The Perfect Fit

Elevating Recruitment Excellence with AI: Enhancing Our Expertise for Your Success

To All Our Existing and Prospective Clients:

I hope this letter finds you well. As your dedicated partner in the on-going quest for top-tier marketing talent, I am excited to share a transformative development that is significantly enhancing our recruitment capabilities and ensure we continue to exceed your expectations. Bishop Partners has always prided itself on its meticulous approach to identifying the best candidates for your unique needs. Today, I am thrilled to explain how the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will make our already successful and experienced recruitment process even more efficient, accurate, and tailored to your requirements.

Our Foundation of Trust, Honesty, and Discretion
For years, our firm has built a robust database of over 11,000 marketing professionals across North America. This extensive network, coupled with our unwavering commitment to trust, honesty, and discretion, has cemented our reputation as a leading recruitment firm. Our personalized approach ensures that we deeply understand your needs and the specific nuances of each role we fill. This commitment to excellence will only be amplified with the strategic implementation of AI technologies.

The Power of AI in Recruitment
Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing various industries, and recruitment is no exception. By integrating AI into our recruitment process, we will enhance our ability to identify, assess, and present the best candidates for your specific opportunities. Here’s how AI will transform our recruitment process and benefit your organization:

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.

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!

Enhance Your Talent Pipeline - Now!

This is the perfect time to enhance your talent pipeline!  The situation caused by Covid-19, is unlike any other economic slowdown in history. It’s not driven by economics, but by biology. Just like SARS, or MERS or H1N1, this pandemic will end. We’re seeing encouraging signs of employment and the stock market rebounding. Even NYC has taken the first steps of “opening up”. There’s a cautious optimism about our economy.

Executive leadership teams are having strategic conversations about what to do as their business picks back up. Every furloughed worker will not be brought back. This is an opportunity to re-position, refine and “topgrade” those critical roles that will help bring your brand or company back and lead it into the future. ‘Bringing back’ is just the start. Creating meaningful strategy and innovations based on what will be a new reality, is essential for brand survival and growth. This is the time to scrutinize, refine and enhance your team for maximum efficiency and productivity.

Candidates have never been more accessible. They thought their employers had a very positive feeling about them. Many believed themselves to be ‘indispensable’. Many were absolutely stunned and angry, after having been furloughed or laid off. Now, they’re home, they’re answering their phones and have the time and willingness to re-consider their career futures. I know that many previously happy and engaged executive and employees are not so happy or engaged right now.

Before Covid, candidates couldn’t be reached, they were too busy or they were travelling to events or in meetings. It was difficult to have a conversation during work, if there didn’t happen to be a conference room or some other place to accept a recruiter’s call. Now is the best time (maybe ever) to contact top candidates. There’s time to find “the best of the best”. I’ve never had such a high percentage of candidates answer my calls and be willing to listen to and consider new opportunities.  The "Covid Side Effect"

Between telephone and Zoom interviews, we’re able to get a really clear picture of a person’s skills, experience and personality. The hiring process can often take 30 or more days . . . It makes sense to start, continue or re-charge the interview process, right now. Candidates want to hear about opportunities! They return calls promptly.

While I understand that this might not the time to bring someone on board, it is the perfect time to start to identify the pool of candidates (or create a pipeline) for other searches. There’s opportunity for more “first interviews” by video and phone.

There’s never been such a confluence of time, opportunity and availability, to get phone conversations started. Now is the best time we’ve seen in years, to build your candidate pipelines! Bishop Partners is trusted, experienced and ready and willing to help. Give us a call!

To Our Clients and Our Candidates, "We're Here to Help"!

I wanted to send a note of support and optimism, as business has stopped, literally overnight . . . we’re here to help you.  I agree with those marketing prognosticators and many of our Clients, who suggest that once this virus is under control and we approach ‘normalcy’, business and demand for marketing will explode with the pent-up demand that will have been simmering for months.  

Jobs will return to support that demand.  Whether laid-off or furloughed employees wait for their former employer to hire them back is an open question.  There will be new, better opportunities.   There are CEOs and Managing Partners all over, who are wondering “What will we do to staff properly for the future”. The most experienced executives are creating contingency plans, in case “their” employees have found a better opportunity.  The most sought after, data driven skillsets have changed and will be in high demand.  Opportunities will abound!  Brands will be hiring!  

