The Perfect Fit

Identifying & Hiring Top Talent Efficiently

Every owner, CEO, President or hiring manager often has a problem to solve. The need could be the result of Covid layoffs, retirement, building bench strength, budgeted growth plans, replacing an under performing team member or one that has moved on. Regardless, the position needs to be filled as quickly as possible, by a candidate who is a professional fit for the role, and equally important, one who is a strong cultural fit for your organization. You need them to flourish on and with your team. 

Sure, you can post your open position on job boards and receive hundreds of applicants and perhaps a handful will work in the industry. Nevertheless, most will not be qualified for your role and they will have no specific industry experience. Perhaps a handful will have worked in the industry but aren’t qualified for your role. You will spend countless hours (which translates into wasted time and money) sorting through resumes and talking to people who cannot solve your problem. If you are lucky, you may get one that you can hire. Are you seeking to ‘get lucky’ in filling this crucial need?  Is that a result worth the amount of time spent?

A better approach is to align yourself with an industry specific, professional recruiter. One that understands your product(s), how you go to market, who your competitors are, and will understand the specific issues that you need the candidate to solve.  Your ‘industry expert’ recruiter is well connected with the people in YOUR industry vertical and ultimately can qualify anywhere from 50 – 200 people (depending on the position). In the end, you will get the best 3 or 4 candidates who are actually excited for the opportunity to join your team! 

Sometimes (especially with highly technical roles) it may be as few as 1 or 2 candidates introduced. Regardless, this is the ‘less is more’ approach. You will receive quality candidates, fully vetted and qualified to fit the specifications of your role, both professionally and culturally.  They will know enough about your company to know that this is actually a career opportunity for them.

Don’t fall into the ‘we need to see more’ before we can make an offer trap. Remember, time to thoroughly qualify a candidate…has already been spent for you. Focus on who is in front of you – the qualified candidate that will solve your problem while achieving success for you and your organization.

Written by my friend Ted Konnerth, CEO of Egret Consulting and lightly edited by me.

Recruiting Surges as Pandemic Recedes! It’s Recruiting Pandemonium!

The St. Louis Post Dispatch Headline over the weekend read, “US Economy Roaring Back”! Friday in the Wall Street Journal, “Jobless Claims fell below 500,000 last week for the first time during the pandemic as layoffs continue to decline.” It’s not only bars and restaurants who are having trouble hiring . . . it’s every (not any) employer who is interested in upgrading particular capabilities.   

The second week in January, 2021 Bishop Partners experienced an incredible, sudden acceleration of recruiting activity from our former and new Clients. It was exciting! We’ve already completed more searches this year, than all of 2020!

For example, in an agency or in-house creative group, those superior creatives, digital media planners/strategists/buyers, client service leaders or new biz developers are extremely difficult to identify and hire. They don’t watch job boards or apply for new positions. If they’re not working at the employer of their choice, being paid what they’re worth and professionally very happy, it’s their own fault!

When layoffs are planned and executed, employers don’t lay off their most valuable employees. They lay off those who are not great at what they’re doing or who’s comp level was just too much during Covid.

Companies are more methodical in the approach to hiring in that the openings are a result of analyzing the business model and organizational structure to key on personnel realignments, upgrades or replacements. With the vaccine rollout and a better understanding of how to mitigate surges than a year ago, companies are working feverishly to meet demand and expand capabilities (modern marketing), while also assessing where they can embrace remote talent in some departments permanently.

If you aren’t already, now is the time to be developing your hiring strategy for the rest of the year. Business is bouncing back quicker than anyone expected . . . don’t get lost in the dust!

To efficiently identify, recruit and hire the top performers in your industry, it’s smart to hire a professional recruiter who specializes in your industry. You want the position filled as quickly as possible.

Give us a call and we’ll be happy to discuss your needs and explain how we can be a resource for you.

Spring Clean Your Professional Profiles

As Spring is just around the corner, it is a great time to clean and refresh. Consider applying that concept to your online professional profiles with an update to all of your social media platforms. 

