Read the Ads!

Recently every time I post an ad on the internet I receive a ton of resumes. That is a good thing; however, please please read the ad when you are seeking a job! When I post a job and it says those with veterinary management experience ONLY – don’t send me your resume if you don’t have that experience. Or at least not for that job!

There are many practices out there that will be happy to consider those without veterinary management experience. We will be delighted to consider you for those if the location will work for you and if you have other applicable experience. We, as recruiters, don’t make the rules for what owners will accept – they do. So if they don’t want people that haven’t worked in our industry, that is their choice as the Employer.

Personally, I feel strong management skills are enough, and my owners know I believe that. But, bottom line, it is their decision and I will adhere to it.

Resume Updates

I continue to get resumes from people who don’t know how to write one and furthermore, don’t even look up templates or instructions. There are many good books out there about writing resumes as well as tons of information on the Internet. There are also various companies out there who will write a resume for you for a fee.

Couple of common mistakes – 1). Failure to change objective for different jobs; 2). Failure to put beginning/ending month on dates of employment. Just putting the year is not sufficient especially when it might look like this: 2008-2009. Employers and recruiters have no idea then of length of employment!

Another important rule to follow – THE RULES! Follow the rules given for applying. If it says only attachments then only send your resume as an attachment NOT in the body of the email. Read the rules, make certain you understand them and then follow them. Employers and recruiters receive so many resumes today – more than ever – and you will be disqualified if you do not follow the rules.

Last but not least – don’t use color, graphics or fancy formatting in your resume, especially if sending your resume to a recruiter or posting on line. KISS is a good rule to follow.

Twitter for Recruiting

I attended a Twitter webinar this a.m. – great info! Bill Raden and Mark Berger are recruiters – though not in our industry. Doesn’t matter. I suggest all of you sign up to receive their email alerts – most administrators, managers and owners I know recruit even if they are working with recruiters. I think their information will prove helpful to anyone who is interested in finding the best candidates out there. You can visit Mark at www.swatrecruiting.com and you will find Bill Radin at www.billradin.com.

Timing is Everything

In the recruiting industry timing is everything. As recruiters we have to be on top of our prospects, our clients and our candidates. However, it sometimes does feel as if clients and candidates are totally unaware of timing. They both seem to move slowly!

Candidates must be aware that there are many other qualified people that want the same job they want. And, if they don’t reply back to the recruiter and/or the potential employer – they can lose out. And. . . if they fail to respond in a timely fashion enough times many recruiters will just give up on them.

Clients must understand there are a lot of jobs out there looking for qualified candidates – even today. So if they don’t move quickly in making a decision and in offering a position – they too can lose out. Candidates won’t wait for you to get off the fence, they will move on to the next open position, often without you or your recruiter.

Most candidates cannot be rehabiliated – if they accept a position elsewhere, convincing them to reconsider and take your position in nigh on impossible. Not unheard of, but very very difficult. And, who wants someone who would waffle like that anyway?

Today with email, voice mail, and smart phones that interconnect everything there is really no excuse not to respond in a timely fashion. Certainly if you need time to consider, then say so but give a deadline and honor it. And, if you are planning on being unavailable tell the recruiter and the employer/candidate. If the recruiter is informed then the message can be relayed both up and down the chain.

Social Media

I would like to hear from all of you about your success/failure/unhappiness with the social media and how it relates to your recruiting efforts. I am upgrading all the sites and have even included Twitter to my list of daily tasks to think about. Tell me what you are using and how it is working – or not. I have yet to track anything back to one of the sites but we’ll see.

Lying on Resumes

Why, oh why, do candidates lie on their resume?

I cannot understand it as it is so easy to verify and reveal the lies! This year I have had two excellent? candidates lie about their degrees. It is very simple for anyone to verify education and half the time it is a free service from the college. Or you can use www.degreeverify.com – many schools have signed up with this service and for a minimal fee and a few minutes of your time both completed degrees and degrees in progress can be verified.

Both of these candidates would have been given offers if I had not found and revealed their lie. Now, I cannot in good faith every recommend them again.

Every employer should take the few minutes necessary and verify degrees.

Other lies are also told  – length of time at their place of employment, job title, salary.  Experts think that approximately 40% of candidates lie on their resume.  The two most common lies are the degree falsification and dates of employment.

Remember – verify eveything!

Tell me your stories . . . so far (in 17 years) I have only had one person hired that we later discovered had lied about her MBA. The hiring process went so fast that she was made an offer and accepted before I even had the opportunity to verify her degree. Now, all offers are made “contingent on successfully passes a background screening” and I caution all employers to include this language in both a written and verbal offer. We also recommend that no one can start until the background screening is complete.  What has happened to you – let us know!

Recruiting in a Recession

I know that many owners and managers may be wondering “why should I use a recruiter? Can’t I save their fee and find someone myself”? Good questions  – especially in these economic times. However, what is important to remember is that though there may be many more people seeking a new position now, even desperate to find a new position – the rules haven’t changed. You still should not hire “warm bodies” and you still have to review resumes, screen, interview and background screen candidates. You can end up wasting even more time on unqualified candidates in higher numbers. Isn’t your time better spent on other tasks? It still makes sense to leverage your time, may be more than ever now and utilize the services of a professional, skilled recruiter.

Let’s talk.

Happy New Year! I have been very lax about this blog – help! If you post comments and thoughts I will respond – I have trouble getting to the blog for my own thoughts – but, would make time to respond and comment on your enteries.

Megan – I don’t know Spanish so can’t answer your question. Maybe one of our readers can!

New Administrator Running Off Team Members?

Today I talked to an owner doctor who hired a new hospital administrator about 5 months ago. He was concerned but didn’t want to address it with the administrator just yet. His concern? They had a team of primarily long term employees that had slowly trickled out the door since the new administrator had come on board. The practice had a history since inception of keeping most employees long term. He said only one of the exiting employees said he was leaving due to changes the new administrator had implemented (at the owner’s behest)  – all others had different excuses when he conducted the exit interviews. He wondered if I had seen that happen, employees leaving when a new manager or administrator showed up. In talking with him he said he and his partner were very happy with the administrator and she was doing a great job. He said that prior to her arrival the practice had been very loosely run with little to no discipline except on the fly. Now, with the administrator on board they were implementing rules, polices, and procedures. Also, now the employees had to go to the administrator instead of running to him as managing partner.

            I encouraged the owner to talk directly to the administrator about his concerns. And, praised him for conducting exit interviews as a matter of course.

I’d like to hear from managers and owners –what happened at your practice when a new regime started? How did you handle the fall-out (or how did the new leader?). Let’s talk.

Documents for Recruiting

I placed a manager, Natalie Smith (you will see her comments in the blog) in a practice about three years ago that recently contacted me to help them recruit a Customer Service Representative Team Leader.

During our intake procedure she shared with me a document that she calls “Professional Standards”.

cats-limited-professional-standards 

 

It is a brief one page document with a list of requirements that candidates must “pass” before they move up the interview ladder. It is a wonderful document and a big asset to their recruiting process

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This practice manager also has written job description for each position in the practice and a one page document that lists the benefits available for that position.

Using documents such as these are an effective tool and a great way to evaluate candidates before you waste your time or their time.

Let me know what you think – let’s talk.