Bearing Fruit Consulting

Name Generation & Sourcing At The Airport

As I write this I am sitting in Philadelphia International Airport traveling back from a client visit in Philadelphia.  Just a few short minutes ago, while going through the very long security line, I did some sourcing using a proven methodology I have talked about many times in presentations and past writings.  The modern day terminology for it is "dipping".  Old schoolers might refer to it as just plain eavesdropping.  I call it being aware of your surroundings and paying attention.  What a novel concept huh?  In fact, after I typed this entire post I did a quick Google search using "eavesdropping recruiting" and lo' and behold my good friend Steve Levy from The Recruiting Edge popped up.  Seems Steve penned an article for Kennedy's Recruiting Trends back in December of 2006 on this technique.

Anyway, here is what happened and how I came to have 6 full names (first and last) of human resource talent from a well recognized firm along with their email format and, in one amazing stroke of luck, the cell phone number for one of  this firms senior level HR professionals.

Directly in front of me in the security line were two people who, based on the details of their discussion, worked in the technology department or telecommunications group of said company.  One of them had a computer bag with the company logo and name on it and their colleague had the same logo and name blazoned above the pocket of their shirt.  There was no mistaking who they worked for.

Recruiting Lessons In TRM From A Shoe Company

Imagine the company you bought shoes from arranging to have UPS come and pick up the shoes you are returning, after their deadline for full refund had passed, and then that same shoe company sending a sympathy card and flowers upon hearing of the death of your mother.  Sound crazy and impossible?  Sure.  Did it happen?  It sure did. 

Seth Godin pointed out this story recently and I sat at my desk (honestly with a tear in my eye) applauding the shoe company Zappos for being real, caring and building a relationship that would have long lasting effect on both their business and their bottom line.  But, as Godin says, the truth is they didn't do it for the PR.  Nope, they did it because it was in their corporate DNA:

A woman had a touching and memorable experience with Zappos and wrote about it. It's really clear that there was no PR intent at all, it was just one human reaching out to another.

The implications for recruiting are enormous.

Recruiting Gen Y: New Thoughts

Penelope Trunk is really smart and I have always enjoyed reading her blog Brazen Careerist.  Her ideas are fresh, intuitive and always significant.  Today I read her post The Real Deal about Gen Y and it hit me like a ton of bricks.  In my opinion, here is the money quote:

Gen Y does not admit it, but their top priority is stability. This is a fundamentally conservative generation. And in the middle of this very long article in Business Week, is  an important quote from Andrea Hershatter, director of the undergraduate business program at Emory University and veteran of college recruiting:

“There is a strong, strong millennial dislike of ambiguity and risk, leading them to seek a lot more direction and clarity from their employers, in terms of what the task is, what the expectations are, and job progression.”

Hershatter gives a great interview because she explains in detail why young people today are fundamentally conservative in their goals and decision making. Not conservative politically. (In fact, we know they are not conservative politically.)  But conservative in their lifestyle. They are not risk takers, not boat rockers, not revolutionaries. Young people today want a safe, nice life, and clear path to that goal.

I have long been an advocate that Gen Y was going to cause a major shift in corporate America mindset.  After all, every study and article written about Gen Y and their attitudes about careers and life pointed in the direction of a maverick generation that would buck against the ultra conservative, static and rigorously structured corporate world.  I have even written and spoken publicly that Gen Y would cause Recruiting teams all around America to have to re-think their recruiting strategies because Gen Y's attitudes would lead them away from working in corporate environments.

Preventing and Eliminating Counter Offers

It Isn't Over Until The Boss Knows

You just filled that really hard-to-fill position with a proven high-performing passive candidate. Even better, you took the candidate from your competition — the much sought after "hire to hurt." You invested valuable hours of direct sourcing, networking, creating interest, discussing career stretch, and presenting the opportunity.

You have closed the deal. Your hard work has paid off. The candidate has verbally accepted your offer.

Feels great, doesn't it?

Before you strain yourself while patting yourself on the back, before you head off to the water cooler to exchange high fives with your recruiting buddies, before you start sharing the war stories of your latest conquest, don't forget that what comes next may be your doom as a recruiter.