Your Organization's Image in the Marketplace

As we reach a new year, I, as a business owner have been making some new business plans.  One of the reasons we have been successful as a firm is our dedication to not just to the formulated service we provide, but to how we are viewed in the marketplace.  It has come to my attention in the recent past more times than ever, that potential and true talent are REALLY talking about how companies and organizations are treating them in the recruiting processes.  It starts internally and it ends internally, even if you use an outside firm such as ours, and if your message and image are not clear, concise and cohesive, your long-term goals of building a successful organization will fail.  Even if a potential candidate is truly not a great fit, if they are not treated with respect and dignity along with getting the three aforementioned C's from your team, they will get out there and relay this to their network.  And the resulting buzz is not a fun one earned during the Holidays - it is a buzz kill.  For all of us - your team, your HR/Recruiting team and the outside firm you have partnered with to help you. 

The Relocation Quandry

Relocation is a dirty word to many people right now.  It's not easy, and it's not fun.  Unless you're moving from say Sheboygan to Charleston, SC - then it's a no brainer.  Houses are under water; wife/husband/children don't want to move; your Mother-in-Law is ailing; etc.  No one will blame you for not wanting or not being able to relocate.  What Recruiters and Hiring Managers WILL blame you for is WASTING OUR TIME BY EVEN GOING ON THE INTERVIEW.

By the time I've sent a candidate to an on site interview, there have been multiple conversations and interviews via phone and/or Skype.  This costs time & money.  Then we schedule interviews on site with multiple interviewers.  This costs time & money.  We fly the potential new hire out; rent a car; hotel room; meals.  This costs time & money.  Am I making my point?

Do your homework about the sale of your home, getting out of your lease, whatever the case may be.  Talk to your spouse/significant other about the real possibility of making a geographical move - if they aren't happy, no one is happy.  Kids can be told what to do, so they don't matter (this of course, is a joke... sort of).  I beg of you (as do my clients) make sure you are committed to moving BEFORE you go on the interview.  Personally, I will respect you for it and work with you again.  If after an interview series my client makes an offer and then you tell us relocation isn't an option - I will never represent you again.  It may hurt to have to ignore an opportunity that is your next dream role, but please be cognizant of the, wait for it.....   time & money this costs several other people. 

Do position titles matter?  Does going from a role that has direct reports to an individual contributor role connote something negative?  My answer is NO.  I've had several discussions with my peers as of late and this subject is always interesting.  Everyone has their thoughts and goals regarding what they WANT to do and/or THINK they should do in their career.  My advice:  Follow your heart, your gut or whatever the body part is that drives your passion.  Don't be over concerned about a title change from Director to Manager or Leader or SME.  Don't fret about having people reporting to you and transitioning to a high-level, individual contributor role.  Pay attention to the CONTENT of the role you take on - the impact you'll have - the contributions you'll make - and doing something you enjoy.  Believe me, the Hiring Manager for the next role you take on is not (or should not be) paying attention to titles - they differ exponentially in each company.  They will pay attention to the responsibilities you hold/held and the impact you've made (or they should be).  I mean, if you're part of a team that is strategically managing a sourcing initiative and then you take on a role as a tactical buyer of widgets for a plant in Podunk USA, a red flag may rise - and can be explained if you've been involved in a major layoff, re-organization, etc.  But if you are moving from a Director of Sourcing role (for example) in which you have HR responsibility for 10 people to a Strategic Sourcing Manager (again, for example) for a company going through major transformation and you have responsibility for developing and managing global strategic initiatives that create new programs and cost savings (etc, etc), this is NOT a negative in the career path!  The truth is in the rubber meeting the road, not the ink on the paper.

Image in the Marketplace

I recently gained a new client - the decision-maker was referred to me by a Procurement professional I've known many years.  It is always such a compliment when those known well in the industry feel you are competent and choose to refer you rather than so many others - this applies to all of us! 

My new client brought something to my attention - actually, he REMINDED me of something.  One of the reasons he selected me of the other firms he was considering was because of what he read on my Linked In profile.  Not just my bio and connections, but he also liked my last blog posting as it is in alignment with the culture of their company and the partnerships they wish to form in order to successfully recruit talent.  (Subject matter for next posting :)).

I cannot stress enough the importance of having a thorough and professional profile on Linked In!  Although I follow the solid standards of true recruiting (i.e. research, networking and personal contact vs. job boards and mass internet blasts, etc), Linked In is a tool I use religiously!  And I have discovered many great, passive candidates and have recruited them to the next best step in their careers.  As a potential candidate, you may not be looking for the next step and are very happy in your current role - those are the types of candidates I love to recruit!  But you never know when you may get a call from someone like me who is working with a client on a search which is what you've always dreamed of as the next step in your career...  And if your profile is incomplete, sparse, or unprofessional, you won't get that call!

Sourcing Professionals in High Demand!

I am happy to report that this is the most dynamic market for career opportunities for Sourcing & Procurement professionals!  It is so exciting and informative to have discussions with you all and hear about the success stories and the elevation of the respect and recognition of being a value-add to your companies.  Of course, many organizations are still struggling to get ALL of your internal stakeholders and their groups to ask for your help and/or comply to opportunities/procedures/policies, but from what I hear, most are on the right path and making headway.  And most believe that sourcing organizations are going to continue to rise to the top and become revered as SME's.  Quite a difference from 10-15 years ago.

Please - share your stories!  I'm sure others would like to hear them - good and bad!

Partnering with Clients

After working in both the contingent and retained search worlds, I have now dedicated my firm's business model to only retained OR at a minimum, exclusive contingent searches.  I won't get into why this model is exponentially more efficient, successful AND cost effective - that is a one-on-one conversation for those interested.  But I would like to address a couple of things:

Hiring Managers and HR - since I'm not as connected with HR folks as I am hiring managers in the sourcing and procurement world, this will serve as more of a tool to use when trying to sway HR to using a recruiting firm and retaining a search. 

I personally believe in PARTNERING with my clients and developing long term relationships - this enables us to be much more effective in understanding your culture, organization and candidate requirements that go way beyond what's stated in a job description.  There are many firms out there that take on as many what they refer to as "job orders" and send in as many candidates as possible to see who may get hired - maybe they've been thoroughly vetted, maybe not.  This works for them and more power to them - most likely they have several recruiters who have a "desk" and they are trying to build their "desk".  Higher numbers are most times more important than the quality.  The concept of contingent, i.e. the client/customer doesn't have to pay until they deliver requires higher numbers of "job orders" in order for them to make a living.  And we all have to make a living.

And there are those of us (myself included) that take on highly qualified searches in less quantity so that we can completely focus on your needs and execute in a top-echelon manner - and the fact of the matter is, you get what you pay for.  I'm not saying it's less cost effective - my fee structure actually allows my clients to realize COST SAVINGS (and for you procurement folks, that's music to the ears) compared to what you're paying for in a contingent search.  In order for us to go out there and dedicate our time and efforts to you, we need dedication in return - and not just monetarily, but dedication and focus to expedite a successful process. 

And let me tell you, the perception in the marketplace of a Retained or Exclusive search is extremely positive and your organization is recognized as one who considers this to be a critical need AND has established that Supply Chain is a critical function in their company.  And for those passive and/or talented candidates that you ALL want on your team, this is very attractive and entices them to look outside of the position they currently hold.  As you know, Sourcing talent is in demand and whether your position is an independent contributor or a VP, the true talent has their pick of where to go, when to leave and to what type of role they will gravitate.

I could on, but will stop here and continue next blog.  And they WILL be more frequent - I promise!