Jennifer, Jill, Kim and Robin attended the 2013 SIA Executive Forum in Orlando. Here now are their key takeaways.
Relationships Matter by Jill Balick
Rob Moseley’s session “Negotiating client tactics and demands” particularly resonated with me. His specific strategies for assessing and recognizing fair client and candidate expectations and his targeted approach for meeting those demands head-on, will be especially useful for me at Mee Derby. No matter how much technology impacts and advances the way we attract and source candidates and clients, there is no substitute for relationships. Building long lasting, collaborative and consultative relationships remains the key to continued success and growth in our industry.
Face to Face by Kim Whiteley
This forum reminded me of the importance of face to face time with our clients. In doing national search we don’t often get the opportunity to meet our clients. As we listened to sessions on big data, social media, technology – and how it affects what we do on a daily basis and the ease in which we can now communicate with one another – it was also a great reminder of the importance of meeting customers in person, understanding their culture, their environment and what has led them to success. We had the pleasure of meeting several customers in person that we have had phone/email relationships with over the years. This will help cement and move our relationships forward.
Networking by Jennifer Tucker
The 2013 Forum was my first and drove home the value of networking, keeping current with industry trends, and continuously being educated to stay at the top of our game as specialized executive recruiters. It was a great honor to hear so many staffing and sales experts speak. One session particularly valuable reiterated the importance of building collaborative, quality relationships with clients (and in our case, candidates, too). Managing the relationship from day one, handling expectations, and communicating thoroughly are all recipes for a successful business partnership. It is certainly my goal to build these kinds of relationships and to enjoy them for years to come.
Social Branding by Robin Mee
This was the largest Forum ever – 950 executives and the theme was how Big Data can be applied to the industry. For me, technology, more than ever, has changed the way we do business. I learned about Andrew Karpie’s process of “Continuous Engagement.” He suggests that the traditional model of “recruiting to the job order” is being replaced by an “ecosystem” that begins with branding. Branding leverages social recruiting networks like LinkedIn and Facebook, social media like Twitter and YouTube, and other social tools like Bullhorn Reach. Branding supports sourcing, which drives recruiting, which enables referrals and ultimately fills open requirements. This system of “Continuous Engagement” describes the evolving environment at Mee Derby, and how we are harnessing technology to drive targeted candidates to our company. Our recently redesigned website adds an important dimension to our branding. We are shifting candidate acquisition by enabling technology to attract targeted people, thus allowing our team to focus of what they do best – build and sustain relationships.
