Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Show me your metrics and I'll show you mine!

“Pssst! I’ll show you mine if you show me yours…no, your metrics, silly!” Oops, forgot about those, eh? So, how did your numbers match up in ’04? I know I know…a lot of jobs went unfilled in December and they carried over to '05. Couple that with the fact that your managers have gone headcount crazy since January and you're now carrying a heavier work-load than you did in all of '04, right?! All recruiters nationwide - say this in unison, "Welcome to my world!"

As a few of my high-school homies would say, "We be busy." We know that about recruiting ~ that's just the way it is. I haven't blogged my personal site in 3 months and it's not because I’m lazy. I love a good blog. In fact, I could spend all day reading ShallySteveHeath-GretchJasonMaureen blogisms without flinching. But there’s this lil’ ol’ thing called work that keeps whispering my name. And besides, I take pride in beating my fellow warrior-recruiters to the best and the brightest. I guess the “busy” thing is one of the constants of recruiting, and yes, it’s the same thing that oftentimes keeps us from focusing on other aspects of recruiting (like, how we did in ’04). We’ve got the best job in the world, but it’s not for the faint of heart or those desiring short work-days sandwiched between multiple coffee breaks and two hour lunches. Ok, maybe there's room for that in the Shangri-La atmosphere of an executive search firm or two, but here, we're talking about smilin' and dialin'; blowin' and goin'; screen/screen/screen - interview - hire, hire, hire!

But that's part of the appeal, isn't it? That's what stirs your passion and keeps you comin' back for more. You live off the energy that follows the hunt - the chase – the close - the nugget you unearth in the same dirt you've sifted through a thousand times before. I digress, but that's the reality of recruiting. And speaking of reality, shall I get back to metrics? You know, those numbers that justify the existance of many a recruiter? Have you been “too busy” to see how you measured up in '04? Here's my philosphy - "You can never be too busy to help your customer comprehend the value that was added to the organization (to their department) as a result of the quality hires that you facilitated."

Hear ye, hear ye ~ calling all recruiters >>> take the time NOW; don't wait until Q2 to find out how you measured up against your competition. If your organization has not provided a process to measure the quality of your hires, then grab a pen 'n paper and take a visit to your local customers (hiring managers). Trust me - they'll be impressed that you were interested enough to ask their opinion. Cost? Time? Interviews:Offers? Don't make your customers ask about this information - gather the data and gladly share it with them. They will begin to understand that your passion is to be their partner...a consultative partner that desires their success.

Uh-oh, I just realized something...I've gone on way too long and you might have just snagged that last god-like "embedded software engineer!" Onward bloggers – let’s roll up the shirts sleeves and get back at it! But on the way, don’t forget to blow the socks off your customers with some enviable quality-of-hire metrics!

No comments: