THE AGGREGATOR

Building Lead Generation

2006-04-28T16:28:00.000-05:00

1. Build a database of the right contacts at the right companies.

Not every business can or will buy from your company, no matter how aggressively you market to them. The trick is to determine which companies appear to have a need for what you're selling, are receptive to working with your kind and size of company, and have the ability to buy when the time's right. Then aim your marketing at them.

I recommend you start by rounding up all the miscellaneous lists of suspects, prospects and customers at your company. Give them to a third-party list service to help you merge them, purge duplicates, update postal addresses and append information such as industry and company size. Microsoft can help with the third-party list services offered on its Marketing Services for Partners site at www.mspartnerdirect.com. Next, ask the third-party list service to add those companies and contacts that resemble your best customers and those in specific vertical or niche markets where you've determined there's a clear need for your services and products. Building the database and cleaning the data is tedious. But keep in mind that your database will be the foundation of half of your marking-for-leads efforts.

2. Use direct marketing to regularly reach all your marketing database contacts.
You should use the database to drive regular direct marketing campaigns via direct mail, e-mail and telemarketing. I recommend you plan to use direct marketing to touch prospects at least once a quarter. Better, aim to touch them with direct marketing monthly. But because nobody's perfect, settle for nine or 10 times a year.

This approach also works well for nurturing your not-yet-qualified or longer-term prospects. And they are worth it! My research with Microsoft and its partners shows that the short-term buyers -- those who buy within six months -- represent only a quarter of the sales that will happen. The other three out of four sales occur between six months and two years later.

3. Include multiple offers or calls-to-action for different sales cycle stages.
I recommend you always make more than one offer; each designed to appeal to people at different stages of the sales cycle. For example, offer info kits, whitepapers and case studies for those early in their consideration/buying process. Offer worksheets, checklists, webinars or live seminars for those a bit further along. Offer demos, assessments, quotations and “if you buy now ..." offers for those who are ready to move forward with their buying decision.

4. Organize your Web site to help move prospects from awareness to consideration to inquiry to sales.

Instead of scaring prospective customers away with confusing or out-of-date information on your Web site, consider re-focusing its content to help your prospects determine that your company is their best choice. [For more advice on organizing your site and optimizing it for search engines, see Mac's July and November 2005 columns. -- Ed.]

5. Involve the sales team when creating sales tools.
If your salespeople turn more of your marketing-generated leads into sales, you won't have to generate as many leads and you will get a higher return on both your marketing and sales investments. So what tools do they need? Start by asking them, or ride along on sales call and see for yourself.

Yes, this is a pretty basic recipe. But I'm always surprised how many Microsoft partners blow their budget on fancy or expensive marketing tactics that don't get results. Instead, I recommend you start with this basic, but proven, recipe. Add fancier and more expensive marketing ingredients to the mix later, when you can afford to experiment.

You can contact M.H. about "A Tasty Recipe for Lead Generation" at editor@rcpmag.com.

Does BC Really Need All Those Temps?

2006-02-28T19:38:00.001-06:00

It's that pregnant man syndrome again.

In the 1970s, the mayor of Montreal assured his nervous taxpayers that the Olympic Games in the city could no more go into cost overruns than a man could get pregnant. Montreal is only now, three expensive decades later, able to retire the debt load the 1976 Olympics created there.

In early February, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympics (VANOC) elicited angry responses from critics by announcing the need for the provincial and federal governments to cough up another $55 million each to cover projected cost overruns on games construction.

The BTY Group, a research organization serving the local construction industry, is currently predicting construction costs in BC will escalate by 50 percent between 2005 and 2010.

To date, there are no reports of male pregnancy in BC, but the call for additional funding has sparked a vigorous debate about Olympic costs, especially those expenses associated with wages for skilled workers.

Spokespeople for the non-union sector of the construction industry, like the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association's Philip Hochstein, have blamed escalating labour costs for the overrun, with increases in land, material and fuel costs also implicated.

Now, calls are being heard in some business circles for the federal government to solve the problem of rising labour costs by bringing large numbers of foreign workers into the country on temporary permits.

The Sydney approach

Contacted by The Tyee, Maureen Douglas, a media spokeswoman for VANOC, was unable to comment on how much of the expected overrun was due to labour costs. She also declined to comment on whether VANOC supported Hochstein's call for the federal government to admit a large number of temporary workers during the pre-games building boom.

Colin Hansen, the BC minister responsible for the Olympics, was unavailable for comment on these questions before this story went to press. However, the new BC budget, announced February 21, set aside four hundred million dollars over the next four years for skills and training initiatives.

Union spokespeople within the construction trades are highly skeptical about the foreign worker proposal, noting that they have been predicting Olympic cost overruns for years and offering governments and games organizers a deal that would avoid such losses.

They blame the government and VANOC's unwillingness to create a labour accord similar to the one that kept costs within budget at the Sydney games in 2000, as well as the Campbell Liberals' creation of budget-busting "fast track" arrangements for Olympic construction contracts for creating the problem.

They say the non-union construction industry wants to import off-shore labour to address problems it created by failing to train adequate numbers of new apprentices and by lobbying government to fast-track Olympic projects and exempt these projects from almost all existing statutes. As early as 2003, the BC and Yukon Building and Construction Trades Council's Wayne Peppard warned that legislation designed to fast-track Olympic construction and exempt it from ordinary regulatory procedures ran the risk of creating a disaster for taxpayers. In 2005, Peppard told CBC radio news that a failure to negotiate an umbrella labour accord for the Olympics meant that the games building projects were in danger of out of control cost increases and possible job actions.

