The “R” in RPO
Recently I heard a representative from a competitor billing themselves as an Industry “Expert” speaking about RPO. The entire discussion was around a specific boxed process propped up by technology that is supposedly the greatest thing since sliced bread. He completely downplayed the need for talented recruiters. It took every bit of strength I had not to stand up and tell him he was crazy! When did a client’s corporate culture and their business objectives become irrelevant? I will save the importance of customization and optimization for another time. The frustration I felt was mostly a result of the lack of importance placed on recruitment and true talent sourcing. Will RPO become a solution where smoke and mirrors are more important than results?
You wouldn’t know it by watching the news but we are in a very competitive market for talent. I think it is important to remember the first letter of the RPO acronym stands for, RECRUITMENT. The “P” is behind recruitment for a reason. Process certainly is very important but if built properly should be a repetitive act that can usually be taught and fine-tuned. Recruitment is a skill. Think about a pitcher in baseball. Thousands of kids have dreams of playing in the Major Leagues and some learn to have perfect form and are taught all the proper techniques and processes but if they don’t have the skill to throw over 90MPH their career will most likely end in high school.
There are two major expenditures in recruitment. One is technology and the other is labor. As I mentioned earlier, I believe technology if optimized, can handle most of the processes (back office) of recruitment but; technology will never be able to direct source a candidate out of a competitor or best position your company, your brand or sell your job to a top candidate.
All Sourcing is Strategic
As the famous proverb says, “What’s the use of running if you are not on the right road”…seems to ring true now more than ever in the recruiting world. With an influx of new technologies and gadgets for recruiters to utilize, it is easy to get distracted by shiny things and to just run in any direction without stopping to think what the best implementation strategy may be. The foundation of all great recruiting is simple; be an exceptional sourcer…and even more so, have a truly strategic execution that separates you from everyone else running the race.
In developing a flawless sourcing approach, it is so important to fully understand the specifications of each position. It’s not enough to be given a job description and told “go find it.” A strategic sourcer creates strong relationships, conducts thorough intake calls and market research, brainstorms, is hungry for knowledge, asks thoughtful questions, and absorbs the information fully. And while at first it seems time consuming for all parties involved, this time spent truly understanding the requirements, skills, company culture and employment climate enables identifying quality candidates to be a much quicker and streamlined process…a huge pay off at the end of the day.
In recruiting, almost everyone can be trained to look on job boards for candidates. The best will go well beyond those resources. Skilled sourcers will get in the candidate mind frame and ask themselves…. “If I was this person, what organizations or associations would I belong to? What certifications would I have? What social groups would I be a part of? Who would be in my professional network? What companies would I work for?” Thinking from this point of view is what opens avenues that lead to identifying amazing talent along the road less traveled and utilizes resourcefulness vs. expensive tools.
At the end of the day, even the best sourcing must still be done effectively and efficiently. Picking up the phone and calling passive candidates is easy…what’s not easy is walking away from a cold-call with a fully engaged candidate or at least the name of a referral from their network. So, even when using “alternative” sourcing methods, not everyone will knock it out of the park. The most talented are able to quickly grasp the process of cold-calling, social media, blogosphere, x-raying, etc. But they must also know when it’s time to move on, stop spinning their wheels and try something new.
Ultimately, most people involved won’t ask how you got from point A to point B, because the end result is much more coveted than understanding the effort to get there. To be at the top in this industry, results are everything and a solid, strategic sourcing foundation will always trump a little bit of flash.
Building the “Dream Team”
When you picture a “dream team” you often immediately think of legendary sports franchises that had all the right players in all the right places at just the right times to make history. The same notion can be carried into the workplace. Organizations that understand business are not always about the bottom line, but rather about empowerment. They work on developing talent that works day in and day out, on those who come together to rally in the ninth inning. This is where real success is found.
While the faces of the star players are known worldwide, the single most important element of a successful team is the leader behind the scenes, strategizing the plays and building morale. Every “dream team” must have a uniquely talented coach steering the wheel and building the foundation. Having played Division One Field Hockey, I experienced this early on. The most skilled of these leaders is someone who is a great role model, who understands and plays to their team’s strengths, and most importantly who inspires those around him to be better, work harder, and believe that they are working for something other than a paycheck.
