all information technology organizations plan to cut headcount this year, according to a survey of 200 IT executives released ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/07/16/46-of-it-shops-plan-to-cut-headcount-in-2009/ If there's one upside to a recession, it's the fact that great candidates abound.  Just twelve months ago, companies were scrambling to find people for skilled positions in sales, IT, and finance.  Companies find themselves fishing in a much deeper pond these days, and I am increasingly hearing that the the problem ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/07/13/recession-lean-hr-too-many-candidates/ This recession is longer, deeper, and more painful than many business managers were prepared to handle.  When things turn around – and they will – the expectations for the relationship between employer and employee will be dramatically different.  A few key statistics highlight the coming shifts in the US workforce. Here’s ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/07/06/the-changing-us-workforce-%e2%80%93-what-managers-need-to-know/ Sometimes it feels like companies make a concerted effort to drive their top-producing salespeople out of the organization and into the welcoming arms of the competition.  If you read that line and chuckle, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. After all the time and effort expended to locate, hire, ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/06/20/how-to-make-your-top-salesperson-quit/ I recently had the opportunity to speak with a number of bank executives on the topic of recruiting investment advisors, and thought I'd share with you, in the words of these bank execs, the specific traits and experiences that top-producing investment advisories look for when hiring representatives.  The list, in no ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/06/12/hiring-investment-reps-part-2-what-to-look-for/ If you're a local or regional bank and run an in-house investment advisory practice, chances are that you've struggled with finding good talent.  You're not alone. What are some things we know about recruiting investment reps?  For starters, we know that there aren't enough of them out there.  Scratch that.  There aren't ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/06/04/hiring-investment-reps-part-1-whats-the-scoop/ Leading online job board Careerbuilder.com mailed out their Q2 Employment Outlook this week, and although it's about a month late (it's mid-May, after all) there are some good nuggests of data that I'd like to share with you. At at a high level, Careerbuilder's survey reveals that US employers are "holding ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/05/15/parsing-careerbuildercoms-q2-us-employment-outlook-report/ It's no secret that US immigration policy is a train wreck.  The country has millions of undocumented workers performing jobs that Americans won't fill, and these workers fill a critical gap in the US labor pool.  The agriculture and hospitality industries are particularly dependent on this workforce, and employers in ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/05/05/government-targeting-employers-that-hire-illegal-immigrants/ Pick up a copy of the May 11, 2009 issue of Business Week, and on the cover you'll see a Hermann Miller chair with a gigantic sign perched on it that reads, "Help Wanted."  The caption declares, "the US has 3 million job openings" and goes on to tease us ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/05/04/commenting-on-business-weeks-help-wanted-story/ Business owners and managers are tasked with getting the most possible productivity out of their team - it's all about motivating and inspiring people to do their absolute best.  The Talent Review is a  tool that managers can employ to ensure that they've got the right people in the right ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/04/28/why-you-should-conduct-a-talent-review/ Talk to anyone in the professional search business lately, and you'll be speaking with someone whose outlook on their profession ranks just above "middle manager at Chrysler."  In other words, it ain't lookin' good. In the contingent search industry, times are downright desperate.  While this segment of the professional search marketplace has been under ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/04/25/why-2009-will-forever-change-the-search-industry/ Being from Chicago, where venturing outside during 7 out of every 12 months can give you hypothermia, it was a welcome relief this week to be in New Orleans for the Fortune Small Business Conference, where the weather has been fantastic.  The focus was on sales and marketing, and several ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/04/23/hiring-lessons-from-the-fortune-small-business-conference/ Companies that consistently produce top recruiting results never do so by accident. That these firms tend to outperform their industry peers is the end result of a journey that began with putting the right people in the right seats. How do the successful managers of these leading companies build high-performing ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/04/18/the-five-recruiting-habits-of-highly-successful-managers/ For many managers, the most challenging aspect of creating a job profile is understanding the relationship between compensation and candidate ability.  It's an interesting paradox - nobody wants to overpay for work performed, but everyone wants an employee who's at the top of their game.  Entrepreneurs and business managers dream of ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/04/07/creating-a-compensation-plan-part-2-researching-compensation-ranges/ Here's a summary of a recent conversation that I had with a regular client, who asked for some help with creating a Job Profile for one of his company's new open roles: Me:  So, tell me about what you'd like to see happen during the first 12 months of this person's ... http://betterhiringtoday.com/2009/04/01/creating-a-compensation-plan-part-1-before-you-begin-recruiting/