Monday, January 31, 2011

Recruiter and Candidate Partnerships

The most important quality in a recruiter and candidate relationship is TRUST. Without trust, the process will break down in one of many different ways, time and again. The recruiter and the candidate must be able to work together if they are going to reach the desired outcome.

Trust – Be HONEST- The more that the recruiter knows of your situation and your wants and needs the more accurately he will be able to match with an opportunity, and save from wasting a lot of time. This is the main reason that things go wrong, so you must be able to be honest with yourself early on in the process

Responsive – Be ACCESSABLE- Your recruiter is going to need to be able to get a hold of you. Everyone talks during their work day, but if you are busy, always return a call promptly and set aside a time to talk

Uunderstanding – Be OPEN- take the advice that the recruiter is giving, they do this every day and deal with a hiring authority all day long. This is a recruiter’s living and their insights are going to help you be a better candidate than your competition.

Steadfast – Be LOYAL- It is important to maintain confidentiality if only for your reputation and to keep the appearance of a commodity in the market. That means that you should only work with 1 recruiter, that you trust. This recruiter should keep you in the loop for every move and should never send your information anywhere without discussing it with you first. Tell all other recruiters that call that you have professional representation and that they should call your recruiter.

Timely – Be FLEXIBLE- You should understand in the world of opportunities 'time kills all deals'. You need to be able to find time to talk with people, meet with people and even travel. If you can’t do these things, then you need to evaluate if you are going to make a change at all or at least discuss the process with your recruiter.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Why Retain an Executive Recruiter?

"Why Retain an Executive Recruiter?”  -  Have you asked yourself this before, when it came down to finding the right candidate for the opportunity you have?
 
The ads didn’t work, the candidate database you spent A LOT of money on is…. well….monstrous, and you just aren’t getting any good leads from internal referrals in the office, associations, or networking gatherings. The contingency recruiters you have called, and have called you, netted resumes of candidates you have already passed on or don't even fit what you are looking for.  The next big questions are: "Have you looked at what this empty position has now cost you?";  “Have you reviewed the time spent on man hours for interviews, travel expenses, plus all the work that is not getting done while this position remains open?” Well, that kind of answers “why retain an executive recruiter” doesn't it?

With a retained search, the client is guaranteed that there is a team working all day, every day, dedicated to finding the right candidate, as described by the client, for their need, as fast as possible.  A retained search firm’s livelihood is based on their capability to bring the best candidates to the table so their clients can fulfill their hiring needs.  We want our clients to come back again and again knowing we can find what they want.  Retainers also offer the ability to spread out payments on a search, and with multiple retained searches, the client can get discounts for the searches they have open.  The only reason I can see that contingency recruiters are willing to take on searches at a discount is that they simply are not going to put in the time on a search that they would on a retainer.  Otherwise, why would you take on more risk for less return?  My business classes in college taught me that goes against any successful business model.  My guess is they know of a candidate or two in the market that could fit the search requirements, and they can make a few calls.  If that doesn’t pan out, well, they can move on to the next contingency search.  We call it low hanging fruit.
 
Don’t get me wrong, my firm does recruit on contingency searches, for our retained clients, or clients that we are developing into retained clients.  When we apply our "retained" search methods and benefits to a "contingency" search the clients begin to see the answer to "Why Retain and Executive Recruiter."


I'm always interested in feedback from our recruiting brothers and sisters and clients.  “Why Retain an Executive Recruiter?”

Christian Hydrick
COO
Hygun Group, Inc

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Executive recruiting is like any other profession in that you have The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. There are good, ethical and well-respected recruiting professionals. Unfortunately, you also have bad and unethical and downright miscreants. As a potential candidate (and everyone is a potential candidate) it behooves you to know the differences between them.

Any good executive recruiter should be able to answer the basic Who, What, When and Where questions when they approach you as prospective candidate.

Who represents both their firm as well as their respective client. A professional recruiter should identify themselves, their company, and alert you to the nature of their call. They should also identify the client with which they are working. Be capable and willing to answer any questions regarding their own firm and their respective clients firm.
 
What applies to the opportunities description. A good recruiter will provide you with an outline of the position which would include minimum requirements, responsibilities, amount of travel, company reporting structure; just to name a few.

When & Where relates to the urgency of filling the position. Typically, once a recruiter is involved this represents an immediate need for the hiring Client. And where is the location of the company and respective opportunity.

When an executive recruiter is unwilling or unable to answer the basic four questions, it is time to run and find a true professional recruiter. One that is an expert in your field.  Hygun Group, Inc. welcomes the opportunity to discuss how me can assist you with managing your engineering career.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Honor MLK Day

The civil rights leader Martin Luther King delivered the greatest and most well known speech "I Have A Dream" to hundreds if not thousands of supporters on August 28, 1963 on the Mall in Washington DC during the "March on Washington".  One of the greatest quotes follows: 
 
 
“From every mountainside, let freedom ring. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

Monday, January 10, 2011

Winter Wonderland

The snow sure does make the city look beautiful, but at the same time is can cause chaos for many people & businesses.  In fact, our office like many others, are closed today due to the treacherous roads caused from the snow and ice.   Atlanta has been on alert for the last week about the storm we just received and the snow storm hit just as they predicted.  Now we are just waiting for the ice to come & go which may cause the same kind of turmoil again tomorrow. But while the cold, fluffy, white stuff is here go outside, be safe & enjoy it.  Be a kid again and have fun!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Hgyun Group's Sr. Officers hold a A.C.T. Seminar

As many of our associates already know, Dan and Christian Hydrick, are both very involved in martial arts.  Dan is a 7th Degree Black Belt Korean Karate, 6th Degree Okinawan Karate and a Weapons Master and has served as a National Chief Referee for the United States Amateur Athletics Union, Tae Kwon Do Associations. 
 
Christian, who trained under his father, is a 4th Degree Black Belt in Korean Karate, 4th Degree in Okinawan Karate and is a National Competition Gold Medalist.  Christian currently trains and runs a nationally ranked martial arts school, ChiBudo Kwon, in Marietta, Georgia. 
 
Both, Dan and Christian, went on to develop a nationally recognized women’s self defense program known as A.C.T., Assailant Control Techniques, for women.  They conduct seminars locally as well as across the country.  At these seminars woman receive information and are taught methods to help prevent and protect themselves from sexual assault. 
 
Recently, Dan & Christian held an A.C.T. seminar at Sewell Mill Baptist Church.  A portion of the proceeds from this event were donated to the church towards their fundraising efforts for their mobile kitchen which they purchased for Refuge West Church located in Powder Springs.
 
If anyone is interested in the services of: Hygun Group, Inc., www.hygun.com; ChiBudo Kwon Martial Arts, www.cbkatlanta.com; or A.C.T., www.actselfdefense.com, please feel free to visit the respective websites for additional information.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2011!  The year is new and the future is bright.  From all of us at Hygun Group we wish you a healthy, safe and prosperous New Year!
 
 Hygun Group, Inc.