5 ways to maximize your recruiting efforts

Simply put, your job is to hire people. But for you to do your job well means you have to hire the right person for the right job. This is where your job gets difficult. Oftentimes, the people that respond to your posting in a newspaper or online aren’t the ideal candidates. These people are cold calling a million other places and put little thought into where they’re actually applying. You need to find the person for the job you’re filling; the right person isn’t going to find you. Consider these five tips on better recruiting:

1. Extend your network. This is a common adage for the job seeker, but it works just as well for the employer. Contact local colleges and universities and speak with their career counselors. This is a great way to tap into a talent pool of young, educated, and eager people just hitting the job market. Career counselors know what type of candidates they have through interviews and are usually excellent judges of talent.

2. Look in-house. If you have a position you need to fill, who better to turn to than someone who already knows what you’re looking? Before advertising a job listing to the public do so internally. A current employee looking to advance in the company will know how the system works and will be more easily trained. It also builds employee morale when you hire within because it makes current employees feel valuable.

3. Look for experience. This sounds like a no-brainer, right? But going for someone who simply graduated from a top college doesn’t always translate into success. Look for people that have performed a similar job to the one you’re looking to fill and have done so successfully. This will make the transition easier and they’ll already know the professional landscape.

4. Advertise your benefits. Given the current economic landscape prospective employees want to know what you’ll give them beyond salary. Sure a competitive salary is crucial, but if you offer comprehensive healthcare then let it be known. Have a free health club? Have a great retirement plan? Sell it.

5. Tap your employee’s networks. Your employees know what type of person fits in the company and they can cut down some of the sifting through of resumes if you ask for their help. Offer a referral bonus and you’ll see your employees step up to the plate with viable candidates. They won’t risk putting forward a candidate if it’s going to reflect badly on them.

This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who is an industry critic on the subject of how to become a nurse. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com.

Lost Messages, Lost Opportunities

A Recruiter Shares Some Job Search Tips
As a third party recruiter and headhunter it is one of our obligations to our client, the employer, not only to locate and pre-screen qualified candidates but to assess their interest levels and follow-up skills. The reality is that the recruiter  becomes an extension of the client, closely following and professionally scrutinizing the actions of the candidates we represent–prior to and during the course of all interview activity.
If a recruiter places a call to set up interview with a prospective candidate and does not hear back within a reasonable time, the recruiter may assume the candidate either has lost interest or has poor follow-up skills. Since the bulk of our recruiting centers on sales and sales management it is expected that a job seeker will sell themselves to an employer during the interview process.Timely follow-up to phone calls, emails, faxes, and letters is critical. Unfortunately, unforeseen communication problems can derail a job seeker’s interview process and send the wrong message to both recruiters and employers.

Not too long ago I had two final candidates interview for a regional sales management position.We were near the final stages of the interview and our client called at the end of the day, a Friday, to schedule a flight early Monday.I called the candidate and left a voicemail on Friday night. I called again Saturday and left a message with a family member. By late Saturday I believed that he had lost interest.He had apparently never received either of the messages I had left for him. By the time he called me two days later another candidate was placed in that position. His unintentional lack of follow-up cost him a great opportunity. 

Job seekers must ensure that the contact information they provide on their resume is reliable. Your resume should be updated regularly.In response to one of our postings this week, one of our recruiters received a resume from a job seeker who had a disconnected phone number listed in the resume.The telephone is still a crucial part of the recruitment process; there have been other cases in which individuals are on the phone when we call, do not answer call waiting and allow the phone to continue to ring. Remember–if someone can’t leave a message for you, then they cannot offer you an interview or a position.
So how can a job seeker be better prepared if they believe that they are at risk of missing opportunities like some of the people I just mentioned?I have located a few Web sites that may provide solutions for the above-mentioned scenarios. Still, they should be used in conjunction with traditional communication services.There are many companies that provide free email services, but sites like uReach.com provide users with a simplified communications service including free email, voicemail, and fax services. Users can receive a free toll-free phone number that allows customized greetings and lets callers leave voicemail messages in the subscriber’s email inbox. Users can then either sign in online or call in and retrieve these messages remotely just as they might with their home answering machines. How simple and convenient! You can also activate the call forwarding feature that allows the toll free number to ring on any phone you desire. Web sites offering similar services are constantly emerging but some of our favorite picks are uReach.com, OneBox.com, One Red Cube, and Yahoo! By Phone. 

