Filtration Recruiter - Employer Tips & Techniques

As a Filtration Recruiter, I work with both the candidate and the client. In past postings you will find information to help candidates in their interview process. Now I would like to focus on the client.

From the start of filling a position to the end, there are several areas where an employer needs to put thought into their process. There are times when we receive emails with job descriptions attached hoping we can fill the position. As an employer, you can't hire a candidate just from reviewing their resume, the same way that recruiters cannot find qualified talent from reading a job description. There are a lot of variables that are involved in the recruiting and hiring process.

To give a brief overview, here are some mistakes that employers make that delay the hiring process.

1. A job description is great to have, but you need to have a clear idea of what you are looking for and make sure that everyone understands. Be specific as possible when it comes to duties, skills and competencies you are looking for. For example, putting a "years" of experience does not mean you will get the ideal candidate. The employer is better to define the functions specifically and find someone who can do it.

2. Employers are always looking for that top notch, high energy candidate. What they are unsure of is the type of candidates available, along with the money it takes to hire them. Employers need to realize that while these people may be out there, they may not be willing to come work for your company no matter how great the company is. If you are looking to pay a lower salary than what the market is showing, you either need to be flexible on the compensation package or realize that you get what you pay for.

3. During the interview process there are several individuals that speak with the potential candidate. Typically an HR individual, or sometimes two. Then the person that the candidate will report to, along with other executives. At times there are so many individuals hiring that it prolongs the process. Trying to find mutual meeting times and then after the interview trying to reconnect with those individuals to receive their feedback. The longer the interview process, the better the chance that you will loose the candidate's interest level.

4. Don't just rely on the candidate's resume as to whether or not you should or should not interview them. Typically when working with recruiters, the recruiter will have already spoken with the candidate and can provide insight into their background and experience that isn't on their resume. If a candidate's resume looks like a possibility, take a few moments to have a conversation with them. You may be surprised as to what you learn.

5. After employers have interview candidates, it is important to provide feedback in a timely manner. It's human nature to have to call someone to tell them they are not a fit for a position, or they have a good background but someone else has been offered the position. But it is important to provide feedback so that if you do have an interest in a candidate, this shows them and keeps their interest level high. As it's human nature to hate to make the call to tell them no, it is also human nature for candidate's to think an employer no longer has an interest in them if they have not heard back after an interview in a timely fashion. They then loose interest and you risk loosing them to someone else they are interview with.

These are just 5 things that quickly come to mind as a recruiter to help employers through the hiring process. As there are more items that could be brought to mind, remember, just like you, candidates are busy. They are not just sitting around waiting for your call. If you find one you need to work quickly and efficiently to get them on board.

Please feel free to contact me should you need assistance in your hiring needs. Check often, as I will provide more information to assist employers in their hiring.

Lisa Sprowls
Filtration Recruiter
Recruiter Solutions International
lisa@rsipeople.com
www.rsipeople.com/filtration

Employer Tips

The disappearing client

My name is Lisa Sprowls and I am a Filtration Recruiter.  I work on many sales/ engineering/executive/ and management level positions serving the search and recruitment needs of both large and small manufacturers and distributors in the Filtration/Water & Wastewater/ Separations/and Environmental Industries. 

With each and every finalist candidate that we present to our clients, we also provide a complete background check.  Our background checks are provided by our parent company, BackTrack Inc., www.backtracker.comhttp://www.backtracker.com">www.backtracker.com
>.  All reports provided include employment verification, education verification, social security trace report, motor vehicle report, reference checking and criminal records searches. 

The Disappearing Client
We hear it over and over again in our business, “I am looking for a new vendor because I am just unhappy with the (service, turn around time, customer service, etc) my current vendor provides. Chances are that that current vendor also has no idea that there is a problem with their client because they haven’t been notified.

