The "F" Word -- FLEXIBILITY

This past week, I returned from four days of visiting my family in the tiny but great state of Rhode Island. Yes, my boss actually unlocked my ankle bracelet and allowed me leave the state for a few days – lol. One of the highlights of my trip was showing my eleven year-old son the tree I had purchased and planted when I was seven years-old. Like me, the tree has many rings and shows its history; however, she (yes, she) stands tall, proud and elegant and has many great stories to tell.

After several days of partaking in delicious Atlantic seafood, watching the Bostonians drink themselves silly over the Celtics, and visiting the church and house I grew up in, it was time to get back to the West Coast. My flight was due to leave on Monday at 3:00 p.m. After I had checked in, gone through a detailed weapons search (I kid you not), and was reveling in a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee, Delta Agent Debbie announced that due to electrical storms, our flight would be delayed three hours. OK… I thought; better to arrive alive then to elect my own death via electrocution in a flying tin tube. I could certainly handle a three hour wait. As we neared 6:00, Delta Agent Debbie informed us that our flight would not be leaving for yet, another two hours. A slight anarchy was brewing amongst the less tolerant passengers. It’s quite comical to watch how rude and childlike people can become as a result of their inflexibility and lack of manners. As 8:00 came and went, and I was up to date on all of the celebrity mags, Delta Agent Debbie, now clad in a bullet proof uniform, announced our flight would not depart until 10:00. Fast forward two hours, Delta Agent Debbie, now opting for the witness protection program, sheepishly informed us that our flight was now completely canceled and we’d need to rebook for first available flights in the morning. Great! A seven hour delay and I wasn’t an inch closer to my intended destination. The morning was even worse when I had been bumped twice before finally boarding a 1 p.m. flight. Close to 24 hours after the fact, I was at last, homeward bound. Unfortunately, Delta Agent Debbie has since been reported missing.

As I sat in the exceptionally tiny seat of 33A, I couldn’t help but think of how important it was that I had maintained a good attitude, humored the situation and strived to exude flexibility and patience throughout my epic of delays. I’m always running at 100+ miles an hour and here was life graciously handing me time to relax, catch up on my reading, do some writing and just simply… be.

Many times, with our clients, we’re required to make an unexpected change. A change we may not like; a change that may inconvenience us greatly; a change that in the absence of looking through the right lens, we might miss great opportunity. The critical factor in embracing unexpected change is our ability to display FLEXIBILTY. It’s easy to get frustrated, lash out at the cause, quit, or announce our entitlement to not have to yield to the change. Staying the course, exhibiting professionalism, being flexible and keeping a laser like focus will bring insurmountable success to your projects and ultimately, respect from your clients. Although the process and timing of my trip home had changed, I still ended up with my intended result; a safe journey home. Sometimes the journey will require a different path or approach, but the destination and end result is the same. The next time you’re confronted with an unanticipated change with your client; don’t hesitate to use the “F” word… “FLEXIBILITY”. I guarantee this is one time you won’t get your mouth washed out with soap.

copyright 2008

CREATIVE THINKING

I’m always fascinated by brilliant, small inventions that make our lives easier in an amazingly huge way. I came across one such invention about a month ago at my local Starbucks; or as I like to refer to it "The Mecca of life giving fluid." The coffee dude… excuse me "Barista" handed me my quad shot venti vanilla latte and kindly asked "Do you want one of those green stick thingies"? "A green stick thingy" I asked? "Yes", he said, "So you don’t spill your coffee while walking around". He then showed me how the green stick thingy went inside the mouth part of the lid and locked, thus preventing my coffee from spilling while speeding down the highway and dashing into work, out of breath, but albeit, on time; all the while, never losing one single drop of my caffeine beverage that required a small loan to purchase. Throughout the day, every time I looked at my green stick thingy, which I later learned through intensive research on Google it is officially called a splash stick, it made me chuckle. Something as simple as a splash stick would now bring ease in transporting my coffee from the countless places I bring my coffee to. Let’s face it, our cell phones and Starbucks containers are pretty much the new appendages of the millennium and anything that allows their transfer from one place to another hassle free, I’m all for it.

