Jobs bank Singapore a Total Flop?

Jobs bank Singapore by WDA was introduced to allow companies to post their jobs to allow more Singaporean to have more job opportunities and get hired - This was the intention, BUT....there is a special clause, companies must put their advertisements in the Jobs Bank for 2 weeks or more then they are allow to hire a foreigner for the same position. Oops!

Here is the problem - The companies who are hiring can always claim that they are no suitable or right candidates from all the applicants from the Jobs bank Singapore..how would the authority able to verify such claims, basically, they are not able to do so...

So if a company really want to hire a foreigner due to whatever "reasons", they will do so, even if they need to post the same job advertisement in the Jobs Bank portal. The hiring companies will go through the "motion" and proof that they indeed had advertised the job in the jobs bank... and later on still hire a foreigner....

What does that implies?

Singapore job applicants are wasting time - Singaporean who are actually applying through Jobs Bank in Singapore very likely will be wasting their time, many companies who had the intention to hire foreigners will never even look at the Singaporean resume at all!

Lower productivities - Imagine the company needs to hire the person but because of this "weird" rules of compulsory posting the job ad in the jobs bank, then the companies are able to hire a foreigner, these 2 weeks or more gap of time will be wasted and apparently for the ongoing running business, potential business will be lost, more customers will be unhappy, more money will be drained....this is actually not too good for any companies who are heavily dependent on foreigner.

The trend will not change - Companies who are dependent on foreigners will continue to hire foreigner because they are "better" in prices, probably more cooperative and more loyal...thess are the perceptions from companies who are hiring foreigners. The companies will look at the bottom line and continue to hire those who are able to make more profits for the company. This is purely business - nothing personal. Period.

What about Singaporean?

Will the Singapore job applicants who are using the Jobs Bank in Singapore cannot find a job at all?

The answer is not straight forward, there are companies who love to hire Singaporean, but before we point the fault on the companies, why not look at ourselves?

Are we demanding too much, are we expecting salaries much better than our previous job? Are we not willing to travel from Tampines to Jurong for work every single day, Are we willing to work on Saturday and Sunday.....the list goes on and on and on.....I think you get my point...

It's not your fault that YOU are demanding too much! Really?

The Singapore economic had BOOM in certain sectors, everything needs money, everything are expensive, HDB loans, Singapore Power bills, phone bills...blar blar blar...YOU need to pay your bills...I know..

But look at it from another prospective, 10 years ago, your salary is lesser and you still can live on..what is the difference now? Why are you out of job? How did you land yourself to be today...Going back to the question of pointing the fault in others..I think we do have some problems..we really do. (BTW if 10 years ago, your salary is the same compared to NOW, you do have a BIG problem!)

Taking Advantage of Jobs Bank Singapore

Do you know that the number of jobs available in Jobs Bank Singapore is more than any other job portals available? You only need ONE company to say yes to you...and you are employed.

TIPS

Change your expectation, make yourself better value compared to any other foreigner applicants, show the HR that you are the BEST in the industry, don't put your expected salary at all. Let them be curious about you, put the bait and let them interview you. If you are the best in the industry, at the right price and expectation, you will be hired.

So is Jobs Bank Singapore a total flop? It's always about how you look at it...there is no right answers to it.

Cheers and good luck!

SMILE ALWAYS!

Regards - Dougles Chan, The Recruitment Guru

Many Singapore Headhunter Companies Will Close Down Eventually

The title above will not pleased many people. Well, to be honest, I am not here to please the readers, I am here to show you why this is happening and why you should start worrying....

Dangerous Trends that are Happening

Internal recruitment - More and more companies, especially the big boys in Singapore are using their own internal recruitment recruiters to source for their candidates and this will continue to be in a progressive trend as it is far much cheaper and sometime more efficient for the companies compared to hiring a headhunter.

Linkedin Recruitment - More and more top level candidates are hire directly via Linkedin or Linkedin jobs, this provides an alternative platform for companies to hire directly as many of the candidates profile can be seen via through Linkedin. In fact, many of the top headhunting firm are also using Linkedin as their source of candidates, the questions is, if the headhunters can do it, why can't the internal recruiter do it?

"There is always a better way...Are you willing to try it?"

More open market information and technology- As more and more advance recruitment techniques are available via websites and technology, it is far much faster, easier and cheaper to hire via through these channels, with that, there is no need for companies to give their job orders to the headhunters at all.

Competitions- As there are more and more headhunters coming in to setup their own firm, eventually the price war will come in and profit margin will drop, there will be situation where even the total billing of the headhunters are not even good enough to pay the headhunters salaries!

Complacency - The same client will not be with the same headhunter forever, it is a practical world out there, whoever is able to provide a better service, with a better quality and CHEAPER price will eventually get the deal done. Loyalty is getting non-existence after awhile...sad but truth!

Info-Age Era - Seasoned headhunters used their same way of recruitment and sourcing for client like 10-20 years ago, and to be honest, it will not work in the current info-age era, even as The Recruitment Guru, what I have taught my students 5 years back are considered to be obsolete!

You need to be on top of things, even what you have learned 12 months ago may not work now!

Rentals and Wages are Killing the Headhunting Firms - Especially in Singapore, the office rental is consider one of the highest in the region, even big MNC headhunting firms are moving out of the business district to a cheaper place, wages are always increasing....but the billing amount to client somewhat gets lesser and lesser!!

Ignorance about Market Tumour - I have covered these topic about 10 years ago, and I would still need to touch based on this again, if your client is throwing their job orders to 5 different headhunters, in which you will never know, forget about closing the deal, you will be wasting your time. Your chances of closing is not 20%, your chances of closing will be 0%. Because I need to take into consideration the candidates are also throwing their resume to as many headhunters and direct companies as possible to get the job they want. 

The clients need not show you the favour, the candidates do not give you the face too. You will be doomed!

Incompetent Headhunters - How many hours of training have the headhunters gone through every year? In the insurance and real estates in Singapore, people are being trained at least 40 hours per year to upgrade their skills - How about the recruitment industry, if you really averaged it out across the recruitment industry, the hours spend on becoming a better headhunter are pretty much non existence!

Most of the headhunter firms will close down, many will open too. They entire cycle will be ongoing without failed.

However, there are ways to overcome them, I will touch based on this in another article.

Cheers and God bless those headhunting firms!

Dougles Chan - The Only Recruitment Guru ~

Executive Recruiting Advice - Don't Underestimate The Cost Of A Mis-Hire

Effective, laser-focused executive recruiting is vital in any organization. Every CEO will agree that hiring and retaining high-quality executive leadership is crucial to achieving their strategic business goals. However, very few CEO's have accurate data to openly discuss the true cost of a bad hiring decision. Yet, when it does happen, it's too personal and too painful to study under a financial microscope. But, it's not a question of guilt or blame. The real question is, "How could it have been avoided and how can we reduce making mis-hires in the future?"

First, let's quantify the problem. Author Bradford D. Smart, PhD, concludes in his book, Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching and Keeping the Best People, "With an average base salary of $114,000, the average total cost associated with a 'typical' miss-hire is $2,709,000 - greater than 24 times the person's base compensation." And, this dollar amount increases or decreases as salary levels (and responsibilities) increase or decrease.

Using the formula provided by Dr. Smart, a bad hiring decision involving a $60,000 per year employee would cost the organization only $1.4 million, whereas a bad hiring decision involving a senior level $350,000 per year executive would cost the organization a staggering $8 million.

