Colleen

I have candidates who try to make huge decisions about potential job opportunities in the first 5 seconds of hearing about the job. They aren’t sure if they want to move to North Carolina or they aren’t completely up-to-speed on a particular account. And then they decline being submitted for that opportunity. It doesn’t make sense to me. Why not get on the phone and talk about it? You may be wowed. You never know. I would give you the same advice.

Chances are, if you’re reading this and you work in the southeast, I have contacted you to see if you’d like my assistance in helping you fill positions at your organization. I might have left you several messages. I might have also sent you an email about it.

There are some times that I get you on the phone and you tell me that you don’t work with recruiters or that you’ve “got it covered” and I’m concerned that you might have misunderstood. What I am offering you is a free set of hands and eyes to direct source candidates for you. I’m not sure why you would turn that down.

In the event that you fall in love with the candidate, you can weigh the fee and the salary at that time. But don’t make the decision before you see what’s really out there. Use the resources you have.

Technorati Tags: candidates, got it covered, free set of hands and eyes, Use the resources you have

Wouldn’t it be great if you could see the future? Well you can at least anticipate what it might possibly hold for you. In fact, I think anticipation is a necessity in this industry.

I find myself, at the moment, in a predicament that I find myself in about once every couple of months or so. Some call it anticipation. I call it “oh my sweet Lord, I can’t WAIT for (fill in event here) to happen!” First of all, every sports station, website, soothsayer, Eskimo prophet is coming out with early summer College Football predictions. And, my Clemson Tigers are in everyone’s top 10! More on why that could actually be a bad thing later on after the season starts. Also, one of my very best friends is coming to visit for the Memorial Day weekend which I am very much looking forward to. In addition, the new Indy flick comes out at the end of the month, the new King’s X album is out in the same week and I actually got my mother something pretty cool for Mother’s Day that I think she’ll like…much better than the trail of Border’s Books gift certificates that I’ve gotten her for the last…how old am I? Anyway, I have an onslaught of things’a’comin that I’m pretty stoked about!

I’ve already made plans with some of my geek friends to purchase my Indy tickets early, I’ve already bought my mother her Mother’s Day present, I’ve already planned out some cool shit to do when my friend comes to town and I’m already starting my Book of Excuses for why Clemson will, yet again, be an entirely horrible disappointment of a team that was hyped so feverishly at the beginning of the year. In other words, given the anticipation, I have made plans for the future.

I tell you that, to tell you this: It’s OK for you to talk to a candidate of mine that you like, even if you don’t necessarily have an “open position” for them. I believe I’ve talked about this before, but it’s worth mentioning again.

Think about it this way, is it better to have already talked to a couple of candidates that you can “keep in mind” when the time of need arrives, or is it better to be blindsided with a pressing need only to find out that no one is available within a week’s time frame? I’m going to go with number one on that one! Now, don’t get me wrong, if you have no intention of hiring a candidate within two months time, don’t waste my candidate’s time. But, if you’re already anticipating a need (say you’re going after a new client and everything looks 99% done) you might as well talk to my candidate if they sound fantastic to you. As I always say, it never hurts to talk! Plus, it doesn’t cost you anything to test the waters! Remember, we work for free…

I have agencies talk to candidates, even when they don’t have a particular need, all the time. Why would you want to let a superstar candidate slip through your fingers simply because you wouldn’t talk to them on the phone for 15 minutes? You never know what you’re missing until you talk to them and find out what they COULD bring to your table. Make the time to talk. Make the time to research. Make the time to have conversations. At the very least you may be uncovering a talent in your marketplace that you didn’t even know existed. And, nothing says that you can’t continue those relationships, even if you can’t hire them, for years to come. If anything it’s a networking tool!

My notes for the past week:

· I am now a Matchbox 20 fan. Don’t ask me why! I’m not happy about it!· Chad Kroeger from Nickelback writes the dumbest lyrics I’ve ever heard, but the album SOUNDS incredible!

· I’m not happy about having Matt Ryan on the Falcons roster. He killed Clemson for three years straight and now I’m supposed to root for him? UGH!

· No matter what band or artist the “Behind the Music” is about, I WILL watch it.

· I really like women. That’s always been the case but…well it was a sunny Sunday afternoon this weekend and my pool is going to be a regular hangout for me this summer. And, now I just sound like a creepy old man. Though, Emma Watson did just turn 18…

“There is no such thing as cold. There is only less heat.”Alton Brown

Technorati Tags: future, College Football, Clemson Tigers, Mother’s Day, candidate, agencies

When Susie Q comes in and sits down in the conference room to interview for that Account Supervisor role, she is very nervous. She spent yesterday going through her closet to find the right outfit for this little chat. She wanted to project that she’s confident and capable, but not too stuffy. At the last minute, she might have found herself in the dressing room at the Limited trying on silky blouses to go under her black jacket because the plain white button down one was too conservative.

She stayed up until 2 am printing out her resume, tweaking it, adjusting the margins and trying to figure out what to take off so it all fit on one page. She had to run to Office Max at 9pm to get another printer cartridge. She picked up a new pen, too, because it looked nicer than the disposable one she would usually have.

She read through a few interview books and practiced her answers. She memorized the job description. She thought of some examples of “a time when she overcame a real disappointment” just in case you ask her.

For days, she has been scouring your agency’s website for information. Not only is she well-versed on your accounts and your leadership, she has Googled the individuals she’s meeting with today and knows their career history and accomplishments. She has come prepared to list for you what she is looking for, how much money she wants, and how she can make a difference.

She is prepared. And you have come to expect it because we usually regard interviews as a company or agency choosing who will get the job and who will not. As if you are in the power seat.

The problem with this way of thinking is that it’s not really entirely true anymore. And if you approach your open position from this point of view, it makes you very vulnerable.

Savvy candidates understand that, while it is respectable to wear some deodorant and shave before the interview, they are interviewing YOU just as much as they are interviewing YOU. This begs the question…what are you bringing to this party?

We can assume you are dressed appropriately and that you’ve seen this person’s resume. But are you prepared to sell yourself and your agency? Have you done your research? Can you decipher in that resume what might be important to this candidate? Is work/life balance an important topic to this mother of 2? Is the option to travel an appealing one or a downside to this job? What can you say about the accounts and day to day responsibilities that really sell it?

