If an airline bought a new 747, and then let it sit for two months on the runway because they didn’t have a pilot, what would the cost be to the airline? In other words what is the cost of a vacant position? Many firms calculate the cost of a …

I get numerous questions from readers like “What are you really like?” or “Do you speak in public?” Well, thanks to advances in technology and the Internet you can now see me “live” on your computer screen. The link below is to a webcast that was taped live at a …

If you wanted to hire a great “Santa Claus” (or any other customer service person), would you wait until November 15th and then run an ad? Or would you instead use a more advanced approach? Would you… Expect that if you hired the top Santa, they would generate as much …

Managers are continually asking for a higher quality of candidate, while recruiters tend to focus on the cost or the speed of the hire. The quality of the applicant is clearly the superior factor. There are many ways to measure the quality of the applicants (before you hire them). Some …

One of the primary questions in the minds of candidates is “Where will I be two years from now?” Unfortunately, most recruiters and managers respond to that question with meaningless generalities like, “You’ll have lots of opportunities.” In fact, what candidates actually want is a realistic preview of where they …

Because I am a professor (and don’t really “work”), I have lots of time to study and forecast the future. As a vendor, candidate, or recruiter, it’s vital to “look up” once and awhile and see where the world of e-recruiting is going, what will thrive and what will wither. …

“Recruiting is just sales with a crummy budget” is my favorite phrase in recruiting. Kind of funny, but also alarmingly true. Yet in most firms there is little or no interaction between the sales/marketing and the recruiting functions. What Is The Essence Of Recruiting? As a professor I’ve seen dozens of employment …

When there is a war going on, sometimes the smartest thing to do is to avoid the battle entirely and live where there is relative peace. In a similar light, if you are facing a shortage of talent, consider this strategy: put the work where the talent is already located, …

I am continually surprised at managers who are surprised when one of their own top people quits. Identifying who is likely to leave is relatively easy-if you are aggressive and think ahead. Some firms have reached as high as 75% accuracy in predicting who is likely to leave. With a …

When the stock market tumbles, there is often a cry heard at major firms: “Let’s recruit away the talent from dot-coms!” But I would urge caution before making any raids. Here are some possible reasons why hiring people from dot-coms may be a mistake for the more “established” firms!* Top 10 …