Service Canada 'captured'

The Tyee met with Hochstein, whose presentation was laced with equal measures of salty language, power point slides and statistics. The construction industry in BC suffered during the NDP years in the 90s, he said, as did the industry across Canada, which experienced one year (1993) of losses and many of minimal profits. In BC, the industry only began to recover when the Campbell Liberals took power. Now, facing the prospect of over eighty billion dollars in Olympic and other major project construction between now and 2010, the industry is plagued by shortages of skilled journeymen in most construction trades and needs the federal government to speed up admission of skilled workers on temporary work permits immediately.

However, Hochstein claims Service Canada, the federal body within Human Resources and Skills Development Canada responsible for assessing the need for such permits, has been "captured" by organized labour and this takeover means that the industry is unable to import the temporary workers it needs to hit 2010's ambitious building goals.

Hochstein says there is a productivity crisis in the Canadian construction industry, driven, in part, by the rapid expansion in the industry work force in the last few years and the lack of older journeymen to mentor and train the thousands of new hires generated by the industry turnaround and pre-Olympics expansion. He says that real construction wages fell significantly during the 90s when measured in constant dollars. The loss to workers, he says, helped subsidize lower prices for the industry's customers as it coped with increasingly costly supplies and materials.

20,000 new temps?

In 1966, Hochstein said, 9.6 percent of immigrants to Canada were construction workers. By 1994, only 1.3 percent of landed immigrants were construction workers, and by now, that figure was below one percent. In 2004, Hochstein said, 74 percent of landed immigrants were non-workers.

"We need," he said, "to change this distorted mix in immigration. We need a system that will make it as easy to bring in construction workers as it is now to bring in information technology workers. Everybody understands there is a shortage, but the structure for bringing in construction workers is unrealistic and bureaucratic. The trade union movement has captured Service Canada. The unions have been very effective in getting government to put up barriers."

Hochstein told The Tyee that the last federal government was "too close to labour," but that he and his member companies were hopeful the Harper Conservatives would be more sympathetic. He would, he said, like to see up to 20,000 additional construction workers admitted on work permits between now and 2010. These workers, he said, would not only help control labour costs, but also would help train and mentor younger Canadian workers, helping to address productivity problems within the industry.

In 2004/2005, work permits for foreign workers in all categories brought just fewer than 20,000 workers to BC, according to a spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Roughly a third of these permit-holding workers in BC are "live-in caregivers", the government's euphemism for nannies and figures provided by Service Canada suggest that construction workers constitute only a small section of the remaining workers admitted.

Hochstein's call for 20,000 additional temporary workers may seem like a lot, but it is modest in comparison to the ambitions of Curtis Panke of World Wide Immigration Consultancy Services, a Toronto-based company, who told the Times of India in February 2005 that "British Columbia is on the lookout for 30,000 skilled tradesmen from India to build necessary infrastructure for the 2010 Winter Olympics….Initially these people will get work permits. Late, they will be offered permanent residency."

How great a shortage?

Richard McPhee, a Vancouver lawyer specializing in immigration law, has worked for BC construction companies who want to see skilled workers admitted to Canada as soon as possible to address what they see as a crisis in labour supply.

"There is strong anecdotal evidence there is a shortage of skilled labour in construction," he told The Tyee. "But when the Service Canada Foreign Worker Recruitment Program tries to document this for a Labour Market Opinion, they have problems completing it, and they have to consider what the unions say. The unions tell me they're telling the feds that there is no shortage. Definitely, the LMO is at the heart of the problem."

LMO's are documents assessing labour supply. The procedure for issuing temporary work permits for foreign workers depends upon an LMO that suggests workers are in short supply in a particular job category in Canada, and upon requirements that companies wanting to import temporary foreign workers advertise widely in Canada to try to fill their job openings on shore. If Service Canada issues an LMO that identifies a need in the labour market, the final responsibility for issuing work permits falls to Citizenship and Immigration Canada. This ministry, contacted by The Tyee, declined to comment for this story and referred all questions to Service Canada.

At the Vancouver offices of Service Canada, Ron Marshall, a ministry spokesman, was dismissive of Hochstein's suggestion that unions had captured his office.

"We work on applications as they come in, on a case by case basis. We're non-partisan. Our Labour Market Opinions determine whether permissions are granted," he said.

Attempt at agreement failed

So, are the trade unions now controlling Canadian immigration policy, and, in the process, crippling efforts to bring in the Olympic Games on time and on budget? Not guilty, say union spokespeople contacted by The Tyee.

Peppard rejects the claim that he or any other trade union official has captured the federal bureaucracy. Further, he regrets what he sees as a lost Olympic opportunity.

"We supported the games bid, and early on, we tried to initiate discussions with Jack Poole and then John Furlong at the organizing committee, as well as with federal and provincial politicians. We were arguing for the sort of umbrella agreement on labour that worked so well at the Sydney games," Peppard said.

"After a series of meetings over two and a half years," Peppard said, "it became clear that there would be no project agreement. When we have project agreements, we're always willing to give when we get. If they'd linked us into a project agreement for venues, the byproduct would have been an established, collaborative agreement. We have contacts across Canada and internationally. We could have helped with labour supply and training. But these guys are slaves to their free market philosophy."

Peppard said temporary workers from offshore are a problem in themselves. "We support workers immigrating to Canada, but temporary worker programs never work."

'Targeting aboriginal communities'

A provincial program, the BC Provincial Nominee Program, based on an agreement between the province and the federal government, nominates workers and business people for landed immigrant status, as opposed to temporary work permits. This program nominated just fewer than 600 potential immigrants in fiscal year 2005-2006, Ian Mellor, Investor Services Director at the provincial program, told The Tyee. Approximately 100 of these nominees were business people, and not all the remaining nominees were construction trades people, so this alternative entry path does not begin to address the number of foreign workers that Hochstein wants to see admitted.

Perley Holmes is skeptical about Hochstein's claim that BC needs foreign workers on temporary documents to reach its Olympic goals. Holmes, the business manager for Local 97 of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers, spoke to The Tyee in a recent phone interview.

"We haven't had a problem staffing jobs," Holmes said. "We've got 15 locals in Canada and 180 in the US. I've currently got 100 ironworkers on a list waiting to come out. We're running a training course now with a union firm and we graduate 10 a month. We're targeting aboriginal communities and preparing young people for good jobs. It's the companies that don't train apprentices that want to bring in foreign workers."

"There's a pattern here," said Holmes. "Hochstein and the BC Liberals worked to sabotage apprenticeship programs run by government and non-union companies do very little to train apprentices. Now they want to bring in offshore workers on a temporary basis to try to fix the problems they've created."

Both Holmes and Peppard had a similar response when they were asked about the claim that unions had captured and blocked the admission process for foreign workers: a hearty laugh and rueful suggestion they wish they had as much power as Hochstein attributes to them.

And so the debate continues, as voices on both sides grow, in the words of the Olympic motto, "faster, stronger, higher."

It remains to be seen whether the new Conservative government will respond to business pressure to increase admissions for foreign construction workers and whether such co-operation with the business agenda will protect taxpayers from an ugly debt surprise the day after the Olympic torch is quenched.

Construction industry spokesmen continue to call for more foreign workers and union leaders continue to bemoan lost opportunities for a collaborative arrangement that would have created an event both fairer and more affordable.

As usual, some of the most interesting and strenuous Olympic events are occurring off the ski slope and playing field, in back offices and public policy arguments.

Golden Age For Job Headhunters

2006-02-06T13:51:00.001-06:00

Skills shortages are forcing employers to become more creative in their recruitment. As Susannah Moran reports, some Australian companies are even waiting at the school gate.

"We have found the younger generation less interested in the brand and more what the organisation can offer them."

Jacqui Davis

NAB spokeswoman For 19-year-old former Australian schoolboys' rugby captain Pauliasi Taumoepeau it was an offer too good to refuse – a gig with Macquarie Bank earning good money and schmoozing the top end of town.

Skills shortages, the booming economy and poaching by overseas firms mean million-dollar recruitment programmes run by local companies are looking beyond university graduates towards mature-age career changers and school leavers like Taumoepeau.

Increases in vacancies for graduates in Australia this year range from 7.4 per cent in banking to almost 50% in the mining sector.

As such, most new recruits across accounting, law and finance start work next week firmly in control.

Some fresh-faced graduates in their early 20s have been paid sign-on bonuses and will spend their first year earning close to six-figure salaries.

Others have demanded evidence of work-life balance and the opportunity for free overseas jaunts as part of their training – even though companies know staff feel increasingly able to jump ship when a better offer arises.

Next month about 150 graduates will start at Macquarie in Australia, and up to 100 more will join the bank worldwide next month.

A spokeswoman says the bank has increased its intake of graduates into accounting, risk management and property roles as well as the more traditional corporate finance, research, sales and trading.

But there are also places available for recent school leavers, she says.

Taumoepeau was approached after he finished private school in 2004 and has spent the past year working at Macquarie Bank Sport, an offshoot of the bank that aims to introduce children to sports.

As well as coaching students Taumoepeau gets to work within the investment bank.

At the moment he is learning about trading and foreign commodities.

Taumoepeau, who plays rugby for the University of Sydney and studies at the Australian College of Physical Education, speaks highly of the opportunities and business knowledge that Macquarie Bank has given him – as well as the perks such as lunches.

"(There's) too much of that sometimes, you get spoilt," he says.

It's a far cry from the days of the early 1990s, when even postgraduates struggled to find a job, let alone one of their choice.

The accounting sector, which hires about a quarter of all graduates, has increased the number of its graduate roles on offer this year by 12.6%, according to research by the Australian Association of Graduate Employees.

Another major recruiter, the banking and finance sector, has boosted its intake by 7.4%.

The largest growth in vacancies was in mining (up 49.2%) and in pharmaceuticals and chemicals (up 42.3%).

Graduate salaries are also on the rise, by about 3% across all industries; those starting out in the mining and banking sectors enjoy the highest pay packets. For example, the average starting salary in the mining industry is $A58,000 ($NZ63,716), according to AAGE, and aspiring investment bankers start on an average of $A53,800. But that's before perks such as bonuses, cars and other benefits.

Graduate recruitment has become a big business – many firms have a dedicated team of people that work campuses year-round. Others outsource stages of the process, such as assessment days, to large recruitment firms such as Hudson.

But to get a placement at the firm of their choice today's graduates will have to attend interviews, undergo psychology tests and be analysed on how well they work within a team in a series of role-plays.

Firms may sponsor campus activities, career fairs and offer free seminars but grads soon learn there is no such thing as a free drink – even an invitation to a cocktail party is a thinly disguised attempt by the firm to observe their graduates in a social environment.

And they have to be all-rounders with a job history, hobbies and other interests and be interesting to talk to. Playing on a sports team is highly regarded.

NAB has about 200 graduates across Australia, most of whom joined the bank this month. They will be placed across business units such as MLC, the banks' wealth-management arm, business and private banking, technology, agribusiness and finance.

Graduate recruitment has become a big business – many firms have a dedicated team of people that work campuses year-round.