While this type of call comes to us daily, and we certainly are more than happy to discuss with any potential client our services and how we differ, it makes me wonder how many of our clients are “disappearing” clients and potentially seeking another vendor. You know the ones I mean. These are the clients that, in 2007, did X amount of business, in 2008 they are less than half and you haven’t heard from them in 3 months. Every week these clients are probably fielding 2 or 3 calls from a company that offers the same type of product or service that they currently purchase from you. There is a lot of competition out there and many hungry companies willing to do what it takes to land that new account. The “grass is always greener” theory seems to follow along with those phone calls as well.

We have a program where we contact our current clients every 3-6 months to say hello and see how they are doing. This gives us a chance to communicate with our contacts to find out if they have any problems, concerns, or feel that their issues have not been addressed. So, do we still have clients looking for other vendors? They certainly are. However, they are going in with the bar set quite a bit higher because of the service they currently get. Many times, they either don’t change, or they come back to us after a short period of time because they realize that they don’t get the same service elsewhere.

Keeping the lines of communication open between your company and your clients is extremely important. I don’t mean that you deal with just their problems when they call in with an issue – this means picking up the phone and calling them a couple of times a year and finding out what their issues are, or if they have any. Not only does this make for excellent customer service, but it also will benefit your company in the long run. They may be in networking groups and will recommend you to their peers, or they may be willing to act as business references for your company should you need it. Give them something positive to talk about and your customers and clients will keep coming back.

Wastewater">http://wastewaterrecruiter.blogspot.com/2009/02/wastewater-recruiter-disappearing.html">Wastewater Recruiter - The Disappearing Client

Lisa Sprowls
Filtration Recruiter
Recruiter Solutions International
8850 Tyler Blvd.
Mentor, OH 44060
800-992-3875 ext. 313
lisa@rsipeople.com



Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Environmental Recruiter, Fluid Power Recruiter. As an executive recruiter/headhunter dedicated to serving the search and recruitment needs in both large and small manufacturers and distributors. Dan specializes in the search and placement of sales, engineering, management and upper level management positions. Keywords: Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Pumps, Filters, Microfiltration, Water, Oil, Gas, Air, Industrial, Cartridge, Filtration & Separation, Membrane, Reverse Osmosis, Filtration Equipment, Filter Media, Filtration Supplies, Wastewater, Fuel, Environmental, Storm Water, Dewatering Equipment, Woven, Non Woven, Ultrafiltration, Recruiter Solutions International, RSI, Lisa Sprowls, Dan Regovich, Headhunter Filtration, Filtration Headhunter, Filtration Industry Recruiter, Wastewater and Filtration, Water Treatment, Wastewater

Global Business Development Specialist

Our client is an established, financially strong, privately held one of a kind all producer and manufacturer of filter aids, insulation materials and other products. All of their offerings are based on a natural by-product, produced from another process. Their applications range from industrial to manufacturing; municipal to oil & gas. Due to their continued growth, the company has retained us to help them fill a Global Business Development Specialist. This will be a home based opportunity with travel involved. The individual will be responsible for sales & marketing of their product through the world. We are looking for someone who has technical knowledge of filtration and filter aids with a chemical background. Markets will include chemical, industrial process, water and wastewater treatment industries. This position will be responsible for presentations, customer support and field testing. It will have responsibility to deal with new and existing customer relationships and to grow the territory through direct and distributor relationships. The ideal candidate will be located in the Texas or Louisiana area. Please contact Lisa via email at lisa@rsipeople.com

