Enough with all the noise and empty promotion - it's time for "old school" Quality, Value and Service!! By Darren Saul

Yes the title pretty much speaks for itself. I'm sure you know where this is going..

I look around me and see example after example of "lip service", empty promises and promotion. Instead of taking pride in under-promising and over-delivering there is too much of exactly the reverse. There are hidden agendas everywhere and the need to read (and understand) the "fine print" is more important than ever. And more time consuming! No-one trusts anymore - everyone is always looking for "the catch".

It's time to get back to basics and bring back the old ways of doing business and simply engaging with your fellow planet dweller in general..

Of course technology and social media are brilliant tools but that's all they are - tools.

Enough said!

So what's the answer to success in the new world??

Be authentic, be genuine, be yourself!

Choose face to face and phone over email where relevant

Return phone calls and emails promptly - a simple matter of respect

Make the time to invest in your employees, colleagues, service providers and strategic partners - build those relationships brick by brick!

Learn everything there is to learn in your field - become an invaluable resource of information - product knowledge is THE key

Listen much more - talk much less!

Less hype and noise - more quality and more strategy

Less production - more substance

Negotiate with the long term relationship in mind - now is not the time for short-term gains

"Make all decisions based on the person you would like to become" Dr. Paul Homoly (one of my favourite quotes!)

Critique everything you do - improve continuously

Give service like your life depended on it!

Take a genuine interest in other people

Be engaging and interesting

Be self-aware!

Allow others to "save face" - it builds pride, self-respect and that means results!

Keep things simple - become a pleasure to work with - make them look forward to dealing with you - create an "EXPERIENCE"!

Be friendly! Stiff, polished and professional are not only boring, they're counter-productive in most cases

"Smile - it confuses people!" I saw this the other day - love it!

Remember that you are part of the human race - treat people with respect (when they deserve it of course..)

Don't just adhere to the "industry standard" - DEFINE IT with unprecedented quality and service!

Think laterally - there is always a way..

Slow down the pace just a little

Maintain a work/life balance

Don't follow - INSPIRE!

This stuff pretty much applies to everyone regardless of what you do.

Build your name on Quality, Value and Service and you WILL shine!

That was then – this is now! How to RECRUIT, RETAIN and BE RECRUITED in this NEW year…By Darren Saul

I want to thank all my clients and candidates VERY much for your support last year – yes it was a great year and I hope you (and I) have an even better one this year!

The world keeps changing. Industries keep evolving. And so do best practices. Including best practices governing how to recruit, how to retain and how to be recruited. What worked in the past won’t necessarily work in the future and those who are willing to keep an open mind and embrace new ideas will be those who ultimately will embrace the rewards as well!

I’m definitely no Nostradamus but I predict that recruitment activity will continue to steadily rise and good quality talent will be even harder to find AND keep!

So what do you do about it? Here are some of my thoughts…

Hiring managers –

• Treat your people better than you treat your customers!
• Delegate wherever possible and thus empower your employees to take ownership, build confidence and develop pride in what they do. RESULT: employee loyalty!
• Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise (Dale Carnegie - How to win friends and influence people)
• Conduct frequent two-way reviews to build the lines of communication and confirm expectations (including career path management) – once/twice a year is just not enough!
• Create a friendly, approachable and fun atmosphere where people are happy (better: proud) to work – this will passively attract other quality people to you and your organisation. RESULT: reduced recruitment spend for you…and more bus. dev. for me…
• Invest in staff training and development
• Pay employees well!
• Offer referral fees for talent
• Really partner with your niche recruitment specialists – this means carefully prepared job descriptions, prompt feedback and time invested in order to build a trusting, consultative relationship
• Always be willing to receive resumes/and or meet with valuable talent – ie. a more proactive recruitment approach
• Be open to candidates that may not have all the technical skills but more than make up for it in attitude
• Realise that speed (without compromising quality) is going to be ever more important when recruiting!
• Embrace new technologies as useful tools when recruiting ie. Skype video conferencing and social media
• Understand generational differences – Gen X vs. Gen Y

Candidates looking for opportunities -

• Strive to become a quality professional and build a reputation as a first class individual! (First Class or Economy – the choice is yours!)
• Remember that your current place of employment may just well be able to offer you what you are looking for if you prove yourself to be worthy of it!!
• Volunteer to take on those responsibilities that no one else wants
• Work smarter AND harder which may mean longer hours
• Differentiate yourself as a valuable leader/mentor to your peers - not just a participant
• Establish yourself as a positive, enthusiastic and “can do” team member than can always be counted on in times of pressure
• Take personal and professional development more seriously – if your organisation can’t fund it right now, fund it yourself – it’s an investment in YOUR future! There are plenty of low-cost/no-cost resources available – books, cds, the web, my blog…
• Strive to “thrive” and not just “exist”!
• Be healthy! Exercise. Eat well. A healthy body breeds a healthy mind and a valuable employee.
• Last but definitely not least - BE DIFFERENT when it comes to job hunting. For a FREE 17 page doc. entitled “Being Different” – A job seeker’s guide to success in the NEW world! http://www.box.net/shared/8j79mu4j4h

"Let the water boil..." By Darren Saul

OK I borrowed that phrase from Chin-Ning Chu who is another one of my favourite writers. Why? Because I love her very unique blend (or "balance") of busines savvy and spirituality.

Cost of living is rising, competition is more aggressive, patience is thinning (as is my hair) and it's real easy to lose sight of perspective in our lives. We come to work each day with more to achieve in less time and that can be a very dangerous carrot to chase - from a health, happiness and results point of view.

Sometimes you just have to know when to ease your grip and "let the water boil". Sometimes the more you push forward the more your customers and results push back!

What are the consequences of pushing too hard?

• You ruin the quality of relationships you have worked SO hard to build
• You don't create that all important "buying environment" so important to selling anything in this new world
• You don't recognise buying signals when they are hitting you over the head with a sledgehammer
• You don't recognise NEW opportunities
• You don't get the results you desire
• You inhibit your ability to process what's going on around you and hence you don't LEARN anything
• You suffocate all the enjoyment out of what you do!

So let's remember to take a step back every now and then, take a lesson out of Chin's philosophy and "let the water boil".

Here are some easy strategies for keeping you "in balance" -

• Read a couple of pages from your favourite self-development author/mentor (don't have one? maybe it's time to find one...)
• Take a break every now and then to put things back into perspective - coffee, lunch, take a walk/drive, laugh, sing, dance, meditate, did I already say eat?
• Keep your desks, files and brains as lean as possible - the more order you have in your world the calmer you will feel and the more efficient you will be!
• Try to really get to know your customers/colleagues - the rest will flow naturally from there
• Work smarter - there is always an improvement to be be made/bad habit to replace
• Systemise as much as you can to save you re-inventing the wheel and prevent things from falling through the cracks
• Try and focus on one thing at a time and be in that moment
• Listen with the intent to understand rather than be formulating what you want to say next
• Direct your attention to another valuable task that might not be directly related to the specific outcome you are waiting for
• Expressing creativity in any form that will bring forth inspiration is always advantageous!

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant" - Robert Louis Stevenson

Three things recruiters won't tell you - Part One

Three things recruiters won't tell you - Part Two

"Are you always like this or did you get lucky last night?"...By Darren Saul

People are always asking me that! Luck has nothing to do with it - it's all about attitude! And yes I'm referring to everyday business interaction - not the nocturnal kind...

Why are people so blown away when they see someone with a positive, enthusiastic and infectious attitude? Is that such a rarity? Is smiling and having fun that difficult??

Hell no! You just have to remember to actually do it!

Most people get up, get ready and head straight for the nearest cappuccino machine before they can even grunt out the most basic of pleasantries. Instead why don't they head for the mirror, put on a smile and remember why they are still breathing?

ANSWER: they have either never been taught or they simply forget.

Pathetic attitude is everywhere - we've all seen it:

• Restaurant wait staff - the only thing they are waiting on is the end of their shift
• Front office people - maybe they're all at the front because no-one wants to be around them at the back. The irony is that they are meant to be "customer focused"...
• Lethargy while on the phone
• Lethargy while not on the phone. You catch my drift...

Positive Attitude is a choice you NEED to make every second of the day. It's a way of thinking. It's about self-awareness. It's not just one way. It's THE way!

Sure it's not always easy and in my culture when the going gets tough we eat! That usually puts a smile on my face right away...