As the economy improves, hiring activity is increasing and is expected to really accelerate, especially in the second quarter. In a competitive job market, it’s important to stand out amongst your peers. A good way to catch a hiring authority’s eye is with a strong profile on LinkedIn. Strong LinkedIn Profiles are significantly enhanced with recommendations (more so than endorsements!).

Incomplete profiles or leaving off blocks of time will not get you the same attention as those profiles that are showing effort and attention to detail. Even if you are not actively looking for a new role, your professional presence can yield a conversation about an opportunity that can intrigue.

Recruiters are constantly searching for talented individuals in their field, so demonstrate your contributions by detailing the ways you’ve added value, where you have gained applicable experience, and how you have delivered on leadership, team building and mentoring opportunities.

In addition to updating your LinkedIn profile, also take the time to review the rest of your social media. Hiring authorities might look at Facebook, Twitter and Instragram so maintain those platforms in a manner that represents you authentically and professionally. What you put out there publicly can attract an engagement with a recruiter or eliminate you from the talent pool.

It’s also a good idea to always have your resume up to date. Don’t forget to include promotions, certifications, collaborations and contributions you’ve made since the last time you looked at your resume.

A Client of mine put it best, I think. She said, “I won’t hire any candidate who has something posted that they wouldn’t want their grandmother to see!”

Thanks to Bailey at Bohan & Bradstreet for contributing to this article.

No Time (or Staff) to Identify & Interview Job Applicants?

Are you posting jobs and being overwhelmed with applicants? No staff or time to properly identify and screen the best applicants? You’re not alone . . . We can help!

I know from recent conversations that many employers are not “waiting patiently” for Covid to become more “under control”. They are realizing that  the past four months have forever changed the way business will be conducted. Employment for the future has radically changed, almost overnight! Highly specialized digital marketing “specialists” remain elusive, yet in constant in demand. They’re difficult to identify, recruit and hire, even if you’re willing to let them work remotely.

Maybe you’re receiving “unsolicited” resumes. Do they just get “filed” or added to a database somewhere? Does anyone in HR have the time or expertise to screen them and determine if there might be an exceptionally talented or skilled pro who wants to work for your company? What if it’s a skill you really need . . . but you don't respond?

Client demand has helped us re-imagine new ways to support Employers’ Talent Acquisition and hiring needs. We’ve rolled out different ways for Clients to deal with the cost of recruiting search, by spreading payments over months or quarters. There are alternative options for payment, like Paypal, Zelle or Venmo. We’re open to finding even more new and creative billing/payment solutions. It’s a new world!

We’re also “Unbundling” the recruiting and talent acquisition workflow. We understand that your staff has been cut back. If you post a job and receive even 20+ resumes/day, assessing and responding is daunting. If your team doesn’t have time or expertise, we’ll help. Here’s a document that outlines the range of support we provide, if you identify the candidates (Unbundled Recruiting). We of course, would be happy to help identify and recruit your candidates from the beginning, if necessary. Let us know how we can best help you.

Meanwhile, take good care and stay safe!

This “Time of Covid” Demands Empathy, Communication and Respect

This is a time of banding together, understanding others’ circumstances and treating everyone with respect. Looking for a job and applying for a job are anxiety provoking issues . . . especially if someone finds themselves in the position of currently being without work and any source of income. There’s no more insecure feeling . . .

Imagine how that anxiety is being compounded every hour of every day right now, as we hear more and more uncertainty about COVID-19. Social media is amplifying this pandemic and making wildly irresponsible predictions and projections about what could happen. Broadcast news is more measured, but endless . . . More anxiety provoking . . . Job seekers are understandably freaking out!

I currently have candidates in front of several Clients for new career opportunities. All of the candidates have received positive feedback on their initial conversations with those Clients. Now, after two weeks, we’re still waiting to hear what might be next.

I understand that nobody really knows what’s next or how to plan for that uncertainty. Nonetheless, I’d like employers to step up and do a much better job of communicating with their pending candidates. Yes, their candidates, they’re not someone else’s!

