LG & Associates Search / Talent Strategy

Who Killed Kenny, The "Name Sourcer"?

As of late, there have been increasing (and sometimes heated) debates and discussions in and around the globalization and commoditization of names sourcing today and who really killed Kenny, the "Name Sourcer".  But wasn’t this predictable?  Each and every time an industry/market/region, etc. evolves or experiences a significant shift, there is fear, pause, concern, growing defensiveness, and debate.  And let’s be honest: Debate is a positive catalyst; debate builds awareness; debate leads to consideration of new ideas; debate leads to change; debate can be arduous, but so often leads to progress itself.

So why is there so much debate in and around the globalization and commoditization of names sourcing today?  Consider the following:

I. Telephone Name Generation Training have created the global supply-demand imbalance that has commoditized name generation in the first place. 

Here's Why: Training firms exist to make a profit, period.  The same is true of Telephone Name Generation Training Firms.  Contrary to the PR machines and message board chatter indicating otherwise, these firms don't suddenly grow a conscience for and/or loyalty to U.S. workers when someone offshore reaches out their hand with a few bucks in it.  Oh, Sandeep in India wants to pay for training?  Ring the cash register.  Maria in Argentina wants to pay for training?  Ring the register.  Luan in Vietnam?  Ring it up.  But doesn't this represent globalization at its core?  Sure it does!  As the supply of workers in emerging economies increases, companies look to capitalize on the lower wages . . . this is true whether we're investigating a manufacturing process or a recruiting process.  Removing inefficiencies and unnecessary costs are hallmarks of good business minds. 

However, here is the difference: Although Telephone Name Generation Training Firms have accelerated telephone name sourcing globalization, nobody wants to admit it.  It's not easy to look Johnny and Suzie (U.S. Telephone Sourcers) in the eye and tell them that you just sold the same training out the back door to Sandeep, Luan, and Maria in emerging economies . . . which is going to push down their hourly rate and cost-per-name prices.  As long as Johnny and Suzie don't know the truth, that globalization is inevitable and Telephone Name Generation Training Firms are accelerating it, they'll keep coming back to the same cash register without realizing they're being deceptively commoditized.  These training firms don't mind selling training to anyone anywhere in the world . . . but don't like to admit it in the forums, chat rooms, and blogs.  Letting the ‘cat out of the bag’ often can lead to some unhappy campers and a serious toll on revenue generation here in the U.S.  Indeed, it's an inconvenient truth.

II. Telephone Name Generators in the U.S. don't want competition, because when supply goes up and demand remains constant, prices go down.

Here's why: It's a basic law of Economics, but most only like to admit market realities and supply-demand imbalances when they work in their favor (whether this relates to real estate, falling market salaries, asset depreciation, etc.).  Furthermore, it’s an election year in which the economy is “Issue #1”.

The growing mantra of futile defensiveness now includes such famous one-liners as, “Well, you can't get names unless you know gatekeeper slang here in the U.S."  Gatekeeper slang?  What?  Do gatekeepers speak an unknown cryptic language?  Or we'll hear, "Well, 'Indians' don't understand our org charts here."  What?  'Indians' don't understand how to draw org charts and use them for visual reference?  Or, “Well, only those who were born and raised in the U.S. understand our culture.”  What?  The U.S. is the melting-pot of the world!  In the words of industry luminary and globalization-advocate, Mike Johnson of Avature,

“ . . . So I strongly disagree with anyone who says certain recruiting tasks can't be done effectively from an emerging market because of language skills, cultural barriers, etc. Whatever country you may be sitting in, recruiting skills are recruiting skills and the phone is the phone.”

Mike’s comment here resonates because his organization is so often targeted as being ‘non-American’ by the U.S. names sourcing community, but nothing could be farther from the truth as removing cost inefficiencies often results in the creation of new jobs domestically.  In fact, Mike and Avature tell the truth about leveraging low wages in emerging markets: Yes, they are proud of helping their clients achieve cost efficiencies.

