Recruiting Software VS CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

Recruiting Software VS CRM (Customer Relationship Management): "What is CRM? If I buy CRM software will I be a better recruiter?
Should recruiting software have CRM features? Do recruiting software vendors include CRM in their product?

I think CRM is a lot of smoke created by some very good marketing people who could sell ice to Eskimos.

A common definition for CRM is “The process of using information to find, secure and keep customers. The people, events, and questions associated with marketing, sales, and service”. Yikes! I thought that is what recruiting is?

Why am I on such a soap box? Because I talk to about 50 different recruiters and recruitment firm owners a week and every once in a while I get asked does this software contain CRM. A few years back when the question was asked I was at a loss for words. I had no idea what they were talking about. I was terribly concerned that after 25 years in the recruiting industry putting in 10 hours a day seven days a week I had completely missed something and an entire process went right over my head.

So I went to work reading and studying everything I could find on CRM and came to the conclusion that CRM and recruiting software are one and the same. If your recruiting software does not have the characteristics defined by CRM then you do not have recruiting software.

First of all, who are the customers of an executive recruiter? Candidates and clients are! As any recruiter knows the product of a recruiter is also the customer, the candidate, one unique characteristic of the recruiting industry.

Let’s go back to that CRM definition above. “The process of using information to find, secure and keep customers”. Your recruiting software must be used to find and track candidates and clients. Once found the software has to keep them available to you through periodic contact.

Next, “The people, events and questions associated with marketing, sales and service”. Ok, if your recruiting software cannot help you market to different demographics of clients and candidates then why are you using it? What are you using to market to clients and candidates? Do you have a separate system for this? Do you have a separate database for marketing to clients, a separate database for marketing to candidates? Do candidates sometimes become clients? Do clients sometimes become candidates? Is candidate John Smith repeated in the client Database and then again in a separate marketing system? How silly these questions are! If you answer yes to any of the above I suggest you reconsider your whole approach to recruiting.

And if you have this separation how in the world are you ever going to keep track of the events and questions? Perhaps if they are all separate I can sell you business idiot consolidation software that will pull all these desperate systems together for you.

So I will answer the leading questions. If I buy CRM software will I be a better recruiter? No, because you’re an idiot for having recruiting software that is not also CRM. Should recruiting software have CRM features? Of course, CRM and recruiting software are one and the same thing. Do recruiting software vendors include CRM in their product? Yes, if they don’t they are not a recruiting software vendor.

--
BlackDog Recruiting Software,Inc.
Blog about recruiting resources
Phone: 970 349 0364

Source: http://www.articletrader.com"

-->Read more...

Drive a tight agenda, don't let it drive you

Drive a tight agenda, don't let it drive you: "Excerpted from The Truth About Getting your Point Across...And Nothing But the Truth at http://www.leadingonedge.com/truth

A colleague of mine was responsible for running a bi-weekly two-hour team meeting. He took great care to develop a very full, detailed agenda. As we would get into the meeting, it would only take us getting to agenda item one before the meeting was behind schedule. During the entire time that my colleague ran these meetings, we never got more than halfway through the agenda before adjourning. The team got so used to not making it through the agenda that there wasn't even an attempt to try to stay on schedule. The agenda and associated times were completely unrealistic and were worthless as a meeting management tool.

An effective agenda goes beyond start time, location, topics, and durations. Effective agendas do the following:

* Support the meeting purpose

* Set the expectations of attendees as to what will be discussed

* Inform attendees of any preparation that will be required prior to the meeting

* Give the meeting leader a roadmap for driving the agenda

* Permit adequate time to cover each item

* Allow the meeting leader to adjust the agenda easily if the meeting gets behind schedule

Having said all this, there is a guiding principle the meeting owner needs to follow: The meeting owner drives the agenda, not the other way around. There are times where you may have a concise meeting purpose and specific agenda items to address the meeting purpose, but the actual meeting deviates from the agenda. Be open to the agenda change; just make sure the meeting purpose is still being met. Doing this requires the meeting owner be very in-tune to what is going on in the meeting and footing it back to what is happening on the agenda. If the actual meeting is deviating from the agenda, the meeting owner needs to consciously decide if the deviation is appropriate or if it needs to be nipped in the bud. There's no secret sauce on this; it means keeping the original meeting's purpose in mind, observing what is actually happening in the meeting, and continually assessing whether the meeting's purpose is being met.

So, what are some good tips to developing effective agenda? Consider these next time you have to plan a meeting:

* Have a tight, focused meeting purpose - You've called the meeting for a reason; make sure that the purpose is explicit and achievable. A good sanity check on this is that you should be able to complete this sentence: "At the end of this meeting we should be able to _______."