Revealed: the top 5 benefits of being positive

1. You might actually enjoy it
2. Others might enjoy it too
3. You will build rapport SUPER fast
4. You will get RESULTS
5. You will become an addict (of positive attitude)

Here are some tips GUARANTEED to help you get your PHD in Positive Attitude

• Surround yourself with positive people
• Surround yourself with positive things
• Smile and show some teeth (if you have them)
• Start each day with a positive message - a quote/a few pages from one of the greats - Earl Nightingale, Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Jeffrey Gitomer, Darren Saul
• Before you respond to anything take a moment and then respond in the positive!
• Take a walk and balance your thoughts
• Do something you LOVE
• Listen to your favourite tune
• Watch a Seinfeld episode
• Phone a friend/family member
• Eat!
• Crack a joke
• Take a risk - if you want to make an omelette you gotta crack a few eggs!
• Perform a random act of kindness (donate to your favourite IT recruiter...)
• Look at material things as "replaceable" things
• Give without expectation
• Substitute fear for curiosity
• Get another dog!

"YOU BECOME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ALL DAY LONG" - Earl Nightingale

"DON'T WORRY BE HAPPY!" - Bobby McFerrin

You either sell the candidate on "yes" or the candidate sells you on "no"! By Darren Saul

Jeffrey Gitomer is my idol. He has taught more about the science of selling and positive attitude than anyone else. With regards to any sale Jeffrey always says "you either sell them on yes or they sell you on no''. Adapting this ever so slightly to the recruitment industry (and particularly relevant to the interview process) my version is "you either sell the candidate on yes or the candidate sells you on no".

After close to 2 years of repressed hiring something major has just happened - the market has made a dramatic shift in the opposite direction and it's my view that we are heading into a period of serious candidate shortage.

How do I know?

• More jobs appearing on job boards everyday
• Less quality responses from job boards everyday
• Increased need for networking and referral activities to source quality talent
• "Market rates" climbing
• Increased number of recruitment companies head-hunting and hiring recruiters to keep up with demands

And the most important one (well to me anyway) -

• More jobs being turned down by my top quality candidates for other roles (and yes my recruitment peers are all singing the same song)

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MANAGERS AND RECRUITERS? It means we have to make sure that we sell our candidates on yes so they don't sell us on no!

BENEFITS: Shorter recruitment cycles, increased productivity and profit, more time for business as usual, more time for coffee and muffins...

HERE'S HOW -

• Take time at the beginning of the interview to build strong rapport - always take the friendly approach, use humour and creativity, try to find common ground (you will definitely need it later on)
• Ask insightful (prepared) questions that challenge and makes the candidate answer in terms of you, your organisation and the role - intelligent questioning is probably THE most valuable tool for creating rapport and credibility
• Give them a very strong sense of the culture and management style of your organisation - offer details and examples (collaboration, regular two-way feedback, frisbee on Tuesdays, Karaoke in the parking lot on Fridays)
• Paint an extensive picture of the role and daily responsibilities - they need to envision and "feel" what it would be like in the role day to day
• Give them a clear outline of what you see as the progression path including any training and development - candidates love training nearly as much as they love $$!
• Sell the BENEFITS (not features) of the culture, the organisation and the role
• Outline the package/rates on offer in detail ie. base, super, car, parking, technology, training, bonus, gym, health insurance...(either to your recruiter or directly if all parties are comfortable with this)
• Explain the "standard" working hours and how they will be compensated for overtime
• Take them on a tour of the premises - do you have new plush offices with a great view? Show them! If not, the cappucino machine and candy dispenser will have to do...
• Allow them to meet at least a few of the team members
• Maintain a strong sense of positive MOMENTUM - give very prompt and detailed feedback. There is no bigger killer to the enthusiasm of a candidate than a long delay in the interview process - even no message sends a very clear message!

REMEMBER: A candidate's decision to "buy" (or in this case "accept") is formed in the heart first and then justified by the mind. It's an EMOTIONAL decision and we have to therefore push the right emotional buttons to ensure a positive outcome. The more buttons we push the less left for our competition!

Great - they have accepted - you have them!

Now you just need to keep them...

(Oh yes - and thank you Jeffrey!)