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Executive Forum - Leading in a time of change

March 06, 2008

Staffing Industry Analysts' 2008 Executive Forum began Wednesday in Lake Las Vegas NV. The only constant in staffing is change, said Barry Asin, Staffing Industry Analysts' executive VP and chief analyst in his keynote address on Wednesday morning.

The first day's topics ranged from driving results in critical staffing segments to offshore recruiting and processing;  from retaining internal staff to employment law; and from sales force best practices to being a great, rather than big, staffing firm.

A few thoughts from the first day of the forum:
No fear - "The size of your paycheck is directly proportional to your ability to handle conflict," said Tim Alderman, CEO of Alderman, Hockaday & Associates in his session on Taking Your Recruiters to the Next Level. Alderman said the biggest thing holding back salespeople and recruiters is fear.
Giraffes - Mike Jacoutot, CEO of Supplemental Health Care discussed recognizing and rewarding internal staff in a session on Becoming a Talent Factory. One thing his company does is give internal staff members a 12-inch giraffe as a reward for something done well or work above-and-beyond the call of duty.
Separation - Keep your perm recruiters separate from your temporary placement staff was one message at a panel on driving results in place and search and direct hire. And be wary of leaning too much on job boards when handling direct hire, as client companies already have staff that work those. "Stay away from the boards," said Margaret Graziano, founder of Keenhire, a direct hire firm. Use social networking sites such as LinkedIn, she said.
Office/clerical calling - Sue Burnett, president of Burnett Staffing Specialists, said one key to success in the office/clerical segment is to be active in call center staffing.
Advice for independent firms - Overhire for key positions said Dan Campbell, CEO of Hire Dynamics. Fastest-growing companies have the highest Net Promoters Score, according to Jeff Bowling, CEO of the Delta Companies, who uses the NPS to maintain excellent customer service. And President Karen Wilson of MAKE Corp. said that staffing firms need to become candidates' personal career choice.

There are more than 700 attendees at this year's Executive Forum in the Silver State, which runs through Friday, March 7.