Director of Business Development - Water Treatment

Our client is a very successful privately held supplier to the filtration industry on a global basis. They are a very solid organization with a highly dedicated strong management team. They have seen tremendous growth and success with pre coat filters and because of that, have retained our services to fill a Director of Business Development for Water Treatment position which will be responsible for the commercialization of a mineral based adsorbent for the removal of arsenic from aqueous solutions. It will be responsible for working with 3rd party manufacturers that require filter aids for their products or systems. In turn they will work with individuals on proprietary media and trademarked packages. They will be responsible for working with companies that will then sell the aid or media to a specialized distributor that works with engineering firms to secure business at local municipalities, mining or brew companies or anyone needing purified water. Travel will be necessary. What we are looking for is someone that has experience in the water treatment industry with granular actuated carbons being a plus. Someone that has a technical background, experience in business development in the water treatment industry and experience in selling through distribution. Experience running technical trials in a pilot plant environment is a plus. A degree is required for this position. This is a top-notch organization with an excellent reputation as a leader in their industry. They are offering a very lucrative compensation package including a Base Salary, Bonus Potential, Relocation, and Full Benefits. This is an opportunity with a tremendous amount of future growth potential Please contact Lisa via email at lisa@rsipeople.com

Deputy Director of Water

Our client is a municipality located in southwestern Ohio. They have retained our services to fill a Deputy Director of Water position. This position will be responsible for administrative duties relating to 7 divisions within the municipality. It will have 9 direct reports which include 2 civil engineers. The position will deal with business development of engineering services in the areas of municipal water, wastewater, storm water and other environmental services, as well as overseeing all functions within the departments including those shared with other city departments, consultants and outside agencies. What we are looking for is someone who as a good business development/finance background in the area of water or wastewater. Someone that has the ability to sell the municipal water services to surrounding areas. Please contact Lisa via email at: lisa@rsipeople to learn more

Wastewater Recruiter - The Disappearing Client

My name is Lisa Sprowls and I am a Filtration Recruiter. I work on many sales/ engineering/executive/ and management level positions serving the search and recruitment needs of both large and small manufacturers and distributors in the Filtration/Water & Wastewater/ Separations/and Environmental Industries.

With each and every finalist candidate that we present to our clients, we also provide a complete background check. Our background checks are provided by our parent company, BackTrack Inc., www.backtracker.com. All reports provided include employment verification, education verification, social security trace report, motor vehicle report, reference checking and criminal records searches.

The Disappearing Client
We hear it over and over again in our business, “I am looking for a new vendor because I am just unhappy with the (service, turn around time, customer service, etc) my current vendor provides. Chances are that that current vendor also has no idea that there is a problem with their client because they haven’t been notified.

While this type of call comes to us daily, and we certainly are more than happy to discuss with any potential client our services and how we differ, it makes me wonder how many of our clients are “disappearing” clients and potentially seeking another vendor. You know the ones I mean. These are the clients that, in 2007, did X amount of business, in 2008 they are less than half and you haven’t heard from them in 3 months. Every week these clients are probably fielding 2 or 3 calls from a company that offers the same type of product or service that they currently purchase from you. There is a lot of competition out there and many hungry companies willing to do what it takes to land that new account. The “grass is always greener” theory seems to follow along with those phone calls as well.

We have a program where we contact our current clients every 3-6 months to say hello and see how they are doing. This gives us a chance to communicate with our contacts to find out if they have any problems, concerns, or feel that their issues have not been addressed. So, do we still have clients looking for other vendors? They certainly are. However, they are going in with the bar set quite a bit higher because of the service they currently get. Many times, they either don’t change, or they come back to us after a short period of time because they realize that they don’t get the same service elsewhere.

Keeping the lines of communication open between your company and your clients is extremely important. I don’t mean that you deal with just their problems when they call in with an issue – this means picking up the phone and calling them a couple of times a year and finding out what their issues are, or if they have any. Not only does this make for excellent customer service, but it also will benefit your company in the long run. They may be in networking groups and will recommend you to their peers, or they may be willing to act as business references for your company should you need it. Give them something positive to talk about and your customers and clients will keep coming back.