So often, I fear, HR folks and Hiring Managers are so focused on weeding folks out that they forget that the candidates are doing the same thing. I mean, heck, we do it here. We tell potential recruiters that it is hard work and a tough job. We tell them that people aren’t always nice and there’s a lot of hand-holding and then we wait to see who thinks they can cut it.

But obviously, that isn’t the whole story. It’s a fun place to be and the people are gracious and supportive. There’s an opportunity to take this as far as I’d like that doesn’t exist elsewhere. I don’t tell everyone that but that should be part of the whole picture.

You’re in advertising, so keep that in mind when it comes time to sell yourself. It’s up to you if you offer the job to this candidate. But it’s up to her if she accepts.

Technorati Tags: Account Supervisor, interview, agency’s, interviews, company, agency, vulnerable, Savvy candidates, what are you bringing to this party, agency, candidate, HR folks, Hiring Managers, weeding folks out, candidates, potential recruiters, hand-holding, can cut it, advertising, offer the job, candidate

I, (Kim Kurtz, Creative Recruiter at Talent Zoo), take you (my Dear Agency who needs an ACD with heavy pharma and art background), to be my (lovely business partner), to have and to hold (your hand) from this day forward (with as many cell phone calls as you need to make – nights and weekends), for better (when you are being loved by your ECD/HR Director) or for worse (when the entire creative team hates you), for richer (you just won that 30 million dollar account), for poorer (you just lost a 30 million dollar account), in sickness (vomiting and diarrhea – shot resistant flu) and in health, to love (find you the best talent that you asked for) and to cherish (to sell your agency in the best possible light describing the pedigree of your work to the cohesiveness of the agency environment); from this day forward until placement do us part.

Technorati Tags: Creative Recruiter, Talent Zoo, Agency, creative, love, agency, placement

I used to have a friend, and I use that term loosely, that was the cheapest human being who has ever walked this green planet that God bestowed up on us poor wretched souls. It’s impossible for me to explain to you how unbelievably cheap this d-bag was without just providing you with some examples to muddle through:

1. He once made his high school girlfriend pay him back after loaning her lunch money one day.

2. He would keep a 12 pack of Sprite under his bed to hide from his college roommates. Then he would promptly drink the Sprite that THEY bought and kept in the refrigerator.
3. He once ran the fastest 40-yard-dash ever recorded by another human being in an attempt to knock both me and a friend of mine out of the way so that he could reach into the cabinet, grab a box of Coco Crispies and hide it in another room, which he then locked…all so we couldn’t eat his cereal.
4. He used to spend the night at my house in high school so he could go and see his girlfriend until the wee hours of the morning. No, that’s not cheap, it’s just pissed me off for so many years that I felt like including it. Apparently, MY parents were OK to sneak out on…and don’t even get me started on his creepy, weird mother!

Anyway, point is, this cat was cheap! For some reason, girls still went out with him. But, he did manage to somehow piss most of his friends off enough to where we don’t keep in touch with him anymore…and to the point that I’ve actually given him about three paragraphs worth of blog time. So, I guess the egg’s on my face for that one!

Ladies and Gentleman, I can’t stress this enough: Please don’t be cheap! I understand you have a budget to stick to. I really do. But, sometimes you have to roll out the red carpet for a really damn good candidate! There are some things that candidates have just come to expect…and that they’re GETTING from every other agency.Few pointers Lance? Sure thing bucko:Always pay for the candidate to come out for a visit! If you’re expecting that super badass Account Director to pay their own way out to your agency, you might as well kiss their ass goodbye and consider them hired by another agency. I mean really, how much does a plane ticket cost?

Take them to lunch, and take them to a good place. Everything about the interview process is impression, impression, impression. Pick a place that’s comfy but that will leave a good taste in their mouth (no pun intended). I like Ryan’s Steakhouse just as much as the next guy, but I’d never take a date there…well, not that you know of anyway. This is one of those things that candidates take back home with them. If they just dined on cold mac-n-cheese and chicken pot pie, they’re gonna be a little less likely to remember it fondly.Pay the relo up front. I’ve never understood why some agencies practice the “refund relo” situation. It’s hard enough for these candidates to pack up the Clampett Family Truckster and jump ship to another location with family, dog and grandma in check. The last piece of stress they need in their life is coming up with $7K cash to make the move. Not to mention the fact that I’ve seen, in way to many cases, it take months and months for the agency to get past all the red tape and get a check cut to the candidate. That’s WAY too stressful a way to start a new job!

Just a couple of things that I’ve seen in the past for you to chew on and digest. Careful, if you eat too fast you’ll get heartburn!

One final note: Does anyone out there watch Rachel Ray? I don’t. I love the Food Network more than anything in this world, but when she comes on I just turn the channel. Piece of advice Rachel: it takes just as long to say EVOO as it does to say Extra Virgin Olive Oil! And, it does no good to use an acronym if you’re going to say the damn phrase right after you use it! Rachel Ray, that’ll be quite enough thank you!

“On second thought, let’s not go to Camelot. It is a silly place.”

King Arthur – “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”

Technorati Tags: cheapest, cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap, candidate, candidates, agency, candidate, Account Director, agency, agency, interview, candidates, agencies, candidates, agency, candidate, Rachel Ray, Rachel Ray

If I were to go back and make a list of ex-boyfriends (we’re talking way back here), there would be a few common threads. Some may say it was their penchant for marijuana. Others might note the lack of many personal items like, say, a car or any furniture other than a mattress on the floor. Those things are hard to come by when you don’t have a job.

I’d characterize the trend more towards the, say, passionate and creative type. I had a job in my 20s. I didn’t need a boy to buy me dinner. I just needed him to be devoted and interesting. Lucky for me, I managed to finally secure a man with a bed, a job, a savings account, and a moral compass.

Although all of my contacts out there are in the advertising/marketing world, you are all very different. Some of you work in HR and tend to be a bit more buttoned up than the agency you work with. Others of you are hiring managers who reflect, personally, the crazy and fun environment in which the candidate would be immersed.

In addition to knowing what a position requires in terms of experience, I also like to prepare my candidates for the type of interview they might have ahead of them. It helps them be better prepared and more comfortable when they know that you always ask everyone why it took so long to finish college. If you are going to ask a lot of dry, technical questions, I’d like the candidate to be ready for that. I don’t see it as cheating. I see it as being prepared in the same way you’d like that candidate to be prepared with your client.