Spokeswoman Jacqui Davis says the bank has done a lot of research on graduates and what they think of banking. "We have found the younger generation less interested in the brand and more what the organisation can offer them," she says.

As a result, this year the bank will focus more on "soft skills" such as leadership, communication and problem-solving abilities.

At ANZ, the program manager of the graduate program, Jarrod Stooke, says the bank is happy to take on people in their 30s and 40s who have had a career change – former teachers or policemen – as they often bring personal experience and understanding to the job.

About 220 recruits will start with the bank this year in areas such as banking, human resources and information technology, and Stooke says not all are drawn from the commerce faculties.

"We are a diverse employer, it doesn't matter what they have studied, we look at arts and humanities students." He says graduates have a short-term outlook and his challenge is to convince them that the bank can meet their career goals in the long term.

Top-tier law firm Mallesons, which will take on about 120 graduates this year, is changing its training program to take into account the fact that young lawyers are moving into in-house positions, to investment banks or heading overseas after just a few years as a lawyer. Young lawyers are now thinking in two-year blocks, rather than three or five or even 10 years.

"You will not have people coming in to law firms thinking this is where they will necessarily end up," says partner Julie Ward. "So what we are offering them is to make them a bit more commercial."

Ward says the firm is also able to attract top students by being able to offer them overseas experience, and after the firm's recent merger with Hong Kong firm Kwok & Yih, it is now offering grad placements in Hong Kong.

Adele Brady, HR director at Freehills, says the firm sells itself on its clients and the type of work it does. "We find that (in view of) the quality of work (and) the fact that we consistently win awards, we don't have to do a lot to differentiate ourselves in their mind."

Brady says the lawyers often don't start with the law, instead they are taught about how a typical business works.

Law firm Clayton Utz, according to recruitment manager Fiona Spender, has increased its graduate numbers, developed good relationships with universities and offered students seminars and workshops as well as "generous" sponsorship of law societies.

Investment bank UBS also plans an aggressive boost of its graduate programme. Mike Davies, head of HR in the Asia-Pacific region, says this year UBS has 22 graduates starting on above-average salaries, and next year it is aiming to almost double its intake to 40. Graduates also get to spend six weeks at UBS's "finance academy" in London or America.

This year the investment bank is going to start a "UBS Bank Challenge" in five universities to show students what life is like working on a deal transaction.

Naturally, there will be a winner who will get to spend time with UBS.

At BHP Billiton, graduates are recruited for specific roles and are not treated as trainees, a spokeswoman says.

About 100 graduates are recruited each year to Australia's biggest mining company, from finance to geologists. A three-year development programme usually includes a short stint overseas.

A spokeswoman says the resources industry has difficulty finding skilled graduates, but given the skills shortage the problem is not limited to graduates.

One concern in the sector is that London firms are recruiting directly from universities, the HR director at Minter Ellison, Rolf Moses, says. The firm will take on about 85 graduates from some 2000 applications.

The accounting sector has one of the most widely respected recruitment processes – all the big firms have agreed to a code of conduct and have to make offers by a certain date.

Ernst & Young receives about 3000 applications for the several hundred jobs on offer and says that while good marks are important, they are looking for people who have other interests such as music, sport or drama.

But reassuringly for those not destined to shine, the firm looks for team players.

"We don't want everyone to be leaders," says the firm's national graduate recruitment manager, Melanie Machin.

She says Ernst & Young is changing its recruitment process so that instead of heading out to campus, they are inviting graduates to come in and meet staff and partners.

So, what happens if after all the investment the graduates just don't work out? Gaden's managing director, Michael Bradley, says it is best to let them know early.

While the recruitment process is designed to pick "Gaden's person" – a sense of humour is important – "sometimes we get it wrong".

"It is a short but sweet relationship," Bradley says. "We're very aggressive about letting people know where they stand at all areas of their career.

"If it is not going to work, we move them on. In a sense it's brutal but far more fair than just let them wither."

Careers in Human Resources

2006-02-03T10:03:00.000-06:00

Careers in Human Resources
Among the career options available to management graduates, the field of human resources is fast emerging as a challenging and lucrative one.

Among the different career options available to management graduates, the field of human resources (HR) is fast-emerging as a challenging and lucrative option. Before the 1990s, HR management meant administration and personnel management along with industrial relations. Post-90s, with liberalisation and globalisation, the concept of HR changed.

Once the economy opened, the economy moved from being manufacturing-based, to being knowledge-based and retail and IT etc., gained prominence. With globalisation, came competition. The products and services offered by Indian companies had to compete with global brands. This put pressure on organisational productivity and performance. Since organisational efficiency depended, to a large extent, on people, the way HR was managed changed and a lot of career options became available in HR. Also, with globalisation, companies began operating from different countries and hiring a workforce comprising various nationalities. The cultural challenges thus thrown up contributed to changing the way HR was perceived and managed.

“As an HR professional, one can be either a generalist or a specialist,” says Sanjeev Saxena, Manager, Organisational Effectiveness, Infosys. Some important specialist functions in HR are as follows:

Industrial relations

An IR professional takes care of the legal aspects of running an organisation in the context of HR. It is his job to ensure that all statutory requirements are met and there is an environment of peace within the organisation so that the employees can work effectively.

Recruitment

The objective of the recruitment section is to ensure that the organisation has the right set of people at the right time. “The recruitment function in emerging sectors like BPOs is very important because the attrition in these sectors is double-digit and the growth is 30-40 per cent. This calls for recruitment in large numbers,” says Nimish Khare, Manager HRD, Wipro. A recruitment executive needs the skills of a salesperson, that is, he needs to be number-oriented and target-driven. A recruitment executive would be required to handle different components like recruitment strategy, advertisement, screening, scheduling, selection, offer, joining, induction, market research and tools for recruitment.

