LionSearch

Search Firms and Job Boards: Friends Or Foes?

noreply@blogger.com (LionSearch) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:06:00 +0000

By Frazer Donaldson

Most of LionSearch's client firms use both search firms and job boards to fill a wide variety of their permanent openings, but do these two entities compete? Complement one another? And will one eventually replace the other?

LionSearch does not use job boards as we do not feel our client firms should pay us to just post their jobs! We actively recruit passive candidates, those who are not out in the market seeking a new role. We cold call, network, and then identify the top talent for our client firm's specific open role, presenting those candidates, all of whom are very qualified for that specific role. This is what we do.

A job board is an excellent tool for recruiting, as long as it is managed well by a firm's human resources or recruiting group. If the posted jobs are well-written, accurate, and offer details as to why someone would want to work at the firm, and specifically in this role, then great. The challenge lies in processing all applicants for each posting in a timely manner to ensure the specific hiring manager receives the most qualified applicants quickly, and that the applicants do not lose interest in the role.

Most management-level and senior executives in technology we have spoken with recently have not had much success with job boards for many reasons - lack of postings at their level, incomplete job descriptions, or just that the job board process is "too public", impersonal, and doesn't allow for enough due diligence to qualify each role.

A responsive and effective search firm should be able to bridge this gap by educating the candidate on the role (pros and cons, career path, culture, etc.) as well as the client firm about the candidate. Search firms should be able to not only speed up the recruiting process by finding qualified talent quickly, but should also add tremendous value to both sides involved, thereby ensuring a mutually-beneficial hire.

A search firm used in conjunction with a job board is an excellent strategy for any mid-to-large sized firm with a wide variety of open roles at various levels.

And setting accurate expectations for both yourself as the hiring authority, and for the search firm and job board is very important to your success for filling your open roles. Job boards have limitations in reaching certain specific skill sets or levels of talent, and that's where a search firm can step in and help you complete a successful search.

Interviewing Improvements: Most Common Areas In Need Of Improvement

noreply@blogger.com (LionSearch) — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:49:00 +0000

By Frazer Donaldson

Candidates often ask us at LionSearch in which areas can they improve their interviewing skills. We have prepared a few documents (see the "Tips" page on our website) we are happy to share with our candidates that offer both phone interview and in-person interview tips.

Overall, I feel the areas listed below fall into the category of those in most need of improvement. These are based on many years of discussions with our client firms about LionSearch candidates just after they have interviewed.

1. First impression - From a sharp outfit, to a nice smile, to a firm handshake, to polished shoes, these seemingly obvious areas sometimes fall to the bottom of a candidate's priority list, and client firms do take notice. This area also includes eye contact (maintain eye contact without staring shows you are interested and paying attention), and volume of your voice (speaking in a slightly-above normal volume to make sure you are heard clearly).

2. Depth of answers - This area can run the gamut from lack of depth, such as only giving yes/no answers to questions, or too much depth, such as giving the entire software development life cycle, when all the interviewer asked for was your team's development methodology! It is important to answer questions in enough detail that the interviewer is satisfied.

3. Soft skills - Can you carry on a conversation about your plans for the weekend or your most recent vacation? Do you appear at ease, friendly, and easy to work with? Do you fit into the firm's culture? Are you a little arrogant about your skills or experiences? This area can often outweigh technical skills during the hiring decision-making process!

4. Technical assessment - (for Developers, Admins, etc.) This area can be tricky and really requires a good gauge of how much technical detail the interviewer really wants. There's nothing wrong with asking the interviewer to clarify how much information they are seeking. Would they like you to draw a diagram, to lay out specific code, or do they really just want the overall functionality of the system you were developing?

5. Selling yourself - Candidates often say that the interviewer never asked about a specific key experience or skillset listed on their resume, or that the interviewer only brushed over those subjects. It is extremely important to be cognizant of the fact that your job during the interview is to "sell" yourself, your skills, your experiences, etc. You must point out key skills/experiences you possess that are essential to the role for which you are interviewing, and cannot rely upon the interviewer to specifically ask you if you have them or not.

Paying strong attention to these five areas before going to an interview should greatly enhance your chance of success, and ultimately, receiving an offer of employment.

Why Should Companies Hire A Search Firm

noreply@blogger.com (LionSearch) — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:52:00 +0000

By Frazer Donaldson

Why use a search firm? Why pay search fees when you can find candidates on your own? Why listen to the owner of a search firm about this subject?!

After being a technical recruiter for private search firms for 12 years, and spending most of 2000 to 2001 in charge of the I.T. hiring for a local upstart, I have seen both sides of the hiring desk from negotiating fee structures, to managing the interviewing process, to building teams of I.T. professionals.

A search firm should be an effective partner for a company's hiring efforts when faced with a tough role to fill, a role that needs to be filled extremely quickly, or if there's tremendous growth at your company.

Before deciding whether or not to use a search firm, ask yourself the following questions:

How well do you know the department with the open position(s)? Its leaders, its responsibilities within the company, its strengths and weaknesses?

How familiar are you with the skills and experiences needed in the ideal candidate? Are you able to interview candidates for these skills?

Will you run an ad in a paper, on your website, a jobboard, or send e-mails to contacts or networking groups? Do you have the time to analyze the many resumes you will receive?

Will you conduct phone screens first, or bring qualified candidates in right away? Will you check the candidates' references before hiring them?

If you have the time and energy to handle all of these tasks to fill an open position, fantastic! However, if you need help, especially if you are responsible for multiple openings, you may want to consider a search firm to complement your activities. Then ask the following questions for the search firm:

Will they interview qualified candidates face-to-face? How quickly can they turn around a job request with quality candidates?

Do they know your company well enough that they almost seem like they're on the "inside"? How well do they understand your business and the details of the job?

Will they work with you on fee structure? For example, will they accept payment in two parts, or lower their fee if you give them multiple openings to fill?

The keys are that time is money, and quality candidates are always in demand. If you have a search firm that you can trust to quickly find excellent candidates, you can stay ahead of your competition in the ongoing battle for top talent.