* Cross-foot your agenda items with the meeting purpose - As you're crafting your agenda items, make sure that each item is doing something to support the meeting purpose. If the items don't support the meeting purpose either change the agenda item or change the purpose. Don't confuse the attendees by having agenda items that don't support the meeting purpose

* Be realistic with allocated agenda item times - Don't put overly aggressive times on the agenda that you in your heart know you're not going to achieve. Planning 90 minutes worth of meeting in 60 minutes means you'll only get through 2/3 of the meeting or the meeting will run over by at least 30 minutes. Don't wish for best case; put reality down.

* Distribute the agenda at least one day before the meeting - Meeting attendees want to know what is going to be discussed and if there is preparation that is needed prior to the meeting. Give them a day if possible to review the agenda and get mentally prepared for the meeting.

* Put the most important agenda items at the front of the meeting - Cover your top items first. There are two reasons for this: first, you'll ensure that the most important items get covered. Second, you'll keep attendee attention better by covering the most important items earlier. If they are put later in the agenda then you'll see some chomping at the bit as you go through lesser important agenda items first.

* Have as your last agenda item an "action items review" section - I've seen way too many meetings happen in my career where the end of the meeting comes, everyone leaves, but there is no agreement on what actions need to be taken out of the meeting. In your action items review, indicate what the action items are, who is responsible for each action item, and when the action item needs to be completed by.

* Have a contingency plan in place for when agenda items run over - Even with the best-planned meetings, sometimes agenda items take longer than expected. Have a plan for how you are going to accommodate the change, which could mean shortening some other agenda items or eliminating an agenda item completely

Build tight, realistic, achievable agendas. You'll get more done, reduce attendee frustration, and make the best use of everyone's time. Just don't be a slave to the agenda if you see the agenda won't accomplish the meeting's purpose.


--

Lonnie Pacelli is an author with over 20 years experience with Accenture and Microsoft and is president of Leading on the Edge International. See more at www.leadingonedge.com

Source: http://www.articletrader.com"

-->Read more...

Corporate Team Building Events: Throw ‘Distancing’ to a Distance

Corporate Team Building Events: Throw ‘Distancing’ to a Distance: "If someone just studies a few recent corporate recruitment advertisements, there will be at least one thing he or she will find common in almost all of them. The recruiters are putting much emphasis on hiring a one-team man rather than a one-man team, in the management category at least.

In accordance to this shift, the office atmosphere is changing too. CEOs of the companies at present are accessible to general employees more than ever before. The visual distance is cut short. Office decorations are changing with more and more interlinked and free sitting arrangements. At this age, one can never ignore the psychological affect on human beings created by the respective surroundings.

The corporate houses these days are spending huge amounts to unite the workforce into an active team. Active and spontaneous participation of employees in both internal and external affairs of the company and even in the decision making process are regarded as the path of progress.

The main problem in the corporate team building process namely ‘distancing’ is predominantly inherent in employees’ as well as in the employer’s psyche. It is one of the basic instincts of human beings.

The primary team building process is constantly fighting to throw away ‘distancing’ to a great distance. The ideal corporate team building events concentrate on bringing together employees who do not always get the chance to come in close, if not in personal contact with each other.

The prime ideological stand is that, if an employee does not know his or her co-workers then he or she cannot actively participate to boost up the company profile and morale as a whole. It is all about fixing the SELF, not into the category called OTHER, but under the umbrella named WE.

The corporate event management companies divide the employees into various groups. Apparently, it seems that the process is breaking the basic notion of team building activities, but in fact, it just adds to the notion.

The participants here never feel rivalry among themselves. They are conscious that it is merely a game though they need to win. Thus, they fail to concentrate on the issue that it is a part of the team building exercise tailored by the company. This lack of concentration on the subtle issue ultimately does the trick. The idea of the team is built in the consciousness of the participant that excludes the visual divisions.

The job is done.

However, a Corporate Hospitality Company must be cautious of the standard and socio-cultural background of the participants. Otherwise, the whole process may go in vain.


--
Peter Mason is an investigative freelance writer and writes on behalf of the owner of Team Tactics - http://www.teamtactics.co.uk/ a corporate hospitality and team building company in the UK, provide bespoke corporate team building events, corporate entertainment and event management focusing on team building days and team building ideas. Team Tactics is specialised in providing team building events, for instance, corporate fun team building activities and fun events.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com"

-->Read more...