NPA The Worldwide Recruiting Network

This information provided by Dennis Stuempfle of Palatine Technology Services, LLC as a courtesy to our candidates. Dennis can be reached at v: 856-358-0320 or e: dennis@palatinetechnology.com

Despite what job boards will tell you, posting your resume online is not right for everyone. Deciding whether or not to post your resume on a major job board will depend on your unique situation.

If you have a good skill set, a stable work background and can afford to be selective in looking for the right opportunity, use caution regarding “continued” posting. A well-planned, targeted approach to your job search will serve you well. At the very least, follow the advice of Careerbuilder.com and make your posted information “confidential” or “non-searchable.”

On the other hand, someone with very limited experience in their field, extended periods of unemployment, some work related problems or someone changing careers or needing residency sponsorship may not have the luxury of being able to implement a more controlled and focused approach.

That said, here are a few things everyone should be aware of:

1) The job boards are really newspapers! It’s all about numbers, not effectiveness. The more resumes, the more subscribers (companies) and the more that can be charged for a subscription. The Wall Street Journal studied job changes a few years ago and learned that only 4.6% of new hires came from a posted resume.
2) Posting puts your personal information in the public domain and adds risk in terms of identity theft, scammers, spammers and your own company learning about your job search. A quote in an August 2007 letter from Monster.com CEO, Sal Iannuzzi demonstrates one of these hazards: “As you may be aware, malicious software, known as Infostealer.Monstres, was recently used to gain unauthorized access to the Monster resume database.” This can happen on any public site.
3) Corporate recruiters “cherry pick” (top 5-10%) from the job boards to fill known job openings only. It’s like panning for gold in an ocean.
4) Using Job Boards exclusively in your job search eliminates most small to mid-sized companies who only selectively hire and do not find the job boards to be a cost effective recruiting tool.
5) Posting or sending via an “Apply Now” button to a company database (blackhole.com) ensures that you’ll have a tremendous amount of competition for what may be a limited number of openings. That of course assumes that a corporate recruiter actually reads your resume. Remember, also, that not all posted jobs are real!
6) Posting does not get your resume in the hands of the decision maker who oftentimes has other positions that get filled without advertising.
7) Posting reduces the effectiveness of good third party recruiters who will likely cover 80% of the market for you. They’ve spent years building long-standing relationships with key contacts, including former applicants, at their client companies.
8) Companies pay third party recruiters to find the “best” candidates. Whether they are right or wrong, corporate recruiters make the assumption that most of those candidates are not active and not posted on the job boards.
9) Posting can affect your perceived value. Companies are more likely to “stretch” on their total offer packages for the “passive candidates” who are harder to find.

We are NOT saying that job seekers should not use the Internet or the job boards! The web can be an effective job search tool if it’s used properly and you measure and maintain control of your information. Unfortunately, most candidates give the web posting process little thought because posting, and clicking on the “apply now” button, is intuitive and a lot less work than coming up with a direct contact, like a hiring manager.

Web veterans, however, are more likely to limit their web exposure and avoid the “resume to blackhole.com routine”. They use a few recruiters and do their homework on prospective companies including uncovering key contacts and getting their information in the hands of the right people.

So, what should you do?

· Take a minute to consider the impact of resume posting.

· Have a plan and a search strategy that will maximize your efforts - not detract from them.

· Use the Internet and job boards as research tools to your advantage - not to your disadvantage. Even if you must post, there is an optimum way of doing so!

We can help you avoid the posting pitfalls and plan the right job search strategy to maximize your efforts.

The following article was written by Dave Cirillo, Ph.D., president of PETisphere.

***

“Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to work we go…” Do you hum this little ditty as you ready yourself to do battle with traffic and work stress each and every work day? No? We didn’t think so! But if you would like the companionship of your pet at work to help you get through the day, well… you’re not alone.

According to a recent Monster.com Meter Poll, nearly one-third of the 10,000-plus surveyed feel that “pets should be allowed in the workplace.”