III. In the current Nano-World, names/titles/contact information are now being stored in low-cost online databases. 

Wow – what a novel concept!  Information is now being stored online, accessible for a nominal monthly cost!  Is this innovation with the names sourcing business model?  No, it’s good business!  It’s Web 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, x.0!  Would a business rather sell 10,000 recurring subscriptions and leverage economies of scale? . . . or continue with one-off name sourcing projects?  It’s not hard to see which leads to a larger business valuation and more profitable exit strategy.  And the beautiful thing here is that we all win – we (TPRs’ and Internal Recruiting Organizations) achieve lower lifecycle cost, the business earns a higher valuation . . . and the database grows each and every day as more names are added.

The hesitation and resentment toward the exponential growth and adoption of such online tools as Spoke, ZoomInfo, Jigsaw, and LinkedIn, has been staggering to say the least.  The flaming threads and debate against such online providers reminds me of how real estate professionals went bonkers in the late 90s’ when buyers were able to access more information about local property markets on the web.  Their ability to perform their own research and due diligence greatly compromised the high commissions and piles of bunk real estate professionals were using to earn them.  Yep, the result was much like we see today in the names sourcing world.  Call me crazy, but I’m not a fan of information asymmetry, whether we’re speaking in regards to real estate or names sourcing.  I've been saying for quite a while that the selling of bunk will inevitably stop - well, we're sure on that path now!

At the end of they day, What we’re seeing with the globalization and commoditization of names sourcing can be compared to a prize fighter who has been knocked down for the 3rd time in the fight, but continues to throw meaningless shadow punches from his back in a “last stand” effort.  So to the U.S. names sourcing community, I have one piece of advice: Get back on your feet, regroup, brainstorm new ways to leverage your expertise, and focus on creating new forms of value in the way of competitive intelligence for your clients.  Follow the lead of such sourcing value-adders as Jeff Weidner of HTC, Charles Hillman of Per Your Request (or dare I say my firm for implementing SSF strategies aimed at making real hires, not puffing up a names list!)?!  Take off the defensive blinders, Open your eyes, see what is happening before you, get away from commoditized name gen, and get into the big leagues. 

It might be painful today, but you’ll thank me for the tough medicine and ultimately come back stronger in the end.  Just like Kenny did.

Zombie Recruiter Need Input . . . . . . Zombie Recruiter Need Best Practice

Take a bite out of this scenario and chew on it for a minute:

The time has come for the recruiting awards presentation and the recruiting clan is rushing from the tradeshow floor to see who won what and the coinciding presentation on best practices. As the zombie-like audience pours in, several fall over the piles of worthless marketing brochures collected over the last 48-hours. Then, several recruiting organizations are enshrined eternally and given a "Golden Candidate" award . . . while the drooling and semi-conscious audience scribbles down best practices in a reverent frenzy.

They're using that technology? We better buy it! They mail garden gnomes to interviewees? We should do that, too! They give a $5000 spiff for employee referrals? Maybe that's why ours doesn't work! They've created a 37-step recruiting process? Wow, we only have 20! They're actually "business partners" with their hiring managers? Yeah, that's the ticket!

If you've been to any of the 5000 annual conferences each vying for our attention year in and year out, you've likely witnessed the above. The minute an organization wins an award (recruiting or otherwise), other business people working for other companies scramble to adopt their Commandments of Best Practices . . . assuming that copying them will offer the same results (and/or assuming that they'll look good rolling out Google's or MS's recruiting best practices at their own mid-size organization).

There is only one problem: They're not Google or MS! They don't have the brand in the talent marketplace. Put simply, they don't have the margin for error.

Sure, the notion of best practices is a sound one - considering we live in a mechanical, clock-like business universe (Rene Descartes, anyone???) of inanimate objects and constants (Isaac Newton, anyone???) . . .

And I don't know about you, but that sure doesn't sound like the global economy (and/or the nature of the business or natural world) to me.

