I appreciate statistics, but…

what do we really see?

While I appreciate statistics, I often question the numbers reported like current jobseekers and unemployment rates. How accurate are they? Are we counting those who have given up or who are no longer eligible for unemployment? Who is actually being polled or surveyed to come up with these stats? Personally, I think quoted percentages are often incorrect or made-up.

When I worked in-house as a corporate recruiter, I rarely used direct recruitment or cold calling.  85% of all my hires were a result of posting to a job board.  And do you know what?  I didn’t fill out one survey or receive one call asking me what I was doing or how I was filling my open requisitions. As a matter of fact, in all my years in the recruiting industry, I have never been polled.  Yes, I understand the concept of focus groups…, and with that said, I’d like to take a poll of who’s been polled.

If you have ever been asked how you are filling your open positions or how you are looking for a job, please tell me about it.  I question the precision, I wonder at the audacity and presumptiveness. I know that job board analysis and unemployment metrics contribute to our understanding of the some of the reported stats.  But merely quoting unemployment rates based on those that are receiving unemployment benefits doesn’t cut it and is inaccurate. Who isn’t reporting that they are unemployed? Who didn’t qualify for those benefits, thus being disqualified from inclusion in those numbers? Who worked part-time, became under-employed, because their hours were cut or they had to take “any old job”?

The percentage of jobseekers truly gaining employment as a result of job boards will be higher than those reported because most recruiters maintain a CRM or database rich with candidates they have inputted as the result of previous recruitments, previous job postings. Candidates sent resumes or filled out applications. You know, candidates who responded but were not quite the right fit for that particular requisition. Savvy recruiters do not throw resumes away.  That resume is either a future candidate or a future client.  No question.

How many times, when given an open requisition do you just start from scratch? A smart recruiter goes to the bull pen. A smart HR professional has been keeping records. Ever heard of an Applicant Tracking System? Job boards are dead, huh? Here’s some news…, interestingly enough, Monster is still big and still kicking, Careerbuilder is still building, theLadders is still being climbed, there’s no gamble at Dice, and Craigslist is making Craig rich.

No funeral here folks, just change. Evolution has always been a part of the plan.   This, I know.

Welcome to technology.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

I used to plow through my days
at the speed of light.

light

If I slowed down, I would fall behind.  I couldn’t afford to fall behind.  What if I got left?  My greatest fear as an adult has always been failure.  I have much to do, so I haven’t stopped, but I have learned to slow down a bit and ride the surf that carries me instead of fight against it…

I have learned to take time to strategize and/or construct lists,
lists that I will actually mind and check off.

During the course of your day, are you taking the time to slow down and regard your work? Or do you flit from one report or project to another, without considering the whole picture and the time suck that absent-minded work can become.  Becoming mentally engaged is not always at the fore front of everyone’s mind.  Many times, we arrive at our desk and absently pour over emails or reports without first connecting with a particular vision or purpose.

In my very first job as a recruiter, I worried incessantly that I would not appear or sound “engaged” or in the know. I was new to the industry and vehemently denied the sales side of me.  I spent a half hour every morning just re-attaching myself to my work, to a particular assignment – its requirements and various details. It was important to me to have that time to strategize, make mental and written notes, and then customize my presentation.  I reviewed the previous day’s work and the follow-up required. I often felt ill-prepared because I had not been raised in business as recruiter or sales person – but I had been raised as a service provider, so the transition required thought and at times, was very difficult for me.  In the end, my service provider mentality blended richly with the salesman dying to get out.

The daily snapping-it-all-back-together is a requirement for me.  Carefully regarding my work is a must.  I must look at the pieces before I try and make the puzzle work.  Then I also must envision what the final picture will look like.  Strategy.  It is not a dirty or lazy word. I think it is one of the most beautiful words there is, but it also is not an easy word.  It requires thought, time, and patience. In the long run – for there is no short run, strategy saves those three key resources.

