For over 30 years, The Fordyce Letter has delivered straight talk for the recruiting profession...

For three decades running, The Fordyce Letter has brought street-smart knowledge and tell-it-like-it-is opinions to recruiters in the know. Isn't it time you became one of them?

Subscribe to the The Fordyce Letter in print today and you'll get:

  • Advice from seasoned recruiting professionals
  • Hard-hitting closing and negotiation tips
  • Inside information from the industry's biggest billers
  • Tactics that will take your recruiting skills to the next level

That's not all. Only print subscribers have exclusive access to the newest articles published in The Fordyce Letter. The general public has to wait two years before articles are available in the archives on this website.

Don't stand there on the sidelines — it's time to play ball. Subscribe today »

Artices Tagged ‘personalproductivity’

THE “PETRA PRINCIPLES”

by Terry Petra January 1st, 2006

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 [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

How To Respond To “But Your Competitors Are Cheaper”

by Scott Love April 1st, 2005

“I deal with recruiters who charge half of what you charge.Why should I deal with you at your fee of thirty percent?” Hey, that’s a real good point, I thought to myself. I would probably ask the same question if I were in my prospective client’s shoes. He was a sharp and intelligent seasoned professional who [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Let The Good Times Roll

by Mike Ramer April 1st, 2005

I’ve been waiting four years to write this article’s title.? Since I like to integrate music in my training, I thought I’d try it in my writing.? (For the past couple of years, I’ve been playing “We Are the Champions” for the industry survivors.)? Songs can grab attention, create a sensory reaction and generate good [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

The Candidate’s “Evil Twin”

by Frank Risalvato February 1st, 2005

There’s one phenomenon pertaining to candidates which, although it occurs infrequently, happens consistently enough to earn it’s own label. I call it the “Evil Twin Syndrome.” If we were to perform an anatomy of the “Evil Twin” syndrome it usually unfolds as follows: 1. Recruiter pre-screens/interviews a candidate either [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Clarify Expectations And Follow Up With Those Tough Questions

by Scott Love January 1st, 2005

To get people to do what we want them to do, we need to give a clear understanding about how we work and ensure that the client and candidate are willing to comply. Then we ask questions throughout the process to make sure that everything is on track. Such questions include “Has anything changed since [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Get Your Year In Gear - Your 2005 Action Plan

by Gary Stauble January 1st, 2005

Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to think about how you’re going to make 2005 your strongest year yet in terms of production and professional fulfillment. The Action Plan below is a part of a process that I use with recruiting firm owners in my coaching programs to assist them in gaining clarity [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Online Personality Tests: Are they really all they’re cracked up to be?

by Frank Risalvato December 1st, 2004

They may be called different names but all accomplish the same thing: They often stop potentially rock-solid candidates dead in their interview tracks if the scores don’t add up to what the company has decided is a Passing Grade. If you’re a recruiter with any number of years in the business … you [...]

1 comment | Read this post...

“Stockholm Syndrome” And The Recruiter

by Michael Goldman December 1st, 2004

“Stockholm Syndrome describes the behavior of kidnap victims who, over time, becomes sympathetic to their captors. The name derives from a 1973 hostage incident in Stockholm, Sweden. At the end of six days of captivity in a bank, several kidnap victims actually resisted rescue attempts, and afterwards refused to testify against their captors. What causes [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Approved List or Preferred List - It’s Up To You!

by Terry Petra 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 [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Be Aware Of The Boss

by Terry Petra November 1st, 2004

Many staffing professionals who are engaged in the process of recruiting currently employed individuals miss the mark when it comes to clearly identifying their recruit’s motivations for changing positions. With an emphasis on filling searches/job orders and collecting their fees, they focus on selling the benefits of the position, primarily compensation and long-term potential. [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Ignorance And The Human Condition

by Wendell Williams October 1st, 2004

People like to believe they are rational, even when the exact opposite case is true. Think of it as a poor man’s Dilbert cartoon: “My decisions may be completely wrong, but I’m totally convinced!” Human Error Study after study by scientists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky has identified three major sources of human error that [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Know The Difference Between Value And Commitment

by Terry Petra October 1st, 2004

Practitioners as well as their prospects and clients often misunderstand one of the most fundamental principles of our business. This misunderstanding creates a multitude of problems ranging from heavily discounted fees to nonproductive working relationships, all of which can seriously compromise the likelihood for achieving a positive outcome. This fundamental principle can be stated in [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Building Motivation To Get On The Phone

by Scott Love June 1st, 2004

Do you find it difficult to create the energy to start making your round of phone calls in the morning? If so, then you are not alone. Even veteran big billers admit to me that sometimes it takes them as long as four hours to get the nerve to pick up the phone and make [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Diversity Recruiting - Stereotyping

by Frank McCarthy June 1st, 2004

“Dear God, so far today I’ve been pretty good. I haven’t cursed; I haven’t talked about my neighbor; I haven’t lost my temper; I haven’t been mean to anyone; I haven’t been greedy; I haven’t been selfish; I haven’t had too much to drink; I haven’t been nasty or coveted anything. I’m thankful for that. [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Quit And Win! - How To Reduce Staff Turnover

by Steve Finkel May 1st, 2004

He had many years of experience as the successful owner/manager of a fine firm, yet he had a problem. “It’s not that I hire the wrong people,” he said to me. “It’s that I keep the wrong people too long.” To coin a phrase, “He ain’t the only one!” Were a long-tenured owner/manager to add up [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Sharpen Your Attitude Edge

by Scott Love May 1st, 2004

An edge is all you need to get ahead in the world of executive search. You either close the deal or you don’t, and sometimes you get the account by a hair compared to your competitors. So just a slight edge is all it takes sometimes to win the competition’s business away from [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

Diversity In Recruiting - Execution: how to get it done

by Frank McCarthy May 1st, 2004

What are you hearing on the street? What’s the latest buzz about the economy? About hiring? There are many positives out there: contract recruiters are busy, more jobs are being created, companies are talking to recruiters, candidate research firms are selling projects, and the pace of hiring is accelerating and heating up. Are we poised [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

New Years Resolutions For Managers

by Paul Hawkinson January 1st, 2004

I. I will do more for my productive consultants and less for those who are just taking up space II. I pledge to set optimistic, but realistic, goals for my firm and my consultants. III. I promise to stop listening to economic doom and gloomers and other assorted naysayers. IV. I will [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...

New Year’s Resolutions For Recruiters

by Paul Hawkinson January 1st, 2004

I. I will do whatever is necessary to make the Year 2004 the best year of my career. I will divest myself of those activities which will not promote this objective. II. I promise to appreciate that, while my efforts will primarily affect my personal income, I am a part of a bigger picture [...]

1 comment | Read this post...

Staying ?Up? (And Productive) In Down Times

by Steve Finkel April 1st, 2003

It would be wonderful if life sailed along, with no problems, traumas or turmoil. Yet the reality is, to coin a phrase, “stuff happens.” A two-year bad market is enough to upset anyone. Slumps will occur in any market. And no one is immune (alas!) to personal problems ranging from relationships [...]

No comments yet | Read this post...