In most cases those candidates have spent multiple hours preparing for that initial interview, research everything they could find, on what they hope will be their new Employer. Employers have a nasty track record of communicating with job seekers. In some (most) cases, there’s (still) zero Employer response. With today’s technology, there’s just no excuse for no response!

Why Hire a Professional Recruiting Firm for Executive Search?

With the span of companies we service ranging from start-ups to publicly traded global corporations, I’ve fielded the Client question, "Why hire a professional recruiter"? from many different persperctives. The answer is not one size fits all. Hiring executives in larger companies partner with me to strategically target talent during a period of growth, change or to confidentially replace leadership. Smaller family owned businesses or startups may need our help to plan for succession, market opportunities, advise on organizational structure or identify a role that will align and deliver business goals.

Here are a few reasons why a partnership with Bishop yields a high return:

1) Time is money. We streamline the process with an in-depth analysis of the client company keeping an eye on short and long term goals to clearly identify the role. Only the top candidates are presented so the hiring authority in evaluating key, qualified and interested people. Interview coordination and close contact during the hiring phase and on-boarding also tightens process time.   

2) Marketing is paramount in attracting top talent for your company. We’re representing your brand, strategic initiatives and big picture goals. Our approach is to communicate clearly the vision, history, and uniqueness of the company before discussing the role within.

3) The human factor is something to consider. Our candidates are making a weighty decision that likely affects family. Career moves are all about timing.  We’re experienced in balancing what is important to each party to bring about a mutually satisfactory, timely outcome.

The Lines Between Consumer and Employment Branding Are Blurring

As the talent field has made the shift in its employer-brand focus from a “nice-to-have” to a “must-have,” there’s another significant trend that’s reshaping the way high-performing companies are communicating their mission, culture, and career opportunities.  It’s called talent branding.

Your talent brand is the highly social, totally public version of your employer brand that incorporates what talent thinks, feels, and shares about your company as a place to work.  Think of talent branding as employer branding 2.0.

No longer owned solely by recruitment advertising agencies or even human resources, talent branding is moving into the spotlight and sharing the stage with other branding, advertising, and marketing players and tactics employed by the savviest chief marketing officers. And they are applying the same rigor to the talent-brand development process as they do with any other high-stakes marketing efforts.

And, depending on the title on your business card, you may consider that a blessing or a curse.  It wasn’t simpler in the past, just more segregated.

Back in the proverbial day, consumers went to stores and job seekers went to the classifieds or the job boards. But in a digital world everyone is everything and goes everywhere. We are bombarded by content and channels and swayed by predictive technology, and seemingly unlimited options.

Hiring Skilled Employees is Extremely Competitive

1st quarter 2019 hiring trends indicate a robust job market that is highly competitive for talent acquisition. Companies who actively market themselves to attract and engage talent will set themselves apart. Talented professionals are researching the reputation of companies and their teams to determine if it is a potential fit. Further, candidates are paying close attention to feedback on candidate experience prior to applying. According to KellyServices.com and Linkedin:

• 75% of candidates research about firm's reputation and Employer Brand before applying for a job

• 83% of employers say that Employer Brand plays a significant role in their ability to hire talent
• 69% of candidates would not accept a job in a firm with a bad reputation even if that means being unemployed
• 97% of candidates who had a positive experience would refer others to apply
• 90% of global professionals are interested in learning about new job opportunities even though only 36% is actively looking

The Bishop Partners' team is constantly proactively targeting the talent pool to engage dialogue and market opportunities. Our proven track record of success over almost 18 years, brings the best people to the table for our clients while streamlining the hiring process.​​​​​​​  Our goal for acceptance of an offer by a candidate is 45 days.

If you need help identifying, recruiting and hiring critical employees for your company, contact Bob at Bob@Bishop-Partners.com!

Having Trouble Hiring Experienced Leaders? Use Strategic Recruiting

If you’re having trouble hiring experienced leaders (at any level), recruiters can help. Employer’s Executive; Do I need a recruiter? How do I find one? There must be differences in recruiters, I’m not sure what they are.

