Good things come to those who wait

I usually hesitate making any comments that show my age, but how many of you remember the Heinz ketchup commercials from the early 80s with this slogan?  You would see a young guy (who is now incredibly famous because of the show Friends on NBC) place a newly opened bottle of ketchup on a rooftop, he would run down the multiple flights of stairs, purchase a hot dog from a street vendor and then you would see one glorious drop of delicious condiment float from the sky and perfectly land on the hot dog.  I don't even like hot dogs, but that made me want to try that trick at home.

The reason I bring this up is more than simple nostalgia.  I had a great reminder this morning that patience is a key virtue in our business.  A candidate of mine had been flirting with the idea of an interview with a client for nearly four months and finally had the opportunity to have an initial interview yesterday.  Not only did he nail the interview, but he had a positive attitude about the whole situation.  Instead of becoming bitter for the delay, he seized the opportunity to shine and show them why they should have been interviewing him all along.

All too often the interview/recruiting process does not align with everyone's ideal timing.  Clients drag their feet to offer stage when a candidate feels as though they are on the goal line and in the 11th hour.  Candidates take way too long to return phone calls to set up next stages of the process.  Emails are lost in cyberspace and calendars fill up before something can be confirmed.  I could go on and on and on, just like Taio Cruz.  Like Taio I want to celebrate and live my life.  (Thank you to my seven-year old son's love of Pandora for that random reference.)  Or in other words I try to inject a positive attitude and optimism in the midst of what is often a slower process than anyone would like to see.  I wish more people would share that sentiment in the transactional, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately society we live in.

Along with pure unadulterated optimism, I do also like to stress clear and realistic communication.  The candidate I referenced above remained patient primarily because he and I had a lot of conversations with him over that four-month period.  I was honest with him that the slow process frustrated me as well.  But the opportunity was worth waiting for.  He knew that he could ask me open and honest questions and that I was his advocate in the process and not just a means to an end.

The takeaway here is to envision that ketchup bottle perched high above the street when you find yourself in a situation where you wished the interview process was moving along more quickly.  Keep in mind that waiting not only produced the desired result of ketchup on the bun, but it was the perfect amount as well.  Ah, the beauty of television, even if it was the 1980s.........

Five steps to become a tenacious producer

I have a producer candidate in final stages with an agency client this week and one of the references described the individual as tenacious.  What a wonderful descriptor for someone responsible for new business development.  Which got me thinking about different definitions of the word tenacious.  Webster's Dictionary defines the word in two ways -- a) not easily pulled apart or cohesive, and b) persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired.  Retentive was a synonym also listed, along with dogged, persevering, insistent, and patient.  So how does one exhibit these qualities?  Here are five ways in which I believe you can become tenacious on a daily basis -->

1) I will start with the final synonym listed -- patient.  That wouldn't normally be a word I would align with tenacious.  But it makes a lot of sense if you think about it.  Many times producers turn new sales calls into simple transactions.  If one doesn't hit quickly, they move onto the next one.  Instead I would consider keeping track of each of those "near misses" more closely to see if there is something that was overlooked with initial review.  Maybe another referral that could come from the prospect.  Perhaps a chance to call back in six months to see how the competition is faring.  Sometimes sales cycles are long and it takes patience to achieve the end result of winning the client.

2) Retentive is also a word I would not associate with tenacious.  But if you look again at the Webster's definition it talks about "adhering to" and that should definitely be a goal for every account a producer brings on board.  Not only is it less expensive to retain a current account than sell a new one, but I would also argue that is your best referral source.  If your current clients speak highly of you, it should naturally lead to other prospects and clients in the long run.

3) Salesforce.com is creating a new way to predict who is most influential within an organization.  Some of it appears to be in initial phases of testing and is quite subjective, but it brings up a good point.  You should know your colleagues well enough that you can influence them to help in all facets of your business.  If your account management team respects you, they will likely work harder for you.  When you need them to be your foxhole buddy on a tough account, it is too late to get to know them.  They will run for the hills if you are just asking for their help for selfish reasons.  Maybe you can partner with another producer that has more expertise in a particular niche.  Maybe you need someone in marketing or IT to hit a deadline on some glossy materials for a presentation that is the next day.  The time invested over months and years to get to know your team will pay huge dividends in those moments.  Be tenacious about details.  Know their spouse's names, their hobbies, their weekend activities, etc.