To work in the recruitment function, one needs an MBA, preferably with a specialisation in HR, but increasingly those with a sales and marketing background are also getting into this field.

Compensation and benefits

Earlier compensation and benefits was just about payrolls, but now there is much more to it. Benchmark studies, which are used to gauge the industry norm for compensation for a particular profile, are an important part of compensation and benefits. “Compensation is both a motivation and an expense. Ideally, an organisation would like to maximise the former and minimise the latter. This makes the compensation function challenging,” says Saxena. This role has acquired additional significance in view of the fact that most companies operate in a global context these days. “For instance, Infosys is operating in 36 countries and in each country, it has to comply with the labour rules of that country. It is the job of the compensation and benefits section to ensure this happens,” adds Saxena.

To get into the recruitment function of any organisation, an MBA with a specialisation in HR is required. Those with a finance background generally have an edge over others.

Employee relations/ generalist HR

“It is the job of an executive working as a generalist HR professional to ensure the implementation of HR systems and processes. These include induction, employee welfare, performance appraisal, handling employee grievances, employee motivation and manpower planning and allocation,” says Khare. Those aspiring to get into the field of generalist HR must have an MBA with a specialisation in HR.

Organisational effectiveness/organisational development

Though these terms are used interchangeably, there is a difference between them. Organisational effectiveness focuses on design and implementation of new HR systems and policies. It deals with employee satisfaction, job evaluation, performance management, external and internal branding, HR strategy, HR analysis and advisory role. Organisational development focuses on developing the capability of employees through training and interventions. Both these functions require a high level of understanding of HR concepts and behavourial psychology.

A person who wants to make a career in any of these functions can get an MBA degree with a specialisation in HR and then develop as a generalist or specialist, based on their interest.

Consulting

Apart from working in the HR function of an organisation, an HR professional can also opt for consulting. Consulting is a good option for people who have a passion for creative solutions and have conceptual clarity. “It offers a steep learning curve, but at the same time is very challenging. Some of these challenges are working in the client environment, extensive travel and working with ambiguity,” says Saxena.

Where to study

Almost all MBA institutes, including the IIMs, offer a specialisation in HR. The best-known colleges for studying HR in India are Xaviers Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur; Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai; and Symbiosys, Pune.

Prerana Trehan

Cheap Recruiting Assistants in India

2006-01-22T23:55:00.000-06:00

Davey Manaster got a letter from a Indian woman offering to search job boards and other databases for candiates for a flat 12K/year. She calls herself a Remote Recruiting Assistant.

Rob McIntosh of Microsoft comments:

"I leverage such services... (administrivia, volume active candidate sourcing/pre-screening) so it frees us up to focus on the higher value/impact projects.

"....outsourcing the elements that are not core and can be done at lower cost without sacrificing quality should be a no brainer!"

Note: "leverage" means use like a lever to increase your power to do something.

Job Orders: Better, Faster, Smarter

2006-01-19T21:40:00.000-06:00

Job Orders: Better, Faster, Smarter
By Bill Radin

There’s both an art and a science to writing job orders. The science involves information: getting a description of the position, the selling points of the job, the company’s sense of urgency, and an idea of where to look for candidates.

The art has to do with gathering all this information quickly while building a rapport with the hiring manager and nailing down a fee agreement.

In theory, each new job order would read like a Michelin travel guide: a detailed roadmap of the position, the work environment, the manager, the company, the industry, the salary, the reporting relationships, and so on.

But in reality, it’s unrealistic—and impractical—to get a huge amount of detail, especially in your first conversation with a new client. I’ve found that even the most patient employers tend to get fidgety after about 20 or 30 minutes.

So, my approach is to keep the job order—and the worksheet I use to gather information—simple. I try to hit the major points and get the most data possible in the least amount of time. That way, I can get a snapshot of the employer’s needs, evaluate the quality of the assignment, and in the process, prepare a list of follow-up questions to ask later.

Hit the Major Points
If you work from your job order checklist too literally, the sheer volume of questions might make it sound as if you’re putting the employer on trial. To keep things short and sweet, a typical first-round sequence of questions may sound something like this:

“Mr. Employer, to better understand the job and my ability to help you, let me take you through a very brief series of questions. Are you ready? Good.

“First, tell me why the job is open. What problem do you want the person to solve? Isn’t there anyone on staff who can do this? I mean, what would happen if you couldn’t find the right person for the job?

“You say you’ve been trying to fill the position for several weeks. How many people have you interviewed? Where did you find them? And you never reached the point of making an offer? How come?

“What sort of compensation package did you have in mind? Is that what you’re paying other people in a similar capacity? And you’re finding qualified candidates in that price range?

“If you don’t mind, I want to play devil’s advocate for a moment. Why would someone quit a perfectly good job and go to work for your company?

“So, let me see if I understand the situation. If I found a qualified candidate and we scheduled an interview for next week, and there was mutual interest, you could make a competitive offer and have that person start in about two to three weeks.

“Great. Now let me take care of a little business. I charge a placement fee for my service, which will be due once the candidate I refer accepts your offer of employment. We’ll discuss the exact amount of the fee in a moment, but once we agree to the terms, I’m going to send you an agreement to sign and fax back before I can begin the search. Do you have the authority to sign an agreement and pay a fee? Excellent.”

See how it’s done? You hit the major points first to qualify the job order. Once the job’s been qualified, you can go back and fill in the blanks, with additional information about the company, the specifics on the technical skills or experience needed, what the short and long term results would be if the person did a superlative job, who the person reports to or supervises, how much travel is involved, what the hiring process is, and all that good stuff.