Communication is key, and the way you interact with recruiters and potential employers speaks volumes about you as a professional. If you are serious about your job search, don’t let small details derail your efforts.

 

Mark Yawitz
President, Search 180

Mark Yawitz is the CEO of Search 180, a Phoenix based executive search firm specializing in the placement of mid-senior level executives throughout the Internet and Technology industries. To contact mark you can email mark@search180.com or stop by the Search 180 websites http://www.search180.com

When work is hell

A 19-year-old flight attendant, angry at his job, was arrested in Minneapolis for setting a fire in an aeroplane bathroom. It might seem a bit extreme, but how many of us haven’t felt like choking our bosses at some point? Or felt that urge to throw in your resignation letter and go for a vacation (which, consequently you won’t be able to afford).

Just Google “I hate my job” and the search throws up 62,40,000 matches. A BBC survey of the top 10 most hated professions throws up surprising results.

If you thought the most hated profession would be that of a Proctologist – its not. Number One on the list was being a traffic warden.

Flapping your arms the entire day must be tough. Also on the list were politicians (I though we hated their profession, not them) and Reality TV show contestants – you’d hate it too if you were stuck in a house full of people like the cast of Big Boss.

What’s wrong with work? So what is it about a job, that makes people hate it even if it seems like a dream come true to those on the outside? Sanya, who works with a news channel says, “News readers have to sit glued to their seats an hour before the show starts. And as soon as the bulletin ends, everyone rushes to the bathroom.

I have to wait in a long line even to take a leak.” For others, work only gets worse with time and even making truckloads of money is not ample compensation.

Raj, who recently resigned from the post of a Sales Process Manager with a multinational company, says, “In this sales figure driven world, the individual and his or her demands are completely ignored.” Prateek, an engineer, says, “Hectic work schedules leave no time for a personal life.

I also hate the fact that I’m stuck in a cubicle instead of doing field jobs that I love.” For Rakesh Jha, an IT person, his is the worst job in the world.

“All you get is complaints – this doesn’t work, that doesn’t work. My whole day is marked with cribbing, frustrated people.

” Sounds familiar? But, no matter what the grouch, the sad truth is, we’re all heading to work tomorrow.

Source:Yahoo!

Tier 1 Indian cites to lose IT jobs to tier 2 cities

Kochi, May 29 (IANS) In five years, 1.7 million jobs in Information Technology (IT) sector in India will move out of tier 1 cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad, to tier 2 cities, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Infopark’s chief executive officer, said here.

Bhattacharya was speaking Wednesday at a discussion organised by The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), a global not-for-profit organisation promoting entrepreneurship. Infopark at Kochi is a state government-owned IT Park.

It is the better quality of life and lower operating cost that are attracting the IT companies to these cities, he said quoting research reports.

He said among the upcoming IT destinations, Kochi has many inherent advantages.

‘The data transmission cost from Kochi is low. Seventy-five percent of the country’s data traffic goes out from Kochi. VSNL has a 15 gigabyte gateway here. The electricity and water tariffs are one of the lowest among all the states. Compared to Bangalore, house rent is low in Kochi. The attrition rates in IT companies are below 10 percent.’

At present around 40 companies in the Infopark employ around 7,000 people. ‘In next four years we expect the number of companies to go up seven to eight times.’

He said that Kerala has the highest density of IT and science professionals. ‘The state’s infrastructure is pretty strong, especially in telecommunication sector,’ he added.

Infopark is in the process of coming out with a dedicated incubator to help start up companies. ‘This is an early life support system for start ups. We will help them with issues like government clearance, finance and also help them expand,’ he added.