Thought
Time
Patience

Slow down you move too fast, you’ve got to make the morning last.  And it will be gone before you look over the top of your computer.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

Frustration and Anger

I remember when he called me, frustrated and angry.  He had moved to Southern California from Seattle with dreams of making it big. Don’t they all?  But what he found was an ever-growing pile of debt lying next an even greater pile of heartbreak. Dashed hopes and rising bills.  It looks like heaven, but for him? It certainly felt like hell.

What do you say to someone who has followed all your suggestions, has done his homework, and – and, is a good man…, who just can’t seem to catch a break.  John got a job at the Magic Kingdom within the first few weeks of living in sunny CA.  He was the guy cleaning up after the thousands of daily visitors, and yet, they still called him a Cast Member.

Thriving at the happiest place on earth is a little more difficult than one might think. Especially when you see your dream slip through your fingers one sweep stroke at a time.  He left his ears at the gate after only six months.

John is, first, an actor.  Not your typical actor though, he actually does what a director tells him to do and doesn’t try to give reasons why or blame others for the choices he makes on stage. He just says ok when given direction. OK.  Yes, most actors have dreams of making it big, of surviving auditions, of actually being paid for their craft. There is very little chance of this happening.  It is only slightly more difficult for an astronaut to get a moon gig, than it is for an actor to get a paying gig.  But that gig has not been the focus of his year long job search – he has been looking for a real job.  Anything.

I sat across from John and listened to his dreadful story of student loans, car loans, stacking credit card bills, as he uttered the hushed words of bankruptcy.  Angst bannered his face and without asking for help, he told of what will happen if he is unable to find a job quickly.

It is an all too familiar tale.

LinkedIn, Craigslist, Temp Agencies, Want Ads, Job Boards, Recruiters telling him – Get Lost, and close to thirty interviews later.  No offers.  No jobs.

how can I help?

I jumped in the deep end with him on this one and sent out a “vulnerable” email to my local network. I told his story and vouched for him.  By mid-morning, I had received 10 replies with suggestions and job openings in the area.  And the emails continued to roll in. Like millions of job seekers, his resume makes him look like a job hopper.

Yes, he is struggling. Yes, he is angry…, but I saw it –> a glimmer of hope.  That may just be enough to get him through the next go-round.  Maybe.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

When clicking “Send” led to “You’re Fired!”

A couple weeks ago, I shared a story about a young woman who was fired for sending an email to the wrong person. You might recall that she struggled significantly and was very distraught over the loss of this very important job to her, to which she had been recently promoted. I gave her the sappy standard advice: all things happen for a reason, this type of thing happens all the time, it will be ok, you will bounce back from this. And while I was certain that each of these statements were true, she was not.

Avoid "Boom!"

I helped her re-work her resume and set up a LinkedIn profile. I directed her to a couple job board aggregators and assured her that we would be able to find something.  She was less than certain and was facing something many individuals currently face: the chance that she might not be able to pay her rent. She felt like a ticking time bomb; her nerves were shot and she was very unsure of herself.

Luckily, one of my connections contacted me through Facebook after he realized what I did for a living and that I might be able to help him.  He was self-employed and due to the economic downturn, he had laid off his Executive Assistant.  Time had improved his company’s situation and was ready to hire some help.  His previous assistant had left with very hurt feelings but was able to gain other employment.  He was certain she would not return to work for him. He needed my help to find a new assistant, could I help?

Of course, I could help and my thoughts turned instantly to my young friend and her recent experience. I messaged him back through Facebook and told him I had someone in mind and I would forward her resume to him. He was very glad to review her experience and called her immediately for a phone interview which resulted in an on-site meeting the next day. She was hired by the time her interview had been completed and was asked if she could start the next day. In total, she was out of work barely two weeks.

I didn’t receive a fee for this one. My Facebook connection offered to pay me but I refused. My payment was something far greater and more personal than any fee could come close to satisfying. I had connected two people who would have never known each other were it not for me, and it had been accomplished through the use of social media and what I like to call in-depth networking.
In a day and a half.