Would Anyone Be Interested In An Outward Bound Excursion Only For Recruiters?

Social Media/Networking is great - Frankly, I like it. But there is also quite a bit to be gained from physical networking as well . . . and face-to-face networking is even more fun when it's not a card-exchanging fest and you have a chance to:

Climb a mountain. Explore the woods. Paddle a whitewater river. Sail the ocean.

Would anyone be interested in recruiters getting together to do the above . . . all the while discussing new ideas and sharing best practices? I know a few trainers who are in good shape and could hang if this was to lean in that direction . . . but I'm not quite there yet . . . as I don't know what the market might be interested in yet.

Am I on drugs here? Would anyone be interested in breaking a sweat and getting out of the air-conditioned halls we so often meet and learn in? Anybody for taking pictures from mountain tops or whitewater rafts instead of in conference halls?

I'm looking forward to seeing if this appeals to anyone, and no, I'm not out to make a profit here. If we go with Outward Bound, it's a non-profit charity . . . but I wanted to see how others felt before rolling this out.

Feel free to comment here or drop me a line at jletourneau@lgexec.com.

Words of Wisdom on Name Generation From Mike Johnson of Avature (And A Few Comments of My Own, Of Course)

Wow - when I see business professionals telling the truth, it's like a breath of fresh air.  Wouldn't you agree?  So I was reading through my typical morning run of blogs and forums to keep abreast of best practices in the recruiting world, and I see the following comment from Mike Johnson of Avature (Global Director of Business Development):

"In all honesty, the Internet is filled with information on names and people you might want to recruit. I don't think that finding them is the real challenge anymore. Between Google, LinkedIN, ZoomInfo, Jigsaw (although I'm finding that the contact databases are just filled with LinkedIN names now so I'm having trouble justifying that cost anymore) and others you can pretty much find any professional you want . . . "

Mike, Kudos for your honesty and integrity!  (His candor is especially resonant because he leads global biz dev efforts for offshore research and name generation.)  His comments are exactly what I've been saying all along while contrarians come to the table and say, "Well, you can't get names unless you know gatekeeper slang here in the U.S."  Gatekeeper slang?  What?  Or I'll hear, "Well, 'Indians' don't understand our org charts here."  What?  'Indians' don't understand how to draw org charts and use them for visual reference?  Often, these ridiculous statements come from 2 primary groups:

     I. Telephone Name Generators in the U.S. who don't want competition, because when supply goes up and demand remains constant, prices go down.

Here's why: It's a basic law of Economics, but most only like to admit market realities and supply-demand imbalances when they work in their favor (whether this relates to real estate, falling market salaries, asset depreciation, etc.).

     II. Telephone Name Generation Training Firms who have created the very supply-demand imbalance that has commoditized name generation in the first place.  

Here's Why: Training firms exist to make a profit - the same is especially true of Telephone Name Generation Training Firms.  These firms don't suddenly grow a conscience for and/or loyalty to U.S. workers when someone offshore reaches out their hand with a few bucks in it.  Oh, Sandeep in India wants to pay for training?  Ring the cash register.  Oh, Maria in Argentina wants to pay for training?  Ring the register.  Luan in Vietnam?  Ring it up.  But doesn't this represent globalization at its core?  Sure it does!  As the supply of workers in emerging economies increases, companies look to capitalize on the lower wages . . . this is true whether we're investigating a manufacturing process or a recruiting process.  Removing inefficiencies and unnecessary costs are hallmarks of good business minds. 

However, here is the difference: Although Telephone Name Generation Training Firms have accelerated telephone name sourcing globalization, nobody wants to admit it.  It's not easy to look Johnny and Suzie (U.S. Telephone Sourcers) in the eye and tell them that you just sold the same training out the back door to Sandeep, Luan, and Maria in emerging economies . . . which is going to push down their hourly rate and cost-per-name prices.  As long as Johnny and Suzie don't know the truth, that globalization is inevitable and Telephone Name Generation Training Firms are accelerating it, they'll keep coming back to the same cash register without realizing they're being deceptively commoditized.  These training firms don't mind selling training to anyone anywhere in the world . . . but don't like to admit it in the forums, chat rooms, and blogs.  Indeed, it's an inconvenient truth.

