Sticky People, Sticky Culture</h1> <article> <h1>Sticky People, Sticky Culture</h1> <p>Mon, 21 May 2012 15:33:00 GMT</p> <p>I’d like to talk for a minute about glue. Not the white sticky kind my kids love to use generously when working on school projects, but the kind that we try to bring into the work place whenever we can. Sometimes glue in the workplace is a person – that individual who brings people and ideas together in a way that others can’t, the person who attracts talent and makes them “stick.” Most organizations have at least a few of these people. Some are the historians, yet other times they can be that new person that almost magnetizes the air with a different way of doing things.</p> <p>What’s really fun is when you get several of these sticky people in one group – watch out. You know how rubber cement only works when you smear it on two surfaces and then put them together? The best types of organizational glue are sort of like this, but even more three dimensional. They include the people that make things stick, the systems and processes, and dozens of little reminders of what makes an organization special. Yes, I’m talking about culture. Any strong organizational culture is nothing more than really powerful glue that has a way of binding people to it - new and existing employees, business partners, and yes, clients. When the stickiness starts to spread beyond traditional organizational boundaries, it can be pretty cool. I believe that a strong and sticky culture is hard to compete with. Just like the times I’ve helped my kids with those projects and found that my fingers still have a residual ability to stay attached to everything they come in contact with for a while, organizations with stickiness have a tendency to stay on your radar more than the rest. They might share ideas that make you think differently, have a style or personality that you just want to be around, and yes, their people may just be the kind you want to be stuck with for a while.</p> <p>We think a lot about creating and building stickiness at Pinstripe – both for ourselves, and for our clients. Especially for our clients. We are fortunate to partner with some pretty amazing organizations, many who make products or deliver services that either make people’s lives more fulfilling and rich, or save them (literally). We spend a lot of time trying to identify the formula of their unique glue so that we can accidentally spill some in their candidate pools – oops! We aim to help them find talent that will add to the stickiness and extend it. In doing some, sometimes it makes us stickier too.</p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/angela-hills/" title="Angela Hills" target="_self">Angela Hills</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/angelahills" title="@angelahills" target="_blank">@angelahills</a>.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Peter Drucker, Pizza Hut and RPO</h1> <p>Mon, 14 May 2012 21:20:00 GMT</p> <p>Sometimes when I sit down to write a blog, I feel like a contestant on the Food Network show, <em><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/chopped/index.html" title="Chopped" target="_self">Chopped</a></em>. <em>Chopped</em> is a cooking competition show that's all about up-and-coming chefs taking unrelated, dissimilar everyday items and turning them into a cohesive meal.</p> <p>As you well know, I’m not a chef and I’m not creating a meal, but in most of my blog postings I try to take unrelated, personal interests and connect them to my <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/" title="Pinstripe" target="_self">Pinstripe</a> professional RPO world. And like the contestants on <em>Chopped</em>, sometimes my creation is a hit and sometimes it is a bust. </p> <p>For this entry, my challenge is to take Peter Drucker, Pizza Hut and RPO and connect the dots into a meaningful and relevant message that provides marvelous insight into the Recruitment Process Outsourcing world.</p> <p>So here we go…</p> <p>Peter Drucker was an influential writer, management consultant, and self-described “social ecologist.” His writings regarding taking risk and making mistakes have always stuck with me. In fact, the one Drucker quote I have memorized is:</p> <p>“People who don't take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.“</p> <p></p> <p>And so the other day when I read about the new Pizza Hut Crown Crust pizza, the pizza-cheeseburger hybrid, I tried to think about this gastronomic boondoggle through a Peter Drucker risk taking lens. Many of the foodie reviews immediately jumped on this creation as an abomination of cuisine; however, I believe we should celebrate the risk taking, give Pizza Hut some latitude and temper our criticism. After all, they are taking a gamble, but without taking chances they’d never experience success. I’m sure if we check the history of some of our current culinary mainstays, they were at some point considered just as odd.</p> <p>And this brings me back to Recruitment Process Outsourcing and why some RPO services providers are thriving more than others. The less successful RPO firms are just simply doing what they are asked. No more, no less. On the other hand, the high growth RPO firms are constantly evolving and driving innovation to their client engagements. Sometimes this forward leaning approach means stumbling; but more often than not, it leads to success. To maximize RPO opportunities, you have to be willing to take risks and cannot be afraid of making occasional mistakes.</p> <p>Peter Drucker, Pizza Hut and RPO….It all connects for me!</p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/RPOlosophy/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self">@bddiamond</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>RPO Garbology</h1> <p>Fri, 04 May 2012 20:50:00 GMT</p> <p>Garbology is the study of modern culture through the analysis of what is thrown away as garbage.</p> <p></p> <p>Recently, I attended the 2012 HRO Today Forum in Washington DC. While there, I decided to check out my own garbage to see what additional insights I could gain about my event behaviors and Recruitment Process Outsourcing.</p> <p>It was not very difficult to generate RPO trash during the 2 day conference at the Gaylord Hotel. In fact, on average, each of us produces around 7.1 pounds of garbage a day - and I’m no exception.</p> <p>Here are 3 things I learned about myself by peaking into my hotel room waste receptacle:</p> <ol> <li>As an RPO Service Provider needing to maximize event networking, I spent way too much time working on client and prospect stuff during my stay in DC. The proof (rough copy proposals and early contract drafts) lay shredded in my hotel room garbage can.</li> <li>There were lots of brochures in my pail too. I always have good intentions when I accept human capital pamphlets and booklets. However, when faced with lugging all that paper back to Milwaukee, I go into purge mode and dispose of all non-essential items. Actually, in the future, I really need to collect electronic collateral only.</li> <li>Lastly, I really like quality giveaways (nice pens, cool notebooks, etc…) but not all premium items are created equal. I have to be more selective and stop being so polite about accepting schlocky souvenirs.</li> </ol> <p>I truly enjoyed the HRO Forum… great content (Senator Daschle’s Healthcare Reform talk, the <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/" title="Pinstripe" target="_self">Pinstripe</a> / Allstate transition presentation, and <a href="http://www.thegoodjobs.com/" title="The Goods Jobs" target="_self">The Goods Jobs</a> tech award were among my favorites) and fabulous networking; however, next year I’m going to be greener and generate significantly less RPO trash.</p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/RPOlosophy/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self">@bddiamond</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>The Key to More Innovative and Creative RPO</h1> <p>Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:02:00 GMT</p> <p>…just take a walk.</p> <p>"Americans now walk the least of any industrialized nation in the world," says writer <a href="http://www.tomvanderbilt.com/">Tom Vanderbilt</a>. In a series of stories for Slate about <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/life/walking/2012/04/why_don_t_americans_walk_more_the_crisis_of_pedestrianism_.html">"The Crisis in American Walking,"</a> Vanderbilt writes about pedestrian life in America, from "sidewalk science" to possible ways to make the U.S. less car-centric.</p> <p>What started in America as a push for convenience has become a difficult problem, as many parts of the country are now designed specifically for cars, not pedestrians. Basically Americans have engineered walking out of our everyday life. And while Americans have cut down on walking, they've been putting on some pounds. A recent study found that about 35 percent of adult Americans are obese,</p> <p>Equally important to me, as the positive health impact, is how walking stimulates thinking and ideas. Some of my best Recruitment Process Outsourcing solutions and talent attraction strategies come to me during exercise.