An artful job order interview not only allows for a more objective evaluation of the company’s needs; it also puts the employer at ease by starting a conversation—not an interrogation.

Understanding How a Recruiter Works

2006-01-17T23:49:00.000-06:00

Remember, a recruiter works with you, markets/promotes your background to his or her client companies, but he does not work for you. A recruiter works for the company or organization that pays for his or her services. Your relationship with a recruiter is much like the relationship you might have with a real estate broker who represents a home seller, but wants to help you, a buyer, find something that you would like to buy. In order for this to work, a good recruiter will be interested in where you want to live geographically, what you like to do professionally, now and in the future, as well as how much money you want to earn.

As with any relationship, honesty is important in this relationship, as well. Let the recruiter know those things that are very important to you, as well as those of lesser importance. Different factors have more or less weight with different candidates. Factors that you might consider include: job content/responsibilities, growth prospects, compensation, travel, location, company size, benefits, commercial vs. defense-oriented work, mentorship, start-up vs. established company, to name a few. Letting the recruiter know what is really important to you and what matters less will help the process.

For this to work, a recruiter must introduce you, the candidate, to an opportunity that satisfies your needs, while at the same time satisfying the needs that his or her client firm has for the individual(s) they seek to hire. It is not an exact science and there is always some amount of give and take on both sides. No one gets married without making some compromises -- the same is true in this relationship between you, the candidate, and the prospective employer.

Selecting a Recruiter

Your best bet in selecting a recruiter is to ask for a referral from someone in your industry/area of specialization. You want to work with someone who has placed other people with your background, or a similar background. You wouldn't use a recruiter for retailing if you were a software engineer. Professional societies or publications from these societies, or trade magazines, are a good source of potential recruitment firms. Remember, those firms that have been doing recruitment and placement in your field are more than likely to have the greatest number of contacts and industry resources/access to help you.

The other thing is you would like to talk to someone who you feel comfortable talking to. Even if a recruiter cannot help place you today, if they give you advice about your resume or career options, this is someone you might want to talk to in the future when they can help you.

The Referral Process

Once a recruiter has referred your resume to an organization, and interest is expressed by that organization, the recruiter will introduce the firm and the opportunity to you and then you can decide if you are interested or not. Generally, if you are not in the firm's immediate vicinity, the company will conduct a telephone interview. After this, if both parties are interested, a face-to-face interview is the next step. If that goes well, a second or even a third round of interviews might occur. It is possible that you might receive an offer after the first interview.

At the offer stage, the recruiter will probably have some insight as to what you can expect. Some firm's offer is a "best and final" offer; others might have room for some negotiation. If you prefer to do your own negotiating because you have established a good rapport with your prospective supervisor, great. If you need some help, the recruiter can help you. Remember, the recruiter is trying to help the parties "to the altar", so he or she will work to satisfy your needs as well as his or her client's needs. It won't work any other way.

Helping the Process

Telling the recruiter where you have already sent your resume will help avoid duplication and wasting their time. If you have interviews already scheduled, let the recruiter know where you are in terms of timing, especially if you are expecting an offer in the near term. Remember that if you treat someone the way you would like to be treated, then the experience should be a positive one for all parties -- you, the recruiter, and the company.

Institutional Investor's Ranking of Independent Research Firms Finds Sanford C. Bernstein and Co. Tops for Second Straight Year

2006-01-17T15:48:00.000-06:00

nstitutional Investor's Ranking of Independent Research Firms Finds Sanford C. Bernstein and Co. Tops for Second Straight Year

For a second year, New York-based brokerage firm Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. is the most honored firm in Institutional Investor magazine’s annual ranking of independent investment research providers.

New York, NY (PRWEB) December 14, 2005 -- For a second year, New York-based brokerage firm Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. is the most honored firm in Institutional Investor magazine’s annual ranking of independent investment research providers. Based on a survey of money managers, the firm easily outpaces its peers, ranking in 26 categories and earning first place positions in 19. Institutional Investor’s ranking of the best independent research providers — defined as firms that perform no investment banking — appears in its December issue alongside its annual ranking of the best boutique and regional research firms.

To identify the top independent research providers, Institutional Investor asked institutional money managers participating in its 2005 All-America Research Team to name the three sources of independent U.S. equity research that they had found most valuable in each of 71 sectors over the preceding 12 months. The magazine also asked analysts and portfolio managers at investment firms to name their top choice for the boutique or regional firm that produced the best research in those sectors.

Among boutiques and regional firms, two firms lead the way, each winning in five categories. FTN Midwest Securities Corp, based in Cleveland, earns top honors in Food, Health Care Facilities, Machinery, Retailing/Broadlines & Department Stores and Retailing/Food & Drug Chains; FTN also had five first-place finishes in 2004. New York’s Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dominates the Financial Services sectors, capturing the top spot in Banks/Large-Cap, Banks/Midcap, Brokers & Asset Managers, Mortgage Finance and Specialty Finance. In 2004, KBW won in four categories. Boston-based health care specialist Leerink Swann & Co. leads four sectors: Biotechnology, Medical Supplies & Devices, Pharmaceuticals/Major and Pharmaceuticals/Specialty. New York–based Fulcrum Global Partners wins in Cable & Satellite, Chemicals/Commodity and Entertainment; and Houston-based energy boutique Simmons & Co. International walks away with the Integrated Oil, Oil & Gas Exploration & Production, and Oil Services & Equipment categories. Among independent firms, Fulcrum takes top honors in five categories. Buckingham Research Group, also based in New York, places in seven categories and captures two No. 1 slots. International Strategy & Investment Group, Portales Partners and Precursor each place in four categories.