Wastewater Recruiter - The Disappearing Client

Lisa Sprowls
Filtration Recruiter
Recruiter Solutions International
8850 Tyler Blvd.
Mentor, OH 44060
800-992-3875 ext. 313
lisa@rsipeople.com



Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Environmental Recruiter, Fluid Power Recruiter. As an executive recruiter/headhunter dedicated to serving the search and recruitment needs in both large and small manufacturers and distributors. Dan specializes in the search and placement of sales, engineering, management and upper level management positions. Keywords: Filtration Recruiter, Water Recruiter, Wastewater Recruiter, Pumps, Filters, Microfiltration, Water, Oil, Gas, Air, Industrial, Cartridge, Filtration & Separation, Membrane, Reverse Osmosis, Filtration Equipment, Filter Media, Filtration Supplies, Wastewater, Fuel, Environmental, Storm Water, Dewatering Equipment, Woven, Non Woven, Ultrafiltration, Recruiter Solutions International, RSI, Lisa Sprowls, Dan Regovich, Headhunter Filtration, Filtration Headhunter, Filtration Industry Recruiter, Wastewater and Filtration, Water Treatment, Wastewater

Wastewater Recruiter - Succession Planning

At about the time the baby boomers begin retiring from the work force, the flow of additional workers will just about grind to a halt. For every young person entering the workforce from high school or college, an older person will be leaving the workforce and heading for retirement. Time Magazine has predicted an unprecedented employment gap when that happens. Reports show that the rebound in the industry is bringing up concerns for future expansions and succession planning. Where does this leave your company?

Here at RSI, our staff has been diligent in locating those hard to find candidates so our clients can continue to grow as their employees leave to enjoy their golden years. With each search assignment, we uncover dozens of other highly qualified candidates that did not meet the skills needed for that particular search. That leaves us with numerous excellent candidates who are currently employed, reasonably happy and doing a good job but are keeping their eyes open for the next step in their career.

Since the Filtration Group of RSI does not just scour the internet for candidates, we find those candidates that cannot be found through traditional employment ads and job posting boards. We specialize in all areas of the industry; our knowledgeable staff stands ready to talk to you about your distinct need and is ready to customize a search to go directly after what you need and minimize the learning curve in your open position. Feel free to contact me at our toll-free number if we can be of assistance in any of your recruitment needs.

Lisa Sprowls
The Filtration Group
Recruiter Solutions International
800-992-3875 ext. 313
lisa@rsipeople.com
www.rsipeople.com

Succession Planning

Wastewater Recruiter - The cost of adding an employee

The Harvard Business School identified the cost of inferior selection of sales representatives, at 3X the rep's annual compensation, including expenses, training, benefits, wages and commissions/bonus. Thus a $60,000 per year salaried/commissioned sales rep hiring mistake actually costs the company more than $300,000.

In hiring a sales representative, what is the cost of a poor hiring process?
There are hard and soft costs to consider. The hard costs include, but are not limited to, time from dispatching the job order to hire. For instance, a sales territory is open an extra week, or month, or quarter, the reduced revenue and profits can be calculated according to the following formula: annual quota, divided by the time period, divided by gross profit-less salary, recruiting fees, travel and administration expenses. All numbers are annualized to the week or month or quarter.

Example:
Annual quota $2,000,000.00
Gross Profit 35%, = $700,000.00
Salary+ commissions = $175,000.00
Recruiting fees= $25,000,
Administration, Benefits, Travel and Entertainment=$25,000
Gross Profit: $700,000
Total Costs:$225,000
Net Profit:$475,000
Net Profit loss per week:$9,500, Net Profit loss per month:$39,583.

Presented here is a simple and true case study highlighting additional hard costs not easily evident in the equation above.

"During FY2000, “Tom”, a recruiter, presents a sales engineer to a national company. The company in business since 1985 has annual revenues in excess of $50 million. The company hires this candidate. Two years later the same person is still employed (the definition of a good hire). The company requires another sales engineer (in the same territory) to compliment the employee placed 2 years ago. Does the hiring manager call “Tom”? NO! The position still open 2 weeks later, the employee calls “Tom” and suggests he call his boss. The boss acknowledges the opening but insists they have it handled using internal recruiting efforts. Meanwhile, “Tom” presents an on-target candidate. One month later, the boss/hiring manager calls “Tom” and asks about the candidate. The manager agrees to pay the fee. Discussing the hiring process, “Tom” learns the hiring manager is interviewing eight additional people. Five managers from around the country fly into the territory to interview these 8 candidates. “Tom's” candidate makes 9. However, his candidate is the only one that the hiring manager is excited to meet. Five upper level managers fly into a city, stay in hotels and spend a complete day meeting 9 candidates when they only need one.

