I know of no employment professional that wants to fail on an assignment. Their income and future livelihood is tied up in effective service delivery.
So what's the problem?
Well, sometimes you haven't done a good enough job evaluating an agency's capabilities so you're asking them to do something their incapable of doing . . . but, ya know that isn't always true because, with interest, they'll work on anything!
For example, a new client of mine is a well-know liquor distributor. They asked me to work on a position for to find someone to buy wood for the casks they age their product in. Not exactly a job i my sweet spot.
I loved the idea of the job and am about to fill it. Why? Because they were responsive and communicative and I was motivate.
What goes into being communicative? Well the first and most important thing is a useful position description otherwise, we're off wasting a lot of time we don't have. I don't mean the description that says, "2-4 years of this or that." I mean one that actually speaks of the detailed experience and functionality they need to know and how to evaluate it from your perspective.
Two investment banks trying to hire a mid level Java developer for a trading systems project will do completely different evaluations. On paper the jobs are identical, yet in practice they're different. Be as specific as possible.
The second thing you need to do is provide useful feedback when someone comes up short. Is it useful to say the person was "too light?" Of course not. State where the deficiency was and suggest ways that a recruiter can evaluate for it in the future.
One of the most effective things you can do is call or email a recruiter and show them "some love." All of our jobs are hard. A two minute call or one minute of email goes a long way toward making the search professional feel cared about enough to help you. This may sound goofy to you but don't you like it when your boss praises you for something or just stops by to say, "Hi." Christmas is an ideal time to just drop an e-card to someone.
There are a million ways to get better results; these are a few launch points that will help you get better results.
Jeff Altman
The Big Game Hunter
Concepts in Staffing
jeffaltman@cisny.com
© 2005 all rights reserved.
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter, is Managing Director with Concepts in Staffing, a New York search firm, has successfully assisted many corporations identify leaders and staff in technology, accounting, finance, sales, marketing and other disciplines as employees or consultants since 1971. He is a retired certified leader of the ManKind Project, a not for profit organization that assists men with life issues, and a practicing psychotherapist.
For additional job hunting or hiring tips, go to www.thebiggamehunter.net.
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If you would like Jeff and his firm to assist you with hiring staff, or if you would like help with a strategic job change, send an email to him at jeffaltman@cisny.com (If you’re looking for a new position, include your resume).