Source: Yahoo!

TCS, Infosys, Wipro add over 57000 workers in 2007

NEW DELHI: India’s three biggest IT firms, TCS, Infosys and Wipro, together added 57,554 people to their payrolls in 2007, but rising staff costs coupled with impact of rupee rally and turmoil in the US economy have affected their average employee productivity.

The three companies have reported a surge of 20-25 per cent in their collective third quarter profit and revenue in the current fiscal, but when compared in terms of turnover per employee, only Wipro could improve its performance from the year-ago level.

The average turnover per employee for the three companies dropped marginally to Rs 5.75 lakh in the October-December 2008 quarter, from Rs 5.79 lakh in the year-ago period.
Wipro’s average turnover per employee rose to Rs 6.80 lakh in the third quarter of this fiscal, from Rs 6.13 lakh in the year-ago quarter. However, TCS and Infosys recorded a dip in their average per employee turnover to Rs 5.58 lakh and Rs 4.99 lakh, from Rs 5.85 lakh and Rs 5.35 lakh respectively.

The average per employee net profit of the three companies also declined to Rs 1.23 lakh in the latest quarter from Rs 1.30 lakh in year-ago period.

The combined net profit of the three companies rose 19.1 per cent to Rs 3,411.67 crore in Q3 of this fiscal from Rs 2,864.50 crore a year ago.

Their total revenue rose 25.4 per cent from Rs 12,679.73 crore to Rs 15,904.18 crore during the quarter under review.

At the same time, the total employee strength of the three firms stood at 2,76,662 people at the end of December 2007, against 2,19,108 on December 2006.

Source: ET

Cognizant in deal with T-Systems

CHENNAI: Cognizant Technology Solutions has taken over the operations T-Systems India and its 1,150 employees as part of a system integration alliance with the company’s parent, Deutsche Telekom. In effect, Cognizant will become T-Systems’ supplier for offshore services from India.

The financial component and asset transfer involved in the transaction was not disclosed. T-Systems India, which operates out of Pune and Bangalore, provides system integration services for the telecommunication and automotive verticals.

Last year, German telecom major Deutsche Telekom said it was seeking a partner for the system integration business of its IT division, T-Systems. The race for the system integration business was closely contested between TCS and Cognizant.

Initially, the odds seemed to be in favour of TCS because Deutsche Telekom’s former chairman, Ron Sommer, is a non-executive board member of TCS. Also, in terms of verticals, while T-Systems and TCS both have a significant presence in the automotive sector, Cognizant is more focused on healthcare and manufacturing.

However, Cognizant president and MD R Chandrasekaran said in an e-mail interview, “This (the alliance) complements the capabilities of two leaders in two different sets of industries, and combined through partnership, they are stronger powerhouses.” Also while T-Systems is focused in consulting, IT and telecommunications, Cognizant has capabilities in consulting, systems integration and maintenance, BPO and IT Infrastructure services.

About the growth prospects for Cognizant through the tie-up, Mr Chandrasekaran said, “we expect the partnership to generate material revenue from both growing our offshore operations to support T-Systems’ existing clients, as well as revenue resulting from jointly winning new clients. In aggregate, we expect to generate at least $40 million in the first year of the partnership.”

Geography-wise, the deal will help Cognizant strengthen its presence in the European market. In terms of verticals, the company can gain access to segments such as automotive and telecommunications. At the same time, T-Systems will be able to leverage on its internally developed processes and serve more clients.

“T-Systems was functioning as a shared services center of Deutsche Telekom in India and developed very good processes internally. But it was restricted in the number of clients it served. The alliance would enable the company serve a wider basket of clients,” said Frost & Sullivan head-IT Kaustubh Dhavse.

Wishing you a Bigger & Bighter 2008

 Seaons Greetings to all our readers & Contributors!

Have a Safe & a Superb year ahead!

