The Broadbean blog

What has Happened to the Job Advert?

I have written a little bit about this topic but I want to hit it again.  The work that we do at Broadbean is important.  We provide a quality service combined with an amazing and continually evolving technology.  SaaS, Cloud computing, software, and numerous developers incessantly integrate and innovate: this marks our difference in the industry. 

I have had the opportunity over the years to post job adverts, review job adverts, answer job adverts and, most recently, drop them in for clients/customers  What I see now, that I believe is a serious downfall, is the lack of value in job postings/adverts.  Those that post to job boards have forgotten (or never learned) the art of writing an advertisement.  The enticement to write a persuasive posting is gone.  It seems to be easier to simply post a job description.  This is NOT an advert.  It is not persuasive.  It is a statement of facts and requirements and it is boring.  That’s right , I said it… boring.  What happened to the art of selling a position, of simply influencing a job seeker, passive or otherwise, to update their resume and fill out an application?  This is lost and I personally mourn the loss.

Taking the easy way, instead of the right way.  Is it laziness?  Is it a misunderstanding?  Are young recruiters not aware or taught about the subtleties of persuasion?  A boring job description is tedious and dull.  No wonder recruiters have to tell candidates and applicants that the hiring manager is looking for someone excited about the job… because no one is.  It starts with that first touch point.  I guess you could say it is part of company branding and the beginning stages of employment branding. 

Think of the old Classified Ad and how you had to pay per word or line.  The recruiter or hiring manager had to write, in as few as words possible, an advert that prompted potentials to get off their duff and make a phone call or submit a CV/resume.  While job postings are still a very active part of corporate recruiting, somehow the ideal behind it has been lost.  What was meant to drive a job seeker to throw their hat in the ring, to be considered for the opening has devolved into an ineffective yawner. 

Most hiring managers and/or recruiters continue to fail miserably at writing a worthy job advert. With the multitude of free resources available, one would think that practice makes perfect.  I have had the opportunity to review many job postings and I am, really, flabbergasted by the lack of quality and thought that goes into each posting / advertisement - they should be nothing less than excellent.  How do you attract top talent to your organization or for your clients? It’s not a difficult concept and yet, so many would rather take the easy way, which, in the long run, isn’t. It is not only a lost art form but also a lost opportunity. 

 

© by rayannethorn

 

A Start-Up Life For Me

Broadbean is my second “big girl” job (I like to block out my years as a waitress, they were painful and unstimulating) and both of these jobs were at start-up companies. I went after the jobs at start-up companies for a few reasons (a few of those reasons being that they were good jobs with good pay and I thought I had a chance to get them), but the most important reason I had for applying to start-ups was because of the structuring. Start-ups tend to be a little more laid back than huge corporations, and with my sense of humor, sometimes subconscious use of profanity, and my random exploits that make for hysterical stories that I HAVE to share, I thought my idiosyncrasies would be more likely to be filed as a novel personality rather than a potential lawsuit in a smaller company. I also have no desire to be holed up in a cubical somewhere. Call me narcissistic, but I think I’m better than a cubicle. I also have no desire to spend my day in an enclosed 4x4 area cut off from the world - that sounds a bit too much like prison to me. I want to laugh with people, talk with people - not do mind-numbing spread sheets for eight hours a day in my own little cell. Interactions with people are what gets me through my work day; and call me crazy, but life in a cubicle doesn’t really sound like how I want to spend my time.

Waitressing was nice in the sense that there was no cubicle and no spreadsheets, I also got a lot of exercise (lots of running around and heavy lifting - this can also be seen as manual labor depending on your mood on a particular day), but people can be so rude! It is amazing how rude people can be for no good reason. It is also amazing how little appreciation you get from management, you work your tail off every single night and yet you get no acknowledgement for it, have no perks (no insurance no time off - nothing), sexual harassment is the norm and you are literally not allowed to call in sick. After four years of working in restaurants and hating my job, I threw in the towel.  As an alternative to that drudgery, I discovered the start-up, or as I like to call it: the Mecca of cubical alternatives.

With a start-up you are not limited to one boring task. Because things are just starting out and constantly growing and changing (and therefore what is required of you is constantly growing and changing) there is never a dull moment. You wear many hats and perform many different tasks rather than doing one thing repeatedly over and over and over again. As a result, your day goes faster and you feel more useful and so accomplished at the end of the day because you are using several of your skills rather than just one. You also feel like you are contributing more to the company and because you are often multi-tasking whilst doing all of these different jobs, you feel stimulated. For example, at my last job I did Quality control, Quality inspections, Incoming and Receiving, and secretarial tasks, but I also ran the calibration system, did training, and even helped in the Chemistry department from time to time. At Broadbean the story is much the same, I do customer service and technical support, contact job boards, do HR stuff, and all the little day to day office management things such as ordering office supplies, etc., and I would not have it any other way! I have slightly A.D.D. tendencies, so multi-tasking and wearing several different hats and fulfilling several different company roles works perfectly for me.