</p> <p>There are 2 schools of thought around maximizing “thought walking”</p> <ol> <li>Some proponents recommend focusing on random stimuli or observing interesting objects or situations to unlock creativity and help shed new light on your specific problem.</li> <li>Others suggest that when you walk you are simply better able to connect your subconscious mind which has vastly more thinking capacity to your conscious mind. The key to success is the activity of movement and not the remarkableness of your surroundings.</li> </ol> <p>For me, I believe in the "subconscious conscious" thought walking theory. If fact, I feel so strongly about the cerebral benefits of walking that I have begun lobbying <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/" title="Pinstripe" target="_self">Pinstripe</a> for a treadmill laptop workstation for our employees.</p> <p></p> <p>I believe that in the near future this workstation will be an essential office fixture of the top innovative and creative Recruitment Process Outsourcing firms. Not only will this enhance their RPO thought leadership and critical thinking, but those who adopt this strategy will also be much healthier.</p> <p> I’m adding the laptop treadmill to my RPO wish list.</p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/RPOlosophy/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self">@bddiamond</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>Get Creative - Cutting Costs in HR</h1> <p>Thu, 19 Apr 2012 03:33:00 GMT</p> <p>I was asked recently to participate on a panel on cutting costs in HR. Now that sounds exciting, doesn’t it? How many years has it been now that most organizations have been struggling to eke out another year with fewer people, shrinking budgets and the perennial request to “get creative?” I saw it over my nearly 20 years in the learning and development space. Do any of you remember when companies offered five day training programs for anyone who wanted to attend them? I do. First the ask was to do them in three days instead of five (which strikes me as hilarious now that the same content is being asked for in less than an hour). Once the trend toward shortening took hold, next was the online learning craze. Why have people travel when they can learn at their desks? No travel expense, no free lunches provided on training day, and virtually no time away from the job. And of course, after 9/11, the days of the corporate university were changed forever. No longer was training offered up as freely as a perk. Programs that had been offered for years because of their popularity were questioned. If it didn’t tie directly to the business needs, a new initiative, or core focus, it was gone or moved to a modular, self-service offering. Then came the move to focus learning investment disproportionately across a population – only high potential employees have full access to learning and we might even spend more on them than before, while the “masses” get minimal, and some get none. With each of these changes, stalwarts felt that learning was compromised; that these moves signaled the demise of an era, that it was all a big mistake. Yet, some of the best new ideas came out of each of these moves. When forced to cut time out of a session, you have to look long and hard at how every single minute is spent. When you can’t fix the learning problem with big training $$, you provide people with ways to learn on the job, and guess what, sometimes, it actually works BETTER.</p> <p>This is just an example, but the fact is, most in HR have been given tremendous opportunities to strengthen their “cost savings muscles” over the years. Yet, it must clearly be a topic that still concerns us. What could I have to say that would help people carry on their cost savings path for just bit longer? I realized a lot of what I have to say has been fueled both from the perspective of my past experience, and from that of my current work in leading Pinstripe’s RPO business. Recruitment Process Outsourcing is booming right now and we’re booming along with it. How can it not? During our last economic crisis, most organizations I know cut their HR staff and budget yet again. And if you’re not hiring, who are you going to let go first? Your recruiters. Now, with a bare bones staff and a function and process that has largely been put on the sideline for a while, things are starting to move. Demand is picking up for some, pent up for others, expected soon for the rest. As there are two choices – build your internal staff back up again, or use this time to revisit the entire model. RPO is growing because not only do we help businesses deliver a variable cost model and cost savings to our clients, but because we actually tend to make things better at the same time. Many studies, including one by Aberdeen in November, 2011 show that quality of hire goes up, time to fill goes down, and candidate and manager satisfaction improves when recruitment is outsourced. You CAN save money and get better results at the same time. We have been wired to think that these two things are mutually exclusive. That saving money means we are sacrificing something, that we are doing without, or that we are scrimping. But true innovation often is born of unreasonable constraints. The most creative ideas come when we DON’T have a blank sheet of paper, but when we are forced to do things without the easy crutches we might be used to. “Get creative” sometimes has a negative connotation when used in the same breath as cost savings, but it shouldn’t. Getting creative pushes us to prove that you can improve things while cutting costs. You don’t have to compromise. Demand both, demand it all. Faster, Better, and Cheaper. What’s your best example of refusing to compromise on this?</p> <p><em>Post contributed by </em><a href="about-us/team/angela-hills/" title="Angela Hills" target="_self"><em>Angela Hills</em></a><em>. Follow me on Twitter </em><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/angelahills" title="@angelahills" target="_blank"><em>@angelahills</em></a></p> </article> <article> <h1>What’s Inside Your RPO Program?</h1> <p>Thu, 12 Apr 2012 19:20:00 GMT</p> <p>I was recently reading an article about how the Fairfax County (VA) Public School system has decided to phase out the 26-ingredient burger served in the cafeteria. I knew that this staple of school lunches was probably not 100% ground beef, but I was absolutely shocked that the component count was over 2 dozen.</p> <p></p> <p>I couldn’t help but wonder: <br /><br />“How does something as simple as a hamburger become so complex?”</p> <p>Over the past 12 months, I have had the opportunity to look at several companies with non-<a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/" title="Pinstripe" target="_self">Pinstripe</a> RPO programs that are considering changing service providers. As part of our due diligence, we are able to peek behind the curtain and see how things are working.</p> <p>Like the Fairfax County Public School burger situation, I am amazed at how cluttered and convoluted some of these outsourced relationships have gotten. These programs have become derailed, in part, because the service providers have forgotten about the 3 basic ingredients of a solid RPO program: People, Process and Technology. </p> <ul> <li><b>People -</b> There is no real governance overseeing the program strategy. Sure there might be a RPO client services director watching over the day-to-day recruitment team but there is almost no engagement and guidance at the executive level from the RPO service provider.</li> <li><b>Process - </b>The most efficient path between two points is a straight line. The same is true with recruitment and, yet, these unwieldy programs zigzag and twist without real reason or purpose.</li> <li><b>Technology -</b> Many of these troubled programs lack technology. Simple tasks are manual versus automated. Recruitment technology, including social media, has flourished over the past ½ decade yet many of these legacy programs haven’t been updated since the initial implementation.</li> </ul> <p>I fully acknowledge that making observations is much easier than making changes; however, the 1<sup>st</sup> step towards making improvements, whether it is a school lunch hamburger or an RPO program, is recognizing you have a problem.</p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/RPOlosophy/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self">@bddiamond</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>Cactus League RPO</h1> <p>Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:15:00 GMT</p> <p>Recently, Elliot, my son, and I went to Baseball Spring Training in Arizona. Spring training in Arizona is referred to the as the Cactus League while preseason baseball played in Florida is called the Grapefruit League. These have been nicknamed respectively after plants typical of the respective states.