Recruiter.com Magazine — Issue 9

I ssue 9 D ecember 2020

Magazine

Can Malcolm Gladwell Make Us Better Recruiters?

You’re not as good at assessing candidates as you think you are

Finding Job Security Where You Least Expect ASA President Richard Wahlquist on embracing contract and temporary labor

2020: The Year Recruiting Changed

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Agilitiy, innovation, empathy, and other lessons for recruiters and HR pros to carry forward

Table of Contents Recruiter Index: Reports From the Front Lines ... Pg. 5 Recruiter.com

SPECIAL REPORT On the Other Side of the Crisis: Recruiting in a Post-Pandemic World ... Pg. 13

Executive Spotlight: Lucy Suros, President, Articulate ... Pg. 7 Recruiter.com

Welcome the Whistleblowers: Compliance in a COVID-19 World ... Pg. 14 Matthew Kosinski

Finding Job Security Where You Least Expect It ... Pg. 10 Richard Wahlquist

Authenticity and Empathy: The New Values of Recruiting ... Pg. 16 Laureen Kautt

Can Malcolm Gladwell Make Us Better Recruiters? ... Pg. 23 Chris Platts

A Better Normal: The Acceleration of Performance Management ... Pg. 19 Matthew Kosinski

Hiring an Executive Recruiter?

Don’t Count on Their Rolodex ... Pg. 27 Jason Blonstein

A New Talent Paradigm: What’s a Fractional Executive? ... Pg. 21 Trent Sutton

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Editor’s Note Dear Readers, Welcome back to Recruiter.com Magazine! It’s been a while. Like so many other ventures, Recruiter.com Magazine found itself under a temporary shutdown when COVID-19 hit — but we’re back now, and with a brand-new look to boot.

Indeed, the story of Recruiter.com over the past few months is a story many of us are familiar with by now: Facing an unprecedented threat, we buckled down and embraced adaptability and agility. Despite the challenges, our software platform has grown by leaps and bounds, thanks to the addition of some powerful AI and video tools.

This issue of Recruiter.com Magazine is full of similar stories of innovating your way through tough times.

American Staffing Association President Richard Wahlquist explores the value of temporary labor in a post-COVID world; ThriveMap CEO Chris Platts looks to Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book to challenge some popular misconceptions about recruiting; and Volitionary Movement founder Laureen Kautt surveys recruitment’s past and future to answer the question: What will talent acquisition look like in the new normal? Plus: Insights on performance management, compliance challenges, remote work, and the best ways to hire executive recruiters.

It’s good to be back, Matthew Kosinski Managing Editor Recruiter.com

Recruiter.com Magazine \\ 4

Index

No one understands the talent market like the recruiters, HR professionals, and talent acquisition experts working on the front lines. Since April 2020, Recruiter.com has been periodically surveying its network of 27,000+ independent recruiting and talent acquisition specialists to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. Here are some of the highlights.

3.2

3.0

2.8

How Do You Feel About the Job Market Right Now?

2.6

2.4

Recruiter responses are based on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being “The job market is getting much colder” and 5 being “The job market is getting much hotter.”

2.2

2.0

1.8

1.6 April

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Average recruiter sentiment by month

Overall Recruiter Sentiment The overall recruiter sentiment graph tracks recruiters’ overall feelings about the job market and its future prospects. Each month’s sentiment score is an average of recruiters’ responses to three queries: 1. Overall, how do you feel about the job market right now?

2. How do you expect your job requirement load to change over the next 30 days?

3. How do you expect your job requirement load to change over the next 90 days?

Sentiment is scored on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being “Highly pessimistic about the job market’s current and future prospects” and 5 being “Highly optimistic about the job market’s current and future prospects.”

3.4 3.3 3.2 3.1 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.3 April

May

June

July

August

Sept.

Average recruiter sentiment by month

Oct.

Nov.

Average Job Requirements Per Recruiter 2020

Year-Over-Year Comparison

20

24

22 18 20

16

18

16 14 14

12

12

April

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

June

July

Recruiter workload by month

Aug.

Recruiter workload 2020

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Recruiter workload 2019

The graph on the left shows the average number of jobs each recruiter reported working on in a given month. The graph on the right compares average job openings per recruiter in 2020 to the average job openings per recruiter in 2019. While average openings fluctuate by month, the gap between prepandemic 2019 workloads and post-pandemic 2020 workloads is steadily closing.

How Do You Expect Your Job Requirement Load to Change ...

Over the Next 30 Days?

Over the Next 90 Days?

3.5

3.8

3.4

3.7

3.3

3.6

3.2

3.5

3.1 3.4 3.0 3.3 2.9 3.2 2.8 3.1

2.7

3.0

2.6

2.9

2.5 2.4

2.8 April

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Average recruiter projections by month

Oct.

Nov.

April

May

June

July

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Average recruiter projections by month

Responses are based on a scale of 1-5, with 1 being “I will be working on many fewer job openings” and 5 being “I will be working on many more job openings.”

Nov.

Executive Spotlight: Lucy Suros Recruiter.com Magazine’s Executive Spotlight features top executives, HR professionals, recruiters, and business leaders sharing their insights on hiring, management, and best recruiting practices.

This Issue’s Spotlight: Lucy Suros, President, Articulate If you’ve worked in corporate training, you probably know Articulate. The company’s course-authoring and eLearning-development apps have been used by more than 98,000 organizations around the world to create millions of courses.

Articulate’s latest product, Rise.com, is an all-in-one system that aims to simplify the creation and management of online training. “[Rise.com] may not, sound revolutionary or disruptive to the space, but it is,” says Lucy Suros, Articulate’s president.

Suros would know: As should be clear from our interview with her, she has a long history of staging quiet revolutions in both eLearning and the broader world of talent acquisition and management.

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What’s the overarching vision that guides Articulate?

Articulate is an SaaS company focused on empowering people to live better lives. We live out this vision primarily through our training apps, but also through the culture we’ve built at the company.

While many organizations are coming around on telecommuting thanks to the pandemic, Articulate has been fully remote for years now.

What kind of wisdom has this long history of remote work brought to you and your organization?

Since long before the pandemic, Internally, we’re focused on I’ve been a huge proponent of empowering not only our remote work. I haven’t worked customers but also each other. in an office for two decades, Our culture is human-centered and I truly believe that it’s the and shaped by our conviction best way for organizations like that we can build ours to operate. a brighter corner “N o organization is perfect . of the universe There are two N o human is perfect . at Articulate. We things you need B ut there are many people to get right to can be a place who strive to be the best people really build an effective want to work remote work they can be ." because we environment. appreciate the intrinsic value of First, you need to measure every human in all our diversity. and value productivity and results over activity. In such an And we are deeply connected environment, it doesn’t matter and committed in our work to how many hours someone sits create an equitable, sustainable, at their desk (wherever that and empowering workplace desk may be). What matters that looks nothing like a typical is whether they’re producing company. work that moves the business forward in a significant way.