In closing, let me say that not too many business professionals want to tell the truth.  But that's not Mike Johnson of Avature.  He's the real deal in my book.

Reflections on new Fast Company Article, "The Texas Rangers' Young GM"

I came across an interesting article this morning on FastCompany.com (color me surprised!) titled, "The Texas Rangers' Young GM".

I'll admit - as a baseball fan going back to the Mets title in '86, I never thought I'd see a 30-yr old GM (Jon Daniels).  This certainly breaks my perception of the old Salty-Dog ballplayer with gray hair, a potbelly for the ages, and a pack of chew hanging out of his pocket.

The more I think about how Daniels could be promoted to GM after only 3 years of experience (literally, he started out at a salary of $30k in October of 2005), the more I reflect on the notion of "fit".  I say that because, obviously, Daniels was not a "fit" in terms of widely accepted baseball norms.  However, he was a "fit" in terms of the change needed for the Rangers - sometimes, you have to overtly shake the foundation of blindly accepted Sacred Cows in order to create change.  It's not easy to permeate a shift in mindset when the new leader looks and acts just like the old, regardless of their actions or schools of thought. 

Sometimes, just sometimes, you have to shake up the comfort zone - and people have to see it happening.  Will there be resulting turnover?  You bet.  Will there be fan defection?  You bet.  But you have to be willing to go through the surgery if you want to heal yourself - it's uncomfortable in most cases, but necessary.

Fellow Recruiters: Beware the Twitter Trap

Twitter and Micro-blogging is all the hype today in the social networking (particularly the Recruiting/Talent Acquisition community).  Why?  Well, it's cool . . . it's new . . . it's widely publicized . . . it's a way of staying in touch . . . from a marketer's viewpoint, it's a way to maintain mindshare and/or top-of-mind placement.  The notion of a multi-drip is indeed being redefined by Web 2.0.

There's only one problem - I don't see any discretion among many Recruiters using it.  Here's what I mean: Candidates that we're working on building a relationship with are looking for us to help them make the next move (well, quantum leap for many!) of their career.  To be succinct, they (much like us) have a vested interest.

Why does this matter?  Well, unless our candidates are part of our family or are friends, they don't care that we're . . .

"On a rollercoaster about to heave", "Eating a calzone at Johnny's", or "Thinking about Darwin's work, "Evolution of a Species", etc.

In fact, I ask myself how letting the entire wall down between our work and business lives affects our candidates' perceptions of us as professionals.  Yes, we want to build a relationship, but that doesn't mean we open our entire personal lives up to the candidate pool.  In fact, this is what I call the Twitter Trap.

So I've identified the problem . . . Here's a solution -- Create a Twitter account dedicated to the candidate niche(s) you specialize within.  A hypothetical example might be twitter.com/SAPFinanceAtlanta.  From this angle, you can enhance the value you're providing to your candidates without having to open the door to your personal life; a personal life that the candidate probably isn't interested in (yes, it's a tough anti-narcissistic pill to swallow, I admit.)

What might that value look like among the allotted 140 characters?  Perhaps a link to a relevant blog, perhaps a new position you're working on for a client, perhaps news releases that they may find interesting, etc.  Think about it for a minute: Imagine how this type of communication would come across to candidates instead of what we normally see . . . If your bread and butter is placing top talent, don't you think they may be creating perceptions about your talent level as well?

Put these tips to work and watch your network begin to grow for the right reasons with the right results you're looking for (more hires, more placements, less time-to-fill, higher quality-of-hire, etc.)

Good luck!

LG & Assoc's Letourneau Announces New Series Over at FastCompany.com: The New Rules of Getting The Job ("Rules, What Rules?")