If you're trying to rationalize these amounts, think about the long-term "opportunity costs" that can result from sub-standard service, inadequate research, missed deadlines, failed marketing campaigns, missed sales targets, flawed accounting or investment strategies, and so much more. Once you dig in and begin to analyze the possibilities, it all starts to make perfect sense. In addition, you recruited the employee at considerable expense, you invested in their orientation and training, you put up with sub-standard performance and results for some period of time, and, adding insult to injury, you may have had to pay a severance amount to get the employee to leave. And finally, you incur all of the "hard" executive recruiting costs for the replacement employee, and you absorb various additional costs during the ramp-up of the new employee to their target productivity level.

It's clear that executive recruiting can become a form of high-stakes poker. But, what if you're a bit of a skeptic and you're thinking these costs are overstated?

First of all, I should mention that I have over twelve years of experience in the executive recruiting industry, and I believe these numbers are close to the mark. And, I have personal knowledge of captains of industry in Fortune 100 companies who likewise support these findings. But, go ahead. Cut these costs in half. Change 24 times salary to 12 times salary. Or, if you're really a skeptic, go ahead and cut them in half again. You can't escape it. Even at a mere 25% of the researched amount, you're still looking at a $2 million dollar cost for a bad hiring decision involving a $350,000 per year executive!

Over the years, I've had the opportunity to work with venture capital and private-equity backed healthcare companies as well as with multi-national Fortune 25 organizations to assist in the recruitment, selection and retention of key organizational leaders. And, along the way, it's been clear that most organizations simply don't attempt to measure the real cost of a mis-hire, although the company's leaders conceptually acknowledge the cost is significant. In fact, I've found that many corporations avoid the calculation by simply not agreeing on an appropriate formula, despite the fact imperfect information exists in all of their other decision making processes.

 It's too easily dismissed as just another "cost of doing business." But, I'm convinced this cost could be materially reduced.Across industries, it's reported that internal corporate executives consistently recruit and retain the "right" manager or executive for twelve months or longer less than 55% of the time. This seems rather low and you'd reasonably expect professional executive recruiting firms to provide significantly higher results. However, industry experts tell us the average executive recruiting firm gets it right only approximately 65% of the time.

 And, it's this knowledge that drives us to consistently deliver thorough and measurable search quality outcomes for our own clients. We lead the retained executive search industry with a 91% twelve-month retention rate. Therefore, it's not surprising that an unusually high percentage of our annual revenues are derived from repeat business with past clients. We've proven that consistently high-quality executive recruiting outcomes are possible. We believe quality is always a solid business differentiator.

3 Ways to Improve Your Executive Recruiting Outcomes:

1. Using a retained executive recruiting firm is not always the correct answer to finding the key executive for your business or organization. Retained executive recruiting firms are excellent resources at the right time. However, internal candidates, board members and industry colleagues can be valuable resources in your executive recruiting efforts. These individuals may be candidates individually, they may be able to open their rolodex, they may provide comments about desired candidate characteristics, and they may recommend retained executive recruiting firms for you to talk with. If you use a retained executive recruiting firm, do your homework by interviewing the firm to understand who will work on the search, ask for specific examples of recent searches, ensure competency in thoroughly and accurately completing your search and inquire about the firm's quality outcomes, or metrics, to understand the true alignment between your company and their process.

2. Plan a thoughtful and well-prepared interview process. Each interviewer in your company's process must have a clear understanding of his or her role in the process in assessing the candidate's skill set, experience, motivation and cultural fit. The absence of interview structure will be recognized by the candidate and, more importantly, will lead you directly down the path to a costly mis-hire.

3. Ensuring that the new executive is successful requires consistent and regular communication between the hiring executive, the successful candidate and specific, internal colleagues. Managing the individual's integration into your company for the first 90 days will provide an excellent basis for long-term retention. Following the first 90 days, monthly and quarterly communication further develops relationships, provides clear strategic direction and reinforces cross-functional interaction and discussion.

At an average cost of $2,709,000 per mis-hire, I encourage all business leaders to take a closer look at their executive recruiting processes, determine where and how these processes lead to false economies and added costs, and then take reasonable steps to better manage these processes. A bad hiring decision can be a significant drain on the bottom line. But, here's the good news, it can be reduced.

Sourcing for good headhunter executive search,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

Retire Young Retire Rich - Build an Investment Banking Career

Is it really possible to retire young and retire rich? Yes, of course. But it is not a matter of luck. It is all in your hands. You need to work hard towards it. There are couple of things that you can do. Pick the right career that pays you well, or make the right investment. You can even combine both and make yourself an investment banker. "When you're helping people make money, they don't really care how old you are." Said Trader Daily.

Many investment bankers retire at their 30's. I am a headhunter and have been recruiting very senior investment bankers over the past eight years. I've witnessed many bankers retire before 40. Consider the firm they work for, the title they hold and the money they make, everyone will admire them. Why these bankers choose to go skiing, visit penguins at the South Pole or even return to school?

There are two major reasons. They either can't put up with their stressful investment banking jobs or they've made enough money to maintain their desired living standard for the rest of their life. A lot of them return to work after a two-year sabbatical, only because they are workaholics.

If you are aiming at retire young and retire rich, you have to start planning while you are still at college. Get some insights from my investment banking resumes blog.

When to start an investment banking career?
Many of my outstanding candidates' first jobs were actually where they had their internships. Therefore you need to plan your investment banking career when you are studying for your undergraduate. Aim for an internship at a reputable bank. Make it a goal for your resume to be on the radar screens of every Wall Street recruiting director by December holidays.

How can I tell that an investment banking career is ideal for me?
The best is to do informational interviews.

What exactly is an informational interview?
An informational interview is a highly focused information gathering session with a networking contact designed to help you choose or refine your career path by giving you the "insider" point of view.

If you are planning to start an investment banking career, read my blog and learn more about setting up informational interviews.

Looking for good headhunter recruitment agencies,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

Resume Writing Tips - Do's & Dont's of Printing Your Resume

The internet has transformed the job search. Professionals can now create and email a resume to several different potential employers simultaneously. Headhunter sites allow us to create and store cover letters and resumes in electronic format making the process more convenient. However printing electronically formatted resumes may raise some concern.

When would a printed resume be needed? Resumes in printed form are necessary when going to a job interview where you and the potential employer will be speaking face to face. Although it is likely that your potential employer will have already printed a copy of your resume from your online application in preparation for the interview it is a good rule of practice to bring a clean professional copy with you. Printing a test copy beforehand will help to ensure that your resume is correctly formatted for print and looks professional.

When printing your resume you should always use white or ivory paper; this may be obtained from any office supply store. Using colored paper, colored font or funky fonts detract from the professional image that you are trying to project. You may appear childish and unprofessional to a potential employer and this can ruin an otherwise good first impression. If your resume is longer than one page be sure to print all pages and make sure that the format is consistent on all subsequent pages. Print on only one side of the paper and include page numbers on the bottom of each page, take care that there are no stray markings or scribbling on any of the pages. Paying attention to small details in the beginning will ensure that you appear polished and detail oriented to all potential employers.

If you are using an ink jet printer allow your document to sit on the printer until the ink dries to avoid smudging. Place your resume in a folder or hard bound book to ensure that edges do not become curled, dog eared or document does not get crumpled. First impressions can make the difference between a successful interview and a not so successful interview.

Be sure to print several copies of your resume and provide one to the interviewer. Although he or she may have a copy, a nicely formatted printed copy will speak volumes about your attention to detail and professionalism. Be prepared to provide additional copies if asked. The interviewer may wish to have a manager or colleague review the resume for additional input. Being prepared will present you as someone that is organized, business like and well equipped. Additionally it is a good practice to include references along with copies of your resume. References may be included at the bottom of your resume or as an attachment. Including references preempts the employer from having to ask for this information and demonstrates your serious pursuit of the position.