Most companies focus on how they get the most out of Second, you need to be employees. We’re focused on really, really intentional about how we can empower people communication.

And that to be their best, whole selves at takes planning. Make sure work. you have team norms and

expectations around what them at Articulate. It’s an honor you’re communicating, how and pleasure to work with them you’re communicating, and every day. when you’re communicating so that everyone is on the same What is your proudest moment page. as a professional?

You also want to use the right communication channel for the message. If you anticipate a topic will need discussion, don’t do it on chat. Hop on a video call.

You’ll save time and reduce the potential for misunderstandings and misreadings of someone’s tone.

We’ve accomplished so much as a team at Articulate. I could easily point to the herculean product launches that changed the online training industry over and over. While I’m very proud of us for those achievements, what is most personally gratifying for me is the work we’re doing as an organization to operate in a You also need to make sure human-centered way. everyone in the company is on the same communication It’s not the easiest road channels and using them in the to travel, because we’re same way, or you’ll end up with embracing the fact that we are information and communication all works in progress and we silos. That will cause you pain all have a growth edge. We’re down the road when people are all entangled in a web of social moving in different directions or and structural realities full of missing critical information they paradox and injustice, and we need to do their jobs. have our own personal histories layered on top of that. And What do you love most everyone brings all of that to about your job? work.

I love the work of architecting a different kind of company, one that believes (and has proven with its results) that you can positively impact both industry and people while also being a highly profitable business. And I love that I get to do that work in collaboration with an amazing group of people.

What we are trying to do at Articulate is to make that visible and provide training and other structural support that allows us to learn, evolve, and heal so that we’re improving the ways we relate to ourselves and each other, even as we tackle our core job responsibilities.

The language we use for this is that we’re “building a humanNo organization is perfect. No centered organization.” human is perfect. But there are many people who strive to be I’m so proud of the fact the best humans they can be, that people at Articulate and we have more than 260 of have embraced this goal Recruiter.com Magazine \\ 8

“M ost companies focus on how they get the most out of employees .

W e ’ re focused on how we empower people to be their best , whole selves at work ." wholeheartedly and open-heartedly. It gives me hope that what we’re doing to operate differently as a company will reverberate throughout society as a whole.

They are thoughtful in the way they approach problems, but also thoughtful in the way they approach people. They are trustworthy in that they get their work done, but also in that they are truth-tellers and truth seekers. And they are Describe your ideal team. doers who feel both responsibility and pride What kind of people are on it? in producing work rather than just being at What work are you doing? work. During job interviews, we always look for What is your role in that team? specific, grounded examples of when and how a candidate has displayed these qualities in past My ideal team is diverse in social identities, skill roles. sets, and perspectives, but unified in purpose.

We also always give candidates a project that I look for team members who are curious and allows them to show off their skills. That gives flexible, with learning mindsets, but ultimately us a chance to experience firsthand how they focused on getting things done. They are self- communicate and interact with our team. It’s motivated, thoughtful doers who respect different an excellent way to surface a clear front-runner viewpoints and are emotionally intelligent. between two candidates who have similar skills And they confidently share their thoughts and and experience. respectfully listen to others’ ideas.

If you had to sum up your entire career to this The role I love to play is setting out a challenge, point in one quote, what would it be? theory, or idea and then watching other people think it through, bringing clarity and, ultimately, a My career has been an unexpected, unplanned plan of action together. journey. I never set out to run a $100 million company. But I’ve always followed my curiosity, What is your must-follow hiring rule? learning everything I can about everything that touches my world. I have also been extremely We know through nearly two decades of hiring blessed throughout my career to meet and work for our remote environment that people who will with people who have given me the chance to thrive here are thoughtful, trustworthy doers. spread my wings.

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Finding Job Security Where You Least Expect It

Government subsidies and social safety nets will not last forever.

Unless we embrace new employment strategies, the future prospects are bleak.

W

e are living in a world of great economic uncertainty and volatility unlike anything we’ve experienced in the last 75 years. The COVID-19 pandemic is raising questions for many about how to find job security once again, and I believe the answer lies in embracing temporary and contract work. Let me explain.

the lowest in 50 years. As recruiters, we were struggling to find qualified talent to fill openings. This challenge was shared by both staffing agencies and corporate talent acquisition professionals. Competition for talent was extreme.

However, the labor market has shifted in the blink of an eye from one favoring job seekers to one At the height of the governmentflush with talent looking for new Richard Wahlquist mandated shutdowns, more than opportunities to earn a living. Many 50 million Americans were receiving unemployed job seekers are facing some form of unemployment benefits. With a buyer’s market that is unlike anything they businesses now reopening, the US has recovered have ever experienced. Competition for jobs about half the jobs it lost earlier in the pandemic. is now extreme, and it will not diminish in the Even so, given an unemployment rate of 10.2 foreseeable future. percent as of July, we know that pandemic-related joblessness “F lexibility , adaptability , The pandemic has accelerated isn’t going away any time soon. the disruption and digitalization and lifelong learning are The unpredictable start-and-stop of work, and all of us need to the coins of the new realm ." pace of reopenings and closures focus on strategies to futureonly exacerbates that fact. proof our careers. For many people, that means considering new roles in While some sectors are recovering faster than new industries and acquiring new skills to stay others, industries like travel and hospitality may relevant to employers. not get back to pre-COVID employment levels until 2023 or beyond, according to McKinsey & JOB (IN)SECURITY Company. For millions of people across the US, the world of work has changed, likely for the Today and in the future, employment security long term. Unless we embrace new employment will be defined by and inextricably linked to strategies, the future prospects are bleak for possessing skills that meet market demands. many. Government subsidies and social safety Those who possess in-demand skills will be the nets will not last forever. desirable ones, highly sought after for what they can contribute.

JOB MARKET DISRUPTION Flexibility, adaptability, and lifelong learning are The year of 2020 began with over a million the coins of the new realm. And despite seeming more job openings than the total number of like an oxymoron, temporary and contract work self-identified unemployed workers. The pre- provides the best job security for many today pandemic unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, and, very likely, tomorrow.

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One very vivid lesson of the past two recessions is that career security is no longer tied to landing a job in the “right” company. Hundreds of thousands of people recently experienced that reality firsthand while working at blue chip companies like Boeing, Microsoft, American Airlines, GE, IBM, AT&T, and many others.

Millennials, Gen. Z-ers, and Gen. X-ers are designing and navigating career lattices that look very different from those of the past. The days of establishing a career path while in one’s early twenties and working for a single industry sector, let alone the same company, are gone forever (for the most part). But this is not necessarily a bad scenario — it is a new way of looking at our work trajectories.

Working on a temporary or contract basis through a staffing agency offers a new and better form of job security by removing a person’s reliance on a single employer. With their multi-client relationships, staffing companies can keep talent continually engaged and employed by deploying them where needs exist and matching skills with new opportunities on the rise if others experience a down cycle — just like what many people are experiencing today due to the pandemic.