My young friend called me not too long ago and asked if she could send someone my way who is looking for a job. Her trust and self-assurance had been regained. That is the greatest payment of all.  Sometimes, you just have to do it because you can.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four, happily engaged to Tom, residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a daily contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

the jobless give up

Do you know someone out of work?  Maybe several someones?  Do you know anyone who has been laid off or who has had their hours or pay reduced? Have you, yourself, suffered in the current recession?  I hate to say it and I really do not want to believe it, but we are not out of the woods yet.

Have jobseekers given up? Have you given up?  Have hopes to secure employment been dashed upon the rocks? Recent studies have stated that some of the jobless have given up, their despair is so great that they have flat out just stopped looking for jobs, they have a new-found freedom. A desolation some have never known.  A freedom no one seeks, the freedom from a paycheck.  Grim Freedom.  Thanks, been there, done that.

What responsibilities do we have, as citizens of the world, to police this new liberty with whom so many have recently become acquainted?  The songs of freedom don’t really fit in with this most recent fight. Tipperary is indeed a long way, the land of cotton has dried up and is all but forgotten, and cymbals crash no more. We may need more than an inside-out rally cap.

A couple years ago, I read an article about an executive recruiter-turned-counselor whose search firm has transformed into more of a guidance counselor’s office with squelched hopes sticking to the walls better than most résumés. The Recruiting Animal‘s show sometimes houses a couch full of coaches ready to sell their goods to job seekers et al. I suppose you will be able to draw your own conclusions. And that picture will look a lot like a sea of stick figures standing in lines, submitting applications, reworking their LinkedIn profiles or sleeping on sofas while General Hospital  drones in the background and fades into syndication.

Do we, as keepers of knowledge and seekers of men/women or even just human beings, owe a certain amount of give back/charity to the jobless? To the huddled masses tired of their current grips on reality?  What about our own grip? Occupiers? Does charity begin at home?

Do you believe in fate? Do you believe in karma?
We all have something, some small thing to give.  Whether it’s simple advice, a pat on the back, or a even a kind word — for each of us faces our own grim freedom at one point or another.

Does the man in the mirror look back at you or is he too ashamed?

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.  

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The digital world, we live in an ever-increasing digital world. Customer service ain’t what it used to be. What does it take these days to speak with an actual human voice over the phone? I typically just keep pressing zero until a recording finally states, “Hold on, while I connect you with a customer service representative,” or the undefined, “I’m sorry, you have pressed an invalid number.” Then of course, there is that lovely hold music.  I  never walk into a bank anymore, my banking is done on my computer or at an ATM.  I do not pay bills in person or even write checks.  Bills are paid on my mobile device or on a website.

So, what exactly does customer service entail today? What drives you to leave greater than 15% for a tip? Are you even cognizant of good service? I recently took my family out for a nice meal. The food was good, the atmosphere was nice, the wait staff was friendly and attentive, as they should be.  When the check arrived, there was a list of suggested gratuities, ranging from 15%, 18% and 22%.  So, is that customer service?  Providing information, a glass of iced tea, and some chopsticks?

Do you want to be remembered? I recently read a marketing case study about the Blue Whale Moving Company out of Austin, Texas. This successful moving company was born out of good service.  A young college graduate, who had worked his way through school had impressed a hot shot attorney during a move. The attorney told the kid, “Call me when you graduate.”  He did and, together, they launched Blue Whale Moving Company, they saw revenue of $1.7 million by year five. All resultant of good customer service.

Do you go that extra mile?

Do you tailor your services? What is your differentiator? Where is your level of service? Are you deserving of that 22% tip? Or will your customers grumble at the thought of leaving a whopping 15% tip?

One of my recruiter friends consistently asks himself, “Why should they call me?”  This question motivates his efforts for providing value and the greatest value you can offer is to serve your customer.

Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology.  She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.