From Mya: News letter!

Mya's Recruitment Tips:

What we can learn from  the movie industry in recruiting

By Mya Borgman

You are welcome to forward this to your friends and associates.

If there is one overriding concern with recruiting good employees and executives - it has to be confidentiality. After many years of getting feedback from both employees and employers, I have found that being discreet is a key element in making the recruitment process work.

The recruitment drill is somewhat like dating. No one likes to do it but everyone wants that ideal relationship. The only way it works well is to have a very discreet service - the same goes for the recruitment game.

From the employer point of view, announcing to the world that they are looking for a new CFO or any other senior position is probably not good strategy unless you want to see it on CNN or a business blog.

While there may be good people out there looking for a new gig, the vast majority of the really talented candidates are currently employed. They may need to be enticed to move to a more attractive opportunity. I don't believe in "raiding" a company to "steal" good people but the realities are that employers want the best people and the way to find good people is to be discreet in the process.

As an employer you don't want to let your competition know what positions you are filing. Large display ads in the business section of a major or national newspaper may inflate the ego of the corporate communications department but does little to encourage discreet employment inquiries - unless, of course the inquiries are directed to an independent professional recruiter.

Celebrities get there for the most part because they are talented. Most people - especially those with some work experience, have some special talents and they have to work for a living. Overall people like to work and do a good job. Looking for a job can be a stressful experience, so ensuring that it is unobtrusive makes it a more pleasant experience. From the employee point of view, especially the ones currently employed, confidentiality is paramount.

The ones currently employed are not going to jeopardize their current job by announcing that they are looking. Even those who are "between jobs" want professional courtesy and a tasteful approach. Job hunting is sometimes a painful process - the long-term manager laid off after a merger or downsizing appreciates the "not to be disclosed", often intimate communication with the recruiter. If the recruiter is an independent professional - even better.

I have found as an independent recruiter that I can get more information out of a candidate than an employer would ever get - all because I am discreet and can gain their confidence.

A professional recruiter has a huge advantage over in-house recruitment - namely confidentiality. By being independent the professional recruiter can not only find good candidates that would never answer a job ad but also keep the whole process private down to the final interview selection process with the employer. That way is a win-win for everyone.

Sometimes when I tell the employee who the prospective employer is, they decline the position for a variety of reasons. I never even tell the employer about the candidate which keeps the whole process confidential. With this level of trust built up on both sides, things work out well.

The movie industry has it down pat - the casting director gets to pick the best people for the roles that are never advertised. They have open calls for extras but who wants to hire an extra?

A smart casting director knows that producers want to see fresh faces. Even though a producer knows lots of people and has hired many people, they want to see more - so casting directors give them lots of carefully screened good talent to chose from.

The same works in commercial industry - executives want fresh faces to fill certain positions. By comparison, government agencies typically only recruit from within and look how they turned out - a whole boatload of talent for a Deliverance movie sequel.  (Deliverance was nominated for three Academy Awards in 1972 including Best Picture and Best Director. It was filmed on the Chattooga River in Georgia. One of the famous scenes was the dueling banjos with an inbred local hillbilly.)

Searches must be handled with the utmost discretion. Critical information is not divulged to either the employee or employer until such time as there is mutual interest from both the employer and that of the potential candidate. Bottom line - you must assure the job seekers complete confidentiality to attract the best talent. 

Take every step to make that happen and you will get great employees and executives.

Call Mya today at 1-888-773-0014 or

e-mail at mya@thepeoplelink.com

Mya Borgman is the Founder and President of The People Link, a professional recruitment agency with a unique personal touch. We are committed to finding the ideal job match between employers and job seekers. Take advantage of our hard earned experience gained with the successful placement of over 1,000 candidates. The most frequently filled positions include Finance, Sales Managers, Executive Placements, Administrative Assistants and Executive Secretaries. Inquiries from both employers and job seekers are held in absolute confidence and treated with discretion. Mya can be reached at (818) 890-9998 or by email at mya@thepeoplelink.com. Mailing address: 11329 Sunburst St, Lake View Terrace, CA 91342. © Copyright 2004 Mya Borgman. All Rights Reserved.
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