So for those of you out there who are like me (who have personalities that don’t fit into a corporate box and hate the idea of living in a corporate box), might I suggest looking for work at a start-up company where you can fill your days with a more interesting set of responsibilities in a more lenient environment.

by Heather Wallace
Customer Relations Manager
Broadbean US

Heather is part of our U.S. expansion team...

 

Bean Country - We Have a Flag

Broadbean continues to expand and grow.  With our new website development, the steadiness of Stream, added functionality to AdCourier and the addition of TalentMine, Broadbean is ready to take on 2010.

We look forward to an incredible year of supporting our current users and inviting others to join us in Bean Country, where more time is spent with candidates and less time is spent posting and praying, sourcing and slaying. 

Sending wishes to all for a wonderful holiday season and very happy new year.

Broadbean is the world leader in APO - Advert Process Outsourcing.  Broadbean’s software saves talent acquisition experts time, money and aggravation by aggregating the job posting process and tracking posting response.  Our flag is virtual and cropping up everywhere!

                                                                   

 
 

Recruitment Marketing Calls? Anyone? Anyone?

Woke up this morning, it’s my first Thanksgiving since moving to the US, and after just returning from a UK business trip, the time zones have caught me -- which I why I am sitting at my laptop at 5am on a Thursday morning sipping fresh coffee and cursing for falling asleep early again last night. 

Anyway, I was pondering some books that I recently digested with subjects like Online Marketing, and one that had a really catchy title “Never Cold Call Again,” yep; it shoots straight from the hip, that one!

This got me considering if the humble recruitment marketing call, you know that one that goes something like “intro yourself-candidate benefit-summary background-achievement accomplishment-close for the interview/send out” actually still gets used or is simply a relic of the past, akin to faxing resumes. 

My experience of this humble recruitment modus operandi takes me back to the late 80’s and my freshman year in the world of recruitment. See, when I first started in the recruiting business, training consisted of something like this, "your job is to find people work and then we charge the company a 17.5% fee,” and “you need to make this target or we can’t keep you on” and that was it.  After bumping along the ground for a few months and coming very close to quitting, I was introduced to a an trainer called Anthony R Byrne. Now, Tony had a very energetic training style (no comments needed here) but behind the energy there was system and a realization that what I did was important and that people valued our service, even if they always didn’t show it.  He brought some structure to the working day by introducing the, at the time, typical recruiter's day plan, which consisted of 75 marketing calls; 4 hours of recruiting to find those placeable candidates, remember when you had to find them and didn’t have access to a million resumes available in your browsers at any time, and one hour of planning at night to focus your calls for the next day. 

Not surprisingly, by adopting this new structured approach my sales rocketed -- all of a sudden, I was one of the successful billers in the office. This led to a pay raise, promotion and a company car, but more importantly, my career in the recruiting business was in full swing.

The foundation to my success at this time was the regular action of making 75 daily outbound marketing calls with an “MPC” (most placeable candidate) and although I had to adapt the Tony Byrne level-three presentation for a typical IT Manager in West London, it worked really well.  I used this technique to develop all my client accounts and because of the nature of the call, it also yielded a placement a month, well -- most months, but then I was only 20 and had a few other priorities.

 The question behind this blog after reading those books and constantly hearing the phrase “cold calling is dead” is to find out if the humble recruitment marketing call is just a remnant of the past, is it still (as in silent) or has it transformed into some twitter app?!!

My second and final point is to get into the whole spirit of Thanksgiving by honouring that trainer, a man who came to England from the US and inspired one young 19-year old recruiter to build a career in the staffing sector.  Mr. Anthony R Byrne, let me thank you, I owe you a whole lot and although you are no longer with us, God rest your soul, you made a huge difference to me and for that I will always be grateful!

Will get back to you with my findings on the MPC, pinnacle members anyone?

Over and Out    

Kel 

by Kelly Robinson, Broadbean, Inc. - Founder and Chief Exec

Who Are YOU?

What do you do?

While these two questions are very different, we are sometimes (unfortunately) more clearly defined by what we do. Deep thoughts, indeed, as it is not always so easy to recognize that the inner you might be very different than the you you present to the world.  Knowing how to manage you can be an elusive task, full of introspection along with some sweet surprises.

As working professionals, we are expected to get to the center of any matter quickly, using discernment and the revelatory gear that coincides with this thing we embrace as our work, livelihood, position, job, security, employment, and career. This discernment is what makes us successful at our jobs. The abilities to assess a situation, comb through data, and translate tone of voice are just a few of the capabilities that lead to success in almost any chosen field.