</p> <p>Our father/son vacation was a fabulous 5 day trip that included 4 stadiums (Goodyear, Maryvale, Peoria and Phoenix Municipal) and 8 different teams (Angels, Athletics, Brewers, Indians, Mariners, Padres, Rangers and Reds). We also managed to get in 1 round of mini-golf and a couple of loops around the Lazy River at the Squaw Peak Hilton.</p> <p>While this was an almost work free vacation, I naturally couldn’t help myself when it came to seeing the similarities between our Cactus League excursion and Recruitment Process Outsourcing. </p> <p></p> <p>So, here are my 5 top reasons why Cactus League Baseball reminds me of Recruitment Process Outsourcing at <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/" title="Pinstripe" target="_self">Pinstripe</a>:</p> <ol> <li>Process Efficiency – Our hotel was 15 to 20 minutes from 5 different stadiums and it seemed that every facility was just off the I10 freeway. The proximity and simple logistics facilitated more baseball and less down time. Our cycle time between games was significantly improved.</li> <li>Greater Reliability – The Brewers have only been rained out 3 times in 8 years in Arizona. The weather is predictably going to be great. Even when it cools down to 60 degrees, it is still tremendous for Midwestern fans who are just exiting from their winter hibernation. Knowing things are going to work out definitely reduces stress and makes for a better experience.</li> <li>Access to Talent – Cactus League baseball gives the fans a chance to interact with the players. At almost every facility, we able to get right by the major leaguers while they were practicing. We were also able to engage in conversation with them and get numerous autographs. Elliot favorite connection was with Norichika Aoki, the Brewers new outfielder from Japan. Regular season baseball keeps the fans at a distant while the Cactus league is all about access and, ultimately, building customer loyalty.</li> <li>Greater Return on Investment (ROI) – Some of the best seats are lawn seating in the outfield. Most stadiums have a grassy slope just beyond the outfield fences and these tickets are only $8.00. $8.00 for a major league game is outstanding. And, almost equally important, we used frequent flyer and hotels points for our airfare and lodging. I probably spent as much going to 4 Spring Training games as 1 regular season Major League game. To me that’s a 4X improvement in ROI! </li> <li>Focus on Core Competencies – Our main reasons for going to Arizona was to watch baseball, have fun and just hang out together. The Cactus League is designed to maximize the fan experience and give families an opportunity to be together and enjoy each other. And the baseball is really good too.</li> </ol> <p>So whether you passion is baseball or RPO, I would recommend a Cactus League vacation for the sun, the activities and the almost uninterrupted family time. </p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/RPOlosophy/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self">@bddiamond</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>Memo to HR: What Have You Done For Me Lately?</h1> <p>Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:00:00 GMT</p> <p><em>Guest post by <a href="http://chinagorman.com/about/" title="China Gorman" target="_blank">China Gorman</a>. Follow China on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/chinagorman" title="@chinagorman" target="_blank">@chinagorman</a>.</em></p> <p>In a <a href="http://resources.pinstripetalent.com/PinstripePresentsMemotoHR.html" title="webinar " target="_blank">webinar </a>I led last week for the great folks at Pinstripe, I talked about the questions that HR gets asked – and why they typically are the wrong questions.</p> <p>Why is it that HR gets asked “what have you done for me lately?” instead of “HR, what do you think?”</p> <p>Why isn’t HR asked “What’s the impact of the projected shortfall of college graduates on our workforce plan?”</p> <p>Why isn’t HR asked “What’s the impact of Baby Boomers not being sure when they’re going to retire on our workforce plan?”</p> <p>Why isn’t HR asked “What’s the relationship between our customers’ satisfaction rates and our employees’ satisfaction rates?”</p> <p>What would life be like in your organization if your C-Suite were asking questions like these – instead of “HR, where are we having the company picnic this year?”</p> <p>Or, even worse, “What’s your name again?”</p> <p>The issue, of course, is business influence. It’s not enough to be functionally competent in HR – as most HR professionals are. It’s not enough to be competent about how the business works –as most HR professionals are.</p> <p>Mastery of the internal business environment and mastery of the external economic environment are critical foundations of business influence. Those, together with functional and company-specific competence, create the essential elements required for HR’s voice to be heard.</p> <p>And then wielding business influence effectively ensures ongoing influence. If your voice is only heard talking “HR-speak” you’ll lose the C-Suite audience and the business influence you crave.</p> <p>If your voice is heard connecting the dots between economic trends and their impact on the people management programs and investments your organization is making you’ll continue to have the audience you want.</p> <p>If your voice is heard drawing a straight line between your organization’s financial performance and your organization’s HR metrics you’ll continue to have the audience you want.</p> <p>If your voice is heard supplying people-related business solutions backed up by fact and data you’ll continue to have the audience you want.</p> <p>And if your voice is helping the organization ensure that the people part of the strategic plan is ensuring the organization’s ability to meet its growth goals you’ll continue to have the audience you want.</p> <p>HR has never been more critical to an organization’s success than it is today. The combination of demographic shifts, proliferation of regulatory hurdles, global economic interconnectedness and economic uncertainty creates huge opportunity for HR to make immediate contributions to all areas of organizational success.</p> <p>Just make sure you’re ready for the right questions.</p> <p>For a replay of the webinar visit: <a href="http://resources.pinstripetalent.com/PinstripePresentsMemotoHR.html" title="http://resources.pinstripetalent.com/PinstripePresentsMemotoHR.html" target="_blank">http://resources.pinstripetalent.com/PinstripePresentsMemotoHR.html</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>I Didn’t Believe in Outsourcing Either</h1> <p>Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:58:00 GMT</p> Close to 15 years ago I got a call from a Chief HR Officer I knew asking me what I thought about outsourcing HR. At the time, I was a consultant focused on leadership and culture. He had just taken a new job with a company that was about to expand rapidly – taking their retail concept national. Given the aggressive plans they had and timelines, he was exploring all options. I remember my initial reaction to his question. It was visceral, it was automatic, it was powerful. How could you outsource the part of your business that was focused on people? His was a services business. It was dependent upon people, upon talent. What message are you sending your employees or your customers for that matter if they got wind of it, by in a sense saying that your people are “non-core” to your business? I think, or at least I hope, I softened my feedback to him, but I don’t tend to hide it well when I have strong opinions. <br /><br />Fast forward to now. Guess what? I work for an HR outsourcing organization. How interesting are the lessons we learn in life. I wasn’t looking to go into outsourcing. In fact, when I was first approached about the opportunity to make this career change, I was still skeptical. My perception of outsourcing wasn’t great. Isn’t it all about shaving costs and driving every last inefficiency out of everything so that the outsourcing company could maximize their profits and the client organization could deliver the outsourced HR service to their employees at the absolute lowest price point possible? That didn’t sound like an inspiring career move to me. I wondered why they would want me too. Here I was, focusing most of my energy leading an organizational change practice, what might that have to do with Recruitment Process Outsourcing?