Unfortunately  I don’t remember the source but I believe that is worth to share .

When it comes to motivating a hiring manager or internal recruiter to move on your submittal, remember the catchy saying…”Time kills all deals.”
One of the most frustrating things to a recruiter is the lag time between finding and submitting a good candidate and getting meaningful feedback through the screening process. Think about it: how often have you taken a request for talent and spent weeks doing the sourcing, pre-screening, preparing and presenting your candidate’s case? Now comes the exciting part, right? Your hiring manger or internal recruiter calls you right away, excited about your candidate and asks when they can come in for an interview. Yeah, right!

The problem is that it rarely goes like that. You usually end up waiting days or weeks for someone to follow up with you, share their excitement and invite the candidate in for an interview. Why is it that a busy HM or IR, that wants to fill their open position as quickly as possibly, takes so long to get back to you on a candidate?

Could it be they are really not as impressed as you? Maybe they disagree that the candidate had a good case? Maybe they are really busy and needs some time to get this task completed? Perhaps the motivation to hire has slipped to the back burner. Or they just need a little push from a professionally aggressive recruiter.

Here are some tips on speeding up the client screening process:

Verbally present your candidate to the HM or IR
There’s no substitute for the energy and enthusiasm that a good recruiter can add to the equation. Excitement can be contagious. Spark motivation in an HM/IR to set up an interview with a candidate.

Follow up within 24 hours of submission
Call to clarify your position and make your candidate’s case. After all, if you’re not excited about him/her, why should the HM/IR be?

Make sure to focus on the HM/IR needs, not your own
If you come across as desperate, selfish or uninformed, the deal will break.

Stay in constant contact with the candidate during this critical period
You can use the information you learn about them to expand your case and motivate the HM/IR to move on them.

Check a reference and use this positive information to get things moving
This is a powerful way to bring credible case material into the equation and can motivate the HM/IR to move on your candidate.

Keep the HM/IR updated of any changes in status of the candidate
If the candidate is progressing on another position, or on another company opportunity, let your HM/IR know the fuse is getting shorter.

Go for the “No”
This is a very effective technique to get a decision made. If you have tried all of the above and the HM/IR is still not moving on your candidate, you might try to “take away” the candidate by withdrawing them from the process. If the HM/IR tries to stop you, then they are truly interested. If they do not try to stop you, then perhaps they were not interested enough in the first place to move on the candidate. Either way, you will arrive at a final decision.

Time kills all deals
Good recruiters know this line and live it every day. If the candidates are not moving through the screening process in a timely manner, chances increase the deal will fall apart.

Remember that the most effective recruiters understand how their HM/IR thinks, how they work and what is going on in their business. They set expectations of the process and apply the right amount of persuasive energy without breaking the relationship

The next time you submit a candidate for which you have made a good case, use these tips and watch the screening process time speed up!

1. You have two options: First you can believe that the world is coming to and end and no one will ever hire again. Or second you can take a reality check – the simple fact is that there is recruitment going on. If you are a good professional, who is prepared to work hard, build up a network and offer clients a genuine service you will succeed.
2. Be more proactive then ever.
3. Spend more time with your clients and be ready to work for free as some point.
4. Define your Golden candidates – the must be stars and can bring business with them
5. Be persistent, don’t give up.
6. Use cost effective and SMART tools like social media, websites.
7. Use every moment to celebrate your success.

If you do well in this market just imagine how much money you will make when the turnaround comes!

Which are your tips for headhunting in environment of global recession?

How does it feel to go to work?

This is the question your employees answer every day as they move through their duties. Their answer has a surprising impact on their performance. In general, when employees are happy about their work environment, they are more productive. Employees choose how much extra time and effort they will spend on work after fulfilling their minimum performance expectations. When companies foster engaging environments where workers feel connected to their work and co-workers, employees will put in more effort to produce outstanding work. As such, creating a feeling of community among workers is key to increasing employee engagement and productivity.

Fortunately, you won’t have to reinvent the wheel in order to create a sense of community. Humans’ social nature virtually guarantees that they will create community on their own, with or without encouragement from management. Think of your workplace as a garden; community will sprout up no matter what, but when management is involved, a workplace community can be pruned to be as productive as possible.

Consider these techniques for increasing community in the workplace.

1. Gather Input. As you consider how to build community among your employees, be sure to ask for their thoughts. You may choose to hold a meeting or distribute a questionnaire, but be sure to ask employees to consider what community means to them, and what kind of community they would like to see at work. Do they prefer to work in teams? Would they attend off-site events? How about a book group? Implementing your employees’ community-building ideas will increase buy-in and enthusiasm.

2. Work & Play Together. After-hours social events have long been used to create community in the workplace. Company-arranged events such as happy hours, holiday parties, and retreats create community by providing an off-site environment for employees to get to know each other. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on these events for them to be successful. Why not arrange for a company softball or soccer team? Or how about passing around a sign up sheet for local cultural events? Ensure high attendance by keeping your social events fresh and meaningful.

3. Communicate Company Values…

Full article…

Sometimes asking the correct questions is just as important as answering the questions correctly.

Here is a list of the questions I think you should ask during the interview:

1. How big is the company, how big is the team?
2. Could you give me your view for the job?
3. How would you describe your ideal candidate?
4. What will be the greatest challenge in the job?
5. How do you measure success on the job?
6. Could you explain your organizational structure?
7. What are the company’s values and culture?
8. Is this a new post or already existing one?
9. Strength and weaknesses of the current operation?
10. If I am offered the position, how soon will you need my response?
11. Why should I accept this job?