There are lots and lots of recruiters out there. Large firms, “boutiques”, contingency, staffing, contract or part time, retained . . . Who’d be the best recruiter for your firm? What makes one recruiter better than another? How can a recruiter do a better job than my company’s existing talent acquisition team? Do recruiters really add any value?   The common perceptions are; recruiters are expensive, they don’t always succeed, the candidates don’t stick around very long . . . Again, “Who’d be best the best recruiter to work with your firm?”

There are some recruiters who are truly partners with their Clients and are considered to be a valuable “strategic asset”. What makes one recruiter more valuable and “strategic” than another? A truly strategic recruiter adds much more value to the Client than a tactical one. Recruiting strategy is more than filling “open roles”, it’s about contributing to the long-term growth of the client.

First and most importantly, strategic recruiting is about consistent success with the recruiting/hiring process; frequent, predictable success, year over year. Does the recruiter consistently succeed in introducing superior candidates that a Client is (actually) excited to hire? Second, does that candidate consistently perform beyond expectations and earn promotions to increasing responsibility over time? Third, does that candidate stay with the Client for more than a year or two? Does the recruiter become a trusted advisor and partner with access to the Executive Leadership Team? Does that Client continue to use that recruiter for ongoing needs?

Recruitment Strategies For Employee Retention

Recruitment strategies for employee retention became an important part of a conversation during a recent lunch, with a Partner/President of a new Client prospect. We had an engaging conversation about each of our businesses and what we each thought was the secret of our success. I appreciate a company principal  who’s willing to open up and have a candid conversation about what’s going well and of course, what’s not. That’s the basis of a strong, successful working relationship!

Later, I sent a note to thank this person for their time and to let them know how much I appreciated hearing what’s going on in their business. I was surprised and thrilled, when I received the response, “I really appreciate your thoughtful approach and desire to match agencies and people for the long-term—that’s not something other people in your industry are talking about.”

I was shocked to hear that, because I assumed that every recruiter would talk about how long their candidates stayed with their clients. I’ve always considered retention to be one of the most critical metrics to measure how well a recruiter performs. I know that my Clients agree with that!

Executive Search is an expensive proposition. The best ways to judge a recruiter’s value is by a) Do they consistently succeed with the search and b) How long do those candidates stay with that Company? Are they consistently promoted into more responsible or productive positions? If the recruiter consistently

Consultative Recruiting Expertise Adds Value

Consultative recruiting expertise adds value when an experienced recruiter meets with a company’s CEO, President, COO or other executive leader, to discuss how that company can accelerate growth. Consultative recruiting is essential for succession planning searches, or confidential searches or any search where a company needs a strategic leader, much more than a “worker”. Are you thinking about creating an “in-house creative capability”, for the first time?

Consultative recruiting is the difference when it comes to making strategic hires that have significant and long term impact on a business. Consultative recruiting is very different from “filling a job opening”, where one simply lines up a Company’s specific needs with a Candidate’s specific skills and experience. The time spent is directly proportionate to the value added.

This is a far cry from posting a job to ZipRecruiter, Indeed or some other niche job board and “hoping for the best”. Recruiters used to call that “Post and Pray”! The premier candidates never even look at job boards. If you try it a couple of times, it’s immediately crystal clear how inefficient it is. You’re lucky if even 15% of respondents are even remotely qualified for the role. Full employment makes hiring even more difficult!

Consultative Recruiting makes all the difference between hiring a “worker” and a committed, caring and ambitious contributor/leader. The worker simply works, the leader contributes and then influences their colleagues to contribute too. They search out additional ways to contribute. Working is easy, leading and consistently truly contributing is not. (Boutique or Specialty Firms have additional value!)

Marketing Executive Search or Executive Placement or Executive Headhunter? Call Us Whatever You Like . . .

Marketing executive search, executive headhunter or executive placement? Call us what you will . . . But call, because recruiters succeed! Why (or How) do recruiters succeed when the actual Employers when the actual employer can have so much trouble doing the same thing?  The answer is simple . . . Time.

Retained Recruiters are able to spend the time necessary to identify, recruit and hire the top performers in any specialty, at any level and at any place . . .  staying focused and engaged until the search is successfully completed. Employers can’t afford to spend the real amount of time required, even if they have dedicated recruiters on staff.