Having a well-formatted, clean and professional resume will make a great first impression and pave the way to landing a job that you really want.

Searching for good headhunter recruitment agencies,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

Recruiter Motivation

Motivation energizes our efforts to keep taking the actions that lead to placements. Money has never been a true motivator for me. It's a nice reward for sure, but once there's plenty of money around the moment of truth arrives for each Recruiter. What is it that makes us want to do our job well?
A long time ago I put together a little system in my own brain that keeps me on track. I suspect most other Recruiters have done the same although many of those systems remain unvoiced.

I value freedom in both my work and personal life. Recruiting has provided a means for me to maintain my freedom. I'm also fond of efficiency. I set out each day to accomplish two important functions. I try and get those two things done within 4 hours. My commitment to recruiting revolves around this deal I made with myself. Each day I will work until two crucial tasks are completed. If I get those tasks completed within 4 - 4 and ½ hours the rest of the day is "free" if I so choose.

It's that simple. My productivity centers around getting 2 - 3 send-outs a week (which translates into 1 or 2 placements a week). So each day I either need to recruit a candidate to send out on an interview, or get a job order.

The thought of having an unfulfilled job order drives me crazy. The idea I may let a client down creates great agitation within me and pushes me to act. Some credit such tenacity to a mid-western work ethic. I think it's part that and part some kind of guilt. Guilt related to what I don't know. I also know that what pushes me forward to complete a task is self respect.

I focus entirely on whatever task is at hand. If I find a candidate on the 6th phone call of the day, I move on to a few reference checks and a new job order if my wonderful new candidate is not a match for any of my current job orders. I always interview a new candidate twice before scheduling a send out. I've found candidates need time for my questions and their responses to germinate. The second interview tends to have more substance.

Recruiting candidates, scheduling send outs, and getting new job orders are critical to any Recruiter's success. All the other steps involved in a placement are support tasks, in my opinion. I never do support type tasks unless one of the primary tasks are completed in any given day.

There are Recruiters out there who work 50 and 60 hours a week. They may even be making up to a million dollars a year. That is possible. I'm most content when I operate to please myself and in a way that produces balance in my life. I've owned businesses that did require me to work 60, 70, even 80 hours a week. Once those businesses started to succeed I was able to put managers in place to smooth out operations. I no longer want to work that hard and don't. I can no longer sustain 50 - 70 hours week for months at a time.

I know of recruiters who interview 18 - 20 people a week and make 4 - 8 placements a week. More power to them. Recruiter know thyself I say. March to your inner drummer and take pleasure in the ample rewards that accompany impacting the futures of businesses, candidates, and your personal circle of friends and family who interact with you everyday.

One final point. If there are parts of the recruiting process that you avoid...find someone else to complete those tasks. Don't fight with yourself. Know your strengths. Do 'splits' with other recruiters and you'll be able to maintain your motivation and enjoy everything this great profession has to offer.

Sourcing for reputable top headhunter,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

Selective Bargaining For the Executive

The season and setting are the same, a fine spring evening outside the door of Mr. Young Executive's house. The time is different, however, and so is Young Executive. He is fifteen years older and fifteen years wiser. His salary is now $180,000 a year.

The main change in Young Executive, however, is that his name is different. In corporate circles he is known as Mr. Key Executive, a person whose business acumen and devotion to his company make him a valued asset. As Mr. Key, he is no longer merely a hired man. He has become a valued partner in the corporation, in spirit if not in fact. He is a decision maker, a planner, and a member of the corporate management team, performing many of the functions that the old-time individual business owner used to perform.

Corporation Americana wants to hang on to its Mr. Key. He is one of the important people on the team that makes the profits. They would like to build a fence around him, if that were possible, to keep him from straying down the street to a competitor.

By a not-so-odd coincidence, this is exactly what Mr. Key is thinking of doing on this very spring evening. He is returning from a most interesting meeting with a person known in the higher-echelon circles he frequents as a headhunter, a person who specializes in finding top executives for her corporate clients. The most likely place to find such top executives is in other corporations.

This particular "headhunter" has just "found" Mr. Key. The client in question is Corporation GlobalBiz: powerful, big and successful, just like Mr. Key's own Corporation Americana. Mr. Key got the idea, although no precise terms were discussed, that there would most certainly be a substantial salary hike for him, plus certain other unnamed benefits that they could "work out" if Mr. Key were interested.

He doesn't realize it, but the advent of the headhunter, her offer, and all that it implies, has just opened the door to a fruitful estate-building opportunity for him.

Mr. Key is now in a bargaining position. Both companies want him, and are willing to negotiate with him for additional benefits that will secure his services and his loyalties. Most corporations regard these additional benefits as inducements and incentives for key employees. They realize that people like Mr. Key are hard to come by, that they devote all their time and energy to their work, often to the neglect of their own financial problems. They know that they must help Mr. Key make up for that neglect by offering special opportunities to ensure the financial security of Mr. Key and his family. They know an unworried executive can concentrate on the company's needs instead of diverting his time and attention to his own financial concerns.

These additional benefits, if Mr. Key bargains well and wisely for them, will provide him with a custom-made program of capital accumulation that can be keyed to the rest of his estate plan and to his regular compensation package. Its long-range benefits may be worth far more than a mere salary raise.

The companies will make offers, undoubtedly. But if Mr. Key is to drive a good bargain, he must not only listen to offers; he should also make proposals of his own. To do that, he needs to analyze two important factors: his own needs and the range of possible benefits open to him.

Sourcing for reputable professional headhunter,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

How Many Times Should You Follow Up Before Giving Up Your Insurance Prospects?

Just like anyone in any other form of business, insurance agents often hope to close a deal when meeting their prospects for the first time. Yet studies reveal that only two per cent of sales occur during the first sales interview.

The two per cent who decide to buy at a first meeting are people who already know what they're looking for. They just need to meet someone at the right moment to seal the transaction. The other 98 per cent will only buy when they are certain they can trust the salesperson.

Follow-up is therefore an on-going aspect of sales process. It refers to each step taken after the initial contact with a prospect. Whether initial contact was made by phone or in-person, any subsequent contact is follow-up.

According to statistics:

- 50% of salespeople call on a prospect one time, and quit.

- 18% call on a prospect twice, and give up.

- 7% call three times, and call it quits.

- 5% call on a prospect four times before quitting.

- Only 20% call on a prospect five or more times before they quit.

The 20% are the ones who generate 80% of the business. The findings reveal that 80 per cent of sales opportunities are lost because the salespeople do not follow-up. In other words, you should follow up at least 5 times before giving up a prospect.

Knowing that it takes at least 5 follow-ups to secure a case, why many insurance agents quit too early? Some insurance agents hesitate to call their prospects again because they associate follow up with pestering. They are afraid their prospects would get offended.

In any case, follow up is part and parcel of sales process, especially if huge premiums are involved. It's almost unheard of for a person to buy a million dollar policy during his first meeting with the agent. He has to make sure he knows what he is doing before departing his money.

Follow up is also needed if the prospect is not familiar with products. People rarely make quick decisions about things they don't understand. It takes several visits and phone calls for your prospects to acknowledge that you have their interest in your mine.

When doing follow up, you need to have meaningful communication strategies so that you have the opportunity to advance and build relationship. The use of a structured follow-up program helps you nurture your clients and bring them closer to you.

If you have limited time to do follow up, you must carefully plan how long you want to spend with each prospect. You must consider the amount of business the prospect may bring in. At times, you may also like to look into the quality of the referrals you may get.