Staffing agencies are talent agents, championing their candidates’ skills and attributes (including soft skills) and presenting them in the best light to prospective employers. They are also their employees’ coaches, offering resume and cover letter reviews and interview prep.

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Staffing companies also provide candidates with opportunities for training, upskilling, and reskilling to grow their knowledge bases to take advantage of new job opportunities. This training is offered at no cost and is a great investment in employees’ professional futures. The training is geared to the most in-demand skill sets of the agencies’ clients to ensure businesses have streams of qualified talent to fill job openings.

One extremely important service that staffing agencies offer — particularly in the time

of COVID-19 — is skills qualified talent. Staffing agencies “W orking on a temporary are an asset to organizations’ assessments. Some jobs have disappeared, at least for the internal talent acquisition teams. or contract basis through short term due to the pandemic, a staffing agency offers and others are being dramatically In the earliest stages of the a new and better form disrupted and transformed by pandemic, staffing companies technology. But many of the helped employers rapidly recruit, of job security ." skills required for those “extinct” hire, and deploy hundreds of roles are transferable to others, including the thousands of temporary and contract workers in myriad of new jobs created by the pandemic: support of the delivery of essential services (e.g., contact tracers, temperature screeners, retail, supply chain, healthcare) to the nation’s COVID-19 testers, social-distancing monitors, consumers. and beyond. Staffing agencies help job seekers and their clients connect the dots between these Today, as businesses begin to reopen and new jobs and the existing qualifications/skills of reimagine operations in our next new normal, candidates. staffing agencies continue to help by providing clients with a quick-to-deploy, flexible workforce So — why is this important to you? solution to meet their evolving talent needs.

POWERFUL PARTNERSHIP For talent acquisition executives and HR professionals, partnering with a staffing agency provides labor market reach, breadth, and talent maximization expertise in a scalable and costefficient manner.

COVID-19 is causing a tremendous, long-term labor disruption for both the private and public sectors and across industries. Although the current recession, caused by a public health crisis, is unlike any other, there is one constant.

Just like previous economic downturns, the staffing industry has played and will continue to play a critical role in identifying and training talent, and then linking employers with that

Talent acquisition executives will find a larger pool of people more interested in and open to temporary and contract work than ever before as people increasingly recognize that this type of arrangement offers as much or more job security than the hope of long-term employment with a single organization once provided. Having a staffing agency as a partner to help source, upskill, reskill, and train new talent will be a critically important strategy for organizations to utilize in their efforts to future-proof their workforces in an increasingly volatile, competitive, and disruptive world.

Richard Wahlquist is president and chief executive officer for the American Staffing Association.

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On the Other Side of the Crisis

COVID-19 ISN’T GONE JUST YET, BUT THE INNOVATIVE WAYS ORGS HAVE RISEN TO THE CHALLENGE ARE WORTH CARRYING FORWARD.

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t became clear fairly early on in the COVID-19 pandemic that this was going to be more than just a temporary setback. Between the stock market volatility, supply chain interruptions, a full-scale emergency shift to remote work, and the difficulty of finding toilet paper, the world — personal and professional — changed profoundly almost overnight.

of innovation in the world of business. Maybe that shouldn’t come as a shock: Necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention.

Nevertheless, it’s worth taking a close look at how companies have adapted to this new normal — not simply to applaud their ingenuity, but also to discern the lessons we can carry forward into the post-COVID age. While employers have been forced to make major changes under duress, a lot of those changes may end up being powerfully transformative maneuvers that change the way we recruit, engage, and retain employees forever.

Now, some nine months since the onset, we’re not quite out of the woods. Most of us are still staying home whenever we can. We’re wearing masks when we go out and avoiding large crowds. We’re keeping the hand sanitizer within reach and getting used to waiting in line to enter the grocery store. In this special report, we’ve And it’s paying off, to some collected some insights from degree. thought leaders in the HR and recruiting space, with Throughout it all, people have the goal of understanding shown remarkable resilience. not only their experiences Even as unemployment today, but also how we can all rates shot up and hotspots move forward into the future. appeared without warning, From compliance challenges people learned to adjust. And and improved performance so have organizations. management to alterations to the very nature of recruiting In fact, for all the trouble it has itself, here are the lessons caused, the era of COVID-19 we’ve learned from COVID-19. has also spurred quite a bit

Welcome the Whistleblowers. You’ll Need Them.

When it comes to staying safe in the era of COVID-19, we’re all in this together.

T

he General Duty Clause from the OSHA Act of 1970 requires that every employer offer its employees a workplace “free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.”

organization, the industry, and the transmission rate of the area your business is in.”

It’s a fairly cut-and-dry requirement, one the average company has no trouble complying with under normal circumstances. But these are not Matthew Kosinski normal circumstances.

Employers also have to account for the fact that OSHA’s guidance is not the only law of the land. Some states and localities have their own rules and regulations employers must follow to open their offices again.

“This is the really challenging thing for every employer, particularly those with multi-state facilities,” Ho When COVID-19 hit the United States in March says. “The rules seem to be constantly moving of 2020, many employers went fully remote. Now, — understandably so as we learn more about the transmission rates are down, lockdown orders virus. And they seem to be coming at you from are lifting, and organizations are so many different areas, whether starting to plan for bringing workers “A t the end of the day , it’s a state executive order, a local back to the office. But COVID-19 is health office order, federal OSHA, reopening your office still circulating, and OSHA certainly or industry-specific guidelines. You isn ’ t as simple as views it as a recognized hazard. have to understand where your Thus, employers find themselves in business fits in among all of those doing A, B, and C." a difficult spot: How do you satisfy different kinds of guidelines or the General Duty Clause when you can’t even see regulations that you have to consider.” the threat or definitively bar it from the premises no matter what you do?

DRAFT POLICIES BEFORE YOU NEED THEM The first place to turn, according to labor and employment attorney John Ho, is a handy OSHA publication called “Guidance on Returning to Work,” written specifically to help organizations navigate these uncharted waters. But Ho, who chairs the OSHA Practice at law firm Cozen O’Connor, also notes that no single publication can comprehensively outline every step an organization needs to take to protect employees today.

Navigating a shifting landscape doesn’t mean flying by the seat of your pants. In fact, Ho advises employers to do precisely the opposite: The rules may change regularly, but if you want to stay compliant and keep workers safe, your best bet is start planning now instead of waiting for any kind of final word on the matter.

“The best position — and this is true with anything — is to just prepare for it,” Ho says.

“Get those policies in place. Identify who is “At the end of the day, it’s not as simple as going to be responsible for reviewing OSHA’s doing A, B, and C to return to work,” Ho says. website, reviewing the CDC website, and “The general duty clause can be flexible, and tracking industry-specific guidance. By having what you’re going to need to do to protect your these things in place, it’s going to prevent that employees is going to depend on the size of your situation where, if something does happen, you Recruiter.com Magazine \\ 14

have to rush to figure out what all of your requirements are.”

“COVID-19 doesn ’ t discriminate .

E verybody has a vested interest in keeping the workplace safe ."