I’ll also say right now, that a major difference between a contingent executive recruiter and a retained one, is the ability to spend more time, because the retained recruiter is already being compensated. For the purposes of this article, highlighting recruiting success, please understand I’m talking about retained recruiters like Bishop Partners.

The contingent recruiter has to race to get the resume in front of the employer faster, before another recruiter or even the Employer’s own posting identifies a candidate! They simply cannot spend the time necessary to actually develop a relationship with a candidate and understand that candidate’s career vision, values and goals.

Taking the time for that understanding is one of the most critical reasons retained recruiters succeed. (I’m proud to be able to say that Bishop Partners has achieved 100% success with retained searches, over the past 14 years.)

Retained recruiters are able to spend the time necessary, with the Employer/Client to gain a full understanding of that Client’s own vision, values, goals and most important, culture. Recruiters should know and understand the Client’s org chart and/or reporting structure. Knowing the supervisor (or VP) that a candidate reports to will make a difference. I try to get to know a Client’s culture and the job so well, that during some conversations with candidates, I inevitably say “we” . . . rather than “they”.

Digital Media Recruiting: Digital Strategist, Digital Project Manager, Digital Media Director

For at least the last four years, every search we’ve conducted has had “digital media” components.
Digital Media has become the ubiquitous element in advertising and marketing communications. Very little communication happens anymore, without the strategic digital element. While the value of those digital elements continues to grow, so does the demand for skilled digital workers. The experienced experts in every digital specialty are very difficult to hire. Those with the most expertise and experience are fully employed and not actively looking for a new opportunity.

Bishop Partners has over 17 years’ experience as marketing and advertising recruiting and consulting specialists. Over the past five years, that specialty has grown to include digital media. Here are some of the titles of the (specifically) digital media searches we’ve recently completed.

Client Success Manager

Content Strategist/Writer

Sr. Digital Strategist

Digital Media Campaign Analyst-Strategist (three hires)

Social Media Campaign Manager (two hires)

Sr. Digital Media Campaign Manager

Digital Project Manager

VP, Social Media Strategy

Digital media nomenclature and titles are rapidly changing.  New specialized skills are needed as new technologies, tactics and metrics are developed. As digital media grows, so does the need for new expertise.  It’s very difficult for many; many privately held companies to keep pace.  How about your Company?

Bishop Partners routinely consults with CEOs, Partners and Owners of privately held companies to help them identify and prioritize their need to evolve, catch up or even “get started”, to take advantage of the possibilities and efficiencies, of digital marketing communication.

Some of the statistics identifying companies who actually admit that their lack of digital experience is restricting revenue growth is surprising, if not stunning.  Yet, they’re unsure how to take a first step or develop a digital practice expertise, that adds real value (i.e. revenue) for their company.

Social media is taking on a life of its own.  It’s everywhere.  You can look around at any moment and see someone staring at his or her phone or other device.  It’s no longer a matter of “if” a company should get involved, but how.  Whether a B2B service or manufacturer, your customers can (will) be reached by creating a content marketing strategy based on the classic lead generation funnel.  Content engagement is starting to dominate, because it works.  Even better, it can be measured, analyzed and optimized for “real” ROI.

If you’re worried about your company’s next step(s) with digital media, please get in touch.  We can help.

17 Years and Still Loving My Work!

June 30 is my birthday and July 1 is the 17th Anniversary of the founding of Bishop Partners! I hear 17 and it shocks me . . . in a good way! It also makes a terrific time to reflect on what’s happened so far . . . and give thanks.

I’m proud and feel lucky to have a career that’s evolved in such a positive way. I consider myself lucky to have really had multiple jobs in my career, photojournalist to commercial photographer, to Agency Operations and now Executive Recruiting and Consulting.  I’m having fun while continuing to grow and learning new things (both professionally and personally). I’m proud of the work I’ve been able to do with professional organizations, whether on a Board as a Founder or simply as a contributing member.