A powerhouse leader is an innovator by nature and a teacher by trade. They are dedicated to the task at hand and always lead by example. A talented leader is also open to hearing new ideas as well as sharing their own creativity. Being able to listen to ideas builds culture and mutual respect among team mates and coach. The leader must be able to keep the team supplied with innovative ideas to enhance the vision of the end result. Furthermore, treating everyone with the same level of respect will go a long way in establishing a relationship based on loyalty. I think it can be said that the most successful leaders also possess the ability to identify their employee’s individual abilities and personal motivators. This leader is able to utilize that knowledge to serve the greater good, enabling others to feel valued and heard; in turn showcasing what makes each individual unique, all of which further drives the dedication of a group.
Whether you build your dream team by working with the resources available or building a team from the ground up, it is so important to remember that the value of the bottom line is not always measured by the one big deal closed, but rather on what each person contributed along the way to drive the ball up the field.
Ready for the New Year
As we come into 2012 and leave 2011 behind the famous New Year’s song, “Auld Lang Syne” by Robert Burns plays on in my head. The song, which translates to, “Time Gone By,” definitely induces reflection. A major part of planning for any organization’s future is reflecting on the past.
In 2011 we saw the markets start to recover and towards the end of the year the unemployment rate actually started heading in the right direction. These are all good macro signs of an improved economy which in theory should mean good things for business. However, when I reflect on our business successes and failures in 2011 it rarely had to do with unemployment rates or stock markets but rather relationships, culture and flexibility. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your viewpoint, those three things do not fluctuate with the economy.
In 2011, WilsonHCG experienced growth which was great and of course welcomed. What wasn’t planned was the enormous amount of growth which led to certain challenges or “growing pains”. Most glaring to me was the distance between our most senior people who have made WilsonHCG a (in my opinion) great place and new hires. I started to grow concerned when thinking of how the new people to our organization will understand the culture which has been the driving force behind very low turnover and over delivery for our clients.
Through this growth we realized the only way to keep the culture we are so proud of is through relationships and flexibility. When you invest the time in someone to have a relationship they are much more likely to take stock in their performance as well as the company. More importantly than performance is ideas, when someone feels valued they are much more likely to share their thoughts and ideas on improvement which are priceless.
A company’s ability to be flexible is imperative, especially with its internal associates. I have learned in my career everyone doesn’t learn the same, preform the same or for that matter do anything the same. Through individual relationships you are usually able to find out what drives a person. Sometimes it is money, sometimes it is recognition, others times it is something much different. Regardless of what specifically motivates someone, it is important to focus on those things to get the best results.
So as we head into 2012, my focus will continue to be on building relationships internally and externally, being flexible with associates and clients and maintaining and improving the culture of our company.
Power of Recognition
Think back to when you were a child. Think back when you walked into a room full of adults. Maybe your mother was telling you to wipe your face; your father was distracted by a football game; the dog barking…but there always seemed to be one person, maybe your grandmother, a cousin or family friend who acknowledged your presence in a positive way? Maybe they just looked at you and smiled when you started to speak? Did you feel compelled to sit by that particular person? The common denominator in all of us is the want and need to be appreciated and validated. I recently watched a show that discussed the power of recognition and the thought came to me that the scenario is the same in all areas of our lives, including our professional life.
According to the US Department of Labor the number one reason people leave a job is because they did not feel appreciated. It happens every day. You go above and beyond, even to the point where the person you are helping is completely unaware of the amount of time and effort it took you to do something. You may end the day frustrated, but if you opened your office door the next morning and found a hand written ‘thank you’ note on your desk would you feel appreciated? The answer is yes! Simple actions like getting up from your desk to say thank you to a coworker or calling to say thank you or just acknowledging an employee’s hard work and constant dedication to the company will go a long way.
Aside from the obvious increases in productivity, engagement among colleagues, employee loyalty, job satisfaction, and decrease in turnover the Power of Recognition will literally propel the working environment into a positive place. It’s only natural after being recognized that this employee will continue to repeat the same actions which were praised.. We can email or call to send our gratitude, but often after receiving 24 ‘thank you’ emails in a week the power of the note has been diminished. With some employers this could seem as though they have set up their automatic replies to say “Thank you for all that you do. We couldn’t have completed this without you!!” We can’t necessarily send gift cards every time someone helps us, fly to another state to show our appreciation, or give them a raise because you are avoiding sending another drab thank you email, but how can we make our recruiters and support staff feel validated without breaking the bank? Hand written notes, company wide emails letting the staff know how a specific person went above and beyond, incentive programs, awards at company meetings, small wage increases, a phone call, stop into their office, or just simply acknowledge their presences in a positive way and tell them how grateful you are for having them support your company.
Recognition is important to each and every employee. Don’t be fooled that it only applies to some. The Power of Recognition is important to each and every employer.