Online Job Availability Slips In December

2006-01-17T01:11:00.000-06:00

NEW YORK -- The availability of online jobs declined a bit last month.
The Monster Employment Index was down four points from November to 145. Every state and most occupations showed lower levels of online job recruitment.
The decline ends a four-month growth trend but the index is still 32 points higher than it was year ago. Monster Worldwide said the December decline was probably due to seasonal factors, since many employers had already filled holiday-related temporary jobs.
The company said despite last month's dip, almost all industries, occupations and regions show much higher levels of online job availability than a year ago, which bodes well for job seekers this year.

Profits: A human resources theory of relativity

2006-01-15T23:31:00.000-06:00

By Terry Corbell

As Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” His quote has applications for business. Indeed, Einstein had imaginative insights. He even helped shorten World War II.
In August, 1939 – more than two years before America was drawn into war after it was attacked at Pearl Harbor – some six years before the atomic bomb shortened World War II – Einstein wrote a two-page letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In it, he proposed ideas on uranium and nuclear chain reactions, which he believed could be used in the construction of “extremely powerful bombs.”
In his quotation on imagination, Albert Einstein was probably referring to physics or his renowned theory of relativity, but his thoughts are also applicable for profits in 21st century business.
For example, CEOs of publicly traded companies want to able to predict which strategies will appeal to investors. In its December quarterly newsletter, McKinsey & Company says its research shows that each company only has to worry about the preferences of 100 core investors who have the ability to influence share price movements. Like any sales situation, the key is to know the customer. Unfortunately, some companies inflate share prices at the expense of quality in the eyes of consumers.
Information technology professionals might think security and data integration are the keys to profits. Newspaper classified ad salespeople probably consider online pictures to be vital for sales success. Chief Financial Officers believe they should have more time for strategic planning, but they’re so weighed down mainly by compliance documentation and earnings reports, they aren’t able to help grow their companies, according a recent IBM study.
Candidly, for companies to compete successfully in 2006, profits will depend on the performance of workers; about which many CFOs have little knowledge. And performance depends on morale and attitudes.
Perhaps it’s a little strong, but here’s a recent nuclear bomb-like announcement from Towers Perrin, a HR consulting firm with a Seattle and global presence. It recently released its world’s-largest human resources study on worker attitudes; it concluded that employee attitudes pose a threat to corporate performance.
Only 14 percent of employees are fully committed to their jobs and employers, according the survey of more than 85,000 workers at midsize and large companies worldwide.
The highest motivated employees (40 percent) work for companies in Mexico. As a result of the stress on long hours and low wages, the least motivated (less than 10 percent) are Asian workers. Americans and Europeans are somewhere in the middle. The term Towers Perrin used to describe motivated workers, “engaged.”
Only 21 percent of American workers are engaged. The two reasons the firm cited: Skepticism about CEO leadership and lack of trust. Fifty-five percent are “passive” job-seekers; which means they’re receptive to job offers. So turnover is a financial problem.
Worldwide, regarding product quality in companies: Among the highly engaged employees, more than 80 percent are optimistic they can make a difference compared to 31 percent of the disengaged workers.
In customer service, 72 percent highly engaged workers believe they can contribute compared to just 27 percent of the disengaged.
In efficiencies, 68 percent of the highly engaged can influence costs vis-à-vis 19 percent of the disengaged.
Only 59 percent of the highly engaged anticipate remaining with their current employers.
Julie Gebauer, managing director of the firm’s Workforce Effectiveness practice, indicated U.S. workers are frustrated with pay issues. She said they’re also unhappy with other issues: “Elements like career opportunities, fairness and work/life balance are often more important than pay and benefits when people are making decisions about whether to stay with or leave a company.”
“This presents two challenges for employers,” said Donald Lowman, a Managing Director of Towers Perrin HR Services. “One is understanding, in concrete terms, the nature of the work experience needed to achieve higher levels of engagement. The second is identifying the unique people practices and programs required to shape that experience -- from management style and behavior to communication and culture; from career and performance management to rewards.”
Indeed, another study last month concluded that 80 percent of companies fail to take effective precautions in employee retention and recruitment of workers. Spherion, a publicly traded HR firm, with Harris Interactive polled both workers and companies.
Spherion learned there is a disconnect between employers and workers think. For example:
Time and flexibility are important to 60 percent of employees; however, just 35 percent of companies understand workers’ feelings.
69 percent of workers believe wages are an important consideration for them to remain with their employer but only 49 percent of companies.
Aside from compensation, and time and flexibility, here are the other employee priorities:
Benefits, 68 percent.
Growth and earning potential, 64 percent.
Management climate, 60 percent.
Supervisor relationship, 57 percent.
Culture and work environment, 54 percent.
Training and Development, 49 percent
Forty percent of workers plan to job hunt in 2006 but firms anticipate a 14 percent turnover; the survey also showed 33 percent of employees, aged 25-39, is suffering from burnout.
As Einstein alluded, everything is relative; it just depends on your perspective. Over the years, I’ve lamented the lack of 19th century values of focus and hard work among workers, but my sense also is 50 percent of profits depend on the success of a company’s HR programs and employee performance.
To inspire worker loyalty, survey your employees using open-ended question methodology, and take the indicated corrective measures. You can spend all the money you want in branding and marketing, but you won’t enjoy maximum profits until you develop a contented, productive workforce. Your human resources program will then become a center for increased profits.
From the Coach’s Corner, not to over simplify but here is a quick checklist of 13 tips in cost-effective recruiting and retaining of the best workers:
Have a job description for every position, no matter how little skill is needed.
Continuously network, ask your best workers for employee referrals, use trade publications, and advertise in economical local newspapers. Although tempting, free online ads won’t generate the most productive workers.
Screen for common sense, creativity and education. Einstein’s theory about imagination being more important than knowledge often works in HR.
Remember job knowledge or hard skills are important but so are soft skills in communication and teamwork. Coachable workers who aren’t afraid to work on their strengths and weaknesses, and set goals will make you money.
Check references thoroughly using open-ended questions for comprehensive answers.
Family and friends will work fine as workers in tight economic times. Don’t forget temporary help firms for short-term projects or for hiring on a temp-to-perm basis.
Create a favorable first impression with a gracious welcome of new workers and encourage a buddy system.
Take a page from the playbook of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) by developing an inspiring communications program.
Survey your workers about their priorities. Accommodate employees when feasible.
Regularly appraise workers.
Don’t cut corners in training and development.
Treat workers equally and regularly enforce your company’s procedures.
Use exit interviews as opportunities for growth and to learn from mistakes. The good workers might return or refer outstanding candidates to you, if you’re seen as a caring employer.