The following are the communication tools that you can use during your follow up with your prospects:

(a) Thank-you note
Send a handwritten thank-you note after the first meeting. Include articles that are relevant to their needs if you could find some. Thank-you note serves to thank the prospects and offer valuable information to them so that they would appreciate you and remember you.

(b) Call them
If you don't reach the prospects, don't leave any message. Your prospects would be curious when seeing the missed calls and would like to know who called them. If you prefer to leave a voice message, slowly repeat your name and let the prospect know you have a couple of questions to ask.

(c) Send email
If you prefer to follow up using email after the first meeting and if the prospect doesn't respond within a week, send the same e-mail again. Send again a week later if you still do not get any response. Usually by the third time you send it, you will get a response.

(d) Alternate calls and emails
Alternate phone calls and email so that you give the prospects options that they can either call you or reply your email.

Follow up activities are valuable to insurance agents because you would learn how to deal with people of different personalities and background more tactfully. Every failure is a discovery. It is natural to face objection, you should be fearful if the prospect decides to buy too fast.

Sourcing for best corporate headhunter, do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

Are Sales Resume Distribution Services Or Resume Blast Services Worththe Money?

The answer to this question is a resounding YES!! From a headhunter's perspective, we receive resumes from many great services every day. Many of the better services network candidates strictly with recruiters and avoid sending to employers directly. This enables the recruiters to do their job and match the "great" candidates with open vacancies in the market. There is a caveat though...If you are not a qualified sales person with at least 1-2 years of solid legitimate sales experience; I wouldn't recommend using these services.

From a leading medical sales recruiter's perspective, I have placed dozens of candidates who have used these services so I know they work. Multiply that by thousands of sales recruiting firms and you get the point. These Services work because sales recruiters have relationships with the hiring managers and they can sell your skills. Sales Recruiters are your best chance at being introduced to the hiring sales manager or decision maker and depending on their relationship with the client, they will be able to market you differently than if you just applied to directly to the corporate Hr department.

Now, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of other ways to get jobs in medical or pharmaceutical sales and I am not saying that sales resume distribution services are the panacea to getting your dream job. Other methods to consider are to network with people in the industry on sites like Linked In & Facebook. If you take this route I would advise getting networked with an employee at the company who is comfortable with you and your skill set. Most employees will recommend people only if they are qualified and they can be assured that the "referred" candidate won't jeopardize the employee's business reputation within the company. Most employees at Medical and Pharmaceutical Sales Companies are awarded a "referral bonus" for successfully referring in a qualified candidate who subsequently gets hired.

This can be an excellent way to get your foot in the door with a company. If you don't have sales experience but really want to get into the medical or pharmaceutical industry, the best way to do that is land a position in b2b sales with a fortune 500 company. Some companies that have great formal sales training and really prepare their reps well for a career in medical sales are: ADP, Cintas, Ikon, Xerox, Pitney Bowes, Paychex, Lanier, Enterprise, Staples, Ceridian, SBC Global, AT&T, Gallo, US Food Service, etc. There are many other companies that provide excellent formal sales training but in our experience, the reps that come from well known Fortune 500 companies have a higher probability of getting into the industry and a higher probability for success.

In addition, college activities and athletics are a plus. Having an accredited clinical background also doesn't hurt. In the interest of staying on track, Medical Sales Resume Distribution Services or Sales Resume Distribution Services or Resume Blast Services can be another "bullet in your gun" related to networking and finding that perfect sales opportunity specifically as it relates to medical or pharmaceutical sales.

Looking for best headhunter in Singapore,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

What is a Business Model?

Before you develop your company's business plan, a better first step to take is to make a business model. A business model basically just describes how your company plans to make money. A better definition is that a business model takes the technical inputs such as your services and products and turns them into economic outputs such as what you sell or can earn income from.

Some similarly related ideas to the business model are value proposition, value network, and value chain. A value proposition is a specific, clear, and succinct statement about how your product and service will beneficial to others, as well as how it is different from other products on the marketplace.

For a campus music selling business whose idea was to sell compact discs to students, the value proposition was: Unlike most retailers we will sell compact discs that are affordable and can conveniently be purchased on campus. A value chain the sequence of activities you will need to produce a product or fully deliver your service. For the CD selling company again, that would be to order at wholesale prices compact discs, then figure out a inventory system, then market and sell the CD's as well as to provide great customer service for delivery, returns, and sales. In the overall value chain for each CD, the CD selling company is towards the end while the people who write the songs and produce the music are at the top.

The value network is the overall system of competitors, complimentary entities and partners that you could utilize to deliver extra value to a customer. Back to the example of the CD store. The value network would include other local stores and student groups that you can set up booths at their events and to advertise in the student newspaper. In exchange, the CD store agrees to donate some of the proceeds to the student groups.

Looking to buy an existing manpower agency? Check out the recruitment companies for sale listing at www.dougleschan.com

The 5 Phases of Business Development

The Business Development (BD) process in Government Contracting relates to the identification of suitable contracts and preparation of proposals in response to Government solicitations for these contracts. It typically consists of five separate and distinct phases:

1. The PositioningPhase (tied to the company's Business and Strategic Plans), where the company decides on the direction they want to take to increase market share.
   The PursuitPhase, where the overall Marketing Plan is developed and then separated into the accounts that will identify individual targets to pursue
2. The ProposalPhase, where the response to the RFP is prepared
3. The Post SubmissionPhase, where clarifications, proposal modifications and negotiations (if any) are prepared
4. The OperationsPhase, where the contract is mobilized for Phase-in, if won - or lessons learned from the Government's debrief is collected, if lost

One important aspect of the BD process is that it is most effective as a closed-loop system, in which the Operations Phase information feeds into the Positioning Phase for an ever-changing system that quickly reacts to changing conditions in the marketplace. This is often referred to as the BD Lifecycle.

Many separate workgroups or business units support the BD process, from corporate management to the operations staff to production personnel and administrative staff inside the company, to third party Subject Matter Experts (SME) or professional proposal preparation personnel like those provided by third party consulting firms.
Positioning PhaseSome of the tasks performed during the major phases of the BD process include:

• Defining the company's direction
• Using data from the Marketing Plan, establish target selection criteria and prioritize targets
• Forming strategic alliances with other companies that can make good teaming partners that will lead to expanding the company's resume in new markets
• Analyze the gaps between where the company is today, and where the company needs to be, what it needs to have, etc to meet the projected goals
• Establish the various Lines of Business (LOB) and develop the account plans (by customer, region, etc) to support the LOBs
• Establish the necessary overall Bid and Proposal (B&P) budgets to support the accounts

Pursuit Phase

• Establish and develop the Capture Plans for targets identified within the Account Plans
• Develop an understanding of each individual customers' needs and articulate these in each Capture Plan
• Establish a customer Call Plan and meet with them to discover gaps and present solutions
• Locate Key Personnel suitable for the job
• Locate required subcontractors to fill niche task requirements or small business subcontracting goals
• Locate and commit one or more "guy on the ground" that understands details that may not be disclosed during the procurement cycle (make sure he does not have a conflict of interest!) Redact all of the information into a Bid/No Bid document for analysis

Proposal Phase

• Hold strategy sessions and discuss all known information, and discover any final gaps
• Develop the Concept of Operation (CONOPS)
• Refine and finalize the B&P budget
• Mobilize the Proposal and Cost Teams
• Attend the Site Visit/Pre-proposal conference
• Conduct Final Bid/No Bid for Management
• Prepare, refine, produce, and deliver proposal

Post Submission Phase

• Follow up to client
• Orals Presentation if required
• Archive working proposal documents into library
• Respond to Questions/clarifications from customer
• Revise proposal as needed

Operations Phase

• Mobilize for Contract Phase-in
• Negotiate contract modification as needed
• Develop lessons learned (entire team)
• Collect and archive contract performance data for future proposals

This is just a simple list of some of the major tasks performed during the process, there are many other sub-tasks that must be performed to accomplish these, and there are many opportunities to do them incorrectly. This is often frustrating for companies, as they are unable to understand why they're not experiencing the success they believe they should have, or that their competition has, because they are dutifully performing each step of the process.