RPO – More than a Business Partner; an Advisor through Change
Bill Hewlett and David Packard (HP), Bill Gates and Paul Allen (Microsoft), Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield (Ben & Jerry’s) all share one distinct commonality…partnership.
Without the matching of two or more entities, these successful partnerships and names which are so easily recognized in today’s popular culture would not exists. Often partnerships are based upon one person’s idea and another’s capital; Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) is no different. Companies’ ideas are powered by Human Capital, or external recruiting. RPO organizations make external recruiting less costly, more efficient and more effective.
Companies which have avoided outsourcing in the past, cite they worry an outside vendor may not have the passion for the same values, goals and overall ideals as the organization itself, but just the opposite is true. If a genuine partnership is created, both parties will focus all necessary resources to achieve a common goal: profit, growth, success.
With an RPO partnership, the RPO entity will act as an extension of a Corporation’s internal recruitment function. The RPO firm will create a process that will provide the highest level of qualified candidates, reduce hiring costs and improve employee retention rates. How is this achieved? By utilizing the knowledge and expertise of an RPO organization that specializes in the fine art of recruiting, hiring manager productivity is improved as they no longer need to waste time reviewing and interviewing unqualified candidates. This also lessens costly turnover mistakes that could have been avoided by hiring the right people from the start.
Partnering with an RPO firm allows you to craft solutions for your recruitment needs, but what should you initially consider when looking for an RPO partner? Examine the company’s areas of expertise, ask for references from current clients, examine the culture of the RPO and get to know the employees and executive team. Understand the company values and request examples of measures of success (i.e. slate to interview ratios, interview to hires ratios, candidate and hiring manager satisfaction surveys and candidate diversity).
Having a partner in the Human Capital business driving your infrastructure will be a positive agent of change and the most successful of these partnerships are based upon open communication. This will help to identify pitfalls early in the process and adjust where necessary throughout the relationship. After selecting a possible vendor, identify the important role in which this company will drive your profitability, growth and success rate.
When you choose an RPO, you are choosing a teammate, someone who is fully invested in the success of your organization. This collaboration can evoke the change of your organization through the most valuable of resources; your people.
Don’t Get Carried Away by Trends – Back to Basics Recruiting is Always In Style
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are” – Theodore Roosevelt.
This simple and timeless notion is so often overshadowed by the need to achieve through the latest, greatest (and often expensive) business tools.
As the revolving door of the latest trends in recruiting and social media tools keeps turning, nothing can truly replace a back to basics approach. While new technology is certainly helpful in the everyday grind, there are distinct fundamental qualities that separate a good recruiter from a great one. A great recruiter understands the essentials of sourcing and utilizes their own creativity and outside-the-box thinking to reach beyond the latest advances and succeed at the same peak level of performance to effectively bring their clients top talent.
Great recruiters strike the balance between more traditional, strategic sourcing methods and combine imagination and ingenuity. Networking and direct sourcing remain the foundation of recruiting excellence. The value of free community networking and being involved in organizations where you maintain personal and professional relationships with talented peers cannot be underestimated. There are endless channels and resources to utilize, for example; the Chamber of Commerce in local markets where you are recruiting, joining after work networking groups for professionals, and remaining an active participant within your social media networks.
Another essential technique is uncovering and engaging the passive candidate. Finding them requires insight of their industry sector, geographic market, business landscape and the initiative to pick up the phone and make connections. An exceptional recruiter will make the right contacts in order to find that “diamond in the rough” even without the use of new flashy and costly techniques. Understanding how to build relationships with the “wrong” person in order to open the door to the “right” one is a vital recruiting skill.
Recruiters who have mastered a true balance of these techniques are often the most cost efficient and effective for firms to retain and in turn for clients to hire. A recruiter, who can rely on their own resourcefulness and natural abilities, will spare their firm overhead so the focus remains on the client. This individual brings value to the process and aligns talent with fitting opportunities in a timely fashion, ultimately saving the client money and capital in the long run.
With the advent of social networking, job boards and new technologies, staying connected and finding talent has never been more advanced, but these methods can never replace the basic principles of talent acquisition and making do with what you have in any situation… Simply put, resourcefulness.
Can New Media and Job Boards Coexist to our Benefit?