10 Things Recruiters Should Know About Every Candidate They Interview

Interviewing candidates and gauging their fit for a culture and position is one of the most indispensable tasks a recruiter performs. The more a recruiter knows about a candidate, the better equipped they are to add value to the hiring process. That’s why getting to know the candidate and understand what they are looking for, along with overall qualifications, is so critical.

But there is more about candidates you should uncover if you want to do the best possible job of providing information (read: value) to hiring managers. Below are ten points in key areas that all recruiters should investigate for each candidate they interview — before they present the candidate to the hiring manager.

1. Complete compensation details. Understand exactly how the candidate’s current compensation program is structured. This means more than the candidate’s base salary; the base salary is just part of the overall package. Be sure that you ask about bonuses; if, how and when they are paid out, stock options or grants that have been awarded. Compile a complete list of benefits and how they are structured (e.g. PPO vs. HMO; there is a difference) and know when the candidate is up for his or her next review, because this can alter cash compensation.

2. Type of commute. Commute is a quality-of-life issue and discussing it is important. A ten-minute commute against traffic is very different than taking the car to a train and having to walk five blocks to the new organization. If the commute to your organization is worse for the candidate than it is in his or her existing job, bring it up and see how the candidate responds. If the commute is better, use it as a selling point. By all means, be sure that you understand the candidate’s current commute and how they feel about the new one.

3. The “what they want vs. what they have” differential. Most candidates do not change jobs just for the sake of changing jobs. They change jobs because there are certain things missing in their current position that they believe can be satisfied by the position your organization is offering. This disparity is called the “position differential” and it is the fundamental reason a person changes jobs. Know what this position differential is and you will be able to know if you have what the candidate is looking for. If so, you will be able to develop an intelligent capture strategy when it comes time to close.

4. How they work best. Some candidates work best if left alone, while others work best as part of a team. It is your job to know enough about the organization’s philosophy and the way the hiring manager works to see if the candidate will either mesh or grind. Beware of recommending hiring a candidate who does not fit into the current scheme, because, at times, style can be just as important as substance.

5. Overall strengths and weaknesses. Be sure to get some understanding of the candidate’s strong points and the candidate’s limitations. All of us have strengths and weaknesses (even John Sullivan has weaknesses, but he won’t tell me what they are). Our role is to identify them and be able to present them to the hiring manager. Hint: Ask what functions the candidate does not enjoy performing. We are seldom good at things we don’t like.

6. What they want in a new position. Everyone wants something. Find out what the candidate wants in a new position. Be sure to do whatever is necessary to get this information. Feel free to pick away during the interviewing process with open-ended questions until you have all of your questions answered. It is difficult to determine whether a given hiring situation has a good chance of working out if you do not know what the candidate is looking for in a new position.

7. Is the candidate interviewing elsewhere? This is big; I don’t like surprises and neither do hiring managers. I always ask the candidate what else they have for activity. If the candidate has three other companies they are considering and two offers are arriving in the mail tomorrow, this is absolute need-to-know information. If the hiring manager wants to make an offer, it’s time to advise them as to what the competition looks like and move this deal onto the express lane, fast.

8. What it will take to close the deal. This is a first cousin of #6 above but it is more specific and flavored with a “closing the deal” mentality. #6 relates to what the candidate wants in a new position, but this one quantifies that want. For example, if the candidate wants more money, this is where you will assess how much it will take to close the deal. As another example, while #6 will let you know that the candidate wants to work on different types of projects, this one will tell you exactly what types of projects those are.

9. Can the candidate do the job? Even though, as the recruiter, you might not be able to determine if this is the perfect candidate, you should exit the interview with an opinion as to whether or not the candidate can perform the functions of the position. Furthermore, that opinion must be based upon information that was unveiled during the interviewing process and not just a gut feeling. It has to be based upon what the candidate has successfully accomplished and how that aligns with the needs of the current position. If you can’t offer a solid opinion on this one, you need to dig deeper until you have a solid case for why the candidate can or cannot do the job.

