There is one thing worse than hiring the wrong person. That is to hang on to the employee long after the evidence suggests you should let them go. This is a problem that challenges managers at all levels of the organizational hierarchy; both within our industry as well as with the clients we serve. For our clients, [...]
Why Managers Condone Incompetence
August 22nd, 2008
Implanting the DNA for Success
August 20th, 2008
Our success is linked to the success of our clients. More specifically, our success is linked to the success of the managers we serve at the client’s organization. This link is based on the fact that nothing else has real value if the newly placed employee does not properly perform the essential functions of the position [...]
Improve the Processes, Improve the Results
August 18th, 2008
Depending on the survey or study, somewhere between 70% to 90% of managers’ success is determined by the processes used to hire their staff. However, as important as these processes may be, they generally tend to be less than 50% effective when measured against six critical variables. However, through partnering with a skilled recruiter, a hiring manager should be [...]
Yesterday, I received a call from an experienced Recruiter who had a problem. He was working on a search for an Industrial Engineer. The Client’s requirements included at least five years of experience in plant layout and design. Also required was a degree in Industrial Engineering. Although the Recruiter was able to locate several interested [...]
Picture this. A Trainer comes to your city and conducts a one-day training seminar and 100 Recruiters attend. In that seminar the Trainer shares a number of scripts and rebuttals that are both creative and technically sound. As most of those in attendance had never heard these scripts before, they eagerly write them down and [...]
from the The Fordyce Letter archives
Three Primary Factors Determine Poor Results
September 1st, 2006
Although there may be an infinite number of factors that influence the level of results you achieve in this business, years of experience working with thousands of Recruiters/Consultants has confirmed for me that, where poor results are concerned, three of those factors are primary. Let’s begin with an understanding that the two most important components [...]
Do your clients use your services because they offer the best option for success in filling the position or do they choose to use your services only as a last resort, after they have exhausted all other options? Or, perhaps they choose the middle ground where they use the services of many firms as an [...]
Properly conducted reference checks can be one of the most versatile tools for building your business and increasing profits. Good referencing techniques provide you with instant credibility, the opportunity to close more deals and increase your flow of job orders/search assignments, as well as providing an opportunity to gain recruits and referrals. Virtually no other [...]
The most frequently asked question I receive from Owners and Managers is, “What reasonable level of activity and production should I expect from my staff? The answer to this question depends on many variables, including the manager’s business model, specialties served, staff tenure, geography of the markets (time zones), and the quality of hires, initial, on-going training, [...]
from the The Fordyce Letter archives
Client & Candidate Presentations - Knowing What To Sell
May 1st, 2006
One of the most critical steps in the placement process is when you present the position to the candidate and the candidate to the client. More placements are lost at this stage of the process than at any other point. The primary reason for this is the lack of carefully planned and executed presentations. Unfortunately, for [...]
Life is a series of choices. In any given day, individuals make hundreds of them. Some choices are simple and can be made on an instinctive level, while others require careful consideration. However, all choices have one thing in common. They require a decision and understanding how individuals make their decisions provides a clue to [...]
How do you respond to a prospect who says, “We’re already working with several firms so we have no need for your services.” Most industry practitioners respond in one of following ways. “Are you satisfied with the results to date from using this approach?” Or “How’s that working for you?” Or “Why not allow me an opportunity to show you what I [...]
The principle of control is one of the most misapplied fundamentals of our industry. In fact, this misapplication reveals itself when many practitioners believe they need to control clients and candidates in order to successfully complete their business dealings. In attempting to do so, they generally employ aggressive strategies and techniques which unfortunately create a [...]
Our business may be easy to understand, but it is infinitely more challenging to execute in a consistent, effective and profitable manner. This challenge is based on the fact that we are continually dealing with people at every point in our processes. These people represent a “grey area” that many times can defy our best [...]
Almost everyone involved in selling a product or service understands that, in order to complete a sale, the potential buyer must reach a point where they believe the value (whether perceived or real) of the product or service is greater than its’ cost. In terms of our industry, our fee must be justified by [...]
Recently, several different recruiters have contacted me, each of them dealing with the consequences of candidates and clients not telling the truth. Although no one told an outright lie, in each instance, certain elements of the truth were not communicated to the recruiter. These were sins of omission versus sins of commission. On the candidate side, [...]
When confronted with an objection, whether from a prospect, client, recruit or candidate, the natural tendency is to try and answer the objection with some form of rebuttal. This may be appropriate if you fully understand the reasons behind the objection and if your rebuttal can be suitably customized to address the specific circumstances presented. [...]
Being successful in this business as well as being successful in life is all about taking responsibility; personal responsibility for our actions and the results created by those actions. Now, I don’t expect that statement to come as a revelation to anyone reading this article. Nevertheless, based on the excuses we hear and perhaps the excuses [...]
Every day I receive calls from practitioners who want to know how to increase their billings, close a greater percentage of their business, or move toward building exclusive client relationships. The most recent example was a call I received from an experienced recruiter with over nine years in this business. He’s averaging $175,000 per year in [...]
from the The Fordyce Letter archives
Candidates or Finalists: A Reflection on Your Process
May 1st, 2005
Carefully consider your response to the following question because it will serve as “a reflection on your process.” In dealing with your clients do you submit candidates to be considered or finalists to be interviewed? There is no right or wrong answer to this question. It is posed only to draw your attention to where you are [...]
Consider the possibilities if you could add one placement per month to your current production. That’s twelve placements over the next year multiplied by your average fee. According to anyone’s calculations, the results would be a substantial increase in personal income. Now, consider the fact that you could realistically accomplish this without putting in [...]
This morning I received a call from a Recruiter with over 15 years in the business. Although the call wasn’t particularly noteworthy in and by itself, it was indicative of hundreds of other calls I have received over the past few years from Recruiters who shared the same problem. Whether it involved asking for exclusivity, [...]
As the pace of business picks up and an increasing number of practitioners are utilizing direct and indirect recruiting approaches to locate potentially qualified candidates, we would do well to remember the confidentiality slogan from World War I, “Loose Lips Sink Ships.” Now this isn’t World War I and we aren’t talking about ships. [...]
from the The Fordyce Letter archives
Indirect Recruiting - It’s All About Their Comfort Zone
January 1st, 2005
Over the last month, I have been contacted by several Recruiters who are utilizing the indirect recruiting approach to gaining referrals. Each of them expressed frustration over the fact that many of the people they contacted were “uncomfortable” in providing referrals. On hearing this, my first question was “Why were they uncomfortable?” Surprisingly, most of [...]
from the The Fordyce Letter archives
Approved List or Preferred List - It’s Up To You!
December 1st, 2004
Many Staffing Professionals believe that in order to do business, they must be included on their client’s “Approved List.” Although being on these lists may provide a certain level of business opportunity, generally, these opportunities are cloaked with restrictions and cumbersome processes. Remember, “Approved Lists” are “designed to control mediocrity not to foster excellence.” Conversely, [...]
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