4) The devil is in the details.  I heard a story recently about a producer who works for a smaller agency, but won over a huge account with a ton of political ties in the community.  This individual was competing against three much larger agencies in a broker selection process.  The reason the client picked his agency -- he knew more about their exposures.  Sounds too easy, doesn't it?  While the other three agencies focused on their service platforms, pricing, value-added services, and all of the fancy marketing ideas, this producer simply knew the client better than anyone else.  He had asked in-depth questions about the state of the client's business, where their growth would occur, and what was most important to them. 

5) Have a little fun.  While this may also seem too easy, many salespeople tend to take themselves way too seriously on a daily basis.  Start a cold call asking about the weather.  Bring some greasy donuts from a local bakery to a renewal meeting.  Be memorable.  Talk about a movie you watched last night with your spouse, especially if it was terrible.  You can save someone else ninety minutes of their life they'll never get back.  It is human nature to gravitate toward interesting people.  So make it a point to be interesting.  Look at the Webster's definition again -- "seeking something valued or desired".  Can anything you have done this week be described as being valued or desired?  That is the core of being tenacious.

You don't know jack!

This is something a recruiter would never want to hear.  Whether it be from a candidate or a client, it would be an indictment of our profession.  On several recent occasions I have had candidates tell me after an interview that the client asked what we (as the recruiter) had shared with the candidate about the organization.  Thankfully we know our clients well and every single time it has actually benefited us in interview process to have that question come up.  In one instance a candidate even flat out admitted that he wouldn't have agreed to the interview if it weren't for what we shared with them about the organization and the opportunity.  But what if we hadn't known much about the organization either because we hadn't done our homework or the client simply didn't feel like sharing much information before the interview with us?

I read the following stat in an article authored by CareerBuilder -- When asked to assess the recruiters who contacted them, one-in-five job seekers (21 percent) reported that the recruiter was not enthusiastic about his/her company being an employer of choice. Seventeen percent didn’t believe the recruiter was knowledgeable and 15 percent didn’t think the recruiter was professional.

This is obviously in reference to an in-house and not external or third party recruiter.  But still it is an astonishing fact if you really think about it.  What is the old saying -- you will only tell one person about a good experience, but you will tell 8-9 people about a bad experience.  I have oftentimes had to educate candidates especially that have previously had bad experiences with recruiters that not all of us are bad medicine.

Two lessons can be drawn from this.  First of all, it is a great reminder for executive search firms like Capstone to really know their clients well.  For us to be able to properly prepare a candidate for an interview, it benefits everyone for us to know the little details.  We try to stress this with our clients all the time.  Whether you have extraordinary benefits, fun activities for the summer, flexible schedules for working from home, ESOPs, career progression, etc., that is valuable knowledge for us to have.  We are working with one new client that has a page on their website devoted to "50 fun things we do in the summer".  How cool is it for a prospective employee to know that they might play in company kickball in their first week of employment? 

Secondly it is a reminder for employers everywhere to remember that they are representing their organization in every single interview.  Even if it is a candidate you are never going to hire, that individual can have an impact on future hires.  They have friends, colleagues, family, and much more that they talk with about bad experiences with employers.  Whether it be zero response on a resume submission, a mishandling of an interview or follow up, or an inappropriate Dear John letter, that can send a ripple effect that you'll never completely see the end of.  I spoke with a candidate just this week that thought an interview was going along quite well with senior management when out of the blue she received a letter from HR stating that they were not interested.  She was shocked and disappointed and called one of the executives she had met with.  The individual was not even aware HR had sent the letter and felt obligated to apologize. 

