How do you ensure that you are getting quality referrals and aren’t just talking with people who aren’t the top talent and may never be a fit for the company? Almost all “first generation” referral programs suffer from low-quality referrals, primarily because they are not designed to produce anything but. …

When economic times are volatile and businesses are facing a downturn in revenue, many CFOs turn their attention to cost-containment. A logical place to start cutting costs is labor, given that in many industries labor costs account for an average of 60% of all variable costs. The volatility in the …

Without a doubt, one of the worst things people have to endure sometime during their career is the pain of working under a horrible boss. Up until now, as an employee under the thumb of a horrible manager, there was little you could do to rid yourself of their tyranny. …

Ever since the unsolicited offer by Microsoft to buy Yahoo, recruiters have been literally “circling” Yahoo in a manner that would have to be labeled as aggressive even by Silicon Valley standards. The tactics vary from the relatively tame practice of “cold calling” into Yahoo in order to find nervous …

The Business Impact of Innovators and Game Changers There are many reasons why managers in corporate recruiting fail to institute specialized processes and programs to capture individuals (executive search professionals have long excelled at treating game changers differently). The most common reason for their lack of action is that they …

In part one of this series I highlighted the many reasons why you should include remote college recruiting as part of your college hiring strategy. In part two, I will highlight action steps, tools, and approaches that you can use to identify and sell top college students remotely. Tools for …

In previous articles, I highlighted what’s wrong with interviews, some alternatives to supplement interviews, and pre-planning steps to improve the customer experience. In this part, I’ll provide some suggestions on changing the timing and the content of interviews, both of which can increase the number of top performers who will …

Last week I started this series by asking why organizations continue to use interviews as the primary means of assessment, given that they stink as a predictive indicator of performance and nearly every person involved hates them. The response to Part 1 was largely supportive, while a few comments supported …

Reference checking of candidates is conducted by nearly every firm in the Untied States. Some firms conduct them internally, while others outsource the process. Unfortunately, both approaches are often executed with little concern for accuracy or effectiveness. In fact, it is not uncommon for reference checks to be completed by …

Is your firm experiencing an increasing turnover rate because recruiters from other firms are raiding you? Last week’s column introduced three elements of a world-class blocking strategy, including analyzing your talent competitors’ immediate needs; engaging third-party recruiters to determine who is most coveted; and working up an agreement with trusted …