Which are your favorite questions during an interview?

Nick Morgan asks: Why is most public speaking so awful? Why do we subject our fellow human beings to this form of torture when there are so many better things we could all be doing, like cutting our toenails, baking snickerdoodles, or watching re-runs of The Prisoner?

You’re in a ballroom with no windows in some random airport hotel. The lighting is dim. The whir of the heating system fills your ears with white noise. The colors around you are shades of grey and beige with puce trimmings. You’re only awake because you’ve had 1300 cups of coffee from the urn in the hallway. Let the speaking games begin. It’s a diabolical sensory deprivation experiment. Why is most public speaking so awful? Beyond soulless venues and Death by Power Point, speakers make the same four mistakes over and over again, continuing the sorry state of the art.”

Download Before You Open Your Mouth: The Keys to Great Public Speaking and learn what the four mistakes are (and how to avoid them).

Starting from the printed adverts in the newspapers, moving to the online jobboards like Monster and ending now with the social networks like Facebook, Linkedin, Plaxo and Twitter the business made a big step in the process how to find their “golden nuggets”.

It is not a surprise and a lot of professional predicted last year that a big move is on the way and the recruitment channels are changing. And not only that, but the candidates are changing and particularly their approach and self- marketing. They promote themselves and give enough information so one can find them at practically no cost.

The social networks are giving them advantage in terms of speed and access to information.You can address the right person in the comfort of sharing the same group, network or interests.

The recruiters are using the social networks to reach the passive/sleeping candidates that are not looking for new opportunities but are ready to listen.

James is an IT specialist. Few months ago he was made redundant form a local company because they’ve lost contracts abroad.

He was left outside with no idea were to start as he was not looking to change his job. He submit his CV to the usual sites like Monster but there was no good response as the service is paid and not many companies can afford to use it.

He became more active with Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter. Get in touch with old friends and colleagues and made him self “popular”. One day he received message from recruiter if he is looking for job or does he know anyone who might be interested. He made a favor to his recruiter when he “went” online. Nowadays recruitment companies are struggling and their budgets are tight too so they can’t afford to use the job boards, advert or outsourced databases. It was a win – win situation.

James wanted to know more about the employees in the company and he referred again to the social networks. He had look and knew more about the teams, skills, knowledge, their background and interest, found few friends and this was important wile he was taking the decision.

The social networks are good and helpful hand but at the same time they can be your worst nightmare. Most of the recruiters are using Google, Facebook, MySpace etc. and you’d be surprised at what they’ve seen when researching candidates.

One day Owen, recruitment consultant with international company, received a call from a candidate asking for meeting. Professional reciters rarely say no to calls like this and he accepted that meeting. Everything went OK and when he comeback to the office he made a standard research in internet about the candidate. He found very interesting information – the candidate had a website were he had pictures as a member of radical movement with aggressive views about different social groups. In this case the search helped to prevent a mistake, but not every professional is insured. Once one of my colleagues forgot to do the research and manage to place a candidate who was involved in fraud and many people were looking for him.

Be careful what you post and what your friends are posting for you – pictures, comments, jokes. Structure carefully your presentations and be selective when you give or ask for references especially on Linkedin.

Divide the sites by their focus – Linkedin and Plaxo are more professional and networking, Facebook and MySpace are far more social and entertaining.

Google regularly your name so you will be familiar with the search results and there won’t be any surprises. Make sure you know every thing that might put you in difficult situation and if you cannot remove it at least think about good answer.

How to keep them motivated with no cost and waste of time?

• Make a stand up meeting every morning were team embers will update each other on their progress and development, will share problems and will ask for solutions. This meeting should be short and people must stay stand for better mobilization and energizer. Keep everything simple; set a standard for the presentations – for example 2 min each. It gives a very good boost for the day.
• Introduce Office Olympics were funny competitions will relief the stress. Think about games that will suit every member of the team and try to make everyone involved. Few ideas here and here
• Office quizzes- include information about the team members, hobbies, funny situations.
• Build traditions in the team – Wednesday snack out or Friday burger in the office, or poker night once a month.
• Sometimes piece of paper and couple of markers can make miracles. Ask your team during meetings to draw their vision for the company and how to improve the working process.
• Be creative.

For more team building exercises see here

He is talking about the importance of good professionals that can lead the organisation during the though times.

Also very good advices about the HR people and how to increase their knowledge.

So How to Fight Black by Erik Sorenson

This is part of the review made by Keith E. Webb.  I hope you will enjoy it.

This book, now in its third edition, is the grandfather of coaching books and approaches. Much of what has come to be known as professional business coaching came from Timothy Gallway and Whitmore’s sports training techniques. As such, the book provides a simple foundation for coaching based on the context of awareness and responsibility through asking questions and listening. He presents the G R O W model of coaching – Goal, Reality, Option, Will – as a format for coaching sessions.

The book begins with a few foundational beliefs of coaches. Unlike old models of management that work from the “carrot and stick” approach, a coach believes in the potential of the client. Whitmore believes that people are only able to change only that which they are aware. Responsibility must stay with the client if they are to perform. Questions raise awareness and yet maintain the client’s responsibility. If the coach tells the coachee something, awareness may increase slightly, but responsibility in now in the hands of the coach, the source of the information. Questions cause the client to pay attention to their actions, think at higher levels, and provide feedback for the coach to work from.

More here