This got me to thinking about how small, positive changes in our work processes, attitude, thoughts, how we deal with our clients, and our creativity can have a huge impact on our overall work product. One such example came last week when one of my associates, Christine Semana and I were attending the LA Chapter Ascend Networking event. Our competitor firms were going to be in attendance and offering valuable raffle prizes. Unfortunately, we had a budget of about $1.14 to work with to supply an equitable raffle from our client. Not that they didn’t want to give us more, but, with a global recession, the monies just aren’t as easily available right now. Christine got the brilliant idea to check with the firm’s partners to see if they had some sports tickets they could donate to the cause. As a result she was able to score two tickets for the coveted Rose Bowl game in January, a PGA golf bag and a $200 Godiva chocolate gift pack. All because she thought outside of the box, put her creative thinking cap on and utilized the resources around her. This simple gesture of creative thinking had an amazing impact when it came time for the raffle. Our raffle prize rivaled all of the other firms, including each of the Big 4. Our raffle was the prize everyone wanted.

I challenge you all to have a splash stick idea, to think of ways you can re-engineer your process, thinking, or use your resources in ways that may seem small at the onset but will have a positive, profound effect in the long run. Now if only someone could invent an easy, fool-proof way for me to program my DVD player.

copyright 2008

BUILDING A STRONG CLIENT RELATIONSHIP

I’ve often heard recruiters comment that their main responsibility is to provide a service by sourcing and hiring candidates. I find that although sourcing and hiring is certainly at the heart of what I do, I believe that the keystone of my role as a recruiting specialist is to continually build and refine my client relationships. In doing so, the sourcing and hiring comes secondary, and, without fail. Additionally, I prefer using the term “providing a solution” vs. “providing a service”. We are ambassadors of i-Hire who in turn, provide a solution to our clients. The solution is quality talent through a quality recruitment process. Below are several core objectives I use in building and maintaining my client relationships. I’m hopeful that in some way they can assist you as you strive to build strong, cohesive, thriving and lasting client relations.

Know Your Product.
What is your product? Your client is your product! Far too often recruiters are ill prepared when it comes to understanding their client. What is their culture like? What services do they provide? What is their benefits package? What separates them from their competitors? What is the actual job description and requirements of the role? Where do they stand in the market? What makes them successful? It’s imperative to your success to know your client’s landscape inside and out.

Listen to Your Client
One vital key in building any relationship is knowing how to be a good listener. As an Accretive Solutions staffing specialist and provider of solutions (talent solutions), we are considered subject matter experts (SME’s) in our field. If we're not careful, we have the probability to come across with a know-it-all mentality. What our client’s need is the SME coupled with outstanding listening skills. We may think we know what our client wants but if we’re closed off to truly listening to their needs and advising appropriately, we’re destine to fail at every step. We also short change ourselves in being closed off to a new idea and/or way of doing business. The old adage, less talking and more listening is certainly apropo here

Pick up the phone.
Email is a wonderful tool, however, I like to recommend that whenever possible, pick up the phone and speak one on one with your client. Most clients welcome hearing a human voice on the other end, especially when you’re working on their behalf toward a hiring goal. Having a continuous dialogue in email can sometimes take the personal touch out of building a strong, lasting relationship with your client. Additionally, by speaking one on one with your client, you can avoid the back and forth of marathon emails as well as gauge your clients mood, reaction, and receive timely feedback, and if you’re really fortunate… a little well earned praise!

Timely Feedback And Updates
Be sure to provide timely updates on candidate status and projected time frames. Based on your client’s preference hold weekly or bi-weekly status meetings. Provide immediate feedback on candidates when their status changes. Keep everyone involved in the process, in the loop and always thank them for their time and support.

Build Credibility By Deliver Quality Results
Let’s face it; our clients want the biggest bang for their buck. Who doesn’t? Our objective is to provide top notch candidates via a world class recruitment process. If we provide anything less, we don’t deserve to the opportunity to work for them. Stay focus on your objectives and don’t just work hard, work smart.

Don’t Promise Things You Can’t Deliver
I’ve seen former bosses, out of eagerness to land the deal, promise a service they couldn’t deliver only to have it drastically backfire when they couldn’t. Promising a service you truly can’t deliver, only to initially impress the client, will only diminish your credibility in the long run. Be honest about what you can deliver and when. You’ll be surprised at how far genuine honestly will get you.