<br /><br />Little did I know. Eventually, I went for a visit and took a look for myself. What I learned was shocking and it spurred me to make a career change that I never would have envisioned. I saw an obsession and passion for talent and talent acquisition. I saw process “geeks” who were constantly looking for ways to apply the best practices from other functions and areas of expertise, to HR and recruiting. And they were as focused on doing it to deliver better quality as they were to be more “efficient.” I saw innovation and creativity and transformational work. I saw hard work too, and then it became clear to me. What I saw is that the key is keeping the human in human resources. Bringing dedication, excellence and expertise shouldn’t be a crime just because you’re outside the walls of that business. Bringing a business focus to the work of HR shouldn’t be either.<br /><br />I’m not saying all outsourcing is great, but I did have to eat crow. I’m proud to say I work for an RPO and I love it. I love the impact we have on clients every day, and I thoroughly enjoy working with anyone who shares a personal passion for making people and HR better every day. <br /><br />Post contributed by Angela Hills. Follow me on Twitter <a href="http://www.twitter.com/angelahills" title="@angelahills" target="_blank">@angelahills</a> </article> <article> <h1>RPO Insights from Gary and Walter</h1> <p>Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:14:00 GMT</p> <p>In the song “Man or Muppet” from the movie “<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1204342/" title="The Muppets" target="_self">The Muppets</a>,” Gary (<a href="http://muppet.wikia.com/wiki/Jason_Segel" title="Jason Segel" target="_self">Jason Segel</a>) and Walter (voice by Peter Linz) sing about their identity crisis as the man or the Muppet.</p> <p></p> <p><em>I reflect on my reflection<br />and I ask myself the question<br />what’s the right direction to go<br />I don’t know<br />am I a man or am I a Muppet<br />if I’m a Muppet then I’m a very manly Muppet<br />am I a Muppet or am I a man<br />if I’m a man that makes me a Muppet of a man</em></p> <p>As I think about the lyrics from this Academy Award nominated song (written by Bret McKenzie, best known for <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/20/magazine/bret-mckenzie-muppets.html">“Flight of the Conchords,”</a>) I can’t help but wonder about my RPO competitors and their ongoing identity issues.</p> <p>I believe many of my Recruitment Process Outsourcing competitors struggle with who they are, what competing products and servcices should they invest in and which marketplace(s) do they belong in. This burden impacts both their success and the success of their clients.</p> <p>So here is my list of the top 5 existential crisis questions most RPO service providers must be asking themselves:</p> <ul> <li>am I RPO or am I MSP?</li> <li>am I RPO or am I HRO?</li> <li>am I RPO or am I ATS?</li> <li>am I RPO or am I Temporary Labor?</li> <li>am I RPO or am I HR Consulting?</li> </ul> <p>Some might say you can be all things to all people, but at some point you have to make a choice or risk being poor to mediocre at everything you do. Just ask Gary and walter from <em>"The Muppets." </em>Fortunately, we (<a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/" title="Pinstripe" target="_self">Pinstripe</a>) know who we are and have a clear RPO vision where we are going.</p> <p>Also, I’m truly amazed by how much I still can learn from the Muppets.</p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/RPOlosophy/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self">@bddiamond</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>The Power of Words</h1> <p>Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:20:00 GMT</p> <p>I have been intrigued for a while now with the power of words. With the concept that words, the choice of words we use, may be more important than we realize. And I’m not just talking about oration here. Sure, being able to weave together a string of lovely words to make a point is a wonderful skill. My question is more simple than that. Does behavior shape the words we use or do the words we use shape our behavior? What’s easier, to start changing how you talk about something, or start changing how you do something? And if you change the words you use, could it actually help you or your organization change?<br /><br />I came across this concept first when working with a fellow executive coach (Hi Gene Gallivan!). We were working on a project together and got to talking. I shared that personally, like many of the business leaders I coached, I was generally driven more by my head, my thoughts, and by my logic. I’m more T than F on Myers Briggs, and darn it, that bugged me. It sounded cold, it sounded harsh. Gene suggested that if I wanted to be even a bit more in touch with my feeling side that I should start by talking differently. He noticed that I often started a sentence with “I think…” and suggested that I stop myself and begin comments with “I feel…” instead. That the simple act of doing that would cause me to connect with what I feel and balance that better in my own style at home and at work. Guess what? It worked. I’m still a pretty logical and thought-driven person, but have a much more integrated approach to my own leadership and personal interactions.<br /><br />This experience has led me to also consider the importance words have in business. How we talk about our business processes does matter. Whether the words naturally make us think about our clients’ needs or our needs can drive behavior that aligns with the one we are striving for. So, it makes me think about the words we use in recruiting. Recruiting is a verb, it is something we do, but recruitment is a noun. Talent acquisition is a noun or a function. Time to fill, intake calls, requisitions, offer accepts, fills, hires, interview to offer ratios, candidates, applicants, employment. These are the words we use in recruiting. What behaviors do they subtly reinforce? What should the new words for recruiting be?</p> <p><em>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/angela-hills/" title="Angela Hills" target="_self">Angela Hills</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/angelahills" title="@angelahills" target="_blank">@angelahills</a></em></p> </article> <article> <h1>Pinewood Derby RPO</h1> <p>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:07:00 GMT</p> <p><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self"></a>Several weekends ago, Aaron, my youngest son, participated in a Cub Scout Pinewood Derby event. </p> <p>For those of you unfamiliar with the pinewood derby, it is a racing event for Cub Scouts. Young scouts, with the help of parents, build their own cars from wood, usually from kits containing a block of pine, 4 plastic wheels and 4 metal axles. The finished car must use all nine pieces, must not exceed a certain 5 ounces in weight, must not exceed a certain length and must fit on the track used by that particular scout pack.</p> <p></p> <p>While we had a great time making the car (well, at least Aaron did) and participating in the race day activities (well, at least Aaron did), we unfortunately did not place in the top 3. We were less than .15 seconds per heat from our goal. .15 seconds may not seem a lot and yet it was the difference between coming home with a “thank you for participating” award and winning a big trophy (along with lots of peer admiration).</p> <p>I have observed that there are some striking similarities between winning a Pinewood Derby event and winning a Recruitment Process Outsourcing deal.</p> <p>Here are my top three (3) parallels:</p> <ol> <li>To win you must overcome inertia with a solution that maximizes the opportunity. An “off-the -shelf” design isn’t going to beat a well thought out custom design.</li> <li>Attention to detail is critical. Some people spend hours laboring on their design; looking for potential weaknesses and reworking until the final product is much better. On the other hand, there are others who just “slap” together something and hope for the best. I believe our win ratio at <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/" title="Pinstripe" target="_self">Pinstripe</a> is so good because we take the “attention to detail” approach. </li> <li>Sometimes you have to go “above and beyond.” All designs are not created equal. In the Pinewood Derby world this might entail polishing the axles and using a graphite lubricant on the wheels. And in the RPO RFP selection process, it might mean researching and building extra customized talent attraction and diversity recruitment strategies for key roles or customizing all the technology portals with the client’s branding and open requisitions. Just meeting the bar doesn’t win much new business in today's competitive RPO world. </li> </ol> <p>Unfortunately, Aaron and I have to wait an entire year before the next Pinewood Derby and a chance to redeem ourselves. However, when it comes to RPO, I have a good number of proposals in my current funnel where, with the right effort, I can win the big trophy.