McDonald's saves £1.2m with recruitment overhaul

2006-01-14T15:31:00.000-06:00

McDonald's saves £1.2m with recruitment overhaul
Personnel Today10 January 2006 00:00This article first appeared in Personnel Today magazine.

McDonald's has achieved a 30% reduction in its 90-day staff turnover levels, leading to savings of £1.2m since overhauling its recruitment processes in April last year.

The 'Hire the smile' initiative sees candidates attend an initial competency-based interview. If successful, they then take part in an on-the-job assessment known as 'Try before you buy'.

The practical assessment, which lasts a day for graduates and an hour or so for crew member applicants, takes place in partnership with an existing crew member, who then provides feedback on the applicant's likely fit with the store culture.

As well as the significant cost savings, the initiative - which has so far been rolled out to 780 of McDonald's 1,250 stores in the UK and to 70% of its franchised operations - has boosted mystery shopper scores and seen crew turnover fall by almost 9% to its lowest ever level.

David Fairhurst, vice-president for people at McDonald's UK, said: "Some people are naturally gifted at engaging customers, and we want staff members who enjoy that, as it is not necessarily something you can learn. The opinion of peers is also vital, as it is important that they feel new staff are going to add something."

The fast-food chain has also pioneered the use of on-street information kiosks, 'iPlus Points', for recruitment advertising - a move that helped the burger giant recruit 1,000 new staff in just four weeks last November.

McDonald's trialled the iPlus Points at 100 sites across London as part of its Christmas recruitment drive. During the month-long trial, 28,000 people clicked through to view job information, with 12,000 of those printing off extra information.

"Long, stuffy application forms are not what our brand is about, and the iPlus Points are a perfect fit - friendly, simple and convenient," said Fairhurst.

The trial, which is likely to be extended to other areas such as Bristol and Manchester in 2006, should be emulated by other employers, according to Fairhurst.

Author: Dan Thomas

Hospital turns up heat for recruiting

2006-01-13T01:31:00.000-06:00

Daytona Beach News 11.5.05

As Bert Fish Medical Center officials ease requirements that some physicians work extra hours, they have placed a renewed emphasis on finding new doctors. Recently, the hospital's board of commissioners amended its medical staff bylaws to allow some longtime members to opt out of taking "call." Call is when a doctor, usually a specialist, makes himself or herself available outside normal office hours to handle emergencies or admissions for patients who do not have a regular physician. The new bylaws establish a senior staff designation. This allows doctors with at least 30 years at Bert Fish or who are 70 years old or older or who suffer a disability to decline call hours if so they choose.

HR Marketing that actually makes sense!!!

2006-01-13T01:24:00.000-06:00

By Double Dubs

So Workstream.com has an offer out to Webhire.com clients to convert them at a "significant discount." 1 "Workstream guarantees to reduce current WebHire recruiting software costs by up to 50% for qualified WebHire Recruiter and Restrac customers. " What exactly does "up to 50%" mean? Isn't a reduction of 1% a fulfillment of the guarantee?
Ok - that's not really what I wanted to talk about. Let's start from the beginning. Kenexa purchases WebHire which I think is a brilliant move. Why you ask? (you were going to ask, right?) Does WebHire have the best software out there? Nope.
Are they old and sometimes considered legacy software? Yes - not to say they are not pretty decent.
So Kenexa makes a move to supplement it's TMS (talent management) with a mediocre TAS (talent acquisition) ? Pretty much.
Ok - here's the brilliance. For all the hype with modern, cutting edge TAS systems, I'm guessing that WebHire was among the healthiest. WebHire had a huge subscriber base. True, they may not have ever upgraded from ResTrac, and also true that fees were not what Taleo charges, but they had FAR more clients than anyone else (kinda an educated guess - I don't have money riding on this one). What does this mean? It means that Kenexa bout into a huge base of clients to market to.
Due to WebHire's rather low comparative costs, they were among the healthiest of the TAS's out there. So these two factors combined, and this was actually one of the smarter moves of the year. Workstream's offer also makes sense. Sure, they might be buying the business (losing $$$ up front), but the potential for future gain is incredible. For each WebHire client they convert, if they can sell an additional performance module, things are looking up. Personally I think Webhire has tons clients from the good 'ol days, so this is a ripe market.2 Add to that the fact that Kenexa can't possibly integrate the WebHire system any time soon (next few quarters) and a few conversions to a fully integrated WorkStream solution starts sounding pretty good. Anyway, for once I like how a couple vendors are marketing in this space. There's a window of opportunity and both Kenexa and Workstream are trying to jump through.