I will be the first to admit I am not perfect and will eat some humble pie in conclusion.  There have been times that candidates have had to call me after interviews to tell me something about a client that I didn't already know.  It is impossible for us to know all of our clients a mile deep and a mile wide, but it is certainly our goal to know as much as we can.  That serves to benefit the client, the candidate, and ourselves in the process.

If you are a hiring manager, do you strive to provide as much information as possible to prospective candidates?  Do you show consistency in what you share?  Do you have some level of engagement and excitement that will leave a good impression on the candidate?

If not, I hope you will take my advice to heart to avoid ever hearing back from a candidate that "you don't know jack!"

Tips from a seven-year old ambassador

I attended a ceremony yesterday afternoon for my son's basketball camp at a local university expecting to walk away with a few pictures and a cheap certificate showing his participation.  Instead I received a reminder about how your behavior and attitude counts so much even when you think no one is looking.

One of the awards was for the player that the coaches agreed would be a great ambassador for the university and especially its basketball program.  When they said my son's name over the loudspeaker for Mr. Bulldog I couldn't believe it.  I asked him later in the evening if he really understood what an honor it was to win that award.  He didn't, so I explained to him that it had a lot less to do with his basketball skills and much more about how he exhibited good qualities as a supportive teammate, a good listener to the coaches, and his overall approach to the game.  He smiled even bigger than if he had been named MVP of the whole camp.

No one told him before the camp started that the coaches would be keeping a watchful eye for the player that would receive the award.  Yet he came each afternoon with a desire to learn, get better on the court, and pick up life lessons along the way. 

Here is the tie-in to the interview process.  Both candidates and clients alike so often fail to remember that the entire recruitment process is oftentimes a lengthy one and they always need to bring their best to the table.  From silly things on social media that can be viewed as inappropriate for a candidate to off-the-cuff comments before and after a formal interview, people seldom can be described as ambassadors for their organizations or their own candidacy.

As a candidate, are you constantly attempting to improve your background to be more appealing to employers?  As an employer are you creating a culture of winning that permeates from the top to the bottom?  With all of the reasons in the world to put on a front when we know others are looking, can we learn from a seven-year old boy trying his best and giving his all at basketball camp even when he has no idea that someone else is watching his every move?

Does your job search need a rescue club?

Today I leave for my annual trek to Orange City, Iowa to participate in the Red Raider Alumni Classic.  It is a golf tournament to benefit the athletic fund for Northwestern College, where I graduated and played on the golf team.  Since golf is on my mind, I tried to find a way to incorporate it into my blog.

On a couple of occasions this week I had candidates outline to me how depressed they were about the state of the economy and the overall job market.  While there is certainly some truth to that, it should not impact a candidate's approach to the search.  It does not matter if you are an active or passive candidate.  No client in their right mind wants to hire an employee that is bitter, trying to overcome a bad work environment, and/or in a sour mood after a long period of unemployment or even underemployment.

These people need a rescue club.  This is a hybrid 3 or 5-wood typically that serves to "rescue" a golfer from a bad lie or deep rough.  In other words, you're in trouble and need some help.  A purist wouldn't ever use one as it is almost considered cheating in some circles, but unless you are on the PGA Tour and paid millions of dollars to chase that little white ball around the course, it is a wonderful investment for any bag.

For a candidate this could be a friendly reminder from a reliable source to go into a job interview with a positive attitude.  It could mean taking some time to find an article online (trust me, there are plenty) to read about interview tips.  Perhaps even taking a trip to the mall before an interview to shop for a new suit.  I actually had a candidate do that about three weeks ago and she was unemployed.  Instead of showing up with a chip on her shoulder, she was sharply dressed and ready to impress.  That is good use of the "rescue club".

In a perfect world there would be no market for a rescue club.  I am hopeful that in tomorrow's best ball format we have every drive in the fairway, every approach shot landing on the green, and all putts as make-able birdies from within ten feet.  But just as that is unlikely, the search process and interviewing for a job can land you in the rough.  How you get out may just depend upon whether or not you suck up your pride, admit you could use some help, and you reach for that rescue club.