What's important here is that merely performing the step is not the same as performing it correctly. Another dynamic of this is that it can be difficult to admit that sometimes we need help, or it could be that upper management would take a dim view of our abilities if we asked for outside help with our internal processes.

Additionally, many large (and some small) companies need help, but don't know they need it (or in extreme cases, are too arrogant to admit it). This is normally characterized by a high turnover of business development personnel as they struggle in vain to be successful using a broken process.

Searching for Singapore business for sale? Check out here.

A Few Cover Letter Examples

Here are a few cover letter examples for job seekers' references. These are live examples, however all names are dummies. These letters have one thing in common - they all generated interviews and some candidates were being hired.

As a general rule, a job seeking cover letter should be short and precise. 'Matching' is one of the most important roles of a hiring manager. In other words, he has to know exactly what you want, before he knows what to do with your application. It is easy if you are responding to a recruitment advertisement. But if you are approaching an employer or a headhunter proactively, you must specify what you want.

You need to specify what you want, highlight your job skills and experiences and ask for an interview, all within a short cover letter. In fact most hiring managers spend only 20 seconds in reading a cover letter. In such a short cover letter, every word counts. Every word should add value. Never write long sentences and of course no non-sense.

Let's go through a few cover letter examples below which cover various scenarios.

Entry Level
Hello, my name is Anna Maria D'Souza. I have just obtained my master's degree from the Yale University. My focus was on financial engineering and economics. I am looking for an entry-level analyst position. I have been a quantitative analyst intern at ABC Investment Bank and have a good understanding of the US and Asian markets.

I have attached my resume and would welcome an opportunity to meet you. I can be reached on...

Proactive Approach
I would like to introduce myself as a professional marketer with 17 years of marketing and sales experience in Healthcare and Diagnostics industries.

I am currently a Regional Business Manager in Famous HealthCare (Asia) and the countries under my responsibility include Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. I am now seeking a Marketing/ Business management position that will maximize use of my knowledge and experience.

Proactive Approach and Career Move
I have attached my resume. I am ready to move, flexible on terms & location, and continue to be interested in new opportunities to further my career in a new setting within the Asia region.

I am also open to new fields that will utilise my sales, marketing, general management, brand & business building experience and will present new learnings and new challenges.

Replying to An Ad
Thanks so much for posting your need for an executive assistant on jobs.com. I've had 10 years of experience assisting my previous employers in a similar role and I know I can contribute to your company the skills I've developed in these jobs--organization, dependability, multi-tasking, and positive problem-solving.

Could we meet for an interview? I'm eager to find out your expectations for the person you hire and to show you how I will work hard to meet them. Please name a date and time that is right for you and I'll be there, ready to get right down to business.

Looking for reputable professional headhunter,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

CV/Resume File Type - Is it Important?

You have spent so much time working on your CV, getting it just right. You found the perfect job, and are anxious to apply. Maybe something you have never given any thought to, but what is the correct file format for your CV: DOC, PDF, TXT...?

I have received CVs in all of the above formats, including variations, such as DOCX. Are they all the same?

Even if you are not a computer expert, it is important to understand the basics:

• DOC - Most versions of Microsoft Word use this type of file


• DOCX - Microsoft Word 2007 uses this type of file


• RTF - Microsoft and Apple applications, and as well as open source systems, can work (including edit) with these files


• PDF - This is the format that Abode Acrobat works with. It is multi-platform, but most people can only open and print such documents, and are not able to edit them.


• TXT - A text file, notepad and other programs can be used to create these text only files, without formatting options.

Of course, there are plenty of others, but these are the most common today.

MS Word is used more frequently as the document creation tool of choice, so most CVs are in the DOC format. Since it is almost universal that the person receiving your CV will be able to work with this type of file, it is in fact a safe choice for sending your CV. The potential disadvantage is that each person can have different settings on their PC Word application, so format of the document on your PC may not be exactly the same as the way that they see it.

For those using Word 2007, DOCX files are the default format, and I get CVs in this style as well. There is a problem though, as older versions of Word can not open this type of file unless they add a special problem to their computer to do a conversion. Therefore, I do not believe that you want to take this chance; users of Word 2007 should use the "Save As..." option, and save the file as a "Word 97 - 2003" document format, which will produce a standard DOC file.

RTF Files are used usually by people that want their files to be accessible on a variety of systems (Microsoft, Apple, LINUX/UNIX...). In the case of CVs, since it can be safely assumed that everyone can open a DOC file, there is probably not much of an advantage to the RTF format.

PDF Files look exactly the same on each PC, so they overcome the potential disadvantage of Word DOC files in this regard. The disadvantage is that they are not editable or searchable, something I will expand upon below when applying to job advertised by H/R companies/headhunters. There are many free programs available to convert the various Word format files to PDF.

TXT files are simple files, and can be opened by anyone. However, because of the lack of formatting (for instance, bold text or different size characters) and the universally acceptable DOC/PDF, there is no real reason to send your CV in a "boring" text format.

So, what is the best choice for your CV? When sending an application directly to most employers, I think that sending in a DOC, RTF, or PDF are equally acceptable. However, when you are sending an application to a H/R company / headhunter, or to a very large employer, then a DOC format might be the best choice, and sometimes in the job notice itself a Word format is specified. Why? There are two main reasons:

1. Oftentimes H/R companies will send your CV to the actual employer, but remove your contact details (so that the employer must come to them to move forward in the recruitment process). Since a PDF file can not be easily edited, your application may simply be too complicated for them to deal with if they have other candidates, and you won't be forwarded on.


2. For H/R companies as well as very large employers, there is usually a CV file bank that they use, and each new CV they receive is added to this library. When a new job position becomes available, the company will quickly do an automated search through all of the CV in the file bank, and those that meet the criteria will be selected for further consideration. In many cases these file banks can only handle Word documents, so it is to your advantage to submit your CV in this format. In addition, since this search is usually based upon keywords, you want to make sure that for this version of your CV, you have included all of the keywords that you could reasonably imagine would be part of a potential employers search criteria.

While certainly the contents of your CV are much are important than the file type that you ultimately use to submit it, it is important to understand the implications of your decision, so that you present yourself as attractively as possible.

Searching for reputable professional headhunter,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

Cover Letters Can Give Life to a Resume

A resume is the single-most important document a job seeker can have. It's the key professional passport that's required for entry into a new position and sometimes a new career. However, resumes by themselves are lifeless without the accompaniment of a well-crafted cover letter. An apt term, cover letter, because it's designed to do more than physically cover the resume in mailed form; it's to cover those aspects of a job seeker's background that the resume will detail.

The cover letter is most effective when it introduces the job seeker to the reader. Like a sort of written handshake, the cover letter introduces the person, his credentials and desired direction for the future.

By presenting the person, the cover letter includes factual personal information such as name, address (usually home), business, cell and home telephone numbers and a personal email address (sometimes a business email address is listed).

I recommend a personal or home email address because they generally change less frequently than the business address. Also, by providing a home email address, the job seeker is giving the headhunter or potential employer a way to contact him privately and sometimes at a later date.

