For the sake of this article I’m going to assume you know how to qualify your candidates from the moment you speak to them until they’ve signed the offer letter and started. I’m going to assume you’ve been communicating effectively with them throughout every step of the process and have been asking quality questions to ensure you’re not getting “sunshine blown up your skirt.”
There’s nothing 100% foolproof and guaranteed, but good methods of pre-qualifying candidates regarding counteroffers will make your life less stressful and more financially rewarding. In addition, if you are straight in your qualifying methods you may even weed out the candidate who would accept the counteroffer and possibly leave you hanging.
First, I know the word “never” is a strong one. I don’t use it lightly or without substantial consideration as my world, both personal and professional, is gray. In this case I believe accepting a counteroffer is positive in a fraction of the cases and it’s just not worth the risk.
It can be career suicide. A counteroffer may be both tempting and flattering to the candidate in question. It may be very appealing to a candidate who isn’t truly committed to leaving his job. I have known people who accepted counteroffers and, most often, they regret their actions.
As a recruiter you must resist the temptation to persuade your candidates into accepting your offer if you have even the slightest hint that the position in question isn’t the right fit. It’s hard, especially if/when you’re depending on acceptance to make a living. We know people buy on emotion, and enticing someone to take your offer (or the current company getting their employee to accept a counteroffer) by getting him excited and hopeful is just plain out of integrity. Temptation can be very seductive and hard to resist. As George Bernard Shaw said, “I never resist temptation because I have found that things that are bad for me do not tempt me.” That said, let’s look a some of the reasons not to accept a counteroffer. Make sure you’re using these reasons for them to decline a counteroffer wisely throughout the recruiting cycle.
The current employer is attempting to cover their tush. When you quit they lose money. When you quit the manager looks bad. Better to keep you on board until they can find a replacement. If that happens your pink slip will follow in short order.
You become a fidelity risk to your current employer. You’ve threatened to quit once. It’s only a matter of time before you do it again, and smart companies won’t allow themselves to be put into this situation. You will never be perceived the same to them once you’ve threatened to quit and decided to stay.
Any situation which causes an employee to seek outside offers is suspect. For example, if money is your issue why does it take a full court press for your employer to realize they need to pay you more? If you’re worth more money now, why weren’t you worth it 15 minutes earlier?
The reasons for you wanting to quit will still remain, even if they are temporarily shaded.
Quality, well-run companies won’t give counteroffers…ever! How would you feel if one of your employees forced you into something? ”If you don’t X, then I’m quitting.” I know I’d be angry. I’d be more than angry. If they don’t like working for you then they should go.
If you do get the urge to accept a counteroffer, just be prepared for the consequences whenever they do show up.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Recruiting vs. Human Resources: A Different Genetic Makeup
In today’s leaner economy, companies are attempting to use all their resources to their fullest without waste. As a result, one combined resource that has become commonplace is Human Resources including the function of recruiting or vice versa. I say “combined” because they are two distinctly different functions that, if working successfully, require two completely different types of personalities and mindsets working independently.
Great recruiters will never want to be the VP of HR. The VP of HR will never want to do recruiting as a sole function.
It is the same thing as wanting your best Cold Caller/ Sales person to be in the office creating marketing materials. Or the same as wanting your best Financial Analyzer to be the one entering debits and credits. Or perhaps the same thing as purchasing a new camera that takes 20 hours of video as well. There will always be one function that is stronger than the other and that function should not be compromised – it should be cultivated into the best it can be. Recruiting vs. Human resources - every person has a higher ability to perform one or the other. The ability comes from their genetic makeup.
HR and Recruiting are two VASTLY different functions.
Recruiting typically takes a combination of business sense and sales skills and not administration or process skills. Recruiting is not an HR function nor is HR a recruiting function. Great recruiting is most often the result of significant sales type efforts and competencies – building networks, cold calling, competitive intelligence gathering, strong relationship management, working job boards, prioritization of tasks, negotiation, leaving voice mails that get a call back, getting around the gatekeeper, etc. These are not HR skills – benefits management, employee retention, internal interviews, scheduling, and processing. Very seldom do the skills required to be great at recruiting and the skills required to be great at HR intersect. And that is something we need to get to know better.