The golden rule of recruiting

Yes, this is a very simple post for a Friday -- treat others as you would want to be treated.  I had several great reminders this week of the benefit of this philosophy, both personally and professionally, that I thought I would share to end the week on a lighter note. 

The first incident happened after I had all kinds of trouble hooking up my new Roku streaming player (If you don't know what this is, don't feel bad -- I didn't know until five days ago.  Google it and go buy one.) to our receiver at home.  I spoke with several customer service people on the phone to absolutely no avail.  So I decided to go the old fashioned route and went into the store where I bought the receiver four years ago.  The guy that sold us the unit was still there, remembered me immediately once I mentioned our purchase, and proceeded to sit down with me for fifteen minute to figure out a solution.  What he suggested worked like a charm later that evening when I got home and I danced with my two-year old daughter to Black Eyed Peas.  I bought a Starbucks gift card the next day and went back to the store to thank him.  What a great example of doing something without any possible reward or remuneration.

The second incident occurred when an old client from a previous job (which means this would go back more than ten years) called to see if I would have any ideas for her regarding convention speakers.  She knew that I had a lot of local connections and was hoping to tap into that network if possible.  I brainstormed with her regarding a few ideas, put a call into an old friend of mine, and they were exchanging emails within hours.  They have already outlined a quote for services and will likely consummate a deal by the weekend.  Both parties seem thrilled with the outcome.

The third incident involves a candidate who reached out to me regarding his search.  It was a profile that I was pretty certain I would not be able to provide much assistance.  But I took the call and spent thirty minutes with him talking about possible directions for the next step in his career.  He really appreciated my advice and ended the call by asking how he might be able to help me sometime in the future.  I can't remember the last time I had someone ask me that question.  Candidates usually call for one reason only -- what can I do for them?  To be asked the question inspired me to want to help him in any way I could moving forward with his search.

I could go on with a few more thoughts, but will conclude with the encouragement to consider this simple philosophy as I have this week.  Whether it be at work, at home, at the grocery store, behind a slow driver at a red light -- treat others as you would like to be treated.  You just might be surprised with the results.

The one reason we need executive search firms

I read an interesting article this morning that can be found at the following link -- The real reason why we need recruiters

It was titled "The real reason we need recruiters" and I tweaked my blog title accordingly to provide more thorough analysis.  There are indeed a myriad of reasons why our clients decide to engage with us for a variety of searches.  But what is the one universal reason why they do?  Because they can.  Yes, it is that simple.  No rocket science.  No profound post for this morning.  They simply do it because they can.

I suppose we could now argue the definition of "need" as often times we are defined as the "necessary evil".  That has a different connotation that the Webster's definition of "need".  I have been recruiting for nine years now and am hopeful that most of my clients would say that they were satisfied by the services we provided.  Whether it was actual placement of a candidate, providing advice on a project, working diligently on an opening only to not place the candidate, or staying in touch over time through emails, blogs, webinars, and much more.  But I am doubtful that the majority woke up one morning and said "I NEED an executive recruiter today and I can't wait to pay a fee for those services."

Which goes back to my reasoning of why our clients work with us -- because they can.  At some organic level they all recognize that we can provide value to the process.  We are like a bullhorn on pro-active searches to help tell our clients' stories.  We can provide a healthy pipeline of passive candidates to our best clients that want to know about talent even when they don't have an active opening.  We can provide outsourcing services when they have to eliminate a position, but don't want to just kick the employee to the curb.  We can provide valuable insight into an effective way to compensate a new producer without breaking the bank.  We can provide competitive intelligence regarding key trends in certain geographies.  We can think outside of the box and help bring in an account manager for a new producer that is transferring a book and wants to know there is immediate support for a smooth transition.

You see, we are not a hammer and our clients are not a nail.  In conclusion I will add to the idea of clients working with us because they can.  It is not a universal statement.  It is a proud declaration of what services Capstone provides to our clients.  So you don't NEED an executive search firm on every occasion when you need to hire an employee.  But a true partnership with an executive search firm that knows your industry can prove to be an invaluable tool for many reasons.  Most importantly, because you can.