Conveys personality - A good cover letter will also reveal a snippet of information regarding the personality and possibly character of the writer. Depending on the writing style chosen by the candidate - formal, cookie-cutter, informal, friendly, chatty, conversational - the reader is able to gain some insight into the author of the letter. This preliminary process often helps narrow the list of those who may be pre-screened via phone or invited for in-person interviews.

The credentials portion of the letter is also a window into the mind of the writer. By emphasizing and highlighting select parts of his background, the job seeker is signaling the reader to look more closely at certain parts of his resume. It also should indicate in what direction the job seeker is heading. This helps the headhunter/employer to see how the job seeker perceives himself in relation to his peers.

The uninitiated might think that a person's experience and credentials are nothing more than a bunch of facts and dates in chronological order. It's the cover letter that summarizes and crystallizes what the writer feels about the most relevant parts of his background. Determining how a job seeker perceives himself, and the skills he brings to bear, is an integral part of the headhunter's job. We have to make sure that the candidates' perception of themselves will match ultimately with how they present themselves to our client.

Lastly, the direction in which a job seeker wants to go is critical to the entire job search process. The more clearly one expresses his aims, hopes, goals and direction, the smoother the process. A cover letter is the best place to state that direction.

One cannot speak about cover letters without emphasizing the need to use the spell and grammar check. Solid writing, good grammar and correct spelling and punctuation are the bedrocks of communication.

A most unusual approach And from the folder labeled unusual cover letters and correspondence comes the following group that I've saved for just this type of occasion:

A cover letter typed neatly on the back of a postcard entitled: Where do I fit in the job market?
A one-page letter with an inset color photo of the candidate holding a basketball captioned: Pete Smith, World's Worst Basketball Player. The headline reads: He could never hit the J, but there are no Js in PR. The letter continues with references to his PR experience and analogies to basketball.
What's Halloween without a letter on bright orange paper titled: There'll be no tricks, only treats, if you can help me find a job!

Memorable stunts include one candidate who telegrammed a client following an interview: I have a great idea for your campaign. Hire me and I'll tell you what it is, AND another who sent a client a thank-you in the form of a wheel of Brie. Accompanying that was a note that began, I just wanted to thank the big cheese himself...

Jane Doe Up for Grabs screams another letter. It then goes on to describe how this freelancer promises to dress in professional attire (including pantyhose); how her cats went nuts with her credit cards and how she yearns for the normal life of a full-time job.

And finally, one helpful soul who visited Spring Associates' website wrote: In order to be taken seriously as the leading PR Executive Search firm, proof read you (sic) home page. There is a misspelled word Associates in the first paragraph. Thanks. And thank you!

These letters may not have gotten the writers the intended result - a job, but they certainly gave me a chuckle and got my attention. Do they really work? You be the judge.

Searching for good professional headhunter,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

How to Reject a Job Applicant

A Nightmare That Really Happened
Over 10 years ago, when I worked as a manager at a major corporation, I received a call from a headhunter about a magnificent job opening. It sounded like the perfect job for me. So, I went and was interviewed by the vice-president I would report to, if hired. He told me I was one of two finalists for the position.

A week later, I got on an elevator with a person who looked totally elated. I asked her why she felt so jubilant. She proudly told me she was offered a fantastic job. She described the job to me.
Lo-and-behold, she got the job I applied for! Of the two finalists, she was the other candidate - and she got the job!!

The next day, I called the vice-president who interviewed me. I asked if we could meet to discuss why he did not offer me the job. He agreed. When we met, he told me the only reason he did not hire me was because of one thing I said in the interview that he did not like. He told me what it was.
I felt horrified. The vice-president grossly misinterpreted what I meant! So, I did not get offered the job because he misinterpreted one comment I made.

I told him how he misinterpreted that one remark. It was useless. We argued for two hours. It was quite unpleasant. I am sure that was the last time that executive told any applicant why he or she did not receive a job offer.

Valuable Lesson

When you reject a job applicant -- and the applicant asks you why -- remember to do only the following:

1. Act politely vague about why you rejected the applicant
2. Just say "No!!!!"

Act Politely Vague

If an applicant asks you why you did not hire him or her, say something politely vague. Examples:
"As you can imagine, we had a number of applicants for this job. We will keep your application on file. Thanks for applying."

"We had to choose among a number of applicants. Thanks for applying. We'll keep your application on file."

If the applicant asks (or begs) you for "feedback" or advice to become a better applicant in the future, BEWARE!! Such requests are disguised ways to squeeze out of you the reasons you rejected the person. Despite your humanistic urge to help the applicant "grow" or "develop skills," never tell the applicant reasons for the rejection. If you tell the applicant the real reasons, you most likely will get yourself into an uncomfortable disagreement. The applicant will take great glee in trying to find fault with your reasons for rejection.

Just Say "No!!"
Many companies use my firm's Abilities & Behavior Forecaster(TM) pre-employment tests. The company tests an applicant using the Forecaster(TM) test, and then gets computerized scores to quickly compare the applicant to productive employees who work in the particular job. Often, managers ask me, "Dr. Mercer, can I show the applicant his of her Forecaster(TM) test scores?"
I answer as follows: "Would you show the applicant the notes you took when you interviewed him or her?" The manager always responds, "Of course not!"

Then, I ask, "Would you show the applicant the notes you took when you called the applicant's references?" Again, the manager answers, "Of course not!!"

I then explain to the manager to treat the test scores the same way the manager treats the interview notes or reference check notes: Do not show any hiring materials to the applicant.

Take This Quiz

Answer these questions to assess your skill at rejecting an applicant - and staying out of hot water with applicants you reject.

1. Should you tell the applicant why you did not hire him/her?
Yes / No

2. Should you show the applicant materials you have about him/her, such as
a. Test scores?
Yes / No

b. Notes you took while interviewing applicant?
Yes / No

c. Notes you took during reference checks?
Yes / No

d. Applicant rating sheet?
Yes / No

3. Should you tell the applicant details of discussions you and other managers had about him/her?
Yes / No

4. If an applicant asks for "feedback" or "advice" about how to do better in future job interviews,
which answer is best - for you and your company?
a. "We rejected you because you have quirks, your work experience is unimpressive,you lack certain skills, and your communications skills need improvement."

b. "As you can imagine, we had a number of applicants for this job. Thank you for applying. We will keep your application on file."

Answers: = For Questions 1, 2 and 3, all answers are "No." For Question 4, the answer is "b."

Remember - Or You Pay the Price

When hiring, your goal is to hire productive employees. Your goal is not to (1) get into a heated discussion with a rejected applicant nor (2) help a rejected applicant "develop skills" and improve.

So, remember two rules when you reject an applicant:
Be politely vague

Just say "No!!!!"

Looking for reputable headhunter executive search,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

How Do I Select An Executive Recruiter?

a.What are the benefits of utilizing executive recruiters?

Experts in recruitment

Executive recruiters are specialized professionals. They work at the recruitment process exclusively, and survive on their ability to get results in a highly competitive marketplace. Most executive recruiters bring years of experience to their work, and are intimately familiar with every aspect of candidate identification, sourcing and selection.

Executive recruiters are hired to cast a wider net and approach accomplished candidates who are busy working and not looking. Many candidates are invisible from where employers sit, and will not approach a public job opportunity without the safety and confidentiality of third-part representation.
Executive recruiters have the advantage of meeting with candidates outside the interviewing arena where they can build trust and rapport in a neutral and protected environment. They have mastered the delicate art of persuading well-paid, well-treated executives to give up good corporate homes for better ones.

Executive recruiters remove a tremendous recruitment burden from management by presenting a limited number of qualified candidates who are usually prepared to accept an offer. They also are skilled at dealing with counter-offers, and managing candidates until they are safely on board with their new position.