I want you to know that I’m not just here for you when times are great!  We’re not going anywhere.  I continue to value our relationship.  I’ve got your back.  If there’s anything we can to do help, now or as business picks up, please let me know.  I don’t want to sound “mercenary”, because that’s not my intent.  I genuinely want to provide help and support in whatever ways I can.  

I’ve been in the recruiting and consulting business for a long time.  We’ve been through the dot com bubble burst, terrorist attacks and “The Great Recession”.  We've learned valuable lessons.

Why A New Partnership Means New Opportunities

I’m thrilled to announce a new strategic relationship with ROJEK Consulting. ROJEK is a premiere marketing consulting firm that advises Fortune 500 brands and growing companies on their marketing management strategies.

I first learned about ROJEK through industry articles in Ad Age and Adweek over the years. ROJEK and their founder/leader Lorraine Stewart were (and are) clearly one of the leading advertising consulting resources for consumer brands in the US. Their reputation and work has been established from advising companies like GM, Planet Fitness, UPS, travelocity and White Castle, among many others, to best identify and evaluate their advertising industry and digital marketing suppliers. In 2020 their consulting services for CMOs also includes executive talent recruitment and executive coaching programs for in-house creative teams.

Several years ago, I was pleased when Lorraine asked me to help her with a project she was working on at the time. As a result of our successful experience we have expanded our practice and offering leveraging our skills and experiences.  This service includes recruiting services for CMOs, CCOs and other marketing and creative leaders, as well as helping a company plan, structure and recruit its in-house creative capabilities, a fast-growing current trend. I look forward to working with the full ROJEK team of other pros, many of whom have been successfully consulting with ROJEK’s clients for decades.

So why have marketing leaders trusted ROJEK for so many years?

The answer is the same values-based approach in business that I also practice, respect and share. Lorraine pioneered the critical importance of understanding a client company’s culture as the basis for building high performance client-agency teams to build brands. It’s their proprietary and proven approach to advertising agency recruitment. Simply stated ROJEK likes to “Start with Culture, Finish with Fit™"

I agree.

Bishop Partners’ long standing success of our executive placements with our Clients validates this thinking. The reason more that than 70% of our candidates hired for the job and stay for more than three years, is because of our focus on cultural fit. We also make sure that the vision, values and goals of both parties’ are in tight alignment. This approach is far superior to recruitment efforts that just “check the boxes” on the basics, required skills and relevant industry experience.

The Secret of How The Best Executive Recruiters Sustain Employer Culture

Business owners, principals and leaders want to know how the best executive recruiters sustain employer culture

If you Google “Company Culture”, in 0.67 seconds, you’re overwhelmed by 127,000,000 results. There’s an incredible amount of interest in company culture, because it’s perceived as the foundation for everything from employee stability, to corporate growth, profitability and sustainability. Most will agree that a Company’s culture is fundamental to the success or failure of that company, by any measure.

There are an incredible number of “measures” of a culture. Some say there are four types, some say eight and some say 10! There’s no one right answer.  The question is really, do you know how to add those ingredients (both tools and people) which will support, then improve your culture? Do you know what and who not to add to that culture? The knowledge of both is absolutely critical! Couple that with the skilled talent shortage and you can see why recruiters are in demand. “Post and Pray”, isn’t working any better than ever and certainly fails when viewed through the lens of culture.

The most recent issue of AdAge had the annual “Best Places to Work” issue.  There’s no question that better culture contributes to employee and stakeholder happiness, whether the company’s a start-up or Fortune 25. Happiness for employees isn’t necessarily driven by money, as it is for many other stakeholders. Still employee happiness leads to better fiscal results. “Companies that invest in their employees both at work and beyond the office yield big dividends. Top-ranked companies invest significant time and effort in creating, writing and sharing company culture and visions to foster an atmosphere of support and caring for their employees.

The factors that most relate to high workplace ratings encompass feelings of support, encouragement, empowerment and purpose—areas where top-performing companies exceed expectations.

Leaders of top-ranked companies make a conscious effort to provide support and benefits to empower their employees—both as workers and as human beings who have a life. Investments in employee empowerment and supportive services result in happier, more productive employees.
Employees’ experiences at a top-rated company tend to be better across the board. Employees at top-performing companies feel differently about their relationships with their co-workers and management. They respect and have fun with their colleagues and feel there is opportunity for advancement.”