When I was 22, if someone were to set me up on a blind date…well, I wouldn’t have gone on a blind date; but if I did, I’d like to know if he’s more into Thai food or fast food. I’d like to know if he gets drunk and mean or if he gets drunk and affectionate. Those are two very different dates.

Technorati Tags: job, trend, contacts, agency, hiring managers, candidate, experience, interview, client, blind date

A few weeks ago my girlfriends from work attempted to lift my spirits by taking me out to eat at a swanky restaurant here in Atlanta. The food was fabulous, the atmosphere was calm yet exciting and the prices were very reasonable. It was a wonderful adventure. It was nice to forget for a minute about the passing of the most influential person in my life. The ability to laugh over a delicious dinner with caring individuals was as precious as my sweet baby being able to sleep through the night without needing a midnight feeding.After returning home from an evening of excitement, and when you are married with a baby going out to dinner is an evening of excitement, I opened the front door and handed my husband a takeout brown bag full of goodies ordered from there especially for him. Since our twenties were spent partaking of liquids, our stage in life now is enjoying solid deliquesces. We just get darn excited about eating.

Like every time I shop, make him view the purchases, including a sampling here and there, and then talked about how inexpensive it was. You could try so many different things. The menu was vast and affordable and when it came to the table it was even more impressive. The presentation made you appreciate the price.

When you go out to eat, or buy a pair of shoes, or purchase tires, the price tag tells you up front what it is going to cost you. The experience you have through it determines whether you will shop for that particular product or service again. The price you see usually gives you a general idea of the quality of what you are getting. Shopping around, gives you the foundation on if it is a good deal. Experiences, whether negative or positive force the shape of your newest experience so you can rate it in your mental file cabinet as a future purchase.

When we send a candidate to an agency, they are given a detailed menu of what is to be sampled and they know exactly how much it is going to cost up front if this individual is chosen. The bio, resume and work is presented with a salary range after be discussed with the candidate. After the work is viewed, resume read and conversations have ensued, it is up to the agency to decide if they would like to meet this person face to face for the particular compensation requested. You can’t go to an eatery after eating the meal and then decide to pay 15% less on the tab. When you know you ordered maple leaf farms duck breast italian sausage stuffed, cayenne sweet potato puree, ancho bbq jus – you can’t expect to have a chicken mcnugget tab.

Technorati Tags: going out to dinner, experience, candidate, agency, resume

I bought a TV this weekend. I bought what I like to call a big-boy, HDTV, you-know-where-to-find-me-during-college-football-season-TV. Most who know me will tell you that, as far as putting research into a purchase, I am probably the worst person on the planet. I think like a guy…I know what I want and I go and buy it. I might look at a couple of websites and maybe, just maybe, ask a couple of people’s opinions. But, mostly I just buy what I think I want off the cusp.

Well, a 42’ TV seemed like something I kind of needed to research and shop around for price-wise. So, I did. I went to every Office Depot, Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Brand-Smart and…well every damn building that sells TVs! I even talked to about 10 different people about their particular TV purchases. After a while I had so much information in my head that I was convinced there was going to be a huge problem with ANY TV that I bought. Thus proving my theory that if you think too much about anything, your life will eventually suck!

After I had psyched myself out of buying a TV at all, I finally just went with the first (usually the best answer) option…the one that I originally thought about a month and ½ ago when this whole debacle began. So this all got me thinking…

How many times have you psyched yourself out of hiring a particular candidate? And, how many times has it been for a really solid reason? How many times is it because you just keep TRYING to find something wrong? How many times have you convinced yourself that it just can’t be that easy?

Read the above paragraph again. Now, do me a favor…never do that again! I have seen so many of my clients NOT hire people that they KNOW they should, simply because they have somehow talked themselves out of it. It’s OK to go ahead and roll the proverbial dice sometimes. Chances are, if you have a good feeling about them to begin with…they’re probably a good fit. There’s nothing wrong with finding a great candidate and hiring them right away. You don’t have to put yourself through the hell of thinking about over and over and over again until you, ultimately, make yourself change your mind.

No, not all of your hires are going to go swimmingly. But, if you’ve ever spent three months talking to one candidate without making a hire…you’re probably over-thinking it a bit.

By the way, now that I have a nice TV, I’m going to actually start watching some movies now. Most of you that know me also know that I hate most films. I don’t know why…I just do. Know how everyone loved “Good Will Hunting”? Couldn’t stand it! Wanted to kill Ben Affleck! Still want to. But, now that I have a new TV, I’m taking suggestions. What’s good that’s come out in the last…I don’t know…10 years? I heard that “Battlefield Earth” was pretty good…wasn’t it…Bueller?

“Ah, home crap home!”

Walter Fielding – The Money Pit (Tom Hank’s finest film by far)

Technorati Tags: TV, research, candidate, good feeling, change your mind, hire

It’s no news to any of you who recruit for a living that time kills all deals. We all know it. It is the mantra for recruiters. Why is it then that we still spend so much time explaining this concept and reiterating it to hiring managers?

Chances are, if you are really interested in that candidate, so is someone else. And at the end of the day, it’s usually going to be the player who moves the fastest to hire the person. As the candidate’s main point of contact to you, it is a challenge to “keep them warm” with little to no feedback and no real indication of next steps. If they receive another offer, often times, they simply must take the sure thing even if your agency is first choice.

Granted, most times, this is not the issue with the HR professional we’re working with. I know from working with you that you are pulling your hair out just as we are to get some feedback or movement on a candidate.

My strategy is a crazy concept called honesty. If my Account Director has another interview next week with someone else, I will tell you that. It’s not meant to be an ultimatum. I want you to have all the information you need. If time is an issue, I will let you know. And I will try to be very specific regarding how much time we have. If s/he has concerns about the specific account or about your agency, I’ll let you know that as well so it can be covered up front. Time is a-wastin’ so let’s get on with it already.

On the flip side, I would hope that you see value in this crazy Honesty idea as well. If everyone loved the guy except one woman and you’re trying to get her to come around, let me know that. I can get the guy to write a killer letter to her that would alleviate any concerns she might have. If everyone is out of town and you won’t know until next week, let’s see if we can get some folks on the phone or get creative in some other ways.

If the two of us work together as a team towards the same goaland are upfront with one another, we can make this happen. And make it happen quickly.