Committed to confidentiality

Executive recruiters understand the privileged relationships they have and are committed to strict confidentiality -- both by professional ethics and common sense.

Many employers want to keep hiring decisions and initiatives confidential from competitors, customers, employees, stockholders or suppliers to protect against unnecessary apprehension. Management resignations are often private matters and require immediate replacements before the resignation becomes public knowledge. Sometimes employees need to be replaced without their knowledge. For these assignments, an executive recruiter is usually the only confidential solution.

Candidates also need the confidentiality which executive recruiters can provide. Many candidates are willing to hear of outstanding opportunities, which could advance their careers, but few are willing to explore those opportunities on their own in fear of jeopardizing their current position. An executive recruiter is a third-party representative that knows how to gain the confidence of nervous candidates.

Objective professional counsel

The objectivity and feedback from an executive recruiter is invaluable to an employers. Recruiters know how to advise and counsel management so that the best hire gets made -- the choice with the longest-range likelihood of mutual benefit and satisfaction. They can help employers evaluate their expectations, and bring industry expertise to assist with the development of job descriptions, reporting relationships and compensation programs. They can also usually provide investigative reports on candidates, third party referencing, personality testing, foreign language proficiency assessment, relocation assistance and other specialized services.

Executive recruiters help balance the emotional reactions and biases of corporate management. Likewise, the recruiter can act as a skilled intermediary -- a diplomat, if you will - to clear up misunderstandings, straighten out miscommunications, and tactfully convey each party's concerns to the other during negotiations.

Cost effective investment

The use of executive recruiters should be viewed as an investment in improving the quality of an organization's managerial might. The right choice can dramatically increase a employer's value; and that value rises exponentially moving up the management chain. The fees associated with any particular search become almost incidental considering the ultimate payback.

A good way to view cost is to measure the cost of a bad hire. When an incompetent new employee makes bad decisions, hundreds of thousands -- even millions -- of dollars may be lost. This employee will have to be replaced and the overall downtime for having the position unproductive can be staggering. Employers often engage executive recruiters to ensure that such trauma and expense are kept to a minimum.

b. Types of Executive Recruiters

There are basically two types of executive recruiters: retained fee and contingency fee. Both retained and contingency fee recruiters perform the same essential service. However, their working relationship with their clients is different, and so is the way these recruiters charge for their service. Retained and contingency fee recruiters each bring certain advantages and disadvantages to particular kinds of executive searches. Cost in fees is basically the same (twenty five percent to thirty five percent of a candidate's first years compensation), with the exception that out-of-pocket expenses are usually reimbursed for retained recruiters.

Retained recruiters

Retained executive recruiters derive their name from the fact that they work "on retainer." Employers pay for their services up front and throughout the recruitment process. Retained recruiters are typically paid for the search process regardless of the outcome of the search, however most retained recruiters allow employers to cancel the search at any time for prorated rates.

Retained recruiters provide a thorough and complete recruitment effort, often involving multiple researchers and recruiters on a single assignment. They usually create detailed reports on the employer, the position, their research and recruitment efforts, candidate resumes, interviews, reference checks and other tangible services that add value to the search process.

They tend to work in partnership with the employer, offering expert counsel throughout the search, and requiring exclusivity and control over the hiring process. The retained recruiter may participate in all client interviews with candidates, all related discussions within the client employer, all negotiations, offers, and settlements. While the process may take three or four months, the hire is typically guaranteed for a year or longer. Because a retained executive recruiter spends so much time on behalf of each client employer, she can only work with a few clients at a time (usually two to six). Retained recruiters will usually present candidates to only one employer at a time and will maintain a two year "candidate hands off" policy.

It is usually best to hire a retained recruiter when an assignment is critical or senior in scope (seventy five thousand dollars or more), when difficult to fill or requires a thorough recruiting effort, when it requires strict confidentiality, or when locating the best candidate is more important than filling the position quickly.

Contingency recruiters

Contingency executive recruiters derive their name from the fact that they work "on contingency." Employers only pay for their services if an employer hires a candidate referred by their firm. If there is no hire, then there is no fee due.

Most contingency recruiters work quickly and uncover many resumes. They tend to provide more of a resume referral service, and spend less time with each client. Because there is no financial commitment from employers to support up front candidate research, contingency recruiters tend to move on to new assignments more quickly once a job opportunity becomes difficult to fill.

Contingency recruiters find it is usually more cost effective to market exceptional candidates to locate job opportunities than to recruit for employers and locate difficult-to-find candidates. Most contingency recruiters fill lower to middle management positions where candidate marketing can result in greater chances for success due to the greater number of job opportunities. However some contingency recruiters will not market candidates and will only recruit for employers.

The relationship between contingency recruiters and their clients is usually less intense, with less personal contact and a lower level of mutual commitment. It is not uncommon for an employer to use several contingency recruiters on a single search, while continuing to try and fill the position on their own.

Contingency recruiters usually manage eight to twenty assignments at a time, and maintain a one year "candidate hands off" policy. They will usually present candidates to multiple job assignments, and often face pressure working similar assignments with different fee levels. Contingency recruiters generally guarantee their placements for thirty to ninety days, but some offer no guarantee. Although the placement fees are usually twenty five percent to thirty five percent a candidate's annual compensation, many contingency recruiters are willing to negotiate their fees and some charge as little as fifteen percent.

It is best to utilize a contingency recruiter when the position is entry or mid-level management, when filling the position rapidly is more important than locating the "ideal" candidate, when filling multiple positions for an employer with the same skill set, and when it is important to fill the position at minimum cost.

c. Where to look for an executive recruiter
The best place to find a good recruiter is to begin with an in-house referral. Talk with the human resource department and employer managers to see what experience they have had with executive recruiters. Check with colleagues in other departments, peers at other employers or the local trade associations for additional recommendations.

d. What to look for in selecting an executive recruiter
A proven track record. A good recruiter should have up to seventy five percent in repeat customer business, and completion rates that exceed eighty five percent.

Search results. For each assignment, find out how many candidates will be sourced, contacted and interviewed, and how many finalists will be presented.

Availability. If a recruiter is working on more than three current assignments, you can expect limited attention. Junior associates are no substitute to the quality recruitment offered by an experienced pro.
Performers. Recruiters should be doers not overseers. They should conduct the entire search from initial client discussions to research, recruitment, interviewing and final selection. Many recruiters will send their most accomplished recruiter or "rainmaker" on presentations to secure the assignment, but quickly pass on the work to junior associates. Find out if others will be involved with the assignment and what their roles will be.

A recruiter not a recruitment firm. The recruiter is the one performing the search, not the firm.
Industry specialists, not generalists. Specialty recruiters are more capable of completing an assignment quickly. Knowing where to go to find the best talent, and having the ability to quickly gain their confidence of talent is essential for a timely result. Recruiters that specialize within the employer's unique segment of industry are often more effective.

Appropriate position specialists. Recruiters often specialize in lower, middle or executive level assignments. Find a recruiter that specializes in the level position the employer is looking to fill.
Trade association involvement. Association involvement helps establish a recruiter's reputation and network of contacts. Find out what personal involvement and contributions the recruiter has made through participation in trade committees, writing articles for trade magazines, giving talks at industry events, and other prominent networking avenues.

Twelve month guarantee. Make sure if the new hire resigns or is terminated within twelve months, the recruiter provides a replacement at no professional fee.

Recruiters with good references. Validate recruiter claims of successes and industry involvement. Speak to references that can discuss recent accomplishments, ethical recruiting practices, and prove long-term, repeat business.

Premium service. Cost is usually the lowest factor on any hiring survey when employers are questioned on the most important factors looked for in selecting an executive search. The old adage, "you get what you pay for" is true in most cases when hiring an executive recruiter.