</p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self">@bddiamond</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>How to pick your RPO Employer</h1> <p>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:35:00 GMT</p> <p>With the exponential growth of Recruitment Process Outsourcing, recruiters should be enjoying lots of potential RPO job opportunities. And since the average recruiter spends more than 40 hours a week on the job, selecting the right RPO provider is very important to your career and life.</p> <p>So how do you decide the right RPO career move? What are your criteria? How can you differentiate one RPO employer from another?</p> <p>The following are five (5) crucial items you need to know about your next RPO employer: </p> <p><b>1) What is the company's short and long-term plan?</b><br />With my extensive exposure to RPO service providers, I’ve learned that most RPO companies have a short term revenues goals, but lack a long-term strategic vision and plan. The majority of firms find it acceptable to be almost exclusively driven by the market versus trying to influence and shape the industry. One of the things I appreciate about <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/" title="Pinstripe" target="_self">Pinstripe</a> is our clearly defined long-term business strategy and how our executive team readily and frequently shares the information with all our team members. </p> <p><b>2) Are you and the company a culture match?</b></p> <p>Almost all recruiters I know believe that recruiting is a valued profession and talent acquisition is a critical, strategic business function. However, some RPO firms have commoditized their services so much that any opportunity for recruiters to think “outside the box” and find creative solutions is frowned upon. In the world of RPO, there are providers who give their recruiters the freedom to add additional value and there are other RPO companies just looking for a “small cog in their large wheel.” In my opinion, culture often trumps strategy. Decide who you are, figure out the RPO Service Provider’s culture and choose wisely.</p> <p><b>3) What is the company doing about training and development? <br /></b>Smart RPO companies invest in their employees (both onsite and virtual) and offer a number of ways to continuously learn and develop—not just for your current role but for the role you’d like to have in the future. In my position, I interview lots of recruiters from our competition and have learned that many RPO providers are rushing so quickly to keep up with new accounts or expanding accounts that recruiters are just thrown into the “lion’s den” with little to no initial orientation and virtually zero on-going training. Over the past several years, <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/anne-bucher/" title="Anne Bucher" target="_self">Anne Bucher</a>, my colleague, as built out a comprehensive “certification” program that every recruiter receives as part of their Pinstripe and client on-boarding process. Sometimes this impacts the implementation and transition timeline; however, long-term it improves recruiter success, job satisfaction and employee engagement (and ultimately clients get better results).</p> <p><b>4) What are the opportunities for career growth?</b> <br />Growth doesn't always mean a new position, it could mean a developmental assignment, a mentoring relationship, joining company employee resource groups or volunteering in the community. However, in regards to internal mobility, <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/SueMarks/" title="Sue Marks" target="_self">Sue Marks</a>, our CEO, shares all promotions and internal moves on a monthly basis. She does to help our employees understand potential career paths, improve retention but most of all to recognize and celebrate employee achievements</p> <p><b>5) What are the people who already work there saying? </b><br />Nothing is better than hearing first-hand how an employee already with the company has grown throughout his/her career. And since recruiters like to network and talk, it shouldn’t be hard to gather information. . This type of “unofficial” endorsement should be an essential part of any RPO career move.</p> <p>The key to selecting your RPO employer is simple. Don't just take any job; be discriminating.</p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self">@bddiamond</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>This post has nothing to do with RPO</h1> <p>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:21:00 GMT</p> <p><em><strong>Warning: This post has nothing to do with RPO!</strong></em></p> <p>99.9% of the time, I focus on Recruitment Process Outsourcing and <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/" title="Pinstripe" target="_self">Pinstripe</a>; however, sometimes I just come across things that need sharing. This might shock some of you, but I do believe there is more to life than RPO. </p> <p>So this time there will be no discussion of Service Delivery Agreements (SLAs) or Talent Attraction Strategies or Quality of Hire. I'm just here to share something outside of RPO and I hope you will find it beneficial.</p> <p>Like most of you, I’m always looking for new reading material (especially on those long plane rides). I often struggle to find reliable sources for my book purchases. It can be incredibly frustrating to spend $12.95 on a paperback and realize 100 pages later you made a bad buying decision. So I thought I would share the following book review resource. This comes from the Random House website:</p> <p>"So what does a publisher at the world’s biggest publishing house read for pleasure? Jane von Mehren is the Senior Vice President and Publisher of Trade Paperbacks at the <a href="http://atrandom.com/" target="_blank">Random House Publishing Group</a>. Every now and then, she’ll be featuring her favorite new reads in her Reader’s Circle column, <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc//2012/01/05/janes-bookshelf-volume-1-new-year-new-books" title="Jane’s Bookshelf" target="_self">Jane’s Bookshelf</a>. And if you’re on Twitter, you can follow her tweets at <a href="http://twitter.com/janeatrandom" target="_blank">@janeatrandom</a>."</p> <p>And this isn't some casual recommendation on my part. I know Jane (she's my sister-in-law) and her suggestions are on target.</p> <p></p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self">@bddiamond</a></p> <p> </p> </article> <article> <h1>2011: Barry Diamond's RPO Year in Review</h1> <p>Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:30:00 GMT</p> <p>As 2011 was coming to a close, I sat down and made a list of my 21 RPO observations from the previous 12 months. However, since I never blog over 500 words (a self-imposed rule), I reduced my list by two thirds to just 7 key observations.</p> <p>So here are my top 7 RPO Observations for 2011:</p> <ol> <li>A group of RPO service providers talked a lot about total workforce solutions, but buyers were still mostly looking for standalone RPO offerings. In 2012, this should continue to help RPO service providers whose core product is Recruitment Process Outsourcing.</li> <li>One of the most frequently asked questions of 2011 was about our recruiters and whether they were employees of Pinstripe or just contractors. All of Pinstripe’s recruiters are employees; however, I learned that, unlike Pinstripe, a majority of RPO firms are leveraging significant numbers of contract recruiters. This contractor “situation” results in higher recruiter turnover, less program continuity and greater hiring manager frustration. </li> <li>More potential clients asked for a cost per hire fee model is 2011. In addition, they also wanted us to ensure program reinvestment and resource continuity. I spent some significant time (successfully) explaining that a combination of fixed and variable costs can be the most optimal pricing structure for driving reinvestment, continuity, results and return on investment.</li> <li>A major acquisition was completed by a large payroll services/human resource management organization. It seems this move will help them compete in some bundled HRO deals; however, the transaction may not benefit them as much in the Recruitment Process Outsourcing only deals. I’m watching this one closely as 2012 unfolds.</li> <li>If a RPO provider was not measuring up, then incumbency meant very little last year. With many 1<sup>st</sup> generation RPO contracts expiring in 2011, companies that went back out to RFP had clearly decided that RPO was the right solution; however, they also decided that they needed to find a new service provider.</li> <li>There was both more talk and more actual global and multi-national RPO deals in 2011. In addition, any service provider who said they can do it all themselves globally without partners, lost credibility in the marketplace. RPO buyers are getting more and more sophisticated and their due diligence is leading them to more credible solutions.