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The Fordyce Letter

Straight Talk for the Recruiting Profession


Business, Technology

The Simple Method of Working Smarter: Using Time, Tools, and Techniques to Get Your Life Back, Part 2

by on Jun. 30, 2011


work desk by John Griffiths

Ten Technology Tools to Work Smarter

As world communication media quickly move toward faster communication methods, we all need to realize the impact technology is having, not only on society but on our profession as well. Adopting and using these changes can be a very daunting task. As recruiters, we need to ask ourselves, “How can I use these new technologies to achieve the greatest impact?” And, “Which ones do I use when there are so many options to choose from?” We all want to spend more time on the important things in our lives, and less time on the not so important. It is critical to assess the options based on what will give us the greatest return on our investment in the limited time that we have.

The good news is that technology provides the recruiter several options that can significantly improve daily output when used appropriately. Consider the following ways that technology can be used to work smarter rather than harder…

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Editor's Corner

My Confession: You Need R&R To Be Effective

by on Jun. 29, 2011


ABHlc

Dear Fordyce readers:

As we approach a holiday weekend, I know many of you are scrambling to finish your work weeks — whether to wrap up deals so that you can enjoy the weekend with friends and family, to plan in advance for your return to the office next Tuesday, or some combination of the two. I would like to remind you of one more thing that you cannot forget to do:

Take time to recharge yourself.

I recently learned this lesson the hard way, and from my own personal experiences, I hope to help you avoid some of the same pitfalls I encountered.

And I promise: this has EVERYTHING to do with recruiting, placing candidates, and collecting fees.

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Relationships

Recruiter Chronicles: Story of the Despicable Million-dollar Producer

by on Jun. 28, 2011


evil by L. Marie

“She said what!?” I heard the question fly from the other side of the room punctuated with disgust. Each one of my teammates’ ears were now perked with anticipation to hear what “she” said. We waited patiently for a minute, and up from her cube popped my teammate Chris. She exclaimed, holding her head in her hands and looking like she was in great pain, “I can’t believe it!”

“What?” about three of us asked at the same time.

“She did it again,” Chris said with a tone of resigned disbelief in her voice.

“Who?” we asked.

“You know who,” Chris answered. At that moment we all knew. “You-know-who” is a bit of a nemesis of ours. She is a million-dollar producer that none of us know personally, but deal with on a constant basis. If you just looked at her body of work in terms of numbers you would be infinitely impressed. She is known to be a consistent big biller, with the best contacts, and amazing work effort. Unfortunately, she also known to be somewhat morally and ethically challenged within the confines of recruitment.

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Fees, Jeff's On Call!

Jeff’s On Call!: Split Fee Owed?

by on Jun. 27, 2011


law_gavel

This week’s inquiry comes from Sue Yager:

Jeff, I really need your help. As an avid reader of The Fordyce Letter for 10 years now, I have always appreciated your insight and knowledge of the recruiting industry, and find myself needing your help for the first time.

I believe I have more of a moral dilemma than a legal dilemma. Here’s the story: 4 years ago I worked with another recruiter, who was with another agency, and we sometimes did splits. This other recruiter emailed a resume to me and told me this candidate was fantastic, and asked whether she would be a good fit with any of my clients. I called the candidate and did a full interview with her even though I didn’t have any job opportunities for her at the time. I kept in touch with this candidate over the past 4 years, and she is now actively interviewing with one of my clients. I have not spoken to the recruiter who sent me her resume for about 2 years, and the candidate hasn’t spoken to her for several years.

Here’s my dilemma: Do I still owe that recruiter part of the fee? I want to do the right thing, but I don’t want to give away money unnecessarily either. (P.S., there was never a formal split fee agreement in place between us.)

Thank you for all of your help.

Respectfully,

Sue

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Industry News

Korn/Ferry Launches New CEO Succession Service

by on Jun. 24, 2011


BXP135677

Earlier this month, Mike Gionta delivered a great presentation at the Fordyce Forum on succession planning for your recruiting business. He stressed the importance of planning your business for the future and building it today to make succession or retirement easier down the road.

Thought Gionta’s presentation was geared toward planning for the future of your recruiting business, succession planning most certainly seems to be a topic at top of mind for many in this industry, as earlier this week Korn/Ferry International announced the launch of Korn/Ferry CEO Succession, a new global offering that provides boards and CEOs with an innovative approach to executive succession.

