There’s been much talk of late about the fundamentals of the economy. Although I’m no economist, I think it’s accurate to say that they’re awful. And sadly, awful economic fundamentals almost always have an awful effect on the lives of America’s working men and women. They threaten professionals in every field, skilled tradespeople in every craft, hourly employees in every industry, and managers and executives at every level, and for some, at least, that threat will turn into reality and lead to unemployment.
For those of us in the field of recruiting, this situation virtually guarantees that we will shortly see-if we haven’t already-a significant rise in the number of applicants for our open positions. Layoffs in the financial services sector are now spreading to every other segment of the economy. No area is likely to be left untouched. At the same time, two other factors will almost certainly begin to impact on our work.
and
This rising tide of new applicants converging with the gale force buffeting going on in our own organizations creates a perfect storm for uncharacteristically bad behavior. The disruption and uncertainty it produces will undoubtedly increase the stress and anxiety we feel on-the-job, we feel about our own well-being. Those emotions are difficult to bear, but for us, they can have a doubly pernicious effect. Not only can they eat away at our self-confidence, but they can undermine and weaken our sense of self, as well.
Hard as it is to accept, awful economic fundamentals can negatively affect the fundamentals of our character and cause us to act awfully. They can push us from patience to impatience, from even-tempered to short-tempered, from willing to listen to unwilling to listen and worse. They can induce us to forget that applicants are just like us. They are working men and women who, just three months ago, thought everything was fine in their lives, only to discover three weeks ago that it wasn’t. They are our neighbors, our friends, our relatives, our coworkers and our bosses. And they deserve better.
So, let’s resolve to give it to them. However distressed the economic fundamentals may be, let’s stand by the strong fundamentals of our character. Whatever our role-whether we’re an HR professional or a corporate or third party recruiter-let’s reaffirm our commitment to compassion and thoughtfulness, to caring and courtesy, to kindness and respectfulness and to basic human decency. There has been no run on those attributes. Today, we are just as good as we were before this mess began, and we can be just as good-and maybe even better-as long as it lasts and beyond. Indeed, the goodness of our character has never been more important and more needed in the workplace. Now more than ever, we must stick to our fundamentals and our commitment to using them in our work.
That’s my modest plan for these hard times. Let’s remember who we are no matter how bad the evening news may get. Let’s stand by the caliber of the person we have always been no matter what the pressures may be on-the-job. Let’s teach those who were greedy and self-indulgent what true wealth-the wealth of the human spirit-is all about. Let’s be recruiting professionals who understand what fundamentals really count and let’s put our faith and future in them so that others can come to appreciate their value.
And finally, let’s make sure that this message gets out. Please pass it along to friends and colleagues in big corporations and little companies, in not-for-profit organizations and government agencies, in staffing firms and newspapers and job boards and anyplace else that will touch those looking for work. Let’s make the fundamentals of our character the first step in a nationwide plan to redress the fundamentals of our economy. There’s no better and more appropriate place to start.
Thanks for reading,
Peter
P.S. Commit an Intentional Act of Kindness. Do something special for a friend or colleagues in these difficult times. Tell about them WEDDLE’s newsletter. It’s the best advice they’ll never have to pay for!
P.S.S. READER’S ALERT: Don’t miss the write-up below on WEDDLE’s latest book-Finding Needles in a Haystack. Shally Steckerl called it “A rare and uniquely useful reference guide for recruiters!”.
This Issue’s Sponsor: Recognizing Richard Rabbit
This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Recognizing Richard Rabbit, Peter Weddle’s big message in a little book that is well on its way to becoming a business best seller.
Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a fable for adults, young and not so young. In the genre of Who Moved My Cheese?, it’s a tale about some forest friends that make an amazing discovery by trying to help one of their own. They don’t uncover the key to organizational change, however, or to setting strategic goals for the enterprise. No, Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a much more personal book and its gift is unique to each and every reader.
This story opens the door to genuine self exploration. It is all about finding the secret to authentic living. To being your own true self. How does Recognizing Richard Rabbit do that? Unlike traditional fables, this tale unfolds in two synchronized parts: one in fiction-the fable, the other in nonfiction-a parallel self-interview. In essence, you are invited to tap both the creative and the analytic sides of your brain-to probe the whole of your inherent talent-so you can find the pathway to the person you are meant to be.
What’s that have to do with recruiters and HR professionals? Despite all of the technology it now involves, recruiting is still fundamentally an exercise in forging genuine, empathetic connections with other people. And you can only make such connections if you are being authentic, if you are being true to yourself. In other words, Recognizing Richard Rabbit will not only help you to find the You of your dreams, it will improve your ability to recruit top prospects, as well.