Technorati Tags: time kills, hiring managers, candidate, hire, agency, honesty, work together, goal

I love Billy Joel! There’s a running, ever-present mocking of me around the office because of my useless knowledge of music…more importantly my extreme willingness to bring in up in any situation that I possibly can. And, one of my favorites to spout off useless and tedious information about is Billy Joel. Here are some examples:

· Before becoming one of the best pop music writers on Earth, Billy Joel was a boxer. His official record is 22-2. This explains his nose.· Billy was a member of two rock bands before making it big on his own. They were The Hassles and Attila. You HAVE to look Attila up…DUDE!

· Billy is not generally known as a good-looking fella.

· The first album that Billy recorded, “Cold Spring Harbor”, was erroneously mastered causing his voice to sound like that of Alvin Chipmunk. It also has a song on it called “Nocturne” which will, in fact, knock your ass into a coma-like sleep before the last note sounds through your speakers.

· Billy’s most celebrated work, an album entitled “The Stranger”, was the best-selling Columbia Records album of all time until 1985. It sold 10 million copies, much much more than the 10s of copies of albums that my band sold over our career.

Yes, I probably know a little too much about Billy Joel. It might even have a little “creepiness” factor to it…but you should hear me talk about Mark Price. Anyway, the point is, I’m passionate about it. I get excited about music (you should know that by now), and certain artists that I connect with in some way…well, I just get overtly passionate in talking them up to others. I want others to experience the same joy and elation that I did when I first heard the record. And…now I’m kinda creepin myself out.Candidates WANT to hear how passionate you are about your agency, your clients…your job. When you’re passionate, they get passionate. And, when they’re passionate, they’re much more likely to WANT to work for you. It’s that simple. We all buy from people that we like. That’s a simple sales tool that all of us have been told and that has been realized over time. Well, candidates want to work for people that they like.Think about it. Would you rather work for someone who walks in hunched over, sweat pouring from the forehead, glum look…talks about their clients like they’d rather slit their wrist than have to work with them for one more measly second? Or, would you rather work for someone who goes completely psycho, bat-shit-insane over their client and how amazing they are to work with? I think we both know that you’d choose bat-shit insanity.Make them understand! A lot of people think I’m crazy when I talk about Billy Joel or Jellyfish or…let’s just say Jessica Alba. I’m not insane; I’m just very passionate about them. OK, I might be a little insane about Jessica Alba. Regardless, people have been known to at least check out an old BJ album after I’m done talking just because they have to know…exactly what is SO stinkin great about him that this guy spent 45 minutes telling me about what kind of dogs he owns (terriers by the way).No one is going to fault you for getting excited about your agency. If anything, it’s going to make them want to further research you and find out what the big hairy deal is. Just put a little oomph into it and you’ll get bigger and better candidates over time. My name is Lance Anders, and I endorse the message!By the way, as much as I love Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is one of the worst songs every recorded! I fully believe that it’s been the reason for the downfall of society over the last 15 years. God, every time it comes on I want to bludgeon someone with a blunt object! Anyway…”And he’s proud of his scars and the battles he’s lost
And he struggles and bleeds as he hangs on his cross
And he likes to be known as the angry young man”

Billy Joel – “Angry Young Man”

Technorati Tags: Billy Joel, passionate, candidates, client, agency

I recently had a birthday.  I won’t say which birthday that was.  But it was indeed, a celebration of yet another year under my belt.  So, like any thoughtful person, I paused for some reflective thought:

1. Will this be the year I stop eating spoonfuls of Cream Cheese frosting right out of the Betty Crocker tub?
2. Is this where I thought I would be ten years ago?
3. Is it weird that Simon is way sexier to me than Ryan Seacrest?

(see answers below)

I propose that we should all be reflective of our jobs as recruiters.  Whether you’re third-party, HR, Hiring manger, etc., we all have the same goal—to find great people.  And the question is how to we do that?  Are we stuck in old methods that no longer work in this digital age?  Are we cooking over a firepit when we could be nuking?

I think of my children, now 6 and 4, who are music freaks.  We took them to see They Might be Giants last week and they were totally in their element as was I.  I know my kids will like plenty of music I abhor, but I just can’t bring myself to sit through a Hannah Montana show.  I know that one day they might want to listen to total crap and I must allow it.  But the Beatles and Queen will stick with them.  Of that, I’m sure.

We too, must be open minded enough to allow new methods enter our skill set.  It doesn’t mean the tried and true methods no longer work, but some new tools in the tool belt can be a good thing.

There have been a lot of blogs pushing social networking to source candidates.  I have no doubt that great candidates have MySpace pages.  But I’m not convinced that the time and energy it takes to locate the good ones off Facebook and Twitter could not be better spent sourcing more plentiful gardens.

Any great recruiter will spend the majority of his or her time finding candidates in the most basic ways—referrals, direct sourcing, and networking.  Social Networks have their place for some jobs.  Job Boards are great for some searches.  But there’s no substitute for what we already know.  From what I can see, my Birthday Goal really should be reviewing and mastering those basic skills.  Just like last year.  I will spend some time poking around the ole interweb and learning how to properly Google prospective candidates.  But nothing beats calling up my candidate pal and saying, “Hey there…I need a Media Supervisor Rock Star.  Tell me who I need to call,” and getting five names of people who aren’t on Monster.

Answers:

1. no

2. sort of

3. 120 lb men with blonde highlights don’t really do it for me.  Rude assholes with accents, sure.  The hair part down the middle is concerning, but you can’t have it all.

Technorati Tags: birthday, recruiters, blogs, social networking, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, candidates, Job Boards

The next three week span is one of my favorite times of the year: March Madness baby! I’m a decent fan of NCAA basketball and have been since I was a little kid. Even though I’m a Clemson Tigers fan, when basketball starts I’m a GA Tech fan as well. My family knows Mark Price! He was like the best GA Tech player ever and he used to sing in a gospel quartet with my older brother. Hand to God…seriously. Just thought I’d throw that little name drop in there (Todd, Chad, Mike…that one was for you guys). Anyway, come the end of March, I’m a raving lunatic, gnashing teeth and clutching my erratically beating heart as I watch that last second three seal the upset for some 14′th seeded team. I love it! And, it’s like an “ethical” time to actually gamble…meaning that, even my Southern Baptist family will participate in a casual office pool.

