Can you call you client with nothing to say?

There are times you don't have any real status updates or you know your candidate/client really doesn't have any work for you.  But you should call them anyway.  Why?  Because you want to build the relationship beyond the, "You only call when you want something....", relationship. 

You want to maintain an open and more personal tie that your competitors don't have.  You want to be special.  Stand out from the crowd. 

A closer relationship will stand up better when the tough times come.  (and they will) i.e. Reductions in the vendor list, candidates or fills fall off or even when invoices need to be paid. 

Again as most times in this business, the winners are the ones that think ahead and do things different from the pack!

Watchdog for Blogger's Rights

This is a little off subject for this blog, but I always am concerned when Congress starts messing with how blogs are used and possibly regulated. 

As described on the Fox News article, "House Atwitter Over Rules Governing Video, Blog Posts", there are rule set by Congress about how it's members can use or not use blogs.  Texas Rep. John Culberson has done an excellent job, in this author's mind of better keeping in touch with his voters and should push to continue.

He points out that using blog's helps him get his message out without the influences and spin from the mainline media.  That's a good thing!!  Too many times, you can tell the bias or opinions of the writer, which should not be in context of reporting rather then on the Opinion Page.

Let's hope the congressmen sticks to his guns and doesn't allow this form of communication to be "Spun" like the majority of the messages that we read and hear daily.

Are you a Decisive Decision Maker?

Being a decisive decision maker is critical in today's fast pace, competitive marketplace.  But what does this mean and not mean?

Decisive does not mean quick with no thought or no research about alternative options.  It does mean make a decision based on the best information available and communicating it to others in a form that gives them confidence in you and next steps they need to take. 

Keep reviewing previous decisions as circumstances can change and you may need to modify plans or take another route. 

It's a lot in presentation and if your staff can feel you have done your homework, and made a strong statement in how and why you made the decision, it gives them faith in you and your future decisions.

Death of internet = Death of Recruiting

According to some reports the internet traffic and addresses are predicted to cause a major reduction or total breakdown of the internet.  Report: The End of the Internet is Near on the Fox News website, gives a brief explanation. 

I'm not convinced, but it does bring to mind a whole new set of questions about how dependent we have become on the communication, web tools and the sourcing we now have with the internet.  It's too easy and ill informed to say we haven't benefited from the internet in our industry, but make sure you have a well rounded recruiting process which involves phone skills, advertising media and face to face interviewing to access the greatest number of candidates.

I know a number of "old school" recruiters that would love to see the day, but the internet is here to stay. 

Need more recruiting tools?

The real quest for this answer must start with, "Are you using the ones you already have?"

Too many times I see recruiters not utilizing the tools they already have on their desks.  Are you using the ATS to it maximum?  I don't mean just as a resume database, but also as a search and mass email tool.  Many of today's tools have many features that make it truly a powerful recruiting tool. 

No tool should itself make your job easier.  The goal is to allow you to deal with higher volume of candidates or give you the ability to find candidates your wouldn't find otherwise.

Recruiting fee refunds? No Way...maybe

I've gotten questions about whether or not to fight refunds after candidates don't make it at a new employer. 

There are a number of questions that has to be asked before such a decision can be made.  What was the "real" reason for the candidate leaving?  How long did they last?  How much revenue does this client generate per year?  How much work went into finding this candidate?  How long did the search take? 

These questions will help you make a good business decision and not an emotional one.  With a good client that gives your company a good revenue stream, a refund may hurt this month, but save a year!  The reasons the person left could answer whether or not anyone will be able to even make it in the slot no matter how qualified.  Maybe the hiring boss was forced to fill the slot but didn't really want to???  If the candidate was there 1-4 weeks verses 6-9 months really moves the blame from anything you could help, to the client's responsibility.  

If this slot was very difficult to find a fit and many days of research and sourcing was involved, shouldn't the client pay for that?  This knowledge will assist you in the next search or may not. 

The key is to break down the facts of the situation and make a good long term decision that benefits your company, the client and the candidates ALL, not just one side. 