Despite a constant stream of articles proclaiming their demise, job boards and job postings have yet to go quietly into that good night. Should we be surprised? Job boards will remain vital to the recruiting industry by doing what they have always done: providing candidates to recruiters. They can also serve to highlight the attributes of an organization, drive traffic to corporate sites, and even act as an advertisement or marketing tool. This potential marketing function was illustrated by the buzz generated last week when a wave of Apple job postings for “an exciting project” set off speculation that the iPhone 5 release had been slated for mid-August. Job boards have also demonstrated a remarkable willingness and ability to adapt to the ever-improving technology and ever-changing recruiting trends. But tools are no better than their user and, despite the myriad of upgrades and updates offered by these boards, it is the ability and the creativity of the recruiter using them that will ultimately determine their viability. And a good recruiter can make any site into a job board.
The exploding popularity of social media recruiting is a great example of this. As major social networking sites incorporated their own job boards (Facebook’s BranchOut service, LinkedIn Jobs, etc.), recruiters started turning social networking sites into job boards themselves, utilizing their profiles and social networks to reach out to candidates (passive and active), network for referrals, and move job opportunities through the online social sphere. For the WilsonHCG recruiting teams, job boards are a starting point – a research database, a direct sourcing tool – that we use in conjunction with our social networks, Boolean search strings, and tweets. It is often a combination of these tools and networks that help us source candidates and, in the right hands, even MySpace can be relevant when burrowing into the recesses of the internet to target a stellar candidate. We dig through job boards, incorporate our job postings into our social media, spread the word through Twitter, we network in relevant LinkedIn groups to generate referrals, and we pick up the phone to direct source. Job boards, social recruiting, face-to-face networking – sourcing methods old and new – no tool needs to fade to irrelevancy if it can deliver the information our recruiters need. It’s all in how you use it.
Job boards are not dead but their definition and the focus of the industry is evolving. In fact, an increased presence of niche boards serves to make it even easier for recruiters to target the type of candidate they need by honing in on a specific industry, skill set, or geographic location. Instead of fading with the times, it seems there are now more job boards available than ever before. They will continue to exist as long as they provide recruiters with thousands of resumes to sift through and job opportunities for candidates to apply to but, by being creative and utilizing new technology and trends, recruiters are able to use job boards for so much more.
As boards continue to evolve and/or specialize with the introduction of new tools, social media, and other recruiting trends, how will their services affect your recruiting methods?
The Future of Executive Search
Having the right talent at the top is critical today if a company is to be ready for the challenges of tomorrow. To be truly effective in finding and attracting well-qualified executives for senior management openings, I think of it as a formula consisting of matching the right candidate, location, culture fit and the right position, all at the right time. Although tools and technology methods may change the way we conduct an Executive Search, properly understanding the company’s needs and the responsibilities associated with the position along with the needs of the candidate remain constant elements.
We’ve come a long way with recruitment in general. In the past, we had to rely on newspaper ads, cold calling and company directories to build our network. One of the biggest changes in Executive Recruitment has been the evolution of social media. While online job boards help connect with active job seekers, until recently, there wasn’t a great resource available to reach the passive job seeker. Employers are seeking candidates for Executive Level roles who fit the passive job seeker profile. The passive job seeker is mid to senior level, with a higher level of expertise in their field, and employed. This is the group of candidates where most of the “top talent” is found. Now with the development of professional and social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, we are able to reach out and communicate with those passive job seekers. Proactive candidate networking, referral-based networking, along with direct sourcing are all necessary to target passive job seekers and develop a well-qualified talent pool of candidates desired by companies for management and leadership opportunities.
Social media provides access and targeted networking. However, that’s just one piece of the Executive Search puzzle. Executive Search is not just a transactional process. The Executive Search now and in the future will utilize the social networking tools along another trend on the rise, cultural compatibility. Gone are the days when a candidate could count on their resume or work experience guaranteeing a job offer. Now, more employers want to hire candidates who share their values and general outlook of the company. Searching for a candidate who is culturally compatible is now a key factor within the Executive search.
Although tools and methods may change the way an Executive search is conducted, the future of Executive Search is to continue providing value to the client by focusing on consulting aspects of recruiting. It is with this commitment of time and effort to understand the market within its industry, maintaining a network of suitable candidates, providing a short list of qualified candidates and ultimately, hiring talent that contributes to future success of the company that makes an Executive Search a success.