Any of you that have spent even 2 minutes filling out a tourney bracket know one thing: it’s all luck! Everyone’s been in that office pool where the bosses 8 year-old daughter ends up winning $500 (for your boss of course) because she “really liked UCLA because of their pretty blue uniforms”. There’s no sure-fire way to research the teams and be able to pick the winner. Someone’s going to get upset, someone’s going to make it farther than they ever should have (remember George Mason a couple of years ago?) and someone’s going to make a last second Christian Laettner shot that’ll be shown on highlight reels for the rest of eternity. And, that’s why we love it so much.

Recruiting? It’s pretty much the same thing. We fill our brackets with candidates that we are trying to place at your agency. We start off with all their information laid right in front of us and we begin to try to predict every move that they are about to make. Are we perfect? Hell no! We can’t predict human behavior and we’re never going to be able to. Trust me, if I had that power I would never have an argument with a woman ever again. But, I don’t so don’t count on it.

Let’s face it; candidates sometimes can be a handful. Sometimes days and days worth of screening, prepping and going over and over interview etiquette can all blow up in our faces when the candidate’s human nature takes over their brain power. It happens to all of us. But, you don’t have to get bent out of shape about it.  As I’ve said a million times, my job is to bring you the best candidates that I possibly can for you to choose from.  Sometimes, however, I miss the mark and bring you a candidate that might not be the best fit.  But, you have to understand that I never submit anyone to you that I don’t think is a fit or at least a potential fit or even someone that I think you should at least have a conversation with.  I wouldn’t waste your time doing that…more importantly I wouldn’t waste MY time doing it.

The best thing you can in an incident where the candidate ends up being a flop is to tell me exactly what was wrong with them in the first place.  I need to know what was missing.  Was it personality?  Was it the fact that their background didn’t match up in the interview like it did on their resume?  Do they have a third eye?  I need to know these things.  And, it helps me in the future to know who NOT to send you.  It’s a time saver trust me.  And, I also need you to not get angry with me.  I make mistakes just as much as anyone else does.  But if I do, it’s just that…a mistake.  Just call me and calmly tell me what went wrong.  I’ll apologize and we’ll get someone else to you.  I mean what good does it do either of us if you call me names for thirty minutes?  None!  Plus it hurts my feelings when you yell…OK it really doesn’t but still.

Let’s work together you and me, huh?  Let’s go down these roads together and find the best damn people we can for you!  Does that sound good?  Does it warm your heart?  I know it does mine.  Let’s hug…

“When I grow up I want to be a principal…or a caterpillar.”

Ralph Wiggum

Technorati Tags: March Madness, NCAA, Clemson Tigers, GA Tech, gospel, March, gamble, Southern Baptist, Recruiting, human behavior, candidates, resume

There’s no substitute for an in depth conversation with you about what kind of candidate you’re really looking for. I’d like to know what kind of personality fits into your agency. I’d like to know what sort of questions you’d like me to ask and what sort of answers you’re looking to get back. There’s no way I can really find who you need without this important step in the process being completed.

That being said, let’s not underestimate the importance of a job description. This tool serves several important functions.

• It makes you think about what you want.  Do you really need someone with interactive experience or is that just kind of a nice plus if we find it?
• It makes us both seem legit.
• It’s an opportunity to brand your agency. Is it a formal description?  Is it really basic and generic or is it funny and quirky?  This can be a good way to weed out the ones who might not be a good cultural fit.
• It’s a measuring tool. For better or worse, candidates want a checklist.  They want to see how they measure up with the list.  They want to open up that attachment and compare it with the other job descriptions they have.

With that in mind, here’s my advice on composing the perfect Job Description:

• Make it sound like your agency.  Inject some personality.
• Separate what is absolutely necessary from what would be nice.
• Don’t include the “givens”. Everyone needs “good communications skills” and computer skills.
• Include information on direct reports and who this person’s boss would be.
• Include information about what they’d be doing-what account would they be working on?  What kind of media? 

Between this and a good conversation where you tell me, “No assholes” which is what one agency told me (that didn’t appear in the job description,) I have the right tools to find your next employee.

Technorati Tags: candidate, personality, job description, checklist, agency, communications skills, computer skills, employee

Remember Frank Zappa? You know you do. “Joe’s Garage”, “Baby Snakes, “Don’t you eat the yellow snow”, some of that’s gotta ring a bell. I love Frank Zappa. I have no idea why, but there’s something about listening to psychotic, off-beat craziness that I love.  That, and the fact that I love listening to someone who can play their instrument really well just go off and shred faster than Bobby Flay can cut up a vegetable.  I could listen to Vinnie Colaiuta play speed drums for hours!  Anyway, most people don’t really KNOW Frank’s stuff all that well because, well because unless you’re a music dork or a well-learned musician, you can’t really wrap your grubby fingers around what’s going on in his tunes, much less what’s musical about it in the first place.

Now, are you familiar with Sting? If you’re not then you’re either 12 or have been brain-dead for the last 30 years.  The former (well now current) singer from The Police has been writing chart-topping pop hits for 30 years now, not to mention the fact that he lives in a fucking castle! He still makes $2,000 a day from “Every Breath You Take”. $2,000 a day off one song! ONE SONG! He’s a badass! I would put it out there that, as far as musical talent is concerned, Frank and Sting are very similar.  Here’s the difference:

One writes intricately pieced-together, jumbled, jig-saw like anthems and the other (for the most part) writes simple 4/4 pop songs with melodies that have so much catch to them, you’d think they were a baseball mitt. One made really good money and reached a handful of “special”customers. The other made more money than some small countries GNPs and reached several tens of millions of customers.  Now, you can argue that both made enough money and had enough album sales to consider themselves “successful”.  But, you could also say that Sting “made it” just a little more than Frank. Regardless, I am a fan of both.

When we started Over October (shameless band plug), we decided to change the way we wrote songs.  We decided that it was just as respectable to write a solid pop tune that fell under 4 minutes and that had 5 chords instead of 37 chords jumbled in the middle of 18 verses, 4 pre-choruses, 17 middle 8s and, well you get the picture. It wasn’t about trying to show everyone how musically talented we were. It was about reaching as many people as possible with our music.  It didn’t really happen but that’s a different story all together.

As the entity that is your agency, you have a message that you’re sending (whether you realize it or not) to anyone that interviews with you.  Whatever you’re selling, whatever you’re pitching, whatever you’re saying to candidates is your message. I have found that a good bit of the time, agencies don’t really sit down and think about the message that they’re sending to people they’re trying to hire. Sure, you’ve got the message that you want to send to potential clients down pat.  But, why oh why aren’t you thinking about the people that could potentially be working FOR you?  Aren’t they just as, if not more, important?  The answer of course is HELL YES!

