Why use an ATS?

Using an ATS will:
- Allow you to make more placements
- Add more time to your day
- Increase Revenue!

According to Mark Berger of SWAT Recruiting,

"There is only one answer to this simple question in my mind. To make more placements using a database than if you did not use one. If you can’t increase your revenues by using an ATS, then why use one? This is what you have to keep foremost in your mind in your search for the best automated solution for your office. Increasing productivity is one of the best reasons to have an ATS, candidate/client/recruiter communications is another, getting out of the paper-shuffling game is yet one more. There are many more. You don’t dare select a database product because of the cool bells and whistles it offers. A lot of software developers don’t understand this. Some systems offer more “glitz” than “meat.” I have noticed two basic types of database software vendors. There are software sales companies that have decided to jump on the ATS bandwagon. These firms typically do not have a strong background in our industry and simply do not have enough knowledge of the way our business works on a day-to-day basis to offer a top rated solution, although there are exceptions. The other type of vendor has developed a system based on years of successful recruiting and staffing experience. Some have even developed a system for their own use then decided to market that system to the recruiter market. It would behoove you to ask any potential database vendor what type of recruiting industry experience their executives have. Do they have any hands on recruiting and placement industry experience, or is it nothing more that software industry sales and marketing experience. Look at the way you do business now and look for a solution that allows you to do business in the same manner, just more efficiently. You should never have to re-engineer the way your office does business to conform to the workings of a database…it is the other way around. The database serves you. If it doesn’t, keep looking. As you evaluate one database versus another, be asking yourself a question:

Does this database make you money or save you money?

Let’s talk about ACT!, Goldmine and Outlook for a minute. These products are technically not Applicant Tracking Systems but are in the Contact Manager software category. All ATS’s are great contact managers but not all Contact Manager’s are great ATS’s. To this day many recruiters use these products, as they are quite excellent in doing their job of keeping the recruiter in touch with both their clients and candidates, however, unless you employ an expensive third party solution or add-in, these products don’t do a very good job of keeping track of job orders, resume submissions, client interviews and placements…integral parts of managing your desk or your business. They are not the worst solution…there are simply much better options available.

Are you still using Word and Excel documents? So are many others. Before databases, I did as well…had all my candidate submissions, interviews and placements recorded but each document was an island. Had to type the same thing over and over. No big picture here…no integration…no reporting. Probably a better solution than index cards but…will it put real money in your pocket?"

As always, call me to discuss!

Tammy
314.854.5002
twirths@sendouts.com

"The job of a headhunter is very different from that of a placement agency"

What is the difference in a headhunter and placement agency? A client of mine recently addressed this question in an article published in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

Just 12 heads, one a month.

As an executive recruiter, or headhunter, that's Bob Bishop's benchmark for a successful year's work.

Originally a photographer, Bishop established his one-man recruitment firm in July 2001. "It was, perhaps, the worst possible time," he said, describing the state of the economy. read the rest of the story . . .

Job Title "Google Speak"

I was asked an interesting question during one of my demonstrations of Sendouts last week. "Are there short character limitations on a Job Order title?" It appears that some ATS's severly limit the length of the title. According to Doug Berg the Founder/Chief of Gigster, "many of the boards and classified search engines have implemented a "Search in Title Only" feature, and/or have only indexed the job title content. This means that if your keywords aren't embedded into your job titles, you could be missing out on 50% or more of your potential online job seekers." In his article posted on ERE, Doug also mentions that most ATS's don't allow you to edit your post as they are pushed out to the job boards. This is certainly a question to ask as you are evaluating ATS's. Sendouts not only allows you to edit the Job Order title upon pushing out, there is also a large character field allowing up to 100 characters.

Doug also includes great tips on writing clear job titles and descriptions. Click here to view his article.

"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug." Mark Twain

As always,

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Tammy Wirths
877.309.5222 x 102

Why Do I Need Errors and Omission Insurance?

Will placing that candidate put your personal finances at risk? Ninety percent of all recruiters don't have any coverage because they perceive the fees as too high. Below you will find a report by Bob Style, the General Counsel for NAPS, to shed some light on this topic. According to Conrad Taylor, President of NAPS, they offer a plan from CNA for around $1200 for NAPS members.

I talk to recruiters every day who look to me for advice and suggestions on best practices for tracking and placing candidates. I suggest you take the time to look into this before you are caught off guard.


WHY DO I NEED ERRORS AND OMISSION INSURANCE?

Most of you have heard, at some time or another, about the wisdom a purchasing an errors and omissions insurance policy. Judging from the number of staffing firms that do not have such insurance, however, it appears that many of you do not understand the risks you run every day in your business and, more importantly, that one misstep can be so costly as to spell the end of your business. Even winning a “malpractice” case can be prohibitively expensive. Remember, in the United States, each party pays its own legal fees, and in some of the scenarios below, it would not be unusual for these fees to run into six figures.

What are some of the cases which would typically be covered by an E and O policy?

