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Ask Barb: Speeding Up Client Decisions

Barbara Bruno on Mar. 14, 2012

Dear Barb:

How do we get our clients to hire faster? They take their sweet old time and often my candidates lose interest. They don’t realize top talent is getting harder to find and seem to be waiting for the perfect candidate before they make their decision. Too often they delay me for weeks and then don’t extend an offer to my candidate. They need to realize they have to shorten the interview process. This problem seems to be getting worse since the first of the year.

Jake M., Minneapolis, MN

Ask Barb: Disappointed Candidates

Barbara Bruno on Mar. 7, 2012

Dear Barb:

Job seekers are getting more and more unreasonable. We are also getting bombarded with unsolicited resumes and can’t get back to everyone who submits a resume. Recently we have had a few candidates post negative remarks on LinkedIn which makes our firm look bad. We specialize in biotech and only place individuals who are at the top of their game. How do we get the “stalkers” to quit calling us without appearing rude?

Jeff C., Atlanta, GA

Ask Barb: Annoying Coworkers

Barbara Bruno on Mar. 2, 2012

Dear Barb:

Two of my co-workers are driving me crazy and I don’t know how to handle this. They share every up and down with the entire office, constantly discuss personal problems, and distract those of us who are trying to work. The problem is that both recruiters have been with our firm forever and are friends with our owner out of the office. How do we tell her that these recruiters are costing us all money and she needs to fire them? I know two of my co-workers are already looking for another job and I’m very close to doing the same thing.

Anonymous in Chicago

2 Comments

Ask Barb: Hiring New Recruiters

Barbara Bruno on Feb. 22, 2012

Dear Barb:

I am a new owner and need to begin hiring recruiters. Can you provide me with a profile of individuals who do well in our profession? Should I look for someone who already has a book of business?

Susan E., Milwaukee, WI

2 Comments

Ask Barb: The Recession Is Over

Barbara Bruno on Feb. 15, 2012

Dear Barb:

I’m having a hard time convincing my recruiters that the recession is over. I keep hearing business is improving, but that is not the case in my office. We’re struggling to keep the doors open. Many of our clients are not hiring and when they do, they often find their own candidates by using Job Boards and Social Media. I’ve never seen it take so long to obtain job offers. When we do finally get a job offer, often our candidates are no longer interested. I need to turn this around before I lose my business. Any suggestions you may have are greatly appreciated.

Sheila M., Memphis, TN

Entrepreneurship, For Managers

1 comment

What It Really Takes to Own a Profitable Recruiting Business

Barbara Bruno on Feb. 10, 2012

It can be relatively easy to open a recruiting firm, especially if you’ve decided to be a sole proprietor working from home It is much more difficult to create a profitable recruiting business. Starting a small business takes courage, but courage does not pay the bills. Have you taken the time to stand back and review all aspects of business ownership?

If you are your business and it can’t profitably run without you, you have merely created a job for yourself.

You are in business for two primary reasons:

To generate profits
To live the lifestyle of your dream

If you are not generating profits, to be blunt you don’t have a business — you have an expensive hobby.

The good news: it is never too late to make changes necessary to elevate your business to a new level of success. You can’t continue to do things the same way and expect different results. As a business owner, you need to embrace and implement change in order to take advantage of trends.

1 comment

Ask Barb: ROI On Conference Education

Barbara Bruno on Feb. 7, 2012

Dear Barb:

What are your feelings about attending conferences? I attended the Fordyce Forum last year and I’m sad to admit that I have not changed one thing. So, am I going to get an ROI on the investment – the answer is NO. I wasted my time and money and I’m more frustrated now than I was before I attended. Too many speakers talked about trends vs. giving me ideas I could implement in my business. I know you often speak at these things, so maybe you can’t give me an objective answer — or can you?

Anonymous Fordyce Forum Attendee

Ask Barb: First Quarter Woes?

Barbara Bruno on Feb. 1, 2012

Dear Barb:

Do things normally pick up early in the year? Which quarter of the year is historically the best for our profession? I keep hearing different answers to this question and felt if anyone could provide an accurate answer, you could.

I also wanted to thank you for the free webinar you recently did “What can you expect in 2012?” We have already implemented many of the ideas you shared.

Mary Jane R., Austin, TX

Ask Barb: Screening Candidates

Barbara Bruno on Jan. 25, 2012

Dear Barb:

I’ve heard you say, “When in doubt send them out! Too often we screen out candidates our clients would hire.” Do you have any empirical evidence or data to support your assertion?

Alan T., Sarasota, FL

1 comment

Ask Barb: Never Stop Marketing

Barbara Bruno on Jan. 18, 2012

Dear Barb:

I am relatively new to the recruiting business. I am finding no problems obtaining good search assignments. Every training resource that I have used says to never stop marketing. I don’t understand the benefit to continue marketing when you have enough job orders to work. I think it will hurt my reputation to write job orders that I can’t fill. In fact, I would rather focus on fewer searches, than write more that I can’t even work on.

Don T., Bloomington, IN