Not only does your message resonate in the minds of the people that you interview, but it gets spread to others in your market. If you don’t think your candidates are sharing information about their interview with their colleagues, friends and family, you are sorely mistaken!  I’ve found at least one constant with candidates:  they talk, oh how they love to talk.

All I’m really saying is have a clear and simple message in mind that you want to convey to potential employees.  They need to hear why they should come and work for your agency and they need to know what exactly it is that you want to accomplish in the next 5, 10 and 15 years.  And, as I said earlier, it doesn’t have to be complicated at all.

Example of a good message:

Here at Agency X we believe in consistent support of our employees to help them accomplish theirs and the agencies’ goals.  We are constantly striving to bring in the best accounts (clients) that we can and will always provide the tools necessary to do so for our employees. We believe that working hard is the key to our success but that our employees should be able to have a life outside of work.  Agency X strives to build a solid reputation in the marketplace and to be considered the benchmark in regards to what makes successful agency.

Example of a BAD message:

Here at Agency Y we believe that your job should come before God, your family and any recreational activities that you might enjoy. We don’t believe in spending money and will cut costs as much as possible, eventually leading to the strong potential of lay-offs.  We feel that clients should WANT to work with us.  Therefore we do not condone any type of schmoozing, ass-kissing or anything that might make us look weak in the eyes of a potential client.  We will not negotiate on terms with anyone.  It’s our way or the highway.  Normal business hours are Monday through Friday from 6AM-6PM and employees are required to work two hours of overtime per day.  We do not pay overtime.  Weekend hours are optional.  You are required to work 5 weekends a month.  If the month does not have 5 weekends, hours will be made up the last week of the month. We clock in and out for the start and end of the day, lunch, smoke breaks and bathroom breaks.  However we do not allow bathroom breaks. Family is not welcome on the premises except for special agency functions.  There are no special agency functions. We do not promote from within.  There are no promotions.  We typically pay 15% below average salary for the area. 

 

I know the last example sounds silly, but you’d be surprised at the impression candidates sometimes take away from interviews because the message is not clear. Just remember, Keep It Simple Stupid and make sure your message is a positive one.  You’ll get more and better candidates from it. 

“I’ve been going to this high school for 7 ½ years.  I’m no dummy.”

-  Charles De Mar “Better Off Dead”

Technorati Tags: Frank Zappa, Sting, message, interview, Agency

Earlier this week, we spoke with a new client who is looking to do some housecleaning and fill some vacant spots with some new blood.  This agency has some new leadership and is hoping to go from a well-known local agency to more of a national player.

Instead of working with HR, we were out in touch with the agency President, a likeable, well-spoken gentleman who (gasp!) actually returns phone calls and has a sense of humor.  These are two traits that get me really excited.  Not like a-new- episode- of- Rock- of- Love excited, but pretty damn close.

He was asked a simple question…tell us really who you are looking for and what it is about your shop that makes you unique so we can sell you.

Very often, the response we get to that is a very generic list of attributes such as the following:

Good communication skills

Ability to work in a fast-paced environment

Good problem-solver

And for the agency:

Serious about customer service

Growing shop

Great clients

Great city/location

Guess what?  That’s like reading your fortune from a cookie.  It could apply to anyone.

What we got from him was 3 separate emails with some really clear direction.  He comes from a creative background and sees everything through that lens.  He admitted his website was crap and it needed a re-haul.  He was specific about who he wants to handle that.  He doesn’t want young upstarts with hip ideas.  He wants solid folks who understand that this is business.

It’s not a document we would forward to a candidate, but it is a great way to narrow down his searches so what might take three weeks only takes one and a half.  It’s a way to ensure we don’t waste his time and he doesn’t waste ours.

In short, he has given us the tools we need to find the best talent for him that is most suited for these jobs.  He has set us up to succeed: and that, we will.

Technorati Tags: new client, vacant spots, agency, talent

Yesterday my baby went into day two with a fever and so much yellow goop in his eyes they could not be pried open with the jaws of life.  Every family member made their diagnosis and it was time to have the final professional one done by the MD who actually went to school for it.  Our pediatrician is awesome.  My most memorable time with her (in our limited eleven months) is by week two, when I was having a nervous breakdown  about being a new mom, she was so empathetic even describing in detail her experience.  The time she spent to listen and advise in my moment of crisis was invaluable in a new mother’s desperate time of need.  It made me make the conscious effort to want to do the same in various situations, especially at the zoo.

Besides consumers who have loud conversations on the mobile while shopping and people who smack while they eat, my number one pet peeve is bad customer service.  When it does occur, it takes a good 10 minutes to sink in the person either spoke to me “that way” or did not resolve the issue in a professional manner.  Yesterday at my favorite pediatrician’s office, it happened not once, but twice.  The sin wasn’t committed by the doctor, but by the office employees which work in the facility.  My unforgivable transgression occurred when I walked into the door with a fevered, whimpering, swollen eyed baby sans appointment thirty minutes before the doors were to be locked down.

Because I have waited tables in a past 9-11 life, it is not a consideration to show up at a restaurant thirty minutes before closing without a reservation, but in this is far from a parallel situation.  This was not a four course dinner to be savored, but a panicked situation in which protocol was not an option.  It seemed obvious to me as I puffed through the front door with a limp child in my arms.  Right away we were scurried to an examination room and a sigh of relief exhaled through my lungs.

The door was still open as I walked back and forth rocking the baby.  I poked my head out to guestimate our time on hold.  While pacing, a nurse was complaining that we just dirtied the examination room she just cleaned and she didn’t appreciate it.  What tha?  Questions raced through my mind with the main one being, “Did she just say what I thought she just said?” and then of course “Do I have time to chew her butt out before the doctor arrives?” and finally, “WWJD?”  My concentration had to be on my very important patient and raising my voice was not going to help his situation.

The doctor came and gave her wonderful service, as expected.  We headed to the back office door for payment with prescription in hand.  The back office manager gave friendly banter as services rendered were being paid.  While the card was being handed over for payment, she was informed that my insurance carrier had been changed.  The friendly demeanor of the woman who was just commenting “he’s even handsome while sick” switched as fast as Brittany Spear’s accent.  The third degree was scorching as she proclaimed this was not protocol and what an inconvenience this was since not discussed the minute we walked in the door.  What tha?