While the specifics of a company’s protocols will depend heavily on the regulations they’re subject to, there are three broad categories that Ho says employers should be thinking about:

these complaints likely come from anxious employees with unrealistic expectations, plenty of them are based in truth.

While no one wants to deal with an OSHA investigation, the fact of the matter is that employers should actually be encouraging this kind of behavior from employees. And with 1. Keeping COVID Out of the Workplace: What the right whistleblower protections and antisafeguards will you put in place to minimize retaliation measures in place, companies can get the risk of COVID getting into your workplace? employees to share concerns with organizational Health questionnaires, temperature checks, leaders first instead of heading straight to OSHA. and other monitoring solutions can help here.

2. Mitigating Spread in the Workplace: Even “COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate, whether you’re with the best safeguards in place, COVID a manager or it’s your first day on the job,” Ho might make it into your workplace. That’s the says. “Everybody has a vested interest in doing nature of this particular hazard. So, employers the best you can to ensure the workplace is free should plan for how they’ll mitigate the spread from COVID. You want to encourage people to in that event. This is where things like six-feet speak up when they see someone violating a rules, disinfecting schedules, telecommuting rule, like not wearing a mask.” arrangements, and even improved ventilation systems might enter the picture.

As Ho puts it, your protocols are only as 3. Employee Communications: If someone does good as the paper they’re written on if there’s test positive, how will you communicate that no enforcement. The best way to ensure information with employees? This requires a that enforcement is to make it everyone’s careful balance between respecting employee responsibility — and to create an environment in privacy and keeping your workers safe. You’ll which employees feel confident that they can flag also need related policies around contact issues without suffering negative consequences. tracing and guidelines for when an employee can return to work after a positive test.

“Employees are a necessary component,” Ho says. “You can write the best policies in the “With something like COVID-19, where there are world, but if no one is actually following them, so many moving pieces, having these formal they’re not going to do you much good.” written policies can help you know what direction to head in if you do have an issue,” Ho says.

Give employees channels through which to share feedback and contact leaders for help. Make ‘YOUR POLICIES ARE AS GOOD AS THE PAPER THEY’RE WRITTEN ON’ sure leaders and managers are aware of antiretaliation policies and know how to respond There is also another kind of policy that Ho to employee concerns appropriately. When it thinks every organization should prepare: a comes to satisfying the General Duty Clause in whistleblower protection and anti-retaliation the age of COVID-19, we’re all in this together. policy.

This article is for informational purposes only and OSHA has seen significant whistleblower activity does not constitute legal advice. in the context of COVID-19, with thousands of workers across the country alerting the federal Matthew Kosinski is the managing editor of agency to perceived safety shortcomings on Recruiter.com. the parts of their employers. While some of

Transparency, Authenticity, and Empathy

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The talent market may have transformed, but recruiters are used to navigating challenges. Here’s how we’ll move talent acquisition into the future. n the matter of one week, everything changed. Now, we’re living in the aftermath.

It’s more than likely that someone you know — maybe even you yourself — has lost a job through no fault of their own over the last six months. Masks are a daily accessory now. We’re all trying to balance fear of catching COVID-19 with the human need for social interaction. Our return-tooffice strategies are on their 10th iterations (and counting).

projects. These recruitment consultants were the experts in the room — until building internal talent acquisition functions became the norm.

Laureen Kautt

In the late ‘90s, HR departments started to incorporate “centers of excellence” under their umbrellas of shared services, with talent acquisition being one of them, along with payroll, compensation, and benefits.

Since its inception, the internal talent acquisition team has faced plenty of challenges, even inside its own organization.

And the virus isn’t even the only thing How the function delivers talent can have a organizations have had to worry about. direct impact on the success of the organization Diversity, equity, and inclusion overall, and talent acquisition “T rue recruitment means initiatives have become mustteams are tasked with crafting have strategic objectives for sourcing strategies that drive engaging in the market employers in light of an ongoing greater engagement and foster as an expert in the craft ." social justice movement. cultural alignment across the organization. How recruitment moves depends How do we find certainty amid such chaotic heavily upon how the function engages both times? We need to start proactively mastering internal clients (hiring managers) and external the changes 2020 has brought, rather than clients (candidates). reactively trying to catch up with each new development. This is especially true for Now, with COVID-19 transforming the world of recruiting and talent acquisition professionals, work yet again, we have to ask ourselves: How whose field may be undergoing some of the will the recruiting and talent acquisition function most radical changes of all. adjust yet again to a new set of challenges?

A HISTORY OF CHALLENGES

THE NEW FOUNDATION OF TRUE RECRUITMENT

But before we look at what’s next for recruiting 1. Candidate Experience and Company Story and talent acquisition, we first need to reflect on its history.

One thing has become clear. People are expecting more authenticity and transparency In the ‘80s and ‘90s, recruitment consultants from companies now. This pandemic shook were extensions of the company HR team tasked the very concept of career stability to its core. with placing people on contingent and full-time Those who thought they had security saw how Recruiter.com Magazine \\ 16

quickly it could disappear. of the innovative solutions “R ecruiters will have to trade As a result, career-minded available for prospecting, laundry lists of ‘ organizational values ’ people will start selfpipelining, and hiring administering their own candidates.

Investment for authentic messages of action ." engagement surveys to in these tools is now ensure their employers are meeting their needs critical. Without proper automation, recruitment and valuing their services. No one wants to roll teams will be spending more time in Excel the dice with an employer anymore. spreadsheets instead of in conversations, marketing activities, blogging, messaging — in To meet this need, recruiters will have to trade other words, the networking and relationshiplaundry lists of “organizational values” for building which are now the crux of the talent authentic messages of action. Unemployment market. may be high, but talented job seekers still have choices in the market. Many high performers If your recruiters are just reviewing applicants are even considering reinventing themselves in an applicant tracking system all day, then in new fields. Recruiters are the first point of you are probably overpaying for a sourcer or contact for these candidates. They’ll need recruiting administrator. True recruitment means to be ready to share the company story in a engaging in the market as an expert in the craft. meaningful, relevant, and authentic way if they Great recruiters build connections that run deep want to capture candidate attention in this across multiple competencies. chaotic market.

During the month of July 2020, I delivered 2. Automation a stellar slate of eight candidates for a confidential-search CFO position in five days.

Automation will also be a key driver of success That is true recruitment, and true recruitment for the future of talent acquisition, because it will is what we’ll need going forward. Evaluate the allow talent acquisition professionals to focus results delivered by your current in-house team on true recruiting. Many in-house recruitment against the salaries you are paying. teams have so far failed to take full advantage Quality hiring stems from automation in the sense that, when the right technology is used effectively, recruiters can extract the data they need to make more-informed hiring decisions and more accurately track quality of hire.

Quality of hire, when tracked, can feed back into and improve sourcing strategies.

By looking at your current top performers, you can reverse-engineer the process you used to make those hires in the first place.

Then, you can adapt that process to meet future hiring needs.