So, what are you waiting for? Get your copy of Recognizing Richard Rabbit today. All you have to do is call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768 or click here. Don’t delay. This is one book you won’t want to miss! Buy your copy of Recognizing Richard Rabbit right away.
Section Two: Site News You Can Use
DDI published some interesting research about what bugs candidates most during their interviews. Although the findings appeared awhile ago in its Selection Forecast 2006-2007, the data are worth reviewing in light of my exhortation above. According to DDI, candidates are most upset when they get no feedback or no timely feedback on the results of their interview. After that, they cite the following seven interviewer behaviors as the most irksome:
The Fordyce Letter recently published an article entitled “Put down the Crackberry…” by Randy Hain. It offered some interesting statistics and some useful guidelines. First, the statistics:
Now, some of Mr. Hain’s suggestions for breaking this addiction (with some commentary from me):
Kennedy Information is offering a special $200 discount for WEDDLE’s readers who register for their Recruiting 2008 Conference and Expo. The event will be held in Orlando, FL on November 17-19 with WEDDLE’s Publisher Peter Weddle presenting the opening keynote with his way-outside-the-box session entitled “The Carrot in Recruiting Success.” Everyone who attends will receive a copy of Peter’s mega hit new book, Recognizing Richard Rabbit as well as be able to pick and choose among presentations in seven different tracks: healthcare, recruiting, tools, hospitality, retention, legal and sourcing. So, register now for this special event and stop bye and say hello to Peter after his session. To register for the conference, please click here.
WEDDLE’s has released a powerful new tool for recruiters. Called Finding Needles in a Haystack, it’s the first comprehensive listing of keywords for successfully searching resume databases online and off. The book provides thousands of search terms and phrases for the:
If you’re not getting the yield you need from job board resume databases, data mining or even your own resume management system, this is the reference book for you. In fact, sourcing guru Shally Steckerl described this book as “A rare and uniquely useful reference guide for recruiters!” It doesn’t get any better than that! To order your copy, please call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768 or click here. Get Finding Needles in a Haystack today!
WEDDLE’s also offers a number of other publications for recruiters seeking to win the War for the Best Talent and maximize their ROI … their return on the Internet. They include:
So make sure you’re at the top of your game, get your WEDDLE’s books today. Click here or call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768.
Section Three: Site Profiles
Site Spotlite … from the pages of WEDDLE’s 2007/8 Guides and Directories
There are 40,000 job boards now in operation in North America and an equal number operating elsewhere around the world. The key to recruiting top talent online, therefore, is knowing where to find and how to select the best sites for each of your requirements. WEDDLE’s 2007/8 Guide identifies 350 of the top sites worldwide and provides the information you need to determine which job boards will deliver the optimum yield for you. For example:
HRJobs
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Post full time jobs: Yes
Post part time, contract or consulting jobs: Yes-Part time
Distribution of jobs: National-USA
Fee to post a job: $22/line
Posting period: 30 days
Can posting be linked to your site: Yes
Resume database: No
Number of resumes: N/A
Source of resumes: N/A
Top occupations among visitors: Human Resource Management
Other services for employers: Discussion forum for networking, Assessment instruments, Banner advertising, Status reports
Member, International Association of Employment Web Sites: No
Get Recognizing Richard Rabbit Today!
This issue of WEDDLE’s newsletter is brought to you through the generous support of Recognizing Richard Rabbit, Peter Weddle’s big message in a little book that is well on its way to becoming a business best seller.
Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a fable for adults, young and not so young. In the genre of Who Moved My Cheese?, it’s a tale about some forest friends that make an amazing discovery by trying to help one of their own. They don’t uncover the key to organizational change, however, or to setting strategic goals for the enterprise. No, Recognizing Richard Rabbit is a much more personal book and its gift is unique to each and every reader.
This story opens the door to genuine self exploration. It is all about finding the secret to authentic living. To being your own true self. How does Recognizing Richard Rabbit do that? Unlike traditional fables, this tale unfolds in two synchronized parts: one in fiction-the fable, the other in nonfiction-a parallel self-interview. In essence, you are invited to tap both the creative and the analytic sides of your brain-to probe the whole of your inherent talent-so you can find the pathway to the person you are meant to be.
What’s that have to do with recruiters and HR professionals? Despite all of the technology it now involves, recruiting is still fundamentally an exercise in forging genuine, empathetic connections with other people. And you can only make such connections if you are being authentic, if you are being true to yourself. In other words, Recognizing Richard Rabbit will not only help you to find the You of your dreams, it will improve your ability to recruit top prospects, as well.
So, what are you waiting for? Get your copy of Recognizing Richard Rabbit today. All you have to do is call WEDDLE’s at 317.598.9768 or click here. Don’t delay. This is one book you won’t want to miss! Buy your copy of Recognizing Richard Rabbit right away.