A Story about Reputation Management

How one startup successfully managed their employment brand I am fortunate to work with some of the smartest and most innovative startups in Colorado.  One of the hardest things for a startup is getting noticed.  Justifiably, entrepreneurs will spend a whole bunch of time building their company and product brand – after all – revenue is what makes the difference…

Interviews that Matter

Using a blended interview format for better outcomes Interviewing techniques are all over the place – each hiring manager has their own style whether learned, imparted upon or self-created.  I will assert that for the most part, you are interviewing from the job description and evaluating candidates based primarily on the bullet points in this…

Hire Fast!

Collapse your interviewing process to reduce your competition I’ve read a bunch of articles lately about how companies are taking weeks and months to fill open positions.  Most of this press is attributable to large companies with many layers of decisionmakers.  If you are lucky enough to be a hiring manager for a small company,…

It’s like dating – but don’t play hard to get!

Be interested – and interesting The media is full of news about companies who would hire, but can’t find qualified candidates to fill open positions.  Translation – there is a war for talent going on.  If you are a big company with deep pockets, a large recruiting team and a strong employment brand you won’t…

An open letter to hiring managers

From an unemployed professional In my role as an executive search consultant I split my time between hiring managers who are trying to hire and candidates who are trying to get hired.  As we continue our path toward economic recovery there are still deeply experienced, highly skilled executives who are trying to navigate their paths…

Do unto others….

A guide to the candidate experience for hiring managers  Lately there has been a lot of commentary around something called the ‘candidate experience.’  Personally I think this is just common sense, but I’m coming from the perspective of someone who works with candidates and hiring managers all the time – as a matchmaker.  Everyone is…

Reduce your time to hire!

Candidate Profiles Time to hire is one of the primary metrics we use to measure our success.  Regardless of whether you are working internally to fill a position or engaging the services of an outside recruiter – time is money.  The faster you can source, attract, interview and hire – the better your return.  Every…

Marketing 101 for Hiring Managers

Increasing the effectiveness of your talent advertising If you are still using your internal HR job descriptions when you post openings on an external job board or your company website for that matter, then please write a check and hand it to a stranger on the corner for the price of that posting.  Either way,…

Planning for hiring success in 2012 – part 2 of 2

What will you do differently? Last month we talked about the state of the job market and the lack of available qualified talent.  You must change your classic methods of finding and attracting talent if you are going to be able to compete in the New Year.  Here are some steps you can take to…