Or how about this recent headline in the Urbana, Illinois News Gazette by reporter Julie Wurth: “More pets are going to work.” The article continues, “The morning routine is the same as in most offices. Co-workers Miles, Lily and Rile greet each other, admire new outfits, maybe sniff each other once or twice. Canines of all stripes - and spots - roam the offices of the ASPCA Midwest Office in Urbana’s Sunnycrest Mall.”

Even the venerable American Psychological Society has seen fit to comment on the canine and feline in-the-workplace phenomenon: The APA recently gave its coveted “The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Award: Best Practices Honors” to 15 innovative companies. And one firm makes the list because the company lets employees bring pets to work - and offers pet insurance. That company is … Small Dog Electronics in Vermont.

Continue Reading »

James Brackin
Brackin & Sayers Associates
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Following are some thoughts from someone whose been voted off the island many times, but continues to bob to the surface:

Companies—Clients, etc.
The basic principles apply in good times and bad
a. Get closer to your client companies (those who’ve paid you a fee in the last 12-24 months)
b. Service the bejabbers out of them
c. Make a concerted effort to get to know them better—your friends in hiring companies will see you through
d. Remain very selective in referring candidates
e. Focus on companies that tend not to be cyclical
f. Market outstanding candidates (no company has too many winners). In fact, in a down market many savvy companies seize the opportunity to upgrade their employee talent.

Your firm
a. Money can still be made if you scrutinize your overhead
b. Alter your recruiters’ compensation package (higher commissions—lower fixed salaries/fixed costs) The good ones will survive.
c. Get out of the office—go visit some clients (see c above)
d. Expand your practice—maximize NPA for additional jobs and marketable candidates.
e. Identify trading partners within your niche to better service your client base
f. Respond to NPA job orders.
g. Market outstanding candidates to your NPA trading partners who recruit in the candidates’ area of expertise
h. Remain upbeat and optimistic—remember the economy is the product of an attitude.

Jim Gifford
J. Gifford, Inc.
Tulsa, Oklahoma

In my role as chair of the International Development Committee for NPA, occasionally I hear comments from US members that lead one to think that doing international placements is hard work requiring a different skill set than is used in the US, or that the international placement activity has relatively little bearing on what the majority of our US members are doing. Both statements are incorrect. Continue Reading »

Nancy Neumann
Hong Kong Executive Search
Hong Kong

1. Promote and market your organization’s capability in handling international assignments through your NPA partnership network.

2. When you secure the job order, you have to determine how you wish to work this job order:

2.1. On an importer/exporter relationship (when the client is based in home country and looking for staff outside of home base).

2.2. On a referral arrangement (when the client is based outside of home country and your NPA partner has the charge to pitch the assignment, manage the client on-site, as well as source candidates). Here usually it will be up to the affiliates to negotiate an equitable fee split, usually 20/80 or 30/70 are the norm.

2.3. Work exclusively with one firm or a scattered gun approach. On retained searches, it is highly recommended to engage a qualified partner who is committed to the project.

3. Post the job order to SplitZone and email the job order individually to those consultants whom you identified as having the expertise to assist you in the project.

4. In the case of an exclusive working arrangement with one NPA firm, agree on the fee split and document such arrangement if it is not the normal 50/50 split.

5. For retained searches, agree with your NPA partner on timelines and milestones of the search including submission of progress reports. Communicate to your NPA partner your style of candidate presentation. If you want the candidate profiles/reports to be submitted according to a firm-specific presentation format, send your NPA partner a sample.

6. After you gathered your long list of candidates, arrange telephone interviews (mindful of the time difference between locations). On rare occasions, the importer may want to conduct video conferencing interviews.

7. Present the short list to your client and arrange telephone/video conference interviews between your client and the candidates.

8. Conduct reference checks on the finalists.

9. Offer accepted by candidate. Deal closed. Celebrate!

10. Importer submits placement report to NPA.

11. On receipt of client’s settlement, remit the exporter’s fee share and NPA brokerage via wire transfer as international checks can take a month to clear.