Hi Recruiters,
What. A. Whirlwind.
We were in Mountain View last week celebrating the launch of hireEZ 2 with customers and friends. As always, it’s always great to connect with our amazing community of TA professionals in fun (and educational!) ways. Take a gander at our recap to see why I’m both simultaneously energized and exhausted.
Not bad? Not bad!
Alright, that’s it for self-promotion. Let’s jump into the rest of the newsletter.
Talent Hoarding Ain’t Great
A trip to the Bay Area is not complete until you get a mind-blowing food experience. As is often the case, it had me wishing I could take home a piece of that amazing cuisine to enjoy.
But like Napoleon stuffing tots into some sweet hammer pants, taking that meal home just isn’t advisable.
Trust me, I’m going somewhere with this.
In Fortune last week, they ran a story about managers who want to hold on to their best employees. We’ve all been there, too. You make a great hire and they not only perform the way you want them to but they excel. They beat expectations in every way possible. You did it!
Then you get some dreaded news: They want to move to a new role inside the organization. Great that they are staying, sure. Not so great for you because you are losing a part of your team. A really good part.
In the bad old days, you could actually deny someone a move into a new role inside the organization. That might be true still in a few organizations but it’s definitely a minority these days.
Managers today who want to hoard talent have to do things a little more sneakily. They might not make introductions to peers. They might position themselves as champions while sharing distrust of other departments where talent might transfer.
In the end, it all ends up the same. All-star performers are going to keep growing and wanting new challenges. There are only so many opportunities to go around. And it’s better for your organization as a whole if you give them full access to make the move that’s right for them (even if it hurts).
Like trying to take a Branzino home to Texas from Aziza, it may be tempting to keep your talent to yourself no matter what. But ultimately, that experience, like a whole fish packed into a suitcase, is going to go south very quickly.
Hiring is Tough (For Employers AND Candidates)
Last week, we got some unexpected news: Employment rose by 353k in January and the unemployment rate stayed steady at 3.7%, thwarting predictions yet again.
It’s easy to see why this may be unwelcome news to employers who need to keep the train going on hiring. It might surprise you that candidates also find the continued “good news” in the job market frustrating as well.
Kudos to Susan LaMotte for her insights on NPR’s Marketplace banging the drum on candidate experience. When some employers expected a major recession in 2023, they adjusted their hiring behaviors accordingly. Some would put out jobs, interview candidates, and then put the brakes on hiring unexpectedly. Others would have phantom jobs that seemed to suck in resumes, never to be seen again. Did someone say Twilight Zone?
The lesson is, no matter which side of hiring you’re on, be good to one another and treat folks the way you want to be treated. Trying to find a new job is one of the most stressful life events we’ll ever experience. Even if candidates have an upper hand or if you’ve developed a brand that easily attracts candidates, it can’t hurt, right?
Here’s To Getting Smarter Every Day
I loved, loved, loved this post from Jennifer McClure about the resources she uses to keep sharp. As she says, whether it’s TA skills, being a leader, or just being a good human being — it’s not a destination but a journey.
She mentions some of my favorite folks as inspiration, like Madeline Laurano, Sarah White, and Tim Sackett, SPHR, SCP She also calls out great resources like Hung Lee’s Recruiting Brainfood.
I’ll add to the list and call out folks like Daniel Harten, 👋 Angie Verros, Paul DeBettignies, Brian Fink, Steve Levy, and other folks who join us on Recruiting Therapy as major inspirations and fire starters for learning. Let’s not forget to mention all the people in the amazing SourceCon community as well!
Who else inspires you to keep learning? Let us know in the comments so we can add them to the list.
What else is happening in hiring?
Kunwar’s Korner
Kunwar Ishan Sharma here! Getting a chance to talk to so many of our customers last week reminded me of one thing. The best way to stay brilliant is to be around brilliance.
Daniel Harten has been doing just that with our speakEZ podcast, the latest episode where he sat down with Junius Currier. They covered many topics including his biggest influences, his take on automation and so much more. We can't wait for more conversations with more brilliant people.
Until next time!
-Recruiters