</li> <li>The RPO market grew tremendously in 2011 and soon there will be a lot of press releases about 2011 results. As you read these announcements, please note that any service provider extolling their 10% or 15% or 20% or even 25% revenue increases, should also mention that they did not keep pace with overall industry growth by 10% or 15% or 20% or even 25%.</li> </ol> <p></p> <p>In conclusion, I perused of a lot of year end reviews about books, movies, restaurants, sports, politics, etc… and a frequent topic of discussion was whether or not it was a “magical” year.</p> <p>So in your opinion, was 2011 a “magical” year for RPO? For me, it was really interesting but never quite reached the “magical” level.</p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow me on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self">@bddiamond</a></p> </article> <article> <h1>RPO and the Client’s Brand</h1> <p>Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:30:00 GMT</p> <p><em>Post contributed by <a href="about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow Barry on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/bddiamond" title="@bddiamond" target="_self">@bddiamond</a></em></p> <p>Recently, I was preparing to present an RPO solution at a Fortune 50 company who is working with one of our competitors. <br /><br />Whether my prospect has an internal recruitment team or is already outsourcing, I always try to figure out what is currently going on. One of the easiest ways to investigate talent acquisition is to research the prospect’s recruitment marketing efforts and candidate application process. Four questions I always try to answer prior to a meeting are:</p> <ol> <li>Where are they posting, do the links actually work, and is the message compelling and consistent?</li> <li>What social recruiting tools are they leverage and how “connected” are their recruiters?</li> <li>Is the online application process candidate friendly and intuitive?</li> <li>How well is the career portal designed?</li> </ol> <p>Going into this exercise, my predisposition is always that most companies already working with a RPO service provider will be doing a better job marketing career opportunities and improving the candidate experience than an internal team. Clearly one of RPO’s value propositions is that talent attraction strategies and tools is one of our core competencies. Simple put companies hire us to do it better.</p> <p>However, my latest research for the Fortune 50, “we are already working with a RPO firm” organization was truly eye-opening. In summary, the RPO service provider was co-branding positions thus creating confusion for candidates. The RPO provider’s logo and the client’s name were both prominently displayed on all the job postings. In addition, the positions were advertised in a manner totally inconsistent with the client’s image and the client’s marketing efforts. These were professional careers promoted as if I was going to own a fast food franchise.</p> <p>Compounding the branding issue further and creating a less than intuitive application process, candidates could apply through either the RPO service provider’s ATS or the client’s ATS for the same positions. Honestly, this tactic seems to further muddle the client’s brand message and reduce process efficiency. My intuition tells me that a large number of candidates are being “lost.” In addition, this situation raises some additional questions like:</p> <ol> <li>Who owns the candidates in the service provider’s ATS?</li> <li>Is the candidate pool being shared with other clients?</li> <li>What would happen if the client had an OFCCP audit?</li> </ol> <p>In a Pinstripe Recruitment Process Outsourcing engagement, it is always about the client’s brand. It is always their logo. It is always their messaging. It is always their values. Pinstripe does the work but it is never about us. In fact, in our worlds, candidates never know Pinstripe. Each candidate should only experience great service and believe that service was delivered by their potential future employer.</p> <p><br />If the end goal is about helping the client’s overall business initiatives and goals, then talent acquisition and the employment brand should support and enhance the overall client brand. You can’t do this in RPO if the service provider is co-advertising or co-promoting themselves alongside you, the client.</p> <p>Respecting, promoting and building your client’s brand is very much RPO 101. It is unfortunate that not all service providers adhere to this key Recruitment Process Outsourcing principle.</p> <p>For more on the importance of your employer brand, please download the Pinstripe whitepaper <strong><a href="http://resources.pinstripetalent.com/Recruiting-at-the-Speed-of-Now.html" title="Recruiting at the Speed of Now" target="_blank">Recruiting at the Speed of Now</a></strong>.</p> <p> </p> </article> <article> <h1>RPOland</h1> <p>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:08:00 GMT</p> <p><em>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow Barry on Twitter @bddiamond</em></p> <p>In his book, <em><a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/06/28/137371975/how-industrial-farming-destroyed-the-tasty-tomato" title="“Tomatoland,”" target="_self">“Tomatoland,”</a></em> Barry Estabrook covers the history of the grocery store tomato in the United States. The narrative is a scathing portrayal of South Florida’s tomato growers and their tactics to achieve total bland uniformity.</p> <p></p> <p>To commercial tomato growers, bland uniformity is perfection. And it starts with hard, tasteless, green balls that barely dent when they fall off a truck at 60 miles per hour and that must be gassed to achieve the sick-pink hue they present in supermarkets.</p> <p>Additionally, regulations actually prohibit growers in the southern part of Florida from exporting many of the older tasty tomato varieties because their coloration and shape don’t conform to what the all-powerful Florida Tomato Committee says a tomato should look like.</p> <p>What is happening in the tomato world is tragic and I believe, as the RPO industry matures, we must be conscious not to make the same mistakes made by others. Many companies have taken the entire "flavor" out of their products and services (just bite into a supermarket <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/rpolosophy/bid/94034/To-Go-or-Not-Go-RPO-Bananas" title="banana" target="_self">banana</a> or tomato) because they believe homogeny is the path to almost limitless market opportunities and profit.</p> <p>However, what about those of us (and it is a growing segment) that want more and see specialized and uniqueness as a value. Why should we be limited to commoditized, generic products and services when we clearly see significance and greater ROI in customization. In all things including tomatoes and RPO, you get what you pay.</p> <p>As Recruitment Process Outsourcing grows larger and larger, there is a challenge all service provides face. The challenge is we need to avoid the temptation of sacrificing what makes us special at the expense of just being bigger. Our services must remain client by client centric in order to maintain our loyal and delighted customers. We must always put quality ahead of quantity. We cannot become like the large Florida tomato farmer who said, 'I don't get paid a single cent for flavor, I get paid for weight.”</p> <p>Honestly, I do fear that some day RPO will become mass produced and available at ever corner human capital supermarket. And when that happens the only thing left for me to do is write my book entitled <em>“RPOland, The History of RPO and How Bland Uniformity caused its Demise."</em></p> </article> <article> <h1>RPO or RPO Ditto</h1> <p>Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:56:00 GMT</p> <p></p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow Barry on Twitter @bddiamond</p> <p>The other day my wife, Barbara, showed me this holiday picture. Normally I’d just find amusement in this snapshot and move on. However, for some reason, this image stuck with me. It stuck with me because, in a way, this photo represents the current schism of service providers in the Recruitment Process Outsourcing industry.</p> <p>Many RPO service providers are like the house on the left hand side of the photo (albeit a bit less ostentatious). They are delivering great results and reinvesting in their core competency. They are industry leaders who have set the bar high. Because of these RPO firms, recruitment process outsourcing has been elevated to the strategic outsourcing option it is today.</p> <p>But success has also created a new group of companies that resemble the house on the right hand side. These firms are simply looking to capitalize on the uptick in RPO popularity. To be fair, some new entrants have gotten it right and we welcome them. They have a clear value proposition and the capabilities to back it up.