Reasonable blockage. Check "off limit" policies. Find out what firms are "off limits" to the recruiter (protected firms that cannot be recruited from). If those firms are likely sources to fill the position, do not work with a recruiter who cannot touch those executives.

National capability. A national recruiter can often recruit a localized market effectively, but a local recruiter rarely can recruit a national market effectively. It is even far more important to find a successful recruiter who will locate the best candidates than one who happens to be based nearby.

Looking for best corporate headhunter,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

The Top 10 LinkedIn Groups For Job Seekers

This is a compilation of what we feel are the most productive, successful, and growing career groups on LinkedIn.

These groups are designed for those on the hunt for a new career, new position, new company, or information related to career search.

If you're not utilizing LinkedIn groups you are missing out. If you are involved in some groups take a look at this list to evaluate if you're getting the most from your LinkedIn experience and doing the best you can for your career.

1. About.com Job Search and Careers. Career building and job searching advice from About.com, including job search advice, online networking and social media strategies, and professional branding and career resources.

2. Career Change Central. Career Change Central is a group for job changers and people in career transition to meet in a central place with recruiters, hiring managers, and career coaches. Career Change Central will offer tips for job changers, free resources, and a place for recruiters and hiring managers to post their current needs. Career Change Central is a central place for candidates and recruiters who are local, domestic, and global to interact, with the purpose of getting people working faster.

3. Career Rocketeer | Career Launch Network. The fastest-growing professional networking group for career search, career development and personal branding. Career Rocketeer brings career and job seekers and employers, recruiters and career experts together for mutual success.

4. Helping Friends Career Network. A business and career network of networkers for entrepreneurs, hiring managers, recruiters, and talented professionals worldwide to make meaningful win/win connections.

5. JibberJobber Career Management. An extension of the website jibberjobber.com this group provides access to a multitude of career experts and great career management advice.
6. Job Openings, Job Leads, and Job Connections. The number one LinkedIn Jobs Group open to everyone and provides connections and leads on jobs.

7. Looking for a Job. The goal for this group is to give any prospective employee's maximum exposure to the open job market. As most of you will be aware, over half the live vacancies within companies are never advertised.

8. Star Candidate for Hire. Star: Candidate for Hire is the most efficient Group on LinkedIn to find a great job quickly: The Group works in tandem with Linked: HR, by far the largest Recruiters' Group on LinkedIn. Linked: HR recruiters are regularly reminded to check Star: Candidate for top candidates. Also use this Group to discuss and network with other candidates, share tips, get news about the job market, and read the Jobs posted by many recruiters or available through job portals'.

9. The Talent Buzz. The Talent Buzz group is for all Job Seekers, Candidates, Recruiting, HR, and Marketing professionals interested in networking, and being kept up to date with the latest trends in Human Resources, Diversity, Talent Management, Recruitment, Social Media, and Social Networking.

10. Tim's Strategy: Ideas for Job Search, Career and Life. The Tim's Strategy job search, career and networking group is comprised of active job seekers as well as employed professionals offering tips, advice and strategies for successful job search and career management.
We also want to note a few honorable mentions for industry/career specific groups:

Financial Careers: Financial Services Career Center

Green Jobs: Green Jobs and Career Network

Executives: Execunet's Executive Suite

Information Technology: IT Specialist Group

We hope you will find these groups useful in your career and job search.

As always - best wishes for your job search!

Want to help people find a job,do something meaningful and make a difference in other peoples life by starting your own recruitment business? Check out Dougles Chan inspirational recruitment stories.

How To Locate An Executive Search Agent

For businesses needing to find qualified applicants to fill crucial positions, executive search agents, sometimes referred to as headhunters or executive recruiters, can provide unmatched service. Using a successful recruiter is paramount to successfully filling an important job opening.

While job placement agencies are usually more geared towards the job seeker, executive search agents work for businesses. The best agencies want to establish good relationships with their client companies by providing the highest level of service that is possible.

Typical job placement agencies use a broad approach to find applicants for positions. Their methods usually include finding as many applicants as possible, and then choosing from their compiled list. On the other hand, executive recruiting firms use a more targeted approach, and will normally learn as much about each potential candidate before ever making contact with them. Whereas typical job placement agencies find a job for an individual, executive recruiters match a person to the particular job opening. This allows for much more qualified candidates to be introduced into the client company.

Be sure to research the headhunters background. Consider using only qualified and reputable search agents. Find out about their operations, history, reputation, and experience. Independent sources and unbiased reviews from neutral sources are the best way to learn about a headhunters capabilities and advantages. It is possible to find directories on the Internet, which provide reviews of the recruiters. You can also search for their profile online.

Job Seekers
The first thing to remember about executive recruiters is that they do not work for you. They work for the client businesses, which are trying to find employees. In other words, they do not find jobs for people-they find people for jobs. This being said, executive search agents can be an invaluable tool to help you establish a meaningful professional career.

Executive recruiters are under no obligation to contact you. Their job is to find qualified candidates who fit their specific needs, so you should try to find someone who specializes in your particular field. They want and need to find qualified candidates to ensure their own reputation and success with their client companies, so try and put yourself in the right place, and the rest should fall into line.

The better relationship you establish with an executive recruiting firm, the better your chances will be of being placed in the best company for you. Building a strong relationship will take time and effort, which is exactly what these agencies want in their potential candidates.

Searching for best corporate headhunter, do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.

How to Engage Others in Lively Conversation

I have found that the best way to get someone to respond positively to you is to LIKE them!
Seriously! It is so easy!!! Plus, it works.

I've recently started a new position as a professional headhunter. I've always done professional networking and marketing for individuals but now have joined a new firm. Most of what I'm doing now is COLD CALLING. UGH..the dreaded COLD CALL.

What does it consist of? Hi! My name is Mary Gardner and I'm with GRN... who is the Director of Operations? From there I ask questions and gather information until I get the right person on the phone that might have a serious interest in my candidate that I'm marketing.

The difference that I've seen in my first few days is that the first day I was TERRIFIED to call. I didn't feel ready. I felt unprepared. I wasn't clear of the procedures and I didn't even feel comfortable with the phone. Here is what happened: the first few calls.. people almost hung up on me. They didn't have the tolerance for a person with no confidence.

Today, I relaxed. I committed to myself that I was going to have FUN and to make the people enjoy our encounter. I'd do that by showing them favor over the phone and acting excited to talk with them, even though I had no idea of who they were and what they did. And guess what? It worked! I spoke with numerous "gatekeepers" as we call them, or administrative people who shared all of the information that I wanted about the company. I used their NAME in the conversation! I asked how they were doing and didn't ignore them. I asked about the weather when they were in south Florida and laughed with them when they forgot whether it was morning or afternoon in their greeting. I truly just enjoyed all of the people I met.. and guess what?

They liked me back!!! I expressed enthusiasm when speaking WITH them and TO them, and they responded in kind. It was so much more fun to speak with them when I stopped thinking OF MYSELF and my nerves, and started thinking about THEM!!!

Of course I did all of the standard things you do in small talk! I asked them questions and I listened to them intently. I asked about them, or their company or the weather or if they were having a good day, but I showed interest in THEM and their lives. That was the total key today to enjoying new people and getting them to feel comfortable with me.

I liked them.

How about you? Are you expressing interest and curiosity in others? Are you excited to speak with them? Do you show interest in their response? Do you laugh at their jokes? Do you sincerely want to show that person that they are OK in your book?

You might find what I found. A day of potential stress can turn into a day full of fun.

Sourcing for best professional headhunter,do visit the list at The Recruitment Guru @ dougleschan.com.