Over the next few days, LG & Associates co-founder Joshua Letourneau will be launching a series on today's new rules of getting the job ("Rules, What Rules?".  We'll be copying/posting here as well, but invite you to check out the series at FastCompany.com's Careers subsite - if you're not a member, what are you waiting for already?

Dear Job Hunters: 

Remember all the rules you were taught about how to find a new job? (sorry, I meant "an exciting new opportunity"!)  Well, "Lies, they're all lies".  Well, that's not saying we were necessarily lied to . . . so let's term them 'soundbites of yesteryear's thinking'.  The problem is that yesterday's strategies barely worked yesterday, let alone today!

C'mon, you know the rules I'm talking about - apply online with a targeted resume that has every keyword under the sun in it, send a knockout cover letter, "smile, but don't look the interviewer in the eye for more than 2 seconds", dress conservatively for the interview, send a "thank you" letter, etc.  Think about it for a minute: Each time a candidate turns around, they see an article or a blog post (or overhear a conversation at a coffee shop) suggesting how to play the job-hunting game.

Well, I don't know how to tell you this, so I'll just say it: Rules aren't your friends.  Rules exist to keep you out of consideration.  Rules make it easier for lazy recruiters to stay lazy.  Luckily, rules are meant to be broken . . . that is, considering you're actually looking for results.

Here's a hint: If you walk up to a tree with a sleeping monkey in it, you probably aren't going to wake him up by calling his name, offering him a fruit, or tossing little pebbles at him.  You have to shake the tree - and I don't mean just push on it a little bit . . . I mean shake that sucker!

So today, I'm looking at a few different alternatives - I might make some podcasts and/or video as text is old news . . . but I'm going to feature it right here Fast Company.

After all, Fast Company is all about "Where Ideas and People Meet" . . . so I want all of my fellow FC fanatics to have first exposure to the ideas that win in today's game of job hunting!

Stay posted, Fellow FC Members: Same Bat-Time, Same Bat-Channel.

Yours in Breaking the Rules,

Joshua Letourneau
Managing Director, LG & Assoc Search / Talent Strategy
BLOG: www.lgexec.typepad.com
email: jletourneau(at)lgexec.com

Facebook 'Personas' For Sale.?. - Yes, It's Official

Yep, it's now official. There is a PR Firm out there now selling 10 Facebook 'Personas' on eBay and the bidding ends Saturday, 6/14 at 13:35:29 PDT. Now, if any of you have been following my random rants about the intersection between market psychology (in our case 'talent market psychology') and social media, you'll know I'm not very surprised about this. As I've tossed out there before, the future of strategic talent sourcing (Sourcing 2.0) is less about the Who/Where/What and more about the 'Why'. The 'Why' someone buys a product, service, or the reason they buy the particular role (or to some, employment brand) we're selling as recruiters is more important than anything else . . . another way of saying this is that the 'Who/What/Where' emanate from the 'Why'. If you ask me, I'd even argue that uncovering the 'Why' is what makes a great recruiter.

Getting back on point, here are some excerpts from the eBay auction page:

"I will briefly mention the manner in which I compiled a list of genuine friends for each persona.

Step 1: Develop a persona with an intense interest on specific subjects/topics
Step 2: Integrate that individual into communities/forums based on their interests
Step 3: Stimulate conversation inside communities/forums and interact with other users
Step 4: Establish the persona inside the communities/forums
Step 5: Begin to add friends organically"

"The ten profiles I have are as follows, and can be sold separately if requested:

- Samantha (age 19) – loves music, makes art, and enjoys the outdoors
- John (age 35) – health purist, into yoga, active runner, amateur cyclists, and into healthy eating.
- David (age 23) – Computer programmer, big gamer, into the latest gadgets, and is a blogger
- Michael (age 42) – Intellectual, reads books, enjoys poetry, has a weakness for fast food, and loves his two kids
- Carrie (age 26) – Fashionista, craves gossip magazines, doodles potential outfits, and follows celebrity developments
- Erik (age 29) – Big beer drinker, watches a ton of sports, likes sports cars, and likes to cook
- Holly (age 18) – Big into volunteering, loves reading, loves school, and interested in travelling abroad
- Peter (age 19) – Athlete, big into college life, likes drama and mystery movies, and can’t live without mac and cheese
- Shannon (age 33) – Design aficionado, into exploring a city’s culture, active artist, and
is latched onto her iPhone
- Kristin (age 40) – Live at home mom, loves cooking for her family, wishes she had a new car, wants a vacation to the beach, and is really into gardening"

"Under the right conditions and for a fair price you will receive full control of these personas, as well as associated emails."

Come to think about it, isn't this (in a roundabout way) what unscrupulous recruiters do when they market a fake candidate with a fake resume into clients with the hopes of achieving a job order or search agreement? Hmmmmm.

Yes, it's becoming a crazy social media maze out there :)

Joshua Letourneau
Mg Director
LG & Associates Search / Talent Strategy
BLOG: www.lgexec.typepad.com

"The Web Is In The Process Of Becoming A Video Medium" . . .

In reading a FastCompany.com comment by Saabira Chaudhuri today, I was stunned by the clarity of the following statement made by Walt Mossberg of the WSJ:

"The Web is in the process of becoming a video medium."

Savvy candidates and employers today are embracing Facebook, Twitter, and the usage of video by REAL employees to create demand for the employment and candidate brand.

The game is changing, so keep both eyes open on how the intersection between talent acquisition and video play out . . .

Random Recruiting Thoughts on Opt-Out Marketing, Viral Loops, a Modern-Day Consilience, and a Readiness for Growth

If I may play 'Mr. Marketing Devil's Advocate' for a moment, let me interject one of the new rules of marketing that exist within today's intersection of a globalizing economy and the viral expansion of social media:

***Drop any opt-out marketing efforts like a bad habit.***

Opt out = spam. In the words of my friend, Seth Godin, "Opt-out takes advantage of laziness, inertia, and infoglut to inundate people with stuff they don't want." There are more innovative ways than I can count on one hand for you or your firm to capture the candidate pool's attention in a meaningful way. Perhaps it's twittering highly relevant news or 'blog picks of the day' . . . or creating a viral loop/network through a targeted Ning group . . . or any other information that allows you to develop not only respect, but the 2-way dialogue that has gone forgotten in our world (i.e. we're still sucked into the CRM promise that didn't work for the Mktg & Sales function several years ago, and still has yet to yield positive ROI/EVA!)

Since I entered the Talent Acquisition world, I've been saying all along that this industry is literally dying for marketing minds. Among every business unit, we (meaning as recruiters and talent acquisition professionals) have more 'customer data' than any other . . . yet we do little to leverage it. The marketing function would salivate to have as much data and trend information as we have - in fact, they pay a hefty penny for it under the guise of '3rd party market research.' The beautiful thing here is that you don't need 10 - 20 yrs marketing experience to be great . . . you just need the desire to embrace and get to know your customer/candidate segments better. Passion and curiosity are the keys.

In the form of a shameless plug, it's the reason that magazine editors have started contacting me regarding some of my blog posts . . . while the same information falls on what can be termed 'deaf ears' in our space. That is, by no means, an indictment of any sort on Recruiting and TA; all it means or shows is that we're not ready yet . . .

We're not ready to step up our game and get off the boards, or stop mass spamming, or stop thinking that quantity of names has anything to do with QOH outcomes, or stop treating all candidate segments the same. But the time will come . . . and when it does, we'll see a modern-day Rennaissance (or better, Consilience) in our Talent Acquisition world.

Consilience: The joining together of knowledge and information across disciplines to create a unified framework of understanding.

Joshua Letourneau
Mg Director, SSF (Strategic Sourcing Framework) Implementation
LG & Assoc Search / Talent Strategy
BLOG: www.lgexec.typepad.com