</p> <p>However, some upstarts are mostly talk. Their value proposition is basically “me too;" We can do anything. Many have basic recruiting capabilities and some even have technology tools, but most lack the expertise of transition, change management and seamless integration. In addition, they are missing the required depth of knowledgeable and associated talent (people) to make RPO sustainable. Outsourcing is difficult and without these critical components, any RPO program will quickly implode.</p> <p>Creating an exceptional holiday display takes experience, commitment and investment ….and so does RPO. While the “ditto” briefly catches our attention, there really are no shortcuts.</p> </article> <article> <h1>Turning the RPO World Upside Down</h1> <p>Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:32:00 GMT</p> <p>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow Barry on Twitter @bddiamond</p> <p>It was just Halloween and every year our home town, Whitefish Bay, WI, has a huge <a href="http://wfbcivicfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10&Itemid=13" title="pumpkin carving event" target="_self">pumpkin carving event</a>. The event is sponsored by the Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation. They provide free pumpkins, carving tools, candles, and table space. You design a jack-o-lantern, and it will be lit and on display every night during the last week of October.</p> <p>Like many of you, I’ve been carving pumpkins for many years. I always start by cutting out the top of the pumpkin and scooping out the inside. Once my pumpkin is prepped, I find a design, apply it to the pumpkin and begin to carve.</p> <p>In preparation for this year’s event, I went to the Internet to research some “cool” designs. Before I could even find a theme for this year's pumpkin, I discovered something earth shattering about pumpkin carving technique. The information was so simple and yet I had never ever even considered this revolutionary pumpkin carving methodology. I checked with a few friends and they also had never heard on this alternative and exciting pumpkin carving process. It will forever change the way I carve pumpkins.</p> <p>Here is what I learned:</p> <p><em>“Instead of cutting the top, <b>try cutting out the bottom of the pumpkin</b>. Carving from the bottom up gives the pumpkin a cleaner look, plus it's safer. You won't burn your hand when you try to light a candle and place the pumpkin over it.”</em></p> <p>When I look around at the RPO industry, I see 2 types of service providers that are represented in the pumpkin carving world.</p> <p>One type of RPO company is “cutting the top of the pumpkin.” Or stated another way, they are providing services that lack innovation and inspiration. These firms have chosen to just transfer services from the client without dratically altering the way things are being done.</p> <p>Their value proposition is all (or mostly) about cost. They barely have enough resources at their price point to meet their client’s transaction volume, let alone have people who can provide thought leadership, innovation and continuous process improvement.</p> <p>The other type of RPO partner brings innovation and is always looking for <b><a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/methodology/Process-Improvement/" title="“a better way to carve the pumpkin”" target="_self">“a better way to carve the pumpkin”</a> </b>even if it means, at times, flipping the pumpkin upside down<b>. </b>These providers are committed to finding a superior way to do talent acquisition. They are not the lowest (hard) cost RPO firms because they are resourcing programs correctly with both transactional and strategic team members. However, in the long run, they are delivering the best results and overall long term value.</p> <p><b></b></p> </article> <article> <h1>A World Without Fribbles</h1> <p>Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:06:00 GMT</p> <p><em>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow Barry on Twitter @bddiamond</em></p> <p>As someone who grew up during the heyday of Friendly’s I was saddened to recently learn that the family restaurant chain was another casualty of the economy and changing customer preferences. </p> <p>For those of you not familiar with Friendly’s and their signature drink, the Fribble, the best way to describe the restaurant chain is that it exists somewhere ½ way between McDonalds and Applebees. Unfortunately, as dining tastes evolved, Friendly’s ended up in restaurant no man’s land. Late attempts to catch up failed miserably and the company recently filed Chapter 11.</p> <p></p> <p>The question I keep pondering is: Does everything have a life cycle? Is it inescapable that at some point every concept goes out of style? And, is the best we can do is just delay inevitable? Is this the eventually fate of RPO?</p> <p>I truly believe that everything does eventually come to end even Recruitment Process Outsourcing. However, there is a lot we can do to keep RPO going for the foreseeable futures (multiple decades).</p> <p>Here are 5 things for RPO Service Providers to consider so we don’t end up like Friendly’s:</p> <ol> <li>Keep Innovating</li> <li>Keep Listening to Clients</li> <li>Keep Listening to the Market</li> <li>Keep Looking beyond the RPO industry </li> <li>Keep being paranoid and always be looking over your shoulder at whose coming up behind you</li> </ol> <p>So we may not be able to “Fribble It” anymore, but here’s to many more years of being able to “RPO It.”</p> </article> <article> <h1>When RPO Names Become RPO Nouns</h1> <p>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:52:00 GMT</p> <p><em>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow Barry on Twitter @bddiamond</em></p> <p>All kinds of people become nouns.</p> <p>For example, the term maverick comes from Texan Samuel Maverick who refused to brand his cattle supposedly because he didn't want to cause them pain, but his neighbors thought he was just showing off an independent streak. French acrobat Jules Leotard didn’t just invent the art of the trapeze; he also lent his name to the skin-tight, one-piece outfit that allowed him to keep his limbs free while performing. And Jon Duns was well-respected for theology until his rivals took offense and said Dunce means someone dense. There is similar etymology surrounding Charles Boycott, James Thomas Brudenell, the 7th Earl of Cardigan, Henry Shrapnel, and Thomas Crapper.</p> <p></p> <p>All these people, for better or worse, have become enduring, not exactly as people, but as common nouns.</p> <p>Currently, Recruitment Process Outsourcing has yet to experience this phenomena; however, I can imagine the day when:</p> <ul> <li>Marks will be synonymous with an innovative RPO program</li> <li>A company will use the Grimaldi to facilitate their RPO service provider selection process</li> <li>Someone will reference the Bucher to describe a flawless Recruitment Process Outsourcing implemenatation</li> </ul> <p>RPO names becoming RPO nouns are inevitable. I’m just not sure what RPO personalities are going to be the lucky ones to be immortalized.</p> </article> <article> <h1>The Best RPO Firms are like Cowlicks</h1> <p>Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:03:00 GMT</p> <p><em>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow Barry on Twitter @bddiamond</em></p> <p>Alfalfa had a famous one and so did Dennis the Menace. What was it? Visibly, it was their prominent cowlick. And virtually everybody has a cowlick or two, with the most noticeable one found at the crown of the head.</p> <p></p> <p>The explanation of a cowlick is quite simple. Basically, the hair on your head can go in three directions -- forward, backwards, and to the side. In some people’s view of the ideal world, all your hair should go in the same direction but the reality is that unruly cowlicks select their own direction -- and pop straight up -- or choose an angle at odds with your preferred style.</p> <p>Cowlicks (named for the swirling pattern made on hair when a cow licks its calves) seem to have a mind of their own and like to go against the flow.</p> <p>Most people are frustrated and annoyed by cowlicks and would be happy to know how to tame them. I contend it is better (and less frustrating) to embrace the uniqueness of the cowlick and appreciate its rebellious nature. </p> <p>I also believe that Recruitment Process Outsourcing service providers should take the same approach and stop trying to hide or camouflage their noteworthy cowlicks. In fact, when I look at the top RPO firms, they definitely exhibit the key characteristics of the cowlick.</p> <p>Here are the top 5 ways the best global RPO firms embrace the “cowlick model of business”:</p> <ol> <li>They welcome and nurture their distinctiveness. They are not trying to be something other than great at RPO and talent acquisition. RPO is at the forefront and quite visible.</li> <li>They follow their own path even when it is not going in the direction of the majority. They are industry leaders not followers.