How To Future-Proof Your Career In A Fast-Changing, Unforgiving Global Job Market

Last week, I was interviewed by Jack Kelly, for an article in Forbes.  I was impressed with Jack's thinking and some of the subjects of his articles and/or blog.  Here's one of those articles, I thought especially on target and likely of interest to many . . .

We are living in a fast-paced, unstable time period where things change swiftly and dramatically. The corporate world is more dynamic and chaotic than ever. In our parents’ or grandparents’ generations, they would accept a job and hold onto it throughout the entire duration of their careers. However, those days are over and done with. The advancement of technology, globalization and the corporate view that employees are disposable have all changed the game. We can no longer view our careers as safe and sacrosanct. You can be sitting in your office chair this morning, happy and satisfied. Then, two weeks later, there’s a corporate-wide reorganization and you’re shown the door. You can be replaced by technology or a less-experienced, lower-cost employee. Your job could be moved to another country or your role could be deemed no longer relevant or required. The only constant is change.

It's critically important to start a plan to prepare for your future. It's career self-sabotage to believe that things will stay the same and that you’ll confidently climb up the corporate ladder. It's career malpractice to act like an ostrich, stick your head in the ground, hope for the best and ignore the reality of the changes happening around you. You need to be bold, confident and aggressive in managing your career in the face of uncertainty. It's not easy nor is it pleasant to think about, but you must do it. 

Here is how to start:

1. You need to change your mindset on several fronts. We all derive a sense of status from our career, the company we work for and job title. When you sit down at a family dinner or meet new people, you enjoy a little humble brag about what you do for a living. While that’s fine, you’ll need to divorce your ego attachment to your current career.

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.

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

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”.

FutureHire is NOW!

Today’s “agencies” are already radically different than even two years ago. We knew there was an inevitable tidal wave of digital marketing’s and data’s growth and influence. Digital data is better understood and ever more deeply relied on. Digital marketing through targeting based on data insights, has become ubiquitous. Two years ago, we thought “digital marketing” had arrived . . . we were wrong. Two years from now, I’ll look back at this post and wonder, “what the hell was I thinking?” The future is here now, and moving very fast!

Those “agencies” who are unwilling or unable to change (relying solely on creative), adapt or hire the talent that understands how and why data must be utilized for their clients’ benefit, are disappearing.  There will be continuing, ever more complex challenges (or opportunities), innovations and data insights to be explored and utilized for our clients’ benefit. Keeping up with consultancies deep pockets, talent acquisition goals and innovation is dissolving the holding company model.

Talent is the missing link to success for agencies and brands. Who do you hire who understands what data is available, where to find it and most importantly, what to do with it? You can step in line with every other agency or brand that’s trying to hire the same experienced pros, for the same reasons. Demand is driving compensation and benefits higher. Candidates are scarce and ever more “picky”. They want more than a job, they want a life! How do you as a owner, CEO, COO or President find the talent you need in a timely way?

Experienced, top achieving talent is hard to hire. The experienced, brilliant data analysts, strategists and planners are not looking at job boards. If they’re not happily employed, most know where to go for better compensation, career growth, benefits and perks. Many contact recruiters, who they know and have a specialty in their niche.

I’ve been in the same marketing, advertising and now digital media niche for years. I’m proud of the trusted reputation earned by consistently adding value and succeeding for both our clients and our candidates. We always have a file of “Most Placeable Candidates” across virtually every skill set and experience level out there. Some of the titles didn’t even exist two years ago.

Hiring Accelerates in 2018, Bishop Helps With “Most Placeable Candidates”

U.S. employers expect hiring to pick up in the first quarter of next year, with 21 percent planning to add staff between January and March, according to the latest “Employment Outlook Survey,” released yesterday by ManpowerGroup. Employers in all U.S. regions and industry sectors expect headcount to grow.

