As an HR consultant, almost every leader I have worked for immediately understands the critical importance of recruiting. Yet, throughout these interactions, I’ve been puzzled why a function like recruiting, which is so universally accepted as being essential is generally given such little focus and not nearly leveraged like other key business functions. It's been my experience that initiatives within the recruiting function are almost always reactive. General enhancements, surge support, and third-party recruitment assessments are typically conducted to address deficiencies as opposed to seizing opportunities. Having effective recruiting capabilities and processes can do three major things simultaneously: It can reduce the time to hire; It can generate more business revenue (depending upon the business, of course); and It can be the key business differentiator when it comes to finding qualified candidates in a hot market. Reducing the time to hire metric is important not only to get qualified talent in the door quicker but with an effective team and process in place, it can greatly reduce the amount of time your hiring managers and recruiters spend as well. To the same point, if these open reqs are positions that directly impact your revenue, you want to get them hired and onboarded in a timely manner. In today's market, employers must move fast and they must be intentional about creating a memorable experience to attract and hire key talent. And I think we can all agree that talent is so often what sets a company apart from its competitors.

Picture it: you have just concluded your interview and shaken hands with the ideal candidate who has all of the qualities and qualifications you are looking for in order to fill your open role and you quickly rush back to office to get in contact with your Recruiter to let them know you want to hire them ASAP! You are excited about the possibility of taking your department to the next level and want this candidate to be part of the team. At this point in the process, nothing else is standing in your way right?

As a manager, I’m sure you have brought on quite a few new hire employees. Some of these employees, when beginning employment, can “jump right in” and become a part of the team. However, others may take some time to adjust to the new culture. To assist in culture assimilation and the learning of company policies and procedures, I always recommend creating a mentor or buddy program for my client's new hires. They've already invested a lot of time and resources in finding the best candidates, so by instituting this as part of their onboarding program, they are ensuring a smooth transition and investing in their future success.

Are you are on the job market and need to find a new job? Maybe you have recently been let go, a contract ended, or you are ready to move onto bigger and better things. One of the first things that you may do is to update your resume. Consider your resume as your ticket to your next interview. Before you get that request for an interview, though, your resume is likely going to go through the hands of a recruiter. Most recruiters will tell you that they spend about 15 to 30 seconds reviewing a resume. This means you really need to make sure that your resume is well-organized and easy to read. As a recruiter, if I find myself spending too much time trying to decipher a resume, I will probably just move on to the next resume.

A question I have been asked by business owners and executives of rapidly growing contractors is, “who do you turn to when you need to respond quickly to a proposal?” What are the options available to GovCons who need support in recruiting for proposals? Proposal recruiting has a unique set of challenges. There are direct costs associated with responding to an RFP and if done properly the payoff for an organization can be high.

Very recently I had a conversation with the COO and CFO of a client regarding a top candidate who had turned down an offer. They were shocked and confused. They had offered the candidate the compensation she requested and had thrown in a few small perks, but it unfortunately wasn’t enough to seal the deal. Ultimately that candidate (who had multiple offers on the table) accepted another offer. Why?