There are those that have trained for years, attended courses, and have successfully navigated degree programs to find their place in their own industry. Others fall into careers by sheer accident or mere coincidence. Whatever or whomever brought you to your current place in the work-a-day world; the opportunity to build more than an occupation is encouraged in any field of endeavor.

Some cite a love or passion they feel for their careers because of the ability to change lives, including their own, while to others simply making a difference is reason enough to claim success. Most recognize the prospect for financial gain or steady income when work goes well, as well as establishing lasting business relationships.

What is it about YOU that drives your success? That makes you great at your job? What is the reason your team gets the job done? Maybe you have some advice or words you live by that result in accomplishment. Maintaining a personal vision is imperative when times are uncertain.

 “Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

by rayannethorn

How Complacent Are You Now?

To every downturn, there was once an upturn where life was light, money was good, and business was rolling.  We often relish these times but soon forget to stock up our store and prepare for the times when life becomes a bit dark, money is tight and business stalls.  

Those individuals and businesses that thrive during a noticeable downturn or recession are those that keep working, keep advertising, keep plugging along.  But most importantly, they continue to provide the customer service their clients, customers, or patrons have come to expect, know, and love.  When the wallowing and self-pity commence, values and vision of a company tend to flee.  Staying grounded, staying connected to what has been, what has succeeded will drive a company through dark and tight times.

Committing to the client relationship is imperative.  Transactional focus is found everywhere.  And while those transactions are what keeps the company moving forward, they are not what keeps the client, customer, or patron coming back.  Relational focus is why customers come back, why they continue to engage.  

Don't let previously held complacency cause your bottom line to recede.  Take a moment, submerge in the vision and values your company was raised on.  Embrace the time you now have to solidify relationships.  We like to conduct business with those we know.  It's in our nature.

by rayanne thorn, marketing director u.s.

Kids are scarier than Directors!

Ever since I was a teacher and football coach at St Mary’s Kibabii High School in Kenya for 5 months in 1998, I have always harboured an ambition to find a similarly rewarding project to engage with in the UK. In the Young Enterprise scheme, I have found an initiative which has reignited that sense of passion and excitement that I have not felt for a decade.

Dan McGuire has been involved with Young Enterprise for a few years now, and has used his reputation as fine young entrepreneur to inspire groups of teenagers to focus on building the skills and experience which will help them plan for a future career in business. The scheme is essentially a competition where teenagers from a variety of schools and colleges are put into groups and are challenged to set up and run their own business, funded by selling shares to friends and family. They can also seek sponsorship from local businesses and maybe some free product or service if they have the gumption to ask!

With a wide range of opportunitites to get involved with YE, Dan has enlisted me to assist with this year’s new businesses. Now I may not have the kudos that comes with Dan’s reputation but I believe I have enough confidence and experience to make an impact in my new role as a YE Ambassador.

My first task was to give four 20 minute presentations on a Saturday morning to groups of 50-80 kids about delivering quality customer service. I have NEVER been so nervous in my life! I swear that teenagers can smell your fear! I am used to presenting to groups at all levels of the hierarchy, but nothing cuts through you quite like the look of a slightly disinterested youngster. The session was a great success and I have now moved on to mentoring two businesses every Tuesday evening.

I have bought shares in both businesses so my interest is now financial as well as emotional. The board meetings are a great opportunity to witness the staggering development of their teamwork skills and business acumen. They are also utterly hilarious, as building a business together really brings out their sense of humour, especially when trying to control who talks next at the table.

From a selfish point of view, I find the whole experience massively rewarding and it feel satisfying to know that I’m giving something back to a community and could be mentoring the next Richard Branson. So if you get the chance to do something similar, I would leap at the chance!

To find out more about Young Enterprise, or sponsorship opportunities, drop me an email – andyh@broadbean.com.

The Week of the Deal...

So my next blog. Even though I commented on only writing one, here I am sitting at my PC on the Monday after the sale contemplating the whirlwind that was the final week leading up to the close of the deal.

You would think that for a man who has been making deals all his working life, selling a business would be just another tick in the box. That’s what I thought, but it has been such an emotional ride, it’s difficult to articulate.

The final week goes something like this:

Hopes, rejection and lessons of the graduate

It’s scary to see how competitive graduate recruitment has become, 40 applications per advert is six times more than average so I feel for the Grads of 08; it was tough enough when I was a bright eyed jobseeker:

As a student you’re told that getting a degree (any subject) will fast track you to the good life. Naive and keen, I started planning what marina I’d dock the yacht at before I’d even passed my first module.

A day in the life of Jack

I was delighted to hear on Friday morning about the company’s acquisition by AND, the digital media division of The Daily Mail group.

I’ve worked for companies in the past that have been acquired and generally it’s been a positive move. I think with Broadbean it’s unquestionably a huge step in the right direction. If we can get new products to market quicker then it improves our competitive edge and that keeps everyone (me and the sales team in particular) very happy.