Feature: Our Perennial Complaint
Put the operators of 100 job boards in a room and ask them to identify their most pressing customer problem, and 99 will say it’s the lack of competence among the users of their products and services. Too many corporate and third party recruiters don’t know how to write a good job posting or how to search a resume database effectively. They don’t understand the power of contextual advertising, and they seem all but oblivious to the importance of brand advertising. Yet, the minute their sourcing yield doesn’t measure up to their expectations, they point their fingers at us and say we have let them down.
What can be done about this no-win situation? There is no easy answer, of course. Even investing in client training hasn’t had a measurable impact. No sooner do we provide the training they need, when turnover in the HR Department all but guarantees we’ll have to start all over again. Add to that the understaffing that occurs in far too many organizations-limiting the time recruiters have to use Best Practices-and you transform an irritating situation into a cancer that can gnaw away at and even kill your business.
Be all of that as it may, however, I do think there is a corrective strategy that has the potential to work and thus warrants our consideration. It involves taking two steps which address the two key aspects of the problem. Here’s what I mean:
This strategy is obviously not foolproof, but it does move us from simply complaining about our customers to actually dong something about them. Yes, it does require an investment of time, effort and probably some capital on our part, but the return on that investment is real and lasting. It transforms our customers into smart consumers.
Thanks for reading,
Peter
P.S. Remember what you learned in kindergarten: It’s nice to share. Don’t keep WEDDLE’s to yourself. If you like our newsletter, please tell your friends and colleagues about it. They’ll appreciate your thinking of them. And, we will too!
News You Can Use
We at WEDDLE’s offer a number of uniquely effective ways to reach potential customers among employers and staffing firms. These include:
Sponsorship advertising in WEDDLE’s Newsletter for Recruiters & HR Professionals. Every other week, WEDDLE’s delivers one of the most popular publications in the online employment industry. It’s Peter Weddle’s online newsletter about Best Practices in talent acquisition and leadership. Over 50,000 recruiting and sourcing professionals and executives read Peter’s insights and ideas and pass them along to their colleagues. When they do, they also see and share information about a single company-the newsletter’s exclusive sponsor. That organization is highlighted not once, but twice in the publication, providing extraordinary visibility for its brand and product and service offerings.
Mailing stuffers. Every quarter, we use good, old-fashioned snail mail to send a packet of information to every single person who has bought one of our books over the past eight years. That list now counts more than 20,000 customers, over 80% of which are corporate and third party recruiters, HR practitioners, HR and Staffing Directors, or Vice Presidents of Talent Acquisition and Human Resources. Your company can promote its brand, its latest products and services and/or its special programs with a full page insert in the mailing. Best of all, you have all of the space on the front and back of a standard sheet of paper to sell your products and services.
Training for current and/or prospective customers. WEDDLE’s Publisher, Peter Weddle, is one of the most popular trainers in the industry. His sessions are always packed with important insights, good humor and lots of practical, take-home value. Peter’s programs cover the full range of topics that represent Best Practices in online sourcing and recruiting. Now, you can arrange for Peter to present to your current and/or prospective clients, either face-to-face or via toll-free telephone hookup. These sessions are a great way to build relationships with key advertisers and to impart the knowledge they will need to make best use of your services.
For additional information about these and other advertising options with WEDDLE’s, please call us at 203.964.1888. We’re based in Connecticut, so on Eastern time.
Announcements & Other Important Stuff
WEDDLE’s Publications
WEDDLE’s 2007/8 books are now off-press and on their way to bookstores, public and academic libraries, career counseling centers, and college placement offices. What’s been the response so far? Consider this review for our Guide to Employment Sites on the Internet from the Career Planning and Adult Development Journal:
“WEDDLE’s ongoing commitment to providing real-time, real-world career industry information has resulted in an indispensable resource for the 21st century workforce and those who seek and secure talent.”
Our 2007/8 books include:
To order your copies, visit our 2007 catalog and secure server here or call 317.916.9424 right away.
The International Association of Employment Web Sites (IAEWS)
The IAEWS is the trade association for the global online employment services industry. Barely more than a year old, its membership now includes over 175 organizations operating over 850 sites worldwide.
The purpose of the Association is to promote our industry by contributing to the success of the companies in that industry. How does the IAEWS do that? Its activities include:
Membership is open to any of the following organizations that operate an employment site or sell products and services to those sites:
If your company or organization is not yet a Member, you’re missing out on some of the most important contacts and information you can have. To learn more about the Association, please visit its site or call the founder and Executive Director, Peter Weddle. You can reach him at 203.964.1888 or [email protected].
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