Remember Who House You’re In
Always remember you’re a guest in your client’s environment. When you’re a guest at someone’s home you’re mindful of the rules, gracious and respectful of your hosts. The same applies in your client environment. Be on time, if not early. Don’t rush out the door at 5:00. Show the client you care and are available by staying after hours from time to time. Let them know they can reach you after hours via cell phone (and remember to keep it on). Follow the dress code and dress one step above if you can. Maintain a tidy, proficient workspace. Always uphold yourself to a high degree of professionalism, dignity and integrity. Even when you don’t agree with your client, always be mindful that you’re in their house and it’s their hard earned monies that actually pay your mortgage.

Attitude, Attitude, Attitude
I’ve seen some of the best recruiters walked out the door due to bad attitudes. When we walk through the doors of clients’ office we leave our personal lives outside and put our game face on. Again, we are here to provide a solution not be the problem. Stay positive and professional at all times. In the event you feel you just can’t take it, step outside for a breather. Call your boss for a pep talk. I can’t tell you how beneficial this has been to me. I’ve done this a few times myself with my leadership. By doing so, I’ve remained professional, kept the integrity of the company and myself in tact and can get back to work and stay focused; even if I was gritting my teeth underneath a fake smile. Always take it outside the walls of the client; even if they’ve truly wronged you. Our leadership team is first rate, fair, and will aide you in whatever way necessary to rectify the situation. A positive attitude will always yield a positive outcome.

Stay Abreast of Industry Trends and Speak Their Language
By staying in tune with industry trends, both from a recruitment perspective and your client’s, you add tremendous value to your process, conversations with your clients and candidates, can provide valuable insight and establishes that you’re truly dialed in. It also provides you the aptitude to speak your client’s language and will garner you more credibility.

At the end of the day our client’s ask themselves one question… How successful were we in growing our business today? I challenge each of you to ask yourselves that question as well. How successful was I in helping my client grow their businesses today? When we grow our clients’ business, we in turn, grow i-Hire’s business. When you daily challenge yourself with this question, I guarantee that you’ll be a superstar at building client relationships.

copyright 2008

Cold Calling Is A Hot Topic

There’s been a lot of talk about Passive Recruiting these days. With regard to the McGladrey account, a large part of our success, both with the client, and in finding the right talent, comes from our passive recruiting efforts. I’m sure several of you are experiencing the same with some of your clients. This past month, our fearless leader, Bruce Ferguson, was a keynote speaker at the McGladrey HR & Recruiter’s Conference. The topic was… you guessed it, on Passive Recruiting. Back in day, when I initially learned what Passive Recruiting was about, I shied away. The thought of calling targeted, unsuspecting contacts and convincing them that my company had the career opportunity of a life time brought me great anxiety. After speaking with several successful leaders in the recruitment industry I came to find that the key to their success was being able to pick up the phone and dial. Great! The one sourcing tool that made me want to curl up in the fetal position and cry could potentially be the key to launching my career to a higher level.

Wanting to experience a higher level of success as well as uncover that hard to find talent, I took the plunge (thankfully the waters were deep) and incorporated cold calling into my daily recruitment process. Armed with a call list, script, phone (and 40 mgs of Vicadin to calm the nerves – just kidding) I made my first cold call; then my second, then my third, then my one hundredth and so on. The more I called the easier it became. Before long I was forming lasting relationships with voice mails all over the state. In the rare chance someone actually answered their phone I became elated and went full force into my sell message. Even if the candidate wasn’t ready to make a move at that time, I was still planting the seed. There have been times when I realized that every person at a particular level in a specific industry has either talked with me personally or has a voice message from me. Talk about some serious branding!!

There are several nay sayers in the industry who strongly disagree with cold calling; and that’s fine for them. I’m here to tell you that it works! Recruitment is about building relationships. Cold calling is another avenue to get you to building these relationships. You’re building relationships with prospective candidates as well as your client who will be pleased to see your dedicated efforts on their behalf.

Don’t be afraid to make that first call. Don’t be discouraged when you’ve placed 200 calls and no one, with the exception of your mother, has called you back. Eventually, the hard work will pay off and you’re pipeline will yield the targeted talent your client’s are looking for. Go ahead… pick up the phone and start calling. I dare you!

copyright 2008