3. Business Partnership Recruiters can only truly understand the 17 // Recruiter.com Magazine

current needs of an organization — and, by extension, plan for its future needs — if they are true business partners. Recruiters must be able to participate in the departments they serve, especially in a post-COVID world.

The uncertainty of the immediate future means each company — and each department — may be facing a totally different set of challenges than its counterparts. Recruiters must be embedded into the business and invited to the table if they are to stay updated on the latest developments and plan accordingly.

Being able to provide market data and insights to the business is and will continue to be one of the most highly effective ways for talent acquisition to earn its place as a business partner. Trust is earned over time, and continually presenting powerful insights will cultivate the trust of leaders. Business leaders and recruiters will need to be a united front moving into the remainder of 2020 and beyond.

For companies and candidates alike, transparency, authenticity, and empathy are the new values. How a company is treating its employees during this time of massive change is important, and employers must take action when it comes to refining their recruitment practices — including diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives — for the future. Candidate experience, automation, and business partnership will be the foundations of successful recruitment moving forward.

“This is how we have always done it” will no longer cut it. If you haven’t already, now is the time to reevaluate and reimagine how your recruitment function fits into broader business strategies.

Laureen Kautt, BCC (with additional Career Coach designation), is a global talent acquisition executive and the founder and principal coach of Volitionary Movement, LLC.

Sharpen Your Skills The Recruiter.com Certification Program helps brand-new recruiters and seasoned veterans alike master the art of modern, technology-based talent acquisition.

It’s fully digital and a SHRM-CP© and SHRM-SCP© recertification provider.

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A Better Normal: How COVID-19 Is Accelerating the Transformation of Performance Management

Leaders and managers have had to streamline performance management out of necessity. They should keep doing it for the benefits.

T

he pandemic has been difficult for everyone — but it has not been without its silver linings.

According to Reflektive’s 2020 Performance Management Benchmark Report, 26 percent of employees expect to emerge from the pandemic having learned new skills, and 25 percent believe they’ll feel proud of the things they’ve accomplished during this time.

cycles to account for the disruptions of COVID-19, often by simplifying the process, shortening time frames, or introducing more frequent checkins.

It’s a logical move: Between the shift to remote work and the stress of a global pandemic, employees may be feeling more distracted, disengaged, and isolated. By adopting a speedier, more consistent approach Matthew Kosinski This represents an opportunity for to performance management, employers to reap the rewards of an employers can better keep those upskilled workforce. While many organizations employees engaged and catch problems before have been reinvesting in they become full-blown crises. performance management “T he arrival of COVID-19 throughout the shutdowns, “Prior to COVID-19, feedback has accelerated positive trends there’s still a lot of room for and coaching often happened in performance management ." improvement, according to informally, such as during Reflektive’s report. one-to-ones and after team meetings,” explains Barbara Competello, chief COVID-19 IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO STREAMLINE customer officer at Reflektive. “As workers stay PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT remote into 2021 or even indefinitely, managers need to make a more intentional effort to ensure As Reflektive notes, performance management their employees are getting regular coaching practices have long been trending toward and feedback to ensure alignment on goals and increased frequency of feedback and more two- development.” way conversations. Over the past two years, there has been a 170 percent increase in the And employers don’t necessarily plan to return number of organizational leaders and HR pros to the same-old pre-COVID state of affairs who believe managers should offer feedback once the pandemic is over. In fact, 35 percent to their direct reports at least daily. In the same of executives predict they’ll be investing more time period, the number of employees who want in technology six months from now; 29 percent formal performance conversations at least once believe they’ll be investing more in efforts to a month has risen by 89 percent. boost engagement and retain employees.

The arrival of COVID-19 has accelerated this TRANSPARENCY IS A MUST, EVEN WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH trend. Sixty percent of respondents to Reflektive’s survey have adjusted their performance review For all the changes employers have made 19 // Recruiter.com Magazine

to performance management in the era of COVID-19, they’re still falling short in some key areas. Specifically, many employees don’t feel capable of asking employers for feedback.

“To feel secure in their roles, employees need to have consistent communication from their employers,” Competello says. “Particularly during times of uncertainty like today, companies need to commit to ongoing and frequent communication.

This problem is compounded by the fact that The most successful companies will be those company leaders don’t seem to notice it. While which prioritize company-wide communications only 14 percent of HR professionals and business and manager-employee dialogue.” leaders surveyed by Reflektive said employees weren’t empowered to initiate feedback UNDERSTANDING THE UNIQUE POSITION EMPLOYERS ARE IN conversations, more than double the amount of employees — 30 percent — expressed a lack of The pandemic has disrupted economic activity power to ask for feedback when they want it. and thrust us all into uncertainty, but that doesn’t mean employees are running for cover. As noted “This discrepancy indicates that HR teams and earlier, a significant number of employees are leaders are overestimating employee comfort with actually using this time to sharpen their skills and feedback processes,” engage in more frequent Competello says. feedback conversations.

“Particularly as many These are behaviors employees are working that employers can and remotely now, I’d should start cultivating recommend revisiting today so that employees employee training on carry them forward into giving and receiving the new normal. feedback and looking into tools to help fill this The streamlined, more gap.” frequent performance management processes Additionally, many in place today should employees feel continue to be the that organizational standard even once the leadership is not pandemic has waned. being fully transparent And by encouraging with them about compensation and career and supporting employee development now, progression. in the thick of things, employers can position themselves to not just survive this difficult time, Only 19 percent of employees surveyed by but actually thrive.

Reflektive believe their organizations are being transparent about upward mobility, only 21 “Invest in your people. Maximize your learning percent believe their organizations are being and development budget,” Competello says. transparent about salary freezes, and only 21 “Employees are hungry to grow, so find ways percent believe their organizations are being to make coaching and feedback part of your transparent about potential pay cuts. A lack of ongoing performance management culture.” transparency can be damaging to engagement in the best of times, but during a global crisis, it Matthew Kosinski is the managing editor of can spell disaster.

Recruiter.com.

Recruiter.com Magazine \\ 20

Flexible Executives: A New Talent Paradigm?

The pandemic has shown us how quickly the landscape can change.

Fractional executives could find new popularity in the post-COVID economy.

2

020 is on track to be the year of the fractional leader. Although the use of outsourced executives has been on the rise for a while, the economic hit of COVID-19 has pushed the concept to the forefront.

time can be a more feasible option than paying 100 percent of the full-time salary and benefits for a less qualified, mid-level employee.

The most common roles fractional executives typically fulfill are chief With diminished demand for many marketing officer, chief financial products and services, company officer, chief compliance officer, leaders are less able or willing to chief operating officer, chief legal invest in high-cost executive salaries, officer (or general counsel), and chief bonuses, and benefits. Yet as people officer. The typical tenure of a Trent Sutton companies attempt to mitigate the fractional executive is usually around financial and human impacts of the three months to a year, though in pandemic, it has become more important than some environments fractional executives can ever to have fresh, creative thinking and skilled make sense as a long-term solution. guidance at the top to navigate today’s rough waters.