The candidate lies on the resume. Whenever I ask a group of recruiters whether they believe that more than half of their candidates lie on their resumes, invariably almost everyone in the room raises their hands. Yet, almost all recruiters refer the resume, in one form or another, to their clients. Suppose the candidate has lied about work experience, educational background or dates of past employment, and your client states that had it known the truth about the candidate, it would never have hired him or her. So, the client states, you know that the resume most likely is untrue in some respect or another, you are the “expert” in this business, and you never told me that the resume you sent me is more likely than not untrue. Why shouldn’t you compensate me for being defrauded like that? Add to that the fact that the NAPS Code of Ethics states, in effect, that you are responsible for the accuracy of information you pass on about a candidate unless you disclaim such responsibility. (To find sample contract language disclaiming such responsibility, take a look at the NAPS/ASA Model Recruiting Agreement at http://www.recruitinglife.com/.) It is not at all clear that a court would find you liable under the above facts. What is clear is that employers are more aggressive than ever in pursuing recruiters for damages in these cases, and that the cost of legal fees turns even a victory into an expensive defeat.

You fail to disclose a candidate’s criminal record. A common complaint to which an E and O policy would respond is that you failed to disclose a previous embezzlement by your candidate, who then embezzled from your client. In these types of cases, it is not unusual for the amount embezzled, and thereby sought from you by your client, to run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. I have not seen court cases that discuss whether a recruiter has an obligation to check criminal records, in the absence of a contractual agreement to do so, and you may well win the case, but again at great expense. There is one federal court case which held that a jury could find a recruiter liable to its candidate’s co-worker who was raped by the candidate, after the recruiter failed to accurately disclose certain aspects of the candidate’s prior conviction for rape.

Your actions cause the candidate to lose his or her current job. Most typically, that would happen if you refer the candidate to a company which you do not realize is related to or affiliated with your candidate’s current employer, the word gets back to the employer that the candidate is looking around, and the candidate is fired as a result. I’m sure you’re smart enough not to refer your candidate to his or her current employer, but do you know all of the parents, subsidiaries or affiliates of the current employer? You might also become involved in litigation if you do a reference check on your candidate, and the person with whom you checked informs the current employer that the candidate is looking.

You place the candidate with a company which has a mass layoff or goes out of business. You’re supposed to be the expert here, the candidate will argue. You should have known, or knew and failed to disclose, that the company with whom you placed the candidate was on shaky financial ground. Now the candidate has quit one job and lost another, all because of all the glowing remarks you made about the client and the position in order to convince the candidate to take the job, and in order to earn a fee. Isn’t it understandable why a lawyer would advise the candidate to sue you in such circumstances.

The client reneges on its offer, after the candidate has quit his or her present job. Are you liable in such circumstances? I doubt it, unless you knew the client has a history of doing this. Isn’t this the client’s problem and not yours? I think so. Will you get named as a defendant along with the client, even though you will probably win? Very possibly.

To try to protect yourself against exposure to huge damage suits and expensive legal fees, you should do the following:

1. Review your contract to see if it is providing you with maximum protection
2. Review the various representations you make to candidates and clients to see if you may be making promises for which you don’t wish to be held liable if you can’t deliver. In particular, take a look at your web site. Are all the representations you make there true, or maybe more importantly, can you prove they are true?
3. Most important of all, purchase a good errors and omissions policy which will not only cover damages for situations like those discussed above, but which will also cover attorneys fees.

Call me with feedback!

Tammy
877.309.5222 x 102

My profile. . .

I am a consultant and advisor inspired by networking and creating highly productive environments for the Human Resource and Recruiting industry. As a former IT and Tellecom recruiter, I have a special interest in the art of relationship building. As a former owner of an IT consulting firm, I understand the complex dynamics involved in running a successful recruiting business. My role as an Account Executive with Sendouts allows me to utilize my background and experience to consult with clients on their special needs and expecations. I truly believe that there is no better Applicant Tracking Solution on the market today. Sendouts offers a complete solution for direct hire, staffing and HR clients. As a recruiting consultant and advisor, I welcome the opportunity to explore how we can partner to increase your placements and save you time.

Contact me!

Tammy Wirths
877.309.5222 x 102

Pay it Forward!

I just returned home from the annual TAPC conference in Dallas. I truly enjoyed watching old friends reunite, new relationships blooming, and industry leaders sharing their expertise.

To describe this dance of handshakes and pats on the back as “Networking” would be cliché. It’s not about collecting business cards to refer to when you need something. These connections are about “Offering Value.”

There were 600 attendees at the TAPC conference. Just think how powerful the results could be if each handshake included a true effort from both parties to offer something to each other?! This is “NetWeaving.”

According to author Bob Littell, “NetWeaving is a “Pay It Forward” form of networking based upon the Golden Rule and the belief that, what goes around. . .DOES come back around.”

Jeffrey Gitomer also writes about NetWeaving on his Sales Caffeine ezine. According to Jeffrey, “the interesting part is that when you become involved in NetWeaving, you get into a new business frame of mind. It makes you aware of the needs of others and at the same time challenges you to draw on your full range of contacts. The challenge is as great as the reward.”

So, I offer to you, old friend or new contact, my insight as a former recruiter and business owner, my passion as a seasoned sales executive, and my connections through “NetWeaving”. Let’s “Pay it Forward”!!


"We cannot live for ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as results." Herman Melville