Neil Hernandez's Blog

Get Big By Thinking Small

"I'm comfortable taking one step at a time, getting it right, then moving on. I don't like thinking big. You'll never get hurt by taking a small step,making sure the ground is firm, then taking the next step. I get big by thinking small."

-- Richard Melman,
founder Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises

I was named after Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon.Growing, up I felt I had to live up to the Neil Armstrong name by thinking big and shoot for the stars (or the moon). So throughout my life I strived for big things- to get the A in class, strive to make the biggest and best organizations. But along the way, I realized that thinking big is not necessarily the best thing when you think to big and not do it right along the way. As the quote from Melman above states: "you'll never get hurt by taking a small step, making sure the ground is firm, then taking the next step.

So my philosphy now is to do it right the first time, then take the next step. I have firm belief that doing lot's of little things right, eventually will maek big things happen.

Hang in there

From Seth Godin:

"The stock market is going to be bonkers today.

And for most people, it won't matter so much. Because most of us aren't focused on flipping assets. We're building value by creating interactions that work, by writing stories that spread or by designing products and services that actually create something worth paying for.

That sounds like a treacly mission statement, but it's easy to get distracted by external noise instead of focusing on what counts. Hint: They started Google in the middle of the dot com melt down.

The short-term consequences of an unstable stock market are real and uncomfortable. More (and better) adult supervision would have gone a long way, imho. But we can't control this, all we can do is focus on what matters.

Hang in."

We as recruiters need to keep hanging in there, in these supposedly turbulent economic times. As Godin says in the above article: "it's easy to get distracted by external noise instead of focusing on what counts." If you as a recruiter are focused on improving yourself and your recruiting processes, then you are creating an asset that grows more valuable everyday. Let other people focus on the quick buck, we are going to focus on getting a little bit better every day. That strategy, does not show immediate dividends, but over time you will have created something that more more people will pay for.

Hang in.

From Seth Godin:

"The stock market is going to be bonkers today.

And for most people, it won't matter so much. Because most of us aren't focused on flipping assets. We're building value by creating interactions that work, by writing stories that spread or by designing products and services that actually create something worth paying for.

That sounds like a treacly mission statement, but it's easy to get distracted by external noise instead of focusing on what counts. Hint: They started Google in the middle of the dot com melt down.

The short-term consequences of an unstable stock market are real and uncomfortable. More (and better) adult supervision would have gone a long way, imho. But we can't control this, all we can do is focus on what matters.

Hang in."

We as recruiters need to keep hanging in there, in these supposedly turbulent economic times. As Godin says in the above article: "it's easy to get distracted by external noise instead of focusing on what counts." If you as a recruiter are focused on improving yourself and your recruiting processes, then you are creating an asset that grows more valuable everyday. Let other people focus on the quick buck, we are going to focus on getting a little bit better every day. That strategy, does not show immediate dividends, but over time you will have created something that more more people will pay for.

Hang in.

Sites to post free job postings

http://www.free-for-recruiters.com/Free-JobPostings.html

Get into the Groove

Recruiting, like most other things is a learned skill. When faced in a situation where a recruiter has to fill 10 hard to fill positions, it could be viewed as overwhelming. However, when recruiting is viewed as just completing a series of small steps performed well, then it could be done - and done well.

One crucial recruiting skill is what I call getting in the groove. It is similar to a morning ritual of a typical working adult. For example, when you wake up in the morning, do you follow a certain routine? For some people it could include waking up, going to the bathroom, brushing your teeth, taking a shower, getting dressed, preparing breakfast, and then going to work. For many people their morning ritual is routine and almost automatic because they don't have to think about it.

Similarly, a recruiting routine can be established. Here is an example of a typical recruiting routine:

1) Turn on your computer
2) Check your previous nights emails and answer the most urgent ones.
3) Search the Internet or your database and find at least one qualified candidate for your open position.
4) Conduct at least one phone interview.
5) Repeat Steps 3 and 4 at least three more times daily.
6) Check your emails and voice mails.
7) Set up at least one phone screen for the next day.
8) Plan for the next day.

If you as a recruiter can establish your own recruiting routine where you plan it, do it, and then improve on it every day, there is no way that you as a recruiter will soon become a recruiting machine.

3 steps before meeting a client

Below are three steps I would do before meeting with a potential client for your recruiting agency.

1. goto your clients website and research everything you can about the client.
2. search all the open positions on the client's site to get a good idea of what type of positions the client is seeking.
3. if at all possible goto the client site before you actually meet with the client. This works best if it is a retail client. For example, if your client is OfficeMax, then goto a nearby OfficeMax to get a feel for the store, what type of employees work there, who their customers are, and get a feel for the atmosphere.

The average person seeking a new client, may not take these steps. You want to be remarkable.

The story has to make sense

When I am analyzing someones resume, I always see if the story he/she is stating makes sense to the job description that I have. For instance if I have a analyst level position to fill, I picture in my mind the perfect candidate and the perfect candidates current situation. So when I come across a potential candidate I see how closely that their story fits my ideal candidate. So going back to the anlayst example, my ideal candidate for example is currently working the exact job title as an analyst for a different company but in the same industry. However, for some reason the candidate is dissatisfied and therefore looking for a change in employer but not necessarily duties and responsibilities.

So when analyzing a candidate, I try to find their story - their situation. Whatever their particualr situation it has to make sense for them to take this new job. If their story doesn't fit, then it's probably not the right candidate.

Signature Line

Every interaction you have with a customer is a marketing piece. This includes the signature line of every email you send. So make sure it is complete and make sure it is good. Be sure to include your full name, job title, company name, company website, company tag line, your full contact information including phone numbers, email, as well as any other information they may need.

Creating a good signature line takes a small amount of effort. But it is doing little things like this well that over the long term makes a big difference.

Preparation

John Wooden, former legendary coach of UCLA basketball, was always prepared. He prepared his basketball practices prior to every practice down to the minute. He knew exactly what his team was going to do in any given practice down to the exact minute and he stuck to it. He was so good in this preparing that he could tell you exactly what his team did on a particular day for the last 10 years. Not only that, when he made the agenda for practice he looked at what he did in the past to see if he could improve that days practice.

Wooden perfected as close as anyone on the art of leadership and maximum performance for the teams he led. Can we use some of his examples in preparation to improve our own team's performance.

It's not the field of virtual recruiting it's how good of a virtual recruiter you are

 Someone asked me what he should get into. I said what do you mean? He said, well the world is changing so fast, there are so many new technologies and tools out there that I can use and do, I want to do the vehicle that is the hottest and make the most money. So should I get into web development? Should I get into blogging? Should I become an expert in Ebay? Facebook? Affiliate Marketing? Google ad words? Virtual Recruiting?

My answer to him was that it is not the vehicle that is the most important. It is the individual. There are people who do all the above things who make money, lose money, and break even. The variable is not the vehicle. The variable is the individual. So as an individual needs to get good - not the vehicle. So I suggested to him to first invest in education - then get experience - and then if you do both of those factors well - then you'll get them money.

Quitting as a Strategy

Sometimes the best decisions you make are not the opportunities you take but the opportunities you decline. The ones you quit before you even start.

I would quit....

That feeling to eat a big mac over a salad

That few moments to lay in bed when you should be getting up

The candidate who you know will be nothing but trouble

The potential client who is a jerk (why do you think he will change being a jerk when he deals with the rest of your organization)

The person who wants to do a deal with you but does not want to sign the contract

Web surfing when you should be working