Great recruiters will never want to be the VP of HR. The VP of HR will never want to do recruiting as a sole function.
It is the same thing as wanting your best Cold Caller/ Sales person to be in the office creating marketing materials. Or the same as wanting your best Financial Analyzer to be the one entering debits and credits. Or perhaps the same thing as purchasing a new camera that takes 20 hours of video as well. There will always be one function that is stronger than the other and that function should not be compromised – it should be cultivated into the best it can be. Recruiting vs. Human resources - every person has a higher ability to perform one or the other. The ability comes from their genetic makeup.
HR and Recruiting are two VASTLY different functions.
Recruiting typically takes a combination of business sense and sales skills and not administration or process skills. Recruiting is not an HR function nor is HR a recruiting function. Great recruiting is most often the result of significant sales type efforts and competencies – building networks, cold calling, competitive intelligence gathering, strong relationship management, working job boards, prioritization of tasks, negotiation, leaving voice mails that get a call back, getting around the gatekeeper, etc. These are not HR skills – benefits management, employee retention, internal interviews, scheduling, and processing. Very seldom do the skills required to be great at recruiting and the skills required to be great at HR intersect. And that is something we need to get to know better.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Constant State of Recruitment & Staffing: Be Aggressive, or Be Gone
Employers always feel the pinch for GREAT talent and can't just wait, wait, and wait to make a move. They have to emphasize active sourcing, capitalize on aggressive recruiting agencies, tap into referrals, and snap up top candidates at the first opportunity.
With staffing agencies on nearly every street corner in the Washington, DC area, all are being fed, mainly by the government, however, the caviar of candidates is still a desired find. These candidates are not going to be found on job boards, unless it’s the first day they post their resume. Consequently, they will be found through active referrals, networking, and from staffing agencies that make this and a sense of urgency priorities in their practices.
And agencies and recruiters need to train their clients and hiring mangers to act fast in order to secure and retain top talent, or they will be feeding on Stove Top Stuffing rather than caviar.
As the economy is beginning to pick up, so are the jobs, particularly in the DC area, and as a result, recruiters are working harder to fill them and the competition is getting fierce for the best. The aggressive style of third-party recruiters always takes some getting used to, which can be challenging. Corporate HR/Recruiting leaders are not often able to stomach the behaviors of staffing agencies that actually get results. But they need to remember, in the end, they will look like the stars as well because the job will get done - effectively.
With staffing agencies on nearly every street corner in the Washington, DC area, all are being fed, mainly by the government, however, the caviar of candidates is still a desired find. These candidates are not going to be found on job boards, unless it’s the first day they post their resume. Consequently, they will be found through active referrals, networking, and from staffing agencies that make this and a sense of urgency priorities in their practices.
And agencies and recruiters need to train their clients and hiring mangers to act fast in order to secure and retain top talent, or they will be feeding on Stove Top Stuffing rather than caviar.
As the economy is beginning to pick up, so are the jobs, particularly in the DC area, and as a result, recruiters are working harder to fill them and the competition is getting fierce for the best. The aggressive style of third-party recruiters always takes some getting used to, which can be challenging. Corporate HR/Recruiting leaders are not often able to stomach the behaviors of staffing agencies that actually get results. But they need to remember, in the end, they will look like the stars as well because the job will get done - effectively.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Introduction to Staff Augmentation
Need to staff a project immediately and introduce work process efficiency? Staff augmentation could turn out to be an effective way to leverage existing resources and utilize outsourced resources for the benefit of your company. Today, staff augmentation companies will help offer a team of professionals specifically to suit an organization's needs.
There are a number of staff augmentation companies which will assist companies with software development support, contract programmers and a number of staffing solutions based on the needs and the budget of the company. It involves evaluation of existing staff in the company and determination of additional skills required for the project(s).
Benefits of Staff Augmentation:
- Skilled, professional personnel to work on specific requirements
- Create and maintain the additional infrastructure and manpower
- Save time and money
It is natural for companies to have concerns over the ability/productivity of the staff that they have hired following recommendation of the staffing companies. But, the well-structured recruitment process and comprehensive screening process by the staffing company will ensure that critical information is validated and candidates are chosen based on their performance and ability to handle the job requirement.
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