</li> <li>They believe that sometimes you have to be unruly to bring about transformational innovation and material changes. </li> <li>They are not tempted to conform and be like everyone else. If fact, they like going against the flow. Their main goal is to be”hair” for the long-term.</li> <li>They don’t try to cover up their service delivery cowlicks but instead wear them as a sign of successful market distinction and competitive differentiation.</li> </ol> <p>In my world view, we really need to think of the cowlick differently because the cowlick just might be the only part of our hair that is actually going in the right direction versus the wrong way….And similarly RPO firms that are more like cowlicks just might be the only recruitment process outsourcing firms that really get it.</p> <p>For another view of cowlicks, check out <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/recruitalicious/" title="Jeff Jurinak’s blog" target="_self">Jeff Jurinak’s blog</a>.</p> </article> <article> <h1>RPO is Extremely Fashionable</h1> <p>Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:11:00 GMT</p> <p><em>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow Barry on Twitter @bddiamond</em></p> <p>Over the past several years, I’ve blogged about a lot of topics which I’ve found extremely interesting but know little about. To date, I intentionally avoided the topic of Fashion. And anyone who knows me knows why. If it wasn’t for Barbara, my wife, I would mostly wear a pair of ill fitting jeans, a faded t-shirt and some Keens (with socks of course).</p> <p>However, last week I overheard several of my female colleagues discussing New York Fashion Week, that twice-yearly ritual at which retailers give us a look at what designs women are going to be craving in the spring. So, in the spirit of expanding my horizons, I’ve decided to tackle the subject of women’s clothing.</p> <p></p> <p>To summarize the outcome of the week long extravaganza succinctly: prints are going to be big this spring; whimsical prints because a woman only needs so many pairs of chic black pants.</p> <p>I like the fact that styles keep changing and refuse to be static as a business model. The pace of change is something that talent acquisition departments should adopt. We talk a lot about change; however, when you peak behind the staffing department curtain there are many old and outdated practices. For example, social recruiting is the rage and yet so many companies still bar their recruiters’ access. Or we tout the value of candidate service and yet candidates are consistently frustrated with the hiring process. Many organizations still lack basic, timely candidate communications.</p> <p>I know that economics and consumerism drives the fashion world to continually update inventory but shouldn’t the same pressure be felt by talent acquisition departments. Aren’t candidates the equivalent to consumers in our occupation? And doesn’t bringing great talent into an organization critically impact a company’s revenue and profits? So why don’t we see the same creativity and drive as the fashion industry?</p> <p>Fortunately, some talent teams are partnering with outside resources, like recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) service providers to increase the velocity of innovation and change. RPO is very much in vogue right now. It seems like for the last few years, whether it’s been prints or solids, RPO has been prominent on the catwalk. RPO may not be for all organizations but for those looking to refresh or replace their wardrobes, it is a viable option.</p> </article> <article> <h1>To Go or Not Go RPO Bananas</h1> <p>Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:42:00 GMT</p> <p><em>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow Barry on Twitter @bddiamond</em></p> <p>There are so many lessons to be learned from others on how or how not to run a successful RPO business that it sometimes becomes difficult to pick. Over the years I’ve tended to fixate on those examples which we clearly want to avoid. I believe that by understanding bad business models and then doing the opposite, we are much more likely to be successful. The current state of the banana industry provides the latest example of a dire business strategy that recruitment process outsourcing service providers can learn from and steer clear of.</p> <p>Dan Koeppel, the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Banana-Fate-Fruit-Changed-World/dp/0452290082/?tag=foodrepu-20">Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World</a>, recently published a story in The Scientist magazine claiming that the type of banana that most Americans eat may be doomed and on the brink of disaster.</p> <p></p> <p>Why you ask? Because the banana industry is a monoculture based on cloning. This monoculture was devised to drastically drive down the cost of bananas and make them the cheapest of all the supermarket fruits. So even though there are over 1,000 banana types, the only one we eat is the Cavendish banana.</p> <p>Now, the Cavendish banana is seriously threatened by something called Panama disease. And because of cloning that means that when one banana gets sick, every banana gets sick.<b></b></p> <p>This monoculture is a recipe for disaster and yet the nothing is being done because the banana companies believe that they can come up with some quick fix (chemical) to fight the disease. What we are observing is human denial. Human denial is unfortunately a very common occurrence and banana companies are run by humans.</p> <p>I believe there are many RPO service providers who are running their business like the banana industry with a singular, one size fits all recruitment outsourcing product offering that is very low cost but also highly susceptible to issues and problems. The banana model may work ok for awhile; however, as conditions change and the service provider remains static the ROI and success quickly fades. So while cheap in the beginning, the end result may prove to be far more costly if the RPO program is doomed to partial or complete collapse.</p> <p>When I look at the business of bananas, I see how not to run a RPO business. So here’s to more variety of bananas on supermarket shelves and more customized and customer-centric Recruitment Process Outsourcing programs.</p> <p>For more on RPO and Bananas, check out Jeff Jurinak’s blog on <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/talentboost/" title="Talent Boost" target="_self">Talent Boost</a>.</p> </article> <article> <h1>RPO Madness</h1> <p>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 19:32:00 GMT</p> <p><em>Post contributed by <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/about-us/team/barry-diamond/" title="Barry Diamond" target="_self">Barry Diamond</a>. Follow Barry on Twitter @bddiamond</em></p> <p>Several weeks ago, Dr. Nassir Ghaemi, Professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, was doing the morning show circuit regarding his new book, <em>A First Rate Madness</em>. The premise of Dr. Nassir Ghaemi’s book about leadership and mental illness is simple. He believes <em>“When our world is in tumult, mentally ill leaders function best”</em> because they are more resilient, creative, realistic and empathetic than their mentally healthy counterparts.</p> <p></p> <p>I thought extensively about the hypothesis and was on the verge of dismissing the theory when I came across an article in <em><a href="https://www.smartbrief.com/workforce/index.jsp" title="SmartBrief on Workforce" target="_self">SmartBrief on Workforce</a></em> titled <em><a href="http://www.bnet.com/blog/small-biz-advice/9-traits-that-make-great-employees-outstanding/3958" title=""Outstanding employees are often a little off but always on"" target="_self">"Outstanding employees are often a little off but always on"</a></em> that made me rethink my skepticism and reconsider the leadership madness theory in a somewhat less extreme way.</p> <p>Jeff Hayden, the SmartBrief author, writes:</p> <p><em>"The best...are a little different: Quirky, sometimes irreverent, happy to be unusual… they seem slightly “off,” but in a really good way. Unusual personalities shake things up, make work more fun, and turn a vanilla group into a team with flavor and flair. People who aren’t afraid to be different stretch boundaries, challenge the status quo, and often come up with the best ideas."</em></p> <p>As I reflected about Recruitment Process Outsourcing and specifically <a href="http://www.pinstripetalent.com/" title="Pinstripe" target="_self">Pinstripe</a>, I realized that many of the leaders who have gotten us where we are today are different and fit Hayden's description. So while categorizing RPO leaders as madmen might be somewhat severe (and detrimental to my career), I am much more comfortable with characterizing many of the recruitment process outsourcing elite <em>as a little "off" but always "on." </em></p> </article> </main></body></html>