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Business, The Business of Recruiting

The Simple Method of Working Smarter: Using Time, Tools, and Techniques to Get Your Life Back, Part 1

by on Jun. 23, 2011


tap pencil by Rennett Stowe

The e-Principles and those nasty time wasters

For those of us in the recruiting industry, staying in business in recent years has meant putting in more time at the office, making more phone calls, and essentially working harder to hopefully get the same results as we were seeing in the mid-2000s. More time on the job translates into spending less time with our family and friends and enjoying the things we really want to do. My question to you is this – “If you had the option, wouldn’t you rather work smarter, not harder? Wouldn’t you like to get your life back?”

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Editor's Corner, Technology, TFL archives

The Sourcing Bull’s-Eye — Are You Using Your Resources or Wasting Money?

by on Jun. 22, 2011


bullseye

Whether or not you want to admit it, we all use some paid resources for our recruiting efforts. This could include any of the following products: job boards, resume databases, information gathering resources (like Jigsaw or ZoomInfo), ATSs, the list goes on and on. Yes – I am talking to you! I know you post jobs on Monster, CareerBuilder, or at least some niche sites from time to time. I know you have purchased an applicant tracking system (that most likely is simply used as a repository for resumes with very little, if any, data organization). If we are spending money on these resources, why, then, do we so adamantly preach and train against using them when conducting candidate searches? If we’re paying for them, then why not justify the cost of using them by actually using them? And if we are not using them, then why continue to pay for them???

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Business, Entrepreneurship

Coaching or Consulting?

by on Jun. 20, 2011


business-coach

A realization came to me one day that I spent a noticeable amount of time coaching people, even long after I placed them. A few years ago I decided to make it official and put some real credentials to it in order to expand my professional offerings. Now, I work with individuals and companies all over North America on leadership development, organizational planning and development, efficiency strategies, and sales growth.

Whenever I start with a new group wanting to increase their efficiency to boost their sales, I get a lot of the same questions from the business managers and owners:

  • How can I get more productivity with the same people?
  • How can you turn bad habits into good ones?
  • Can you get Suzie Q to pick up the phone and make a decent marketing call?
  • Where can I get some higher margin business?
  • Can you get Tom Jones to work normal hours again? He’s been here a long time and comes and goes as he pleases because he’s the top producer.
  • Where can I find a rainmaker without a non-compete?
  • What do you think of my pay plan?

The answers to these questions are clearly not that easy or simple, and they vary widely based upon location, industry focus, line of business, available technology, and most importantly, the management philosophy of the company.

The solutions to all of these require a hard look at the infrastructure and process flow of the organization coupled with an introspective analysis of how they got into these patterns in the first place.

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Relationships

Father’s Day Reflections: From Our Family to You

by on Jun. 17, 2011


Sipple Family Centennial Inc

For over three decades, Centennial, Inc. has served organizations in many business sectors and has carved out a niche with privately held companies and family businesses. In the last decade the ability to understand, connect, and internalize what our clients are experiencing has become our own reality, as we too are a family business experiencing ouritbut  own succession plan. My father, Mike Sipple Sr., and mother, Susan Sipple, both own and serve in critical leadership roles for our organization, and I have spent the last ten years growing personally and professionally to prepare for a passing of the baton under their leadership.

My mentor is a leader who puts trust and integrity above everything else and his reputation of 35 years has created a significant foundation for Centennial and me to stand on. Although he happens to be my father, I could ask for no better leader from whom to learn, change, and grow. Honestly, I do not know many men, let alone fellow family business colleagues, who can say the same. As a father, husband, son, and a service provider to my clients – this is what I strive to become and why, like every other Father’s Day before, this Father’s Day means so much to me.

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Jeff's On Call!

Jeff’s On Call!: Job Postings and Gender Discrimination

by on Jun. 16, 2011


law_gavel

This week’s inquiry comes from Tom Skobel:

Hello Jeff Allen!

I have read and found to be very interesting the article you wrote April 15, 2009, entitled, “Jeff On Call: What Internet Job Postings Are Illegal?” I happen to be a college student studying Human Resources Management and find labor practice laws to be interesting, and I enjoy seeing them in play in real life….After reading what are considered to be illegal job postings, I discovered, what I believe, may be an illegal job posting. I discovered the job posting in question on a reputable job search website. The title reads: “Seeking Full Time FEMALE PERSONAL ASSISTANT for Busy Executive, ready to train and start very soon. ” In addition, one of the traits reads, “Recent college graduate – no more than 5 years out of college.”

From studying Labor Law at college and reading what you have listed in your well-thought out article, I believe this job excludes males from applying for this position — gender discrimination, which is prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. I would like to get your expert opinion on this matter.

Once again, I enjoyed reading your article. I found your article to be both enlightening and easily understandable. I look forward to read more of your work.

Sincerely,

Tom

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