10.  Will the candidate fit into the culture? Predicting the future is tricky business, but someone has to take a shot at evaluating a candidate’s chance for success. Not everyone that is capable of doing the job will have a successful run at the company, because culture does play a role in candidate success. For example, the culture of a buttoned-down insurance company in Boston is very different than the garage culture of a software startup in the valley. If you have a reason to believe that the person is the wrong DNA for an organization, it is imperative that you raise the issue.

There are few things hiring managers value more than solid candidate feedback based upon a well-executed interview. Convey this information to the hiring manager and take one more step towards becoming a world-class recruiter.

READY, FIRE, AIM?

TRYING TO FIND A JOB IS ABOUT SELLING YOURSELF. BUT THE BEST WAY TO SELL YOURSELF IS TO FOCUS ON THE NEEDS OF YOUR TARGET EMPLOYER

LIZ RYAN

   Warren, the sales manager at Company A, takes a call from Chris, the CEO, and boy, is Chris excited. “Warren! I’ve got a great sales lead!” says Chris. “You know that we’ve been wanting to get our products into XYZ Industries since forever, Warren? Well, I’m at a CEO luncheon over at the Hyatt right now, and the CEO of XYZ just said in his remarks that his company is on the hunt for a product like ours. We need to a get a proposal in there, pronto.”
   Warren tells Chris he’s on it and dashes down the hall, looking for Wanda, the salesperson in the territory where XYZ
company is located. “Look, Wanda, now is the time for us to go after XYZ Industries for a sale. Their CEO announced at a luncheon that they’re looking for a product like ours. Chris was there, and he just called me. We’ve got to put a killer presentation together and get in there to see them.”
   “I’m way ahead of you, Warren,” says Wanda. “I sent off a package to XYZ Industries this morning.”
   “Uh—you did?” asks Warren, slightly nervous. “What was in it?”
   “Well, I’ve got a lot of information about our products, and an introductory letter talking about our company,” answer Wanda.
   “Is it customized for XYZ Industries?” Warren asks, a little more nervous. “What did you say about them?”
   “About them?” asks Wanda. “I didn’t talk about them. I talked about us.”
   “But our products do a lot of things,” Warren explains. “Did you make a guess about what their specific need might be? What’s in your letter that will compel them to read the materials you sent over, and call us in for a meeting?”
   “Look, Warren, you worry too much,” Wanda
replies. “Our products are tremendous. XYZ already knows it needs a solution like ours. All they have to do is review what I’ve sent over and we’ll get that call.”
   “But they don’t know us from Adam,” Warren protests. “Did you talk in your letter about the way their business has grown so quickly, and how our product above all our competitors would be perfect for their next stage of growth?”
   “Oh, Warren,” says Wanda, “I just sent them a standard package. Believe me, it’ll do the trick.”
   It gets worse when Warren finds out that Wanda sent the package to the attention of the Purchasing Manager—no specific name—at the P.O. box XYZ shows on its Web site. Wanda’s assurances that Company A’s products are the best don’t do much to make Warren optimistic.
And with good reason. Company A doesn’t get the order, nor even a chance to show its stuff. Warren is annoyed, Wanda is philosophical, and Chris is fit to be tied. This kind of thing happens all the time; not just when people are selling products, but when people are selling themselves.
Wanda lost the sale because she blasted off a package full of information about the product, that is, about herself. Don’t make that mistake when you’re looking for a job. And it’s an easy one to make, filling up a cover letter with glowing language about your own accomplishments, never giving a moment’s thought to what the customer—the hiring manager—is hoping to hear. Your résumé won’t get read if your cover letter doesn’t sell the customer, and like Wanda’s boilerplate “enclosed-please-find” letter, a generic cover letter simply won’t cut it.
As a job seeker, you’ve got to start by identifying, as closely as you can, the customer’s, that is, the employer’s, need. You’ve got to review the employer’s Web site and conduct enough online research to make an educated guess about the problem the company is trying to solve. No employer posts a job opening unless there’s a problem that needs solving—whether it’s customers waiting too long on hold, products taking too long to get out the door, or an inventory database beyond repair. What is that problem? Your research and your experience will give you the most likely answers. You must speak to that problem in your cover letter and describe your own ability to solve it . A boilerplate cover letter does you no good at all.
   Wanda didn’t even take the time—and it probably would have been just a few minutes—to learn the name of the Purchasing Manager at XYZ. In a job seeker’s case, a few minutes of online research on Google (GOOG), LinkedIn, ZoomInfo and the company’s own Web site should yield you the name and the title of a real person in the hiring department. You have a much better chance of your material not going to the Black Hole of Unacknowledged Résumés. Those few minutes are well spent. In fact, they’re critical.
   Don’t make Wanda’s mistakes when selling yourself. “Ready, Fire, Aim” is a bad strategy—whatever you’re selling. -BW