Six weeks had gone by before contacting “Tom”. The hiring manager knew “Tom” was competent. Has he saved any money? Based upon the example above he has already lost close to $60,000. If we attempt to equate the cost of one day of management hours of a company, the equation looks like this: $150,000 times 5(managers)= $750,000 divided by 200(days)= $3,750. Plus, what revenue generating activities could be accomplished instead of a complete day in front of 7 or 8 people they will never see again? How frustrated will these managers be by the end of the day? How many will quit if the company continues this wasted effort? How much revenue is lost annually because of this type of behavior?

Additional, definable soft costs: The hiring manager has spent 10 hours minimum, reading resumes and speaking to candidates over the phone. An additional 5 hours spent coordinating with other managers. What activities could the manager had done instead? If I gave you back 2 full working days, every 6 weeks what would the time be worth to you?


Lisa Sprowls
Recruiter Solutions International
800-992-3875 ext. 313
lisa@rsipeople.com
www.rsipeople.com

The Cost of Adding a New Employee

Wastewater Recruiter - Preparing your Appearance for an Interview

Preparing your Appearance for an Interview

There are several items that you need to do when preparing for an interview. One of those items is your appearance. Remember, first impressions count. I have heard stories of people bringing their spouses to interviews with them, their pets and even one story I heard of a man dressing as a women. As a recruiter, there are stories that we hear all the time of how people dressed for their interviews. Here are some items to help you prepare your appearance for your interview.

Male Candidates
· Fingernails should be short and clean; manicured if possible.
· Hair should be clean, well groomed and freshly trimmed. Use a dandruff shampoo, if necessary, and always comb hair with your jacket off.
· A navy blue or dark gray suit is appropriate for most positions. Be sure it is cleaned and pressed. Men with stout builds should avoid three-piece suits.
· Shirts should be white, freshly laundered and well pressed.
· A quiet tie with a subtle design and a hint of red is suitable for a first interview. Avoid loud colors and busy designs.
· Jewelry should be kept minimal. A watch and wedding or class ring are acceptable. Don’t wear jewelry or pins that indicate membership in religious or service organizations.
· Use deodorant and avoid colognes or fragrances completely.
· Shoes that are black and freshly polished (including the heels) are a safe choice for an interview.
· Socks should be black or blue and worn over the calf.
· For good posture, cross legs at the ankles, not at the knees.
· Maintain good eye contact.
· Don’t take portable phones or beepers into an interview.

Female Candidates
· Fingernails should be clean; manicured if possible. Choose subtle low key color over bright fashion colors for nail polishes.
· Wear a suit or tailored dress in basic navy or gray. Blouses should also be tailored and color coordinated. Don’t wear big bows or ties.
· Avoid exotic hairstyles and excessive makeup. Hair should be neat, clean and brushed with your jacket off.
· Makeup should be light and natural looking.
· Use deodorant and avoid colognes or fragrances.
· Jewelry should be limited and subtle. Don’t wear jewelry or pins that indicate membership in religious or service organizations.
· A closed toe pump that is color coordinated with your outfit is appropriate for an interview. Avoid open-toed shoes or sling-backs.
· For good posture, cross legs at the ankles, not at the knees.
· Maintain good eye contact.
· Do not take portable phones or beepers into an interview.


Lisa Sprowls
Wastewater Recruiter
Filtration Recruiter
Recruiter Solutions International
800-992-3875 ext. 313
lisa@rsipeople.com

www.rsipeople.com


Preparing your appearance