I consider myself lucky to be working in the community I’ve always been so passionate about, marketing and advertising. I’ve made lifelong friends and continue to meet new people who have become close friends. I’m proud of the work I’ve been able to do with professional organizations, whether on a Board as a Founder or simply as a contributing member. I’m proud of the longevity of my career, precisely because it continues to allow me to learn and make new friends . . . what could possibly be better?

Well, I also love helping my clients build their businesses and my candidates grow in their careers . . . that could be better . . . or maybe it’s just all tied up! It’s extremely rewarding that those clients and candidates trust me enough to allow me to have so much impact on their careers and their lives! It’s humbling and thrilling at the same time. I’m a very lucky guy.

I’m also very lucky and very thankful that Barbara, the love of my life and I have been married for over 30 years and she continues to support me through all of the ups and downs of life!

Those are some of the reasons why I’m continuing to do what I do and can’t wait to reflect on the 18th . . . Thank you for your time and for reading this! I’m a very lucky guy!

Boutique Search Firms Step In When Big Recruiters Fail

Big teams and diversified offerings boost the bottom line for the large recruitment providers. But there are growing dilemmas. That’s why more companies are turning to boutiques.

The biggest selling points for large search firms – the depth of their recruitment manpower and the diversity of their services – are the very elements that are causing many clients to turn to boutique recruiters.  Craig Lapham, chief executive officer of the Lapham Group, a New York based executive recruitment firm that specializes in insurance and diversified financial services,  even goes as far as saying that many companies are seeking an alternative to the “challenges and dysfunction” that plague the bigger talent providers. “A boutique firm simply through its smaller structure comes to any search engagement with a tremendous competitive advantage in terms of greater access to talent in the marketplace,” said Mr. Lapham.

“A big search firm may use its large team of search professionals as an effective marketing tool, but when it comes time to actually conduct a specific client search engagement, the larger firm becomes encumbered with conflicts both internal and external.” As the bigger search firms diversify their offerings, meanwhile, they raise the possibilities of potential ethical concerns. “Again, these multiple services help in marketing pitches and their recurring revenue streams smooth out P&Ls, particularly for publicly traded firms,” said Mr. Lapham. “But they also exacerbate conflicts and present dilemmas for any type of retained search being conducted. Is a major search firm going to poach talent from its non-search clients for which it’s providing ongoing HR related services?” That seems to be a pressing question on the minds of more and more clients.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor; and Will Schatz, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media

Hiring an Executive Recruiter – You Get What You Pay For!

The economy continues to improve and the war for talent rages on; yet employers continue to be conservative when it comes to budgetary decisions – namely, hiring. Compensation isn’t the only area employers are slow to invest funds. Many shy away from investing in the hiring process as well. Ultimately, penny pinching before a search is even launched is costing employers thousands more in the end.

The argument could be made that we are biased because TurningPoint Executive Search is a retained search firm. But look at it this way: With the majority of search firms being contingent and the vulnerability that comes with being a “luxury”, why haven’t we jumped on the bandwagon and changed our model? Because retained searches yield higher caliber candidates who fit most if not all of a company’s needs, hires more likely to commit long-term (as is evidenced by a firm’s retention rate), and satisfied clients who continually call on us to fill future searches.

What are the benefits of a Retained Executive Search Firm?

Executive recruiters give your search the attention it deserves.

Exclusivity

Because retained search firms work on a limited number of searches at any given time, they have the bandwidth to be fully client-centered. This allows them to invest the time and resources to develop a complete understanding of the client’s needs and expectations, as well as, conduct a more exhaustive search for the most qualified candidate.

Partnership

Retained executive recruiters see themselves as a client’s partner. At the outset of the partnership, retained recruiters conduct detailed interviews with key stakeholders, outline communication expectations, provide detailed information regarding how the search will be conducted, and tailor those search methods to the needs of the organization or role.

Retained recruiters have a deep pool of active and passive job seekers.

The Digital Marketing Headhunter Interviews The Marketing Recruiter

Eight years ago, when I wanted to start a blog, I got in touch with my friend, Jim Durbin.  At the time, Jim billed himself as the social media recruiter.  He's always been an avid and expert authority on blogging.  Jim helped me understand the hows, whys and wheres about blogging and creating an online brand identity.  He interviewed me recently and posted the interview on his blog, called (cleverly enough) Digital Marketing Headhunter.