It was not like my medium rare steak was sent back to the kitchen to be cooked well done – this was the health of my child and according to their clock on the wall, we still had time before business hours were officially over.  As she stomped to the front I whispered into my sweet child’s little red ears, “Well who would have known that your double ear infection and pink eye would have disobliged so many individuals who take care of sick people for a living?”

Our job at Talent Zoo is people and our job is to serve two sides:  Candidate and Client.  We have had clients call us on Saturday morning because they want to discuss a creative.   We have had candidates call a ten o’clock on Sunday evening because they want to be reassured about their interview.  We work as a partnership with both. There are days when I wished we did sell a product that did not change it’s mind, but then the pleasure of hearing, “This was an amazing experience” could not be enjoyed.  Our job is to send you the best Talent.  Our job is to make yours easier.  How may we help you?

Technorati Tags: customer service, protocol, partnership

I thought I was dying on Monday.  No kidding.  I don’t know why I feel compelled to tell a whole bunch of strangers this, but hey what the hell!  About 1:30 on Monday afternoon I thought that I was having a heart attack…like an honest to God heart attack…like I thought this was it, white light, I’m going to straight to hell, do not pass go, do not collect your $200.  Turns out that I just had a little too much to drink the week before, but more on that and my sadly-getting-older-piece-of-shit-body later.  This might be a little long to explain but…I ALMOST DIED!  Cut me some slack huh?

I’ve never been as scared as I was on Monday during the whole ordeal so I phoned a friend of mine who is a PA specializing in Cardiology (“friend” of mine…haha…anyway) and had to leave her a voicemail that she didn’t pick up until like 3 hours later (check your voicemail Ames).  She called back, we chatted, she made several suggestions and eased my fears for the night (she’s stupid badass at what she does).  I awoke the next morning and made a doctors appointment and…well this is where my point starts people…hang with me.

Old doctors suck!  They know they’re old and they know you know that they’re old and they don’t really give a flying fuck about you.  They care about two things, old muscle cars and golf.  And, I should probably reverse the order on that.  My appointment was at 3:00.  Now, I haven’t been to the doctor in like 7 years but the one thing I remembered was that you’re appointment time was always 30-40 minutes earlier than you were actually going to see the doctor.  That’s fine.  However, I walked into the main “room” at 4:00…an hour later than my appointment time.  I saw the doctor at 4:25…an hour and 25 minutes later than my SCHEDULED appointment time!   

Old doctor walks in, asks me to breathe deep a couple of times and then spends the next few minutes telling me that it’s nothing but heartburn and that I should take some of these free heartburn pills and all should be OK…oh and to stop smoking (no shit genius!).  He then writes a chicken scratch referral for me to get an upper GI scan and leaves the room without saying goodbye.  His PA then turns to me and says, “Well I guess you’re done”.  Really?  As my buddy Chris Marion used to say, “AH HELL NO!”

On a scale of One-to-Pissed…I was pissed!

I decided that this just wouldn’t stand and that I had been given old advice by an even older and more decrepit doctor.  So, I decided to call “The Man”…the aforementioned “friend’s” father…the best doctor I’ve ever known, CEO of a major healthcare system here in Atlanta and one of the baddest ass cardiologists of all space and time.  This guy is to medicine as a hobo is to box wine…he devours it!  He is, as we say, the shit!

All I had to do was speak to him on the phone.  That’s all.  A brief 20 minute conversation provided me with an actual diagnosis of an actual occurrence having nothing to do with heartburn whatsoever and, more importantly, putting my anxiety and stress in the back closet with my summer clothes.  This was a real doctor.  This guy cared.  This guy WANTED to help me…he WANTED to be a doctor.  He was kind, he listened and he diagnosed.  Talk about night and day!  Thank you kind sir!

Think about this scenario when you interview!  You have every chance in the world to be the “good doctor” when you interview your candidates.  Let those other agencies be that old, golf-playing, balding, decrepit, I-don’t-really-give-a-crap doctor.

The reason I take so much time in trying to prep you for an interview (just as much as I prep my candidate) is because I know what attracts candidates.  Better yet, I know what attracts the BEST candidates.  Sometimes it’s all in the presentation.  You’d be so surprised how you come across to people in interviews sometimes.  And, it’s not your fault because you’re just not thinking about it.  You get busy; you’ve got deadlines…insert long laundry list of things that can take away your undivided attention here.

You have to prepare for interviews just like candidates.  As I’ve said a million times, they’re interviewing you just as much as you’re interviewing them.  They’re sizing you up against agencies A,B,C and D.  You DO have competition and you always will.  Candidates want to know the same things that I did on Monday.  They want to know what your agency can do to help them in career growth, what you can do to bandage the career scars that their present agency has inflicted upon them.  What can you do to help?  Why should they choose you? 

You already know the answers to the questions, but you have to make them believe what you’re saying.  They have to trust you.  People only buy from people they feel they can trust.  That’s just Sales 101 right there baby!  If you don’t know how to sell your agency or how to present yourself in an interview, ask me.  It’s what I do and I do it every single day!  I’m here to help.  Use me!

• Keep your appointment times
• Have a process in place that runs smoothly (smoothly running schedules are nice!)
• Unless it’s a relo candidate, the interview really shouldn’t take more than ½ a day
• Have a prepared vision of your agency that you can readily share with the candidate
• Sell your agency, sell your agency, sell your agency
• Treat your candidate exactly how YOU would want to be treated if YOU were interviewing

Follow these steps and you too can become a professional interviewer!  Order now and you’ll also receive this handy set of stainless steel knives! 

~l

“Moooooon River!  Using the whole fist there doc?”

