“Give me a job, give me security… give me a chance to survive…”

 

I don’t normally let candidates get to me. I’ve recruited in good times and bad, been screamed at, threatened, called names, and Lord knows what else by candidates who don’t handle rejection well. It’s rare, but it happens. I typically respond with a shrug and go on about my business. My experience with frustrated job seekers is, sadly, pretty broad (maybe it’s me?). Even still, this latest meltdown was…

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Have you ever sourced the Best Candidate; sold them on the opportunity with your company or client; worked with them through the interview process, answering their questions; helped the hiring manager determine the best compensation package; extend the offer that they accepted; and then lost the candidate to a counter offer?  If you have been in the recruitment business for any amount of time, you have experienced that sinking feeling when they stop returning your calls.

 

When…

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A Google search of “how to negotiate starting salary” netted just under 2 million results. 8 tips here, 6 steps there, all sorts of advice. For the most part, it sucks. There are some things I agree…

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There is a lot of well-intentioned advice cautioning job seekers from disclosing their salary history and / or requirements.  The wisdom (?) behind this is that you don’t want to get “low-balled” by asking for too little or be tagged over qualified by asking for too much.

 

So what’s the alternative?  Apparently you wait until the employer is ready to make an offer, and naturally you NEVER accept the first offer.  After all, who leaves money on the table,…

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Hiring takes time and commitment. Much like dating, momentum builds with each interaction until you reach a point when a pair decides to either continue on a path together or part ways. That, of course, is easier said than done.

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You did it! You successfully found someone you want to extend an offer to. The hard part is over… Or is it?

I’ve been working in the recruiting field for some time now, and I’ve found that the average hiring manager takes his foot off the gas right before extending an offer, sometimes messing up the entire process by explaining sloppily that they want the candidate to join the team.

Here are some pointers to remember once you’ve identified the right candidate for the job, to…

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There is an old lawyer’s axiom – Never ask a question you don’t already know the answer to. I think this saying also applies to employers extending job offers to management level candidates. I’ve seen too many clients extend offers before they know if the candidate will accept, only to get a turn-down.

Once the offer is extended, the power shifts to the candidate, and often, that is when negotiation begins. The negotiation should be done before the offer is extended. An employer…

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I have a theory that the majority of Black Friday shoppers actually lose money by hitting the stores early to get the "best" deals. I'd love to see a study reviewing lists of items shoppers go out with the intent to purchase with a comparison of the total cost of only those items before Black Friday, as well as the total cost of ALL items purchased during Black Friday shopping. I know, I sound Grinchy. I think all that beautiful marketing and crowd effect makes people forget if they even really… Continue

If you’re in HR or a recruiter, you’ve had offers declined. What I find absolutely enchanting about such a miserable outcome is the underlying qualities that sneak out during this downhill process. AND, what if the candidate who declined is really the best candidate for the job?!?

Sometimes the most impressive candidates can suddenly get nasty during offer negotiation. They can become arrogant and demanding in their communications, suddenly ask for $20K more than they’d…

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I always worry if I am doing the right thing by telling a candidate not only are they interviewing for an opening but so is our second submittal. We always tell candidates we can submit 1 or 2 resumes per an opening. Which is true in some cases, dependent on the client. But are we really hurting ourselves when we are making ourselves look good?

More recently, this has happened repeatedly, I have had 2 of my own candidates up for the same job. They knew about each other. They…

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Making the placement process, specifically the offer process, all come together can be a delicate ordeal, but during the crunch time that was the holiday season can make it a potential nightmare if something goes wrong.



As a 3rd party recruiter I’m accustomed to sometimes having to push the process forward from time to time, but typically once a company has actually made an offer HR is all on board with the process and moving full speed ahead as to satisfy their customer (the hiring… Continue

You have just dropped the bombshell news on your boss that you are leaving. After they pick themselves up off the floor, there will usually be one of three reactions:

1. Congratulations, good for you!
2. Traitor! Pack your stuff and get out (or work through your notice and endure my constant looks of contempt)
3. Sorry to hear that, is there anything we can do to keep you…

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That euphoric feeling of accepting a new position can quickly leave when you start to think about the prospect of having to go to your current boss and give notice. Mostly because you probably have a decent relationship with she or he and your co-workers, so it will be a bittersweet departure. Even if you absolutely despise everything about your job, it still can be tough.



The best way to approach… Continue

I know it’s not my imagination, because I’ve seen it with my own eyes…companies are filling positions with less than ideal candidates (not all of the skills, not the depth and breadth of experience, etc) to avoid paying for relocation.



It’s amazing; companies are still insisting that they are committed to getting the best possible person and are willing to pay relocation expenses to get them. However, as we continue to put candidates in process that would require relocation they… Continue

I don’t have a job yet. I am not rushing to take any job. I just relocated and I’m looking to stay for a long while where I land. I write this as it currently applies to me, I would be very happy for everyone else if it only applied to me, but I doubt that it does. Unfortunately, what I am finding right now is the interview process is so drawn out that it is almost impossible to keep up the momentum and I’m sure some candidates would feel lukewarm by the time they receive an offer, if they… Continue

As the economy has continued to worsen more and more IT pros have been hit by the reduction in force, downsizing or outsourcing bug that has again stricken corporate America.



On the positive side we see many opportunities out there and short stints on the unemployment line for most candidates as long as they are flexible to the shifting market (dollars & relocation are the biggies).



However, with such high activity comes a problem once you finally receive an offer. How… Continue

You just got an offer for the services of your consultant from two clients - now what? Well first off this is a good problem to have - it shows that you're doing a good job assessing talent. But this situation does need to be handled delicately from many aspects, especially when there are multiple salespeople & clients involved.



From the client perspective we've got a "first right of refusal policy" that basically says first company to interview gets 24 hours to offer before… Continue