Chameleon Integrated Services, LLC Gains National Recognition

St. Louis, Missouri 5/19/08 In recognition of the economic power of multicultural businesses, DiversityBusiness.com, the nations’ leading multicultural internet site, recently named Chameleon Integrated Services, LLC as one of the “Top Small Businesses in Missouri ” businesses in the state of Missouri (Div100)”.

The Div100 is the 8^th annual listing of the Missouri’s top 100 diversity-owned businesses. The companies listed on the Div100 represent the Missouri’s top multicultural earners and challenge the long-held notion that a diversity-owned business is small or insignificant. Div100 members are sought after by major corporations wishing to increase spending with diversity owned companies.

The Impact of Diversity Business

“Diversity businesses and consumers are a growing force in the U.S. economy, and a force to be reckoned with,” said Kenton Clarke, CEO of Computer Consulting Associates International, the company that built DiversityBusiness.com. This is a whole business segment that can carry its own, that provides jobs, products and services, and generates wealth for their communities. These are the new leaders in American business.”

Affected by recent economic and demographic trends and changes, Fortune 1000 corporations throughout the country have recognized that buying products and services from diversity owned companies positively impacts their business. Diversity-owned businesses contribute over $1.4 trillion in sales to the U.S. economy.

The Div100

The Div100 is a classification that represents the top 100 diversity-owned (Women, African American, Hispanics, Asians, Native Indian and other minority groups) businesses in the state of Missouri, in sectors such as technology, manufacturing, food service and professional services. Large organizational buyers throughout the country that do business with multicultural and women-owned businesses use the list. The Div100 is produced annually by DiversityBusiness.com, the nation's leading multicultural B2B Internet portal that links large organizational buyers to multicultural product and service suppliers.

Chameleon Integrated Services, LLC will be honored at a special awards ceremony at DiversityBusiness.com’s “8^th Annual Multicultural Business Conference”, taking place April 23 - 25, 2008 at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort in Orlando, Florida.

About DiversityBusiness.com

Launched in 1999, with over 35,000 members DiversityBusiness.com is the largest organization of diversity-owned businesses throughout the United States that provide goods and services to Fortune 1000 companies, government agencies and colleges and universities. Members use the sites technology to find and track new business opportunities. It also produces the country’s largest conference on diversity education and training for major corporations and small business. Its research on top businesses appears in Fortune, Forbes, Business Week and numerous magazines and media publications. The site has gained national recognition and has won numerous awards for its content and design. DiversityBusiness.com is produced by Computer Consulting Associates International Inc. (CCAii.com) of Southport, CT. CCA was founded in 1980 by CEO Kenton Clarke.

For additional information, please contact:

Drew Acree

314-773-7200

Follow Through - Do What You Say

Had a interesting perspective on our industry last week.  A close acquaintance, who is graduating from college, got a message from a recruiter about positions she had and she wanted to speak with him about. 

He returned the phone message within two hours but he has yet to hear back from the recruiter.  Not good!  Imagine what picture that candidate now has for that recruiter and that position.  If you initiate contact with a candidate, don't leave them hanging.  It's always best to leave the door open for the future and never burn bridges.  Even a simple follow up email explaining the position has closed but you'll keep them on file is better then just dropping the ball.

I can't say it enough, treat candidates the way you would like to be treated if the tables were turned.

LinkedIn Invitations

I have reduced my activities on LinkedIn lately, but would again offer to accept invitations from readers of this blog.

Most people in my network are recruiters and sales folks from the IT services industry but I'm interested in expanding into Program Management and governmental service providers.

ASP or Enterprise models for ATS

Been seeing a few different threads on different boards lately about this topic.  Be careful in taking some of the discussions to heart because I've noticed the vendors are starting to understand the importance of them stating their opinions on boards too.. 

In a VERY short nutshell:

1) Understand your company's REAL needs.  Maybe you do need the multi-thousand dollar systems, but if everyone is honest, a lot of times a per seat ASP would work fine.

2)  Do you really need to own equipment and hire IT support staff?  If it's already in place, great!  If not, slow down and think.

3)  The data is what is important, not the source code.  If you can get by with a base package without a ton of mods, work that into your criteria.

4)  Use a weighted matrix to help you make a decision objectively and not which sales rep you like.