One of the ways Bishop Partners can help employers is with a special file that we keep, called “Most Placeable Candidates” or "MPCs". We’re proud of our reputation and how attractive it is to the top performing candidates in marketing and advertising nationwide. Every week, industry leaders confidentially introduce themselves to us, share their resume and ask for our help.  Taking seasonal variations into account, the net employment outlook for Q1 2018 is up 19 percent, the strongest reported in the past decade. This marks the 14th consecutive quarter with an outlook of plus-15 percent or stronger. Here’s a partial list of those candidates:

Brand Manager, Toys/Entertainment/Gaming or CPG
Copywriter, Social Media Producer
Creative Director, Copywriter, Consumer Products
Creative Services Firm CFO/COO
Creative Services Firm New Business Developer
Director of Paid Social Media
Director of Product Brand Marketing, Analytics, Strategy
Executive Creative Director, Consumer Products
Executive Creative Leader: President, CEO, COO, EVP
Senior Digital Art Director / UX Specialist
Senior Interactive Designer / UX-UI Designer / Animator
Senior Media Strategist & Analyst
VP, Director of Client Service Aviation/Finance/Food/Retail
VP, Global Paid Media

Taking seasonal variations into account, the net employment outlook for Q1 2018 is up 19 percent, the strongest reported in the past decade. This marks the 14th consecutive quarter with an outlook of plus-15 percent or stronger. Nationwide, hiring prospects are two percentage points stronger when compared with the final quarter of 2017, and employers reported an increase of three percentage points in comparison with this time one year ago.

The Fourth Quarter; Accountability, Strategy and Planning!

THE QUARTER OF CHANGE

The 4th quarter is when the yearlong numbers become real and leadership becomes accountable. It is the quarter that has the most expense cuts and reductions in employment. 4th quarter is when annual planning is completed, leadership is measured, and talent deployment is strategized for the upcoming year. It is the quarter for decisions to ensure the next year will meet or exceed expectations.

The pressure on leadership is increasing (recent turnover statistic was 32.3%, the highest in several years). Some of this is due to retirements and job changes, but the majority is forced resignations due to inability to meet expectations and move the company forward successfully in this competitive global economy.

Not everyone is a natural leader and the lure to increase visibility, gain power, and be rewarded is enticing and a confidence builder. The most common reasons why leaders fail are: (1) become self-serving and do not support their team; (2) will not delegate tasks to develop learning (become stressed out with work overload and create turnover of staff); (3) stop directing people forward; (4) become too political or arrogant; (5) become resistant to change and cannot adapt their style to a new environment (more reactive than proactive); and/or (6) do not communicate well with external and internal stakeholders.

The challenge for most organizations is how do you go about finding the right leader for the right job at the right time? This requires planning and setting realistic expectations. First step is to define the search criteria. Sounds simple; however, we've found that a high percentage of all exempt searches are altered from initial scope, because hiring authorities are too inwardly focused and subconsciously not aligned with the goals of the role and the needs of the business. Bishop partners with clients to create a complete and detailed description of core responsibilities, definition of opportunities to contribute, reporting structure, resources, client/candidate expectations, hard and soft skill requirements, and compensation. Before starting the search we want to make sure all parties have strategically evaluated the search and defined the interview process.

We are ready to help your organization develop the strategy to hire the right person, for the right role, at the right time.

Thanks to our colleagues at Bohan & Bradstreet for this perspective.

 

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

AMA Hosts CMOs, Discussing Re-Branding St. Louis

Last week, I was invited to attend a breakfast sponsored by the St. Louis Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). There were about 20 CMO’s and Sr. Marketing Executives from local Companies, the group was called the “AMA Executive Circle.”
Each of the 20 or so in attendance had previously completed a survey that was asking, how could the AMA be of more value to the attendees, their departments and it’s membership in general?   There was compelling conversation, ranging from “How do we know our marketing is working?” (Data), to “How do we get an outside perspective on our strategies and tactics”? (Each other) When the question was asked, how does St. Louis re-establish its self-esteem and get this region moving forward again? There was enthusiastic conversation.

Local companies that are growing, are having trouble recruiting out of town talent. National news and social media skew the perception of St. Louis for those outside of our region. The fact that St. Louis is rich with culture, activities, food, sports and neighborhoods,where you can safely raise a family is lost.

There was a remarkably spirited conversation that oozed cooperation and camaraderie. I had walked in optimistic and hopeful, but I was pleasantly surprised (shocked really) how far beyond that this group traveled . . . and quickly. There was a universal spirit that we had hit on a common theme that could unite the group. There would be all sorts of learning opportunities for every level of marketer as an effort to improve the “St. Louis brand” moved forward across multiple channels. Similarly, it would benefit everyone, residents and our corporations.

I’m hoping that this meeting is actually the beginning of a diverse, yet inclusive movement, which will end up benefiting everyone in St. Louis. Wouldn’t it be great to celebrate a unified St. Louis? The results of self-esteem, pride and an attractive employment environment would trigger exciting growth, benefiting all!

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