WHY HIRE A FRACTIONAL EXECUTIVE RIGHT NOW? WHAT IS A FRACTIONAL EXECUTIVE?

“M any companies need

As companies look to stabilize and reposition their businesses deep executive expertise , Fractional executives are C-suite in the wake of an unprecedented but they have been forced leaders with many years of disruption, they’ll need skilled experience in their given fields to cut costs or reduce staff ." leadership to help evaluate who now provide their services the situation, restore financial in a part-time or freelance capacity, allowing footing, unravel complex operational challenges, businesses to tap into seasoned leadership and and bolster employee spirits and productivity. diverse experience at a lower cost than a full-time However, many organizations are also currently hire and without a long-term commitment. By way operating with fewer personnel and lower cash of analogy, utilizing the services of an outsourced reserves on hand than ever before. In this scenario, executive is akin to owning one-fourth of a fractional leadership can be a useful tool.

Lamborghini instead of buying a Honda outright.

1. Cost Savings Many companies are too early in their life cycles to have deep executive expertise in house, or The economic effects of the pandemic have they have been forced to reduce staff due to driven many companies to cut costs; fine-tune the pandemic. Regardless of these external financial operations; and reevaluate all aspects of circumstances, organizations still face the same debt, inventory, accounts-payable and accountsfinancial, legal, human resources, operational, receivable terms, and more. and compliance demands. For companies that find themselves in this situation, tapping into a A fractional CFO working in a part-time capacity fraction of a highly qualified C-level executive’s could step in to assist with forecasting, offer a 21 // Recruiter.com Magazine

diagnostic review of where and how to clean up balance sheets, and guide the company toward significant savings and greater profitability. In addition, retaining an outsourced CFO will usually cost less than the annual salary of a full-time accounting hire and significantly less than a fulltime CFO.

4. Simplified Onboarding

A highly experienced industry veteran can save time and money by requiring less runway to ramp up to full speed. They can also be extremely helpful in the search and onboarding process for a fulltime hire. Instead of asking a possibly embittered or disengaged employee who is on their way out 2. Flexibility with Hours, Scope, and Exit to train their replacement, a fractional executive can manage and oversee the transition without Remote and flexible work are par for the course any personal axes to grind. now, and fractional arrangements allow companies to expand or contract the level of service or hours 5. Assistance With Raising Capital or Exiting on an as-needed basis. A business can bring someone in with targeted expertise for a limited Some small business owners have been pushed period of time to help troubleshoot a specific over the edge emotionally and financially by the issue. Contrast that with a full-time generalist stresses of COVID-19 and are ready to move on hire, whose salary from entrepreneurship. represents a long-term However, capital fixed cost and whose investors today time needs to be fully frequently only want utilized in order to to do business with validate the spend. those who have their financial ducks in a In addition, exiting a row. A fractional CFO fractional relationship can step in for a limited is clean and simple, amount of time solely especially when to help with raising compared to the capital or preparing legal challenges, for divestment. They emotional nuances, can develop financial and expenses involved models that outline with terminating a full-time employee. the value of the business, craft a narrative that maximizes valuation and attracts the right investor, 3. Fresh Perspectives, No Baggage and help present a complete package that will stand up to tough investor scrutiny.

Fractional executives typically have decades of experience with major companies and/or When the economy moves into a post-pandemic startups, which allows them to bring a broad environment, fractional C-suite executives may frame of reference to the job at hand and take remain an oft-leveraged resource for organizations a 10,000-foot unbiased view of the situation. In that now know how quickly the terrain can change. addition, a fractional executive doesn’t have to An outsourced executive can have a real and tiptoe around internal political minefields or carve immediate effect on productivity and profitability. out and protect their turf. Businesses can expect to gain an independent point of view and new Trent Sutton is a fractional CFO at Full Velocity approaches to problem solving from someone Consulting. unhampered by the need to jockey for position.

Recruiter.com Magazine \\ 22

Accepting Our Limits: What Malcolm Gladwell Can Teach Us About Recruiting

Gladwell argues we routinely misread and misunderstand strangers.

Does that mean it’s time to reevaluate how we assess candidates?

M

ost recruiters — myself included — think they have a better than average ability to understand people. We think that by meeting someone, shaking their hand, and looking into their eyes, we can get a grasp on who they are, how they feel, and what their motives are.

But we’re wrong. Strangers are complex. Any meeting of strangers — like, say, a job interview — is almost guaranteed to produce misinterpretations.

by a traffic cop in a small Texas town. Bland was driving when she noticed a police car accelerating behind her. Doing what all of us would have done, Bland moved aside to let the car pass — and just like most of us in that situation, she didn’t bother hitting the blinker. It was on that technicality that the officer, Brian Encinia, pulled her over.

In the course of the stop, Bland lit a cigarette. Encinia demanded that she put it out. When she protested, he instructed her to get out of the car. After In Talking to Strangers, author Malcolm Gladwell some minor resistance on her part, Bland was takes a close look at such misinterpretations arrested and put in jail. Three days later, while and their causes. Gladwell presents us with two still being held, Bland was found dead in her cell. primary puzzles surrounding our The death was ruled a suicide, interactions with strangers: “A ny meeting of strangers but many have questioned that — like a job interview — conclusion.

• Why can’t we tell when a is almost guaranteed to stranger is lying to our face?

As Gladwell notes, Bland’s • How is it that meeting a produce misinterpretations ." case is one of several highstranger can sometimes make profile incidents in which the us worse at making sense of that person aggressive behavior of a police officer led to than not meeting them? the death of a Black American, a pattern that inspired the formation of the Black Lives Matter For a recruiter, solving these puzzles is movement. paramount. The better we can understand strangers, the better our judgments will be. According to Gladwell, the tragic lesson of We’ll rely less on bias, make better hires, and Bland’s story has universal implications. The become better recruiters. officer in question failed to correctly identify how Bland was feeling and what she was thinking.

If only it were that easy.

He therefore reacted poorly, and the situation escalated unnecessarily.

ACCEPTING OUR LIMITS THE ILLUSION OF TRANSPARENCY Gladwell begins his book with the story of Sandra Bland, a Black woman who was stopped If you’ve ever seen the TV show Friends, you 23 // Recruiter.com Magazine

Chris Platts

know how easy it is to tell what the characters are feeling. They express shock by widening their eyes and dropping their jaws. They show anger with narrow eyes and furrowed brows.

You can read their faces like books, especially Ross’s.

But this isn’t how things work in the real world.

It’s not true that our facial expressions always transparently communicate how we feel.

can vary greatly. Even the traits that we think are universal tend to be shaped by culture. If you met a stranger from a different culture and tried to assess their feelings based on their outward facial expressions, you could very well come away with a totally incorrect understanding of what was going on in their head. Perhaps that’s why facial recognition is notoriously unreliable when used in recruiting and has been correctly labeled as “digital snake oil.”

