The Kennedy onRec Expo 2009 wrapped up yesterday in Chicago, and the attending members of the SmartBrief team are back and full of exciting new knowledge. Here’s a quick rundown of their favorite sessions and the tips they gleaned from them:
Changing Supply and Demand: Lessons Learned from the Real Estate Industry — presented by Wendy Forsyth of Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate
- “Hire for attitude” — you can teach people the skills they need later.
- Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate removed the word “recruiting” from its corporate vocabulary. The group’s hiring strategy isn’t about convincing candidates to do things; it’s about “talent attraction” and bringing the next generation into the real estate industry.
How to Get the Biggest Bang for Your Buck from Job Boards — moderated by Tony Lee of Adicio
- Ask job boards to deliver services for free or at a discount.
- Seek premium positioning to boost qualified responses.
- Confirm each site’s traffic rate to weed out those that won’t deliver.
Finding Keepers — Hiring for the Long Term in a Down Economy — presented by Eric Winegardner of Monster Worldwide
- The recruiting industry has the opportunity to reinvent work.
- We have to stop using negative candidate labeling (active vs. passive candidates). Having your resume posted isn’t negative, it just means you’re managing your career. Recruiters could find a “keeper” anywhere — including in a pool of “active” job seekers.
- Resist the urge to “over-employ.” The candidate who’s 90% qualified for the job is always a better hire than the candidate who’s 110% qualified.
Stop the Insanity! Why do the Same Recruiting Challenges Surface in Every New Recruiting Medium? — presented by Steve Lowisz of Qualigence
- Recruiting is still, bottom line, a sales job.
- Touch, don’t just tap. Focus on developing a relationship with candidates — no matter what technology and tools you’re using.
- The most important tool in recruiting is still the phone.
Photo credit: halbergman via iStock