Author: Cari Castillo http://www.linkedin.com/in/caricastillo
The State of Healthcare Recruiting in 2011
WilsonHCG is proud to continue its monthly interview series by highlighting the opportunities and challenges of recruiting in the healthcare industry. We had the pleasure of speaking with Michael Peterson, Recruiting Supervisor of Sharp Healthcare in sunny San Diego, California. For those of you that may not be familiar with Sharp Healthcare, its statistics are quite impressive. Sharp Healthcare is the region’s largest integrated health care system, not for profit, and ranked by Modern Healthcare Magazine as #13 in the US and #1 in San Diego (based on quality outcomes, access to care, variety of services, etc.). Sharp also won the 2007 Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award, awarded by the President of the United States, which measures the quality of an organization. Sharp is the largest non-government employer in San Diego County with 14,000 employees and an average of 1,500-2,800 hires per year. We’re pleased to have had the opportunity to speak with Michael about Sharp, and thank him for his candor and transparency into their recruitment business!
Q: What’s different about recruiting, attracting and retaining talent in the healthcare industry versus other industries you’ve worked in?
A: Every industry has its unique challenges. In Healthcare, there are so many different types of employment relationships such as full-time, part-time, per diem, night or day shifts and then variations of licensure by State. Because healthcare is a 24/7 business, we never close and have to have staff to support all shifts, at all levels, all the time — even through holidays. This makes the recruitment of candidates that much more complicated and, at times, challenging when looking for non-clinical staff. As well, another uniqueness about the industry is the level of cooperation between competing organizations. In most industries, competitors don’t collaborate, but in healthcare it is not uncommon to treat competitors as peers, and facilities often need to cooperate in order to provide the best healthcare (e.g., in disasters, or state of overflow and limited capacity of beds to provide care). We have to work with other healthcare systems to build awareness of the industry given the shortage of talent.
Q: How has recruiting in the healthcare industry changed in recent years?
A: Most recent changes in healthcare recruiting has been a huge decline in turnover (directly related to the economy), which has affected the volume of recruiting for staff. We see people are shifting from part time or per diem to full time and delaying retirement. Therefore, we’re unable to bring on newly graduating RN’s, which could lead to multiple classes of RN’s that can’t find jobs and ultimately impact the availability of nursing talent in 3-5 years, which could be worse than what we’ve seen to date in terms of the supply of qualified talent. As well, I do see healthcare systems slowly starting to adopt social media and other means for attracting talent other than the traditional job boards. We’ve noticed a trend where the OFCCP has begun to focus on healthcare, causing a lot of angst because organizations were more focused on all other auditing groups in healthcare (not the recruitment function), and have been caught off guard in meeting compliance requirements in recruiting.
Q: What are the top 5 things that keep you up at night?
A: Many things keep me up at night, but to name a few:
How to retain, motivate and develop recruitment team members – in particular when we’re unable to backfill positions. How do I keep recruiters engaged when can’t promote or move them up or around the organization?
How to react to the coming increase in usage when the healthcare reform takes hold. The San Diego industry doesn’t have the capacity to handle the increased patients. How do we build out the capacity, and what is the mix of talent needed to support future needs (e.g., in San Diego it is very uncommon to use nurse practitioners, but in the future this may become a greater need – we don’t know yet how healthcare reform will change our talent needs/skills mix)
How do we stay ahead of our competition (healthcare or non-healthcare), and how to we ensure that we can acquire the top talent. How can we stay ahead of the game in recruiting and what’s next (mobile, geo-targeted advertising, etc.) and execute against it better than anyone we compete with.
How do we address the short-fall of talent, both current and future, with graduates in nursing (looming crisis with clinical lab scientists, and other areas)
OFCCP
Q: What are the top 3-5 key initiatives that your recruitment organization is focusing on this year?
OFCCP compliance, which also had lead to process redesign
Moving Sharp Healthcare recruiting onto a mobile platform. We want to get jobs onto Smartphone devices, enable people to view positions and forward back to their device, etc.
We’re always reviewing systems to meet changing needs, and current vendors
Q: Looking ahead toward the future, what’s your prediction on how healthcare organizations (hospitals) will need to compete for and retain talent in 5-10 years from now? (if you had a crystal ball)
A: Healthcare systems will need to become more competitive, and with more patients coming into the system (given the healthcare reform), we will see a crisis for availability of talent. Healthcare organizations will have to step up their game! Organizations will have to be well branded – with the brand aligned to the consumer experience, and will need to continue to live the brand. The brand can’t be aspirational; it has to be embedded within how organizations work. The fight for talent among well branded organizations will become more brutal — who’s first to a platform, who executes it better, will win the talent. We will also see more recruiting outside of the healthcare industry.
We will see a lot of people leave the healthcare industry in the next 5-10 years due to retirements and greater demands placed on healthcare workers. Capacity never ramps up ahead of demand, and this will only exacerbate demands on recruitment organizations.
If you are interested in hearing more from Michael, visit his blog at SoCalRecruiting.wordpress.com