For example, in one study referenced by Gladwell, scientists set up a deliberately surprising scenario for participants. The scientists then asked the participants to explain what emotions they thought their facial expressions were showing. Most people said afterwards that they thought they had demonstrated surprise, but only 5 percent of participants had the “typical” wide-eyed and dropped-jaw response we To prove the point further, Gladwell also cites the usually associate with surprise. work of Sergio Jarillo, a Spanish anthropologist who studied how different cultures around the On a similar note, Gladwell world interpret facial expressions. recounts the story of Amanda “I f you think you ’ re good at Jarillo showed photographs of Knox. When British student peoples’ facial expressions to getting a read on people , Meredith Kercher was murdered Spanish schoolchildren and to you ’ re probably mistaken ." in 2001, the Italian police adults on the Trobriand Islands, suspected Knox, her roommate, a remote cluster of islands off may have been the culprit. the coast of Papua New Guinea.

Remarkably, that suspicion was founded only on Knox’s actions after the murder. While many of Kercher’s friends mourned her death, Knox behaved quite differently. She expressed physical affection for her boyfriend in public.

When a friend of Kercher’s mentioned that they had hoped she didn’t suffer, Knox was abrasively blunt about what had happened. This didn’t look like grief.

When Jarillo showed a picture of someone smiling, 100 percent of Spanish children identified the person as happy, but only 58 percent of Trobriand adults said the same. When they saw someone scowling and scrunching up their eyebrows, 91 percent of Spanish children identified this as an expression of anger, yet only 7 percent of the Trobriand adults said the same. Twenty percent of the Trobrianders said the person was happy, 17 percent said they But Knox wasn’t guilty. Her actions were only were sad, 30 percent said they were fearful, her way of expressing her emotions and dealing and 20 percent said they were disgusted. These with her roommate’s death. results show there are not only differences of interpretation between cultures, but also within We tend to believe that people’s behaviors and cultures. demeanors provide an authentic window into the way they feel on the inside. But the ways If you think you’re good at getting a read on in which people express their internal feelings people when you interview them, you’re Recruiter.com Magazine \\ 24

probably mistaken. Everybody you meet has their own unique experiences and perspectives, and it’s hard to tell what people are really thinking.

up that we consider changing that assumption. One analysis of multiple studies into our ability to discern when someone is telling the truth found that people can accurately identify Quite often, people are what a liar only 54 percent of the Gladwell calls “mismatched,” meaning their time. This is only slightly better than random outside demeanor does not match their internal guessing. feelings. Being mismatched doesn’t make someone any less suitable for the job, but the So what do these examples tell us? To be good flawed intuitions of most hiring managers don’t recruiters, do we have to be deeply suspicious? account for that fact.

Instead of assuming everyone is telling the truth, should we assume everyone is lying?

DEFAULTING TO THE TRUTH Maybe not.

Do you think you’d be able to spot a Cuban spy if you worked with one?

CONTEXT COUNTS

“W hen we make hiring decisions , we can ’ t stop at getting to know a person . W e need to get to know their world as well ."

Gladwell tells the story of Ana Montes, who fed US secrets to Cuba while working for the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). It was only after Montes was found out that the DIA realized the red flags were there all along.

Since the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge, 1,500 people have committed suicide by jumping from it.

Gladwell recounts the work of psychologist Richard Seiden, who followed up with 515 people For example, Montes’s reports often contained who attempted to jump but had somehow been Cuban viewpoints. She would sometimes take prevented from doing so at the last moment. phone calls in the middle of a crisis. But nobody Of these, less than 5 percent went on to kill thought there was anything all that suspicious themselves by some other method. about this behavior at the time. Instead, people just saw her as a bit “weird,” a trait often Gladwell writes, “Overwhelmingly, the people celebrated in organizations today. who want to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge at a given moment want to jump off the All recruiters face the Golden Gate Bridge same problem only at that given that DIA faced. moment.”

According to the truth-default Gladwell’s point theory, developed is that suicide, by psychologist like any other Timothy R. behavior, is Levine, we tend coupled with to assume that a specific other people situation or set of are telling us the circumstances. truth. It is not until By looking solely the evidence of at the individual, lying starts to pile we miss the cultural 25 // Recruiter.com Magazine

and environmental factors that play a key role in tragic misunderstanding that led shaping their attitudes and behaviors. to Bland’s jailing and death.

The illusion of transparency and defaulting to truth — the two mistakes discussed above— have to do with our inability to make sense of the stranger as an individual. This third mistake — overlooking the coupling between the behavior and the situation — means we fail to understand the importance of the context in which a stranger is operating.

So the answer here isn’t to treat candidates w i t h suspicion — it’s to treat the answers we get in When we recruit, we often assume that someone interviews with who performed well in one environment will a healthy dose of automatically perform well in another. We skepticism. underestimate the link between behavior and environment. Hiring managers stress the When bad hires don’t importance of hiring top performers, but a work out, we can often candidate’s past performance cannot predict look back and see that how well they will perform within your company’s the signs were there all cultural context. along. If we look out for the signs ahead When we make hiring decisions, we can’t stop of time, discussing at getting to know a person. We them with need to get to know their world “D espite good intentions , candidates instead of ignoring as well. Each company culture is them, we can get to know potential misunderstandings occur unique, and each team within the hires even better — and make all the time in recruiting ." organization has a specific context, much better hiring decisions as a too. Measuring a person’s future result. ability by looking at their past performance is a well-trodden path to bad hiring decisions.

It’s uncomfortable to admit that, as recruiters, we have no special ability when it comes to HIRING WITH SKEPTICISM, evaluating strangers, but it’s hard to argue NOT SUSPICION against Gladwell’s evidence. Despite good intentions, misunderstandings occur all the Gladwell writes that, in a misapplication of a time in recruitment. Unlike the Bland case, they criminology study, American police forces were are not fatal, but they still have consequences, trained to use minor traffic violations — such as including systemic hiring problems and the Bland’s failure to indicate — to uncover major perpetuation of bias. crimes. In effect, police officers learned to pathologize a whole range of normal behaviors It’s easier to look away and decide this is a and exacerbate preexisting racial biases. problem for someone else, but it’s actually a problem for all of us. Solving it will be Gladwell concludes that American police uncomfortable, but necessary. officers made indiscriminate suspicion, focused disproportionately on Black Americans, their Chris Platts is the CEO of ThriveMap. standard means of interacting with large swaths of the public. This mode of interaction fueled the Recruiter.com Magazine \\ 26

Need an Executive Recruiter? Look Beyond the Rolodex

W

A ready-to-go talent pool may seem great, but it can also make refining your search a lot harder than it has to be.

hen I’m talking to a new prospective client, I’m frequently asked, “Have you recruited for this role before?” or “Do you have experience recruiting in my industry?” Even if the answer is yes, my initial thought is “Does it matter?”

specific industries. They understand the trends in the industry, the keywords to watch for, and the stature of certain companies within the industry. They probably have numerous contacts within the industry, so when a client gives them a search, they might already know several strong candidates, or at least where to look for them. This My time as an executive recruiter at allows the recruiter to hit the ground Korn Ferry and other firms has taught running faster, often by reaching out to me that if I were the hiring manager, I’d people they already think highly of in Jason Blonstein focus on a different set of questions the first few days of the search. These to find the most effective recruiting candidates are also more likely to partner for my search – and so should you! pick up the phone if someone they already know is calling them.