Hiring fever runs high in IT companies

Sujata Dutta Sachdeva | TNN
New Delhi: Dollar meltdown, rising rupee, sub-prime crisis, high attrition. Year 2007 has been a rollercoaster ride for the Indian IT industry. While some companies continued growth despite hiccups, some others have reported lower margins. However, on the positive side, the sector generated enough jobs for the economy. It accounted for more than half of the total jobs created by the Indian industry in the last financial year. Even, salary growth too was not bad either as it varied between 12-15%.
However, 2008 maybe a different story for the IT sector, at least when it comes to hiring. Indeed, many IT/ITeS companies have already drawn out their hiring plans for next year. Accenture India whose headcount crossed 35,000 this year, says it will continue to grow at 30-50% annually. Capgemini India, which currently has 17,500 employees will increase the numbers to 40,000 in the next three years.
Birla Soft says they expect to add another 1,500-1,700 people across various levels in 2008. ‘‘There are never enough good people. The net addition this year was higher than last year. Or campus in take was 600 this year and we are looking at 1,000 next year. Even at the senior and middle management levels we are hiring aggressively,’’ says Narendra Puppala, Senior VP (global HR), Birla Soft.
Cisco too plans to stick to its hiring target. ‘‘The company has a target of having 10,000 people in India in the next three to five years and that is on track,’’ says Subash Rao, director (HR), Cisco India.
Wipro echoes the same. ‘‘We had announced 14,000 offers to freshers in 2008-09 and we are on track,’’ says Pradeep,
VP Strategi Resources, Wipro Technologies.
However, not everybody shares the same optimism. A recent study by Assocham revealed hiring by IT companies have slowed and employment outlook for the current fiscal is not as encouraging as it was last year. Patni Computers for example, recruited only 60% of their target numbers this year. The picture may not change too much next year.
‘‘The overall business model is undergoing a change. With pressure on margins, we are looking a the productivity and employee pyramid ratio. The flatter the pyramid lower the costs,’’ Deepak Khosla, senior V-P (marketing and head) APAC and Japan, Patni Computers. The company hired around 1,800 people across the board this year, — 40% below target, the situation may not change too much next in 2008.
InterraIT says they have an aggressive growth plan for 2008 and recruitment number will be equally aggressive. ‘‘We will resort to just-in-time hiring to keep the bench strength to manageable levels,’’ says Asoke Laha, president, MD, InterraIT.
Experts say, the trend among IT software firms may be slightly different from others in the sector. As Rajeev Mehtani, MD, NXP Semiconductors India, a chip manufacturing firm, says their recruitment will depend on how the chip business goes worldwide. ‘‘This year too our salaries grew by 12% and hiring was on target. That will not change next year.’’
Some say, since the dollar melt down started towards July-August 2007, most IT companies did not feel the pinch this year. Things may change somewhat next year. ‘‘Hiring will remain low but will pick up by mid-2008 when IT firms have wrung out the slack in resource pool. There will be much more focus on recruiting the ‘right fit’ and better utilisation,’’ says Arun Jethmalani, CEO, Valuenotes.
However, the basic business model is expected to remain robust. As Mukund Menon, global head, talent acquisition, Satyam Computers explains, ‘‘2008 will be wonderful year from the opportunities perspective. Most Tier I IT firms will be 50,000 plus employee organisations.”