Here's the body of the Interview, re-published here, with Jim's permission.  

Bob Bishop is a marketing recruiter from St Louis, Missouri. Many years ago, we sat down and worked on how to use a blog to generate candidates and business - and Bob took to it like a fish to, well - he liked it and has kept it up. It's called the Perfect Fit, and Bob has been running it since August of 2008. 

At the time, local recruiting firm blogs were growing, but most recruiters gave them up or passed them off to someone else to write. There are only a handful left, poeple like Paul in Minneapolis, Will Thomson in Austin, and of course, Harry Joiner in Atlanta. 

Bob was not a trained recruiter when he started. He was a photographer and a marketer, and one day picked up the phone and started making placements with his deep knowledge of the industry. He does that most feared placement - the agency, and he does it well (for those not in marketing, it's feared because agencies try to hire based on prospective clients, which they aren't sure they need until the client is signed, and then they need a talented person immediately). 

Bob Bishop is a marketing recruiter from St Louis, Missouri. Many years ago, we sat down and worked on how to use a blog to generate candidates and business - and Bob took to it like a fish to, well - he liked it and has kept it up. It's called the Perfect Fit, and Bob has been running it since August of 2008. 

At the time, local recruiting firm blogs were growing, but most recruiters gave them up or passed them off to someone else to write. There are only a handful left, poeple like Paul in Minneapolis, Will Thomson in Austin, and of course, Harry Joiner in Atlanta. 

Bob was not a trained recruiter when he started. He was a photographer and a marketer, and one day picked up the phone and started making placements with his deep knowledge of the industry. He does that most feared placement - the agency, and he does it well (for those not in marketing, it's feared because agencies try to hire based on prospective clients, which they aren't sure they need until the client is signed, and then they need a talented person immediately). 

Meet Google's New Job-Match API: Cloud Jobs

I just ran across a blog post that I think is worth sharing.  It was originally written by Stephen Duque.

It’s a problem that recruiters and candidates alike are all too familiar with:poorly written job descriptions  that do little to direct the right talent to the right open positions abound. To make it even worse, many resumes are similarly uninformative, making it equally challenging for employers to find the right candidates through simple keyword searches. Google has stepped in to do something about this bidirectional mess.  
In a blog post on November 15, 2016, Google announced it’s now job-match API, Cloud Jobs. “Hiring is one of the hardest things organizations do” says the post. “Part of the difficulty comes from a lack of industry standards to define and describe occupations and how they align to specific skills.” Google’s Cloud Jobs aims to change that.

A part of Google Cloud Machine Learning group, Cloud Jobs is currently in the alpha testing phase and available only to a limited number of companies. In its complete form, Cloud Jobs will be a big, free to use API that boasts a really smart, intuitive job match algorithm to pair job seekers with relevant positions. Anyone will be able to use it and, when used in combination with applicant tracking systems (ATSs), will allow companies to better leverage contacts from previous applications to fill new job openings.

What Google Cloud Jobs Does

It Translates Jargon

The Best Candidates Trust Bishop Partners!

I’m proud of the reputation established over the past 15+ years.  It is an incredibly valuable benefit to my clients and as a result, I have candidates getting in touch on a daily basis, asking for help in representing them.  A good percentage of those candidates are top performers, who develop a relationship with a recruiter to help them advance their career.  It’s not so much that they’re unhappy where they are, but they are ambitious enough to realize that there are significant career opportunities that recruiters can (and do) present to them.

I  have clients call from all over the country, who call to ask about a certain kind of experience, skill or role and do I happen to have candidates like that in our database.  Clients realize that there are recruiters with the reputation that attracts top performers, so they call to check what’s (or who's) available.  Top talent is not getting any easier to find, especially with the rapidly evolving skill sets necessary for success.