On the surface, it might seem obvious that you want to hire a recruiter with deep knowledge and The issue with this approach is what happens when expertise in an industry. After all, those first few candidates aren’t they will understand what you need “Y ou don ’ t have to settle available, interested, or a good fit and how to tell a candidate who is for the role. Or what if the client for the first few candidates faking it apart from someone who learns more about their needs after a firm ’ s R olodex produces ." understands the ins and outs of interviewing a few candidates and your industry. Plus, they’ll already decides to change the ideal profile have a Rolodex of candidates to draw from. for the role?

My question to you is: How well has this approach worked out in the past? Have you found a recruiter who has deep experience in your industry and presents you with the candidates you need? Don’t feel bad if you haven’t. Call up your peers and your mentors. Most of them will tell you they are in the same boat.

My experience from previously working at firms that take the Rolodex approach is that, at this point, the recruiter will flip through their Rolodex once or twice more and hope the client will be happy with one of the candidates they already have on hand.

That’s why I prefer a research-based approach for most searches. Let’s compare the pros and cons of the Rolodex approach to those of the researchbased approach to see what I mean.

Instead of drawing from a pre-established pool, the research-based approach relies on finding and evaluating candidates through a systematic process leveraging the right tools and techniques.

One of the advantages with this approach is that it’s a more transparent process. If you are not happy with the results, you can investigate the numbers and understand where in the candidate

THE ROLODEX APPROACH Many recruiters specialize in one or a handful of 27 // Recruiter.com Magazine

THE RESEARCH-BASED APPROACH

funnel issues may be arising. Is it that the recruiters Is there a significant difference between a star are not identifying enough candidates, that they player and an average performer? are not able to engage the candidates, or that candidates are not interested after they hear about The answers to these questions are going to help the opportunity? You can then focus on fixing the you decide what type of recruiter you need for specific bottleneck in your search. the search. The smaller the candidate pool and the less available candidates are online, the more This approach also allows you to be more agile important the Rolodex becomes. Similarly, if there and change the direction of your search with ease aren’t large differences in performance between if you come up with new insights. Moreover, you an average hire and a star, it doesn’t justify the don’t have to settle for the first few candidates effort it takes to cast a wider net. the existing Rolodex of a search firm produces.

The research-based approach allows you to cast Once I’d answered these questions about my a wider net and keep searching until you’re happy. search, I’d ask the potential recruiting partner the following questions: The research-based approach does have one clear disadvantage: It can run into trouble when the pool 4. How transparent is your process? of qualified candidates for a role is small and hard • What materials will I receive during our to research. This can happen when a client needs updates? a very niche skill set and the candidates aren’t • How will I know how many new likely to be hanging out in places like LinkedIn. candidates you are engaging in the In these instances, it can be highly advantageous search if we haven’t found the ideal to either know who your candidates are ahead of candidate a month or two into the time or know who could refer you to these people. search?

In this case, the research method will probably 5. How do you find people who aren’t in your come up short or just take too long. current network? How do you evaluate them?

6. How many candidates do you reach out to in QUESTIONS TO ASK TO FIND THE RIGHT RECRUITING PARTNER a typical search?

So, how do you pick the right recruiter for your Watch out for standard industry jargon like “You search? First, I’d ask the following questions don’t want to replace quality with quantity.” The about the search: less a recruiter is willing to share with you about their process, the more likely it is that they are 1. How big is the candidate pool? Are there a lot relying on the Rolodex approach. Think about of people or different profiles capable of filling it this way: Would that answer satisfy you two this role, or do you need to target a very narrow months into the search if you were not happy with subset of candidates? the results and wanted to make sure your recruiter 2. Is a significant part of this candidate pool was on the right track? available online? Can our candidates be found on company websites, LinkedIn, industry Jason Blonstein is a managing director at association directories, or other databases?

ECA. 3. How wide a net should we cast for this role?

Contributors Jason Blonstein is a managing director at ECA, a data-driven executive search, interim management, and project staffing firm. Prior to joining ECA, Jason was at Korn Ferry. He is an Army veteran and graduate of the United States Military Academy.

Lucy Suros is the president of Articulate, the company that is changing the way the world learns. She runs every aspect of Articulate, an SaaS business with two product lines: Articulate 360 and Rise.com, an all-in-one training system.

Lucy also regularly writes and speaks on the topic of virtual training and remote work, sharing much of what she has learned from leading Articulate, one of the first and largest fully remote companies in America.

Make More Placements With Our Platform Recruiter.com empowers small and independent recruiters with advanced AI technology. Fill roles for top enterprises and gain access to millions of dollars in placement fees.

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Richard Wahlquist is president and chief executive officer of the American Staffing Association (ASA).

Wahlquist is the association’s primary spokesman and is responsible for the overall direction and performance of the association. Before joining ASA in 1989 as vice president, administration and government affairs, he led and coordinated government affairs activities on behalf of the staffing industry in all 50 states; Washington, DC; Puerto Rico; and Canada. He speaks regularly before business groups on employment issues and trends and has been a featured lecturer in Europe, South America, South Africa, and Japan. He was recognized by Human Resources Outsourcing Today magazine as one of the “100 Superstars of HR Outsourcing” and by Recruiter magazine as one of the 100 most influential individuals in the staffing and recruiting industry.

Wahlquist also serves on the board of directors for the World Employment Confederation and Jobs for America’s Graduates.

Chris Platts is the CEO of ThriveMap, creators of personalized pre-hire assessments that take candidates through a digital experience of a “day in the life” of a job to ensure fit on both sides.

An ex-recruiter and dad to two young boys, Chris is passionate about leveraging the power of storytelling in the hiring process.

Trent Sutton is a fractional CFO at Full Velocity Consulting. He has an extensive background in finance and a passion for building companies that create jobs and improve communities. An experienced C-level executive, Trent is a strategic thinker who has successfully built or improved environments that generate a healthy company through financial discipline, planning, execution, and creativity.

Laureen Kautt, BCC (with additional Career Coach designation), is a global talent acquisition executive experienced in creating and building talent acquisition functions for organizations through creating vision, driving strategy, and delivering solutions. By translating her decades of agency recruitment experience to corporate, Laureen grew the global talent acquisition function for a $1 billion legal technology firm from 4 to 28 over a 6-year period, leading and delivering recruitment practices and strategies in North America, EMEA, and APAC. Laureen is also the founder and principal coach of Volitionary Movement, LLC, where she is engaged for individual, group, and corporate coaching and consulting. She is certified in strategic intervention coaching methods and strategies from the Robbins-Madanes Training in Strategic Intervention Coaching.

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