                                                                        Fletch

Technorati Tags: interview, candidates, presentation, appointment times

I wrote on the philosophical aspect of candidate guarantees in my last post.  To take it a step further I’d like to explain what I feel is a fair arrangement for both parties. First I’d like to start out by stating this is relating to a Contingency Agreement.  If anyone reading this is unfamiliar with the term, feel free to write to me. Let’s begin.  You as a client want to know you have an insurance policy in case you buy a deficient product.  We, as a superior service provider, are willing to stand behind our work.  So a contractual arrangement is formed, called the Guarantee.  I’ve compiled a list of standard parameters which should be included, along with how Talent Zoo handles the item:

• The timeframe:  Our candidate guarantees are 30 days unless otherwise negotiated.  (If the fee percentage hasn’t been negotiated lower than 25% and a $500 retainer was paid to start the search, we will sometimes extend the guarantee to 90 days.)
• The gist of the financial arrangement:  We offer a replacement hire at no additional charge, for the same position of the original search.  If the parameters change, then it’s considered a separate search and not a replacement.
• The trigger: If the Employee is let go because of the position being eliminated, no replacement or credit will be granted.  All other reasons for termination within the timeframe qualify for replacement.
• The fine print: A guarantee will be honored if the fee for the service performed (successful candidate placement) is received on-time.  We all need to honor our part in this transaction, after all.

As a side-note: when you as a possible new client to Talent Zoo are requesting a 6 month guarantee because you’ve been ‘burned’ in the past, it is a red flag to me. I am a contingency provider who is in the fortunate position to choose carefully where we invest our time and which clients our efforts will benefit.  If you have difficulties retaining hires for six months, a recruiter is hardly to blame.  (Exception: if a recruiter turns around and poaches the same candidate he/she placed – if this ever happens to you, fire the firm immediately, it’s the biggest no-no out there.)   In a relationship with a search firm, we will take on the responsibility of properly vetting candidates we introduce you to, and you take on the responsibility of providing the same work environment which was presented during the interview process.  When both of these responsibilities are met, the Guarantee doesn’t even matter, and that’s what we BOTH want.

Technorati Tags: candidate guarantees, Contingency Agreement, client, recruiter

My parents are in the process of selling their lake house. It was to be their retirement home and because of our family friend “cancer”, they are now placing it in the capable hands of the very same man who sold them the property.

http://www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?T=1077353

The market is pure poo right now and my husband and I would be buying some suburban foreclosed four bedroom if we didn’t have to sell the townhome in our ghetto fabulous neighborhood.  The house they want to quit paying mortgage number two on is really large and very private.  It is not on deep water and with waterfront properties this can be a disadvantage.  It can look to be an even larger issue when you are trying to sell during a drought and the water is low.  It is the only property of its size below the 300k mark.

There has been a couple who have been to visit the property at least six different times.  The visits are not in twenty minute increments, but two hour inspections.  They have walked from one end to the other end of the woods.  They have been up and down every corner of the three floors in the housing structure. Other properties were viewed and this was considered the favorite by the two.  The realtor is anything but pushy even selling the potential “problems” so they could be laid out on the table.  It is literally a matter of you get what you see. 

The couple decided they needed to stay a week to determine if this was a justified purchase.  It was narrowed down to a weekend with deposit paid.  We all waited to see if the offer would be made.  The phone rang last night with a frustrated agent on the other end of the line.  He said he received a call earlier that morning and spent an hour on the cell talking to the couple.  Instead of it being a done deal, he was given a lengthy list of complaints and the line, “because of this, we will be making a very low offer which they should be happy to accept”.  The real estate agent spent an hour in his prayer closet – for those of you who don’t know what that is – it is a corner or actual room of the house you go to get down on your knees and be by yourself with your “higher power”.  My special room happens to be the large bathroom at Talent Zoo. 

My mom and I discussed this and I told her this sounds like a day in recruiting.  We send detailed bios with resumes and books.  We set up several phone interviews with various people and even a round of six interviews in person.  The references are sent and even double checked by HR.  Freelance is discussed as a rent to own policy and accepted by both parties.  The talent does a great job and all seems to be a happily ever after scenario by EOD on Friday.  The weekend comes and a new tune is being sung.  The sweet melody has ended and been replaced by mosh pit punk, really angry mosh pit punk.

An extremely low verbal does not come across as being business savvy, but stupid and offensive.  In the words of Mr. Rogers, you gotta know when to hold them and when to fold them and sometimes walking away is the only option we are given when the partnership has been completely disrespected.  The obvious is blatant when an offer is extended six feet under ground level.  It will be buried and filed away under “rest in peace”.  

Technorati Tags: retirement home, market, recruiting, resumes, phone interviews

From a Recruiter’s point of view, talk of the Guarantee brings a mixed bag of emotions.  It’s often the sticking point when negotiating terms with a new client, and I feel it’s the most misunderstood part of the Recruiter-Client relationship.  I’m going to try to cover, in only 2 posts, what I feel is a plain and simple explanation of how a Guarantee clause works.

First, the philosophical. Frankly, I don’t feel a recruiting firm should offer a guarantee at all. Why? We didn’t make the hire, plain and simple. YOU chose this candidate. Our job is to make introductions to you, our Clients. You engage us to find and introduce you to candidates who have a specific skill set needed by your company or will bring value and ultimately revenue to your company. However, you do not ask us to decide who you hire – this is the key. (In fact, you may not hire anyone we introduce you to, after weeks or months of searching your behalf– them’s the breaks, we know.) If we paraded someone into your office, sat them down at an empty desk, and said “Here you go, Harry’s your new guy and his salary is $X” then, I have to tell you, I would have a much different outlook on the Guarantee. However until that day arrives, this phenomenon of a Guarantee on a person, and not an object assembled in a factory that has gone through QC and months of testing, is a one-sided and unfair expectation in the Recruiter-Client relationship.

(I’m sure I made no fans in the paragraph – be sure to read on.)

HOWEVER, I stand behind our work, plain and simple. Talent Zoo is exceptionally good at what we do. We work hard on every assignment, every time - even knowing there is a better chance than not, that we won’t receive compensation. We do this in good faith and it makes us proud.  But, we know that sometimes all of us are fooled and a bum candidate gets through the vetting process. (Some people just give good interview, after all, and nearly everyone in the working world can produce references who will gush.) If we introduce you to someone who shows up drunk for work, lied about a criminal past, claimed creative work as their own when they didn’t have a hand in it, anything like this that comes to light in the first month of employment – we are more than happy to ‘make things right. ‘Heck, once you work with us and truly become a partner, that 30 days could stretch much further - but that comes with time, and a relationship.
All this taken into account: Yes Virginia, There Is a Guarantee. In my next post, I will outline the parameters of a Guarantee that is fair to all parties, and a Talent Zoo standard. If you are new to working with a Recruiter, this could be very eye-opening. 

Continued later…

Technorati Tags: guarantee, candidate, client, hiring, interview, approval, satisfaction