Those are smart clients for any number of reasons, not the least of which is that the fee for “existing” candidates can be dramatically less than standard recruiting fees.  The titles range from Art Director to Chief Creative Officer, SVP and Managing Director or EVP Chief Digital Officer (i.e. this includes

Secrets Of Successful Job Hunting . . .

I originally posted this article almost five years ago (Spetember of 2011).  At the very recent suggestion of Adam Seabrook of BetterTeam (https://www.betterteam.com), I want to update some of the information.   Adam pointed out to me, "Hotjobs.com was acquired by Monster.com and the site was actually shut down."  I re-read this article and thought it was really pretty good.  Most of the advice and/or suggestions mentioned are still valid now.  So, I thought I'd re-post it.  You might pass it on to friends of yours who might be looking for that next career opportunity!

The first half of this year exhibited many signs of economic improvement, including increasing hiring activity in the regional marketing industry. Now that Summer's "officially" over as of last weekend, we have President Obama making a major speech on the economy and job creation this evening. We're obviously not out of the woods yet. Unemployment runs high and many are frustrated. I found this excellent article with ideas on job hunting. I wanted to share it with those of you who need a little new inspiration and/or direction!

This article was written by Jessica Stillman and originally published online on the BNET blog:

"As BNET’s sister site MoneyWatch pointed out recently, in a climate where it takes the average job hunter more than seven months to find their next position, big job boards like Monster and CareerBuilder are of only limited use. The post’s author Eilene Zimmerman writes:

Companies Need Culture . . . Employees Need Culture . . . Clients Want Culture

I originally posted this five years ago (literally).  It's remarkable how slow change happens . . .

Last week's Ad Age had an article by Lorraine Lockhart entitled "Want to Retain Talent?  Time to Appoint a Chief Culture Officer". Lorraine knows a little something about agency cultures.  She has run a very well respected consulting group for the past 20 years.   That group helps clients conduct agency reviews to identify those agencies best suited to help a client grow their business through advertising and marketing.

The idea of culture defining an organization is simple.  It's also simple to understand that a companies' long term success is directly related to the relevance and impact of that culture on the employees and clients (customers) of that company.   What's not simple is to understand why more companies, including agencies and corporations . . . large and small . . . privately and publicly held, make so little effort to create and proactively maintain a healthy culture that fosters the health and growth of their employees.  Culture is the lifeblood of any/every corporation.

Lorraine suggests a new C-level executive called a Chief Culture Officer "to develop greater organizational and cultural intelligence and work to create the safe havens where agency people can thrive."  What that means is create an environment where employees are respected and their professional and personal growth is encouraged and fostered.  That environment leads to happier employees who stay with a company longer, benefiting the clients.  Employee retention and growth is directly related to client retention and growth . . . and to the employers overall health and long term well-being.

In my experience, the most repeated reasons employees are disengaged and performing at less than their potential is the culture in which they work.  It's micro-management, or it's disorganized workflow, or lack of training that frustrates employees.  Sometimes it's simply a lack of respect.  Money is an issue, but often not at or near the top.

Creating a culture to nourish and enhance employees seems like a good idea, so why do so few accomplish it?  Likely because so few actually focus on it, or make the initial effort to improve.  Looking in the mirror can be difficult.  I honest think that most don't think they need it . . . or "everything's just fine"!

In today's world of multi-tasking, running "lean" companies (read too few workers) and longer work weeks, to most companies(it seems) devoting the time, energy and money necessary to create a maintain a healthy culture seems frivolous.  That lack of culture is why I continually receive resumes from top performers, who simply are not engaged with their employer, who they perceive as not caring.

Whether a Chief Culture Officer is hired or not, there are few companies that couldn't benefit from more focus on a healthy and sustainable culture.  Lorraine is certainly correct about lack of focus on culture.  The CCO will have little positive effect if the rest of the c-Suite does not embrace the notion. 

Let's face it, from any companies' perspective, it's employees are its most valuable asset.  They need to be supported and helped to grow professionally for tbe benefit of the employer and their client.  If that happens, the employee will grow personally as well . . . and stay with that employer longer, contributing additional institutional knowledge and stability . . . leading to happier, more loyal clients.

It seems so simple . . .