Fraction Talent Acquisition and how you can maximize results without breaking the bank.

Unlocking Growth and Flexibility: The Power of Fractional Talent Consultants

In today’s fast paced business environment, flexibility is the key to success. Whether you’re a growing startup or an established enterprise, access to top talent is critical for sustained growth. But hiring a full-time talent acquisition professional can be costly. Enter Fractional Talent Acquisition Consultants, an innovative solution offering companies the expertise of recruitment professionals without the overhead of a full-time salary. Let’s explore how this benefits both consultants and companies and dive into other fractional roles that can bring immense value to any business.

The Consultant’s Advantage

For consultants, working in a fractional capacity offers several attractive benefits:

  1. Diverse Client Portfolio: By working with multiple companies across various industries, consultants can leverage diverse insights and remain agile in their approach to problem-solving.
  2. Enhanced Work-Life Balance: Fractional work provides flexibility, enabling consultants to take on projects that align with their schedule and personal life.
  3. Increased Earning Potential: Working on multiple projects at once often results in higher overall income potential compared to a traditional full-time role.
  4. Expanding Skills: Exposure to different companies’ cultures, tools, and hiring needs allows consultants to continuously sharpen their skills.
  5. Authority in the Field: As fractional consultants are typically engaged for their specific expertise, this role positions them as a trusted advisor in the realm of talent acquisition and recruiting.

The Company’s Advantage

On the other side, companies gain immense value from hiring fractional consultants:

  1. Cost Efficiency: Hiring a full-time talent acquisition professional can strain budgets, especially if the demand for recruitment fluctuates. A fractional consultant allows companies to only pay for services when needed, making it a more cost-effective solution.
  2. Access to Expertise: Fractional consultants bring deep expertise to the table, having worked across multiple sectors. This often leads to faster, more effective recruiting and onboarding processes.
  3. Scalability: Fractional consultants can adapt to your needs, whether that means scaling up recruitment during a busy hiring season or scaling down during slower periods.
  4. Reduced Overhead: No need to worry about benefits, paid time off, or other full-time employee perks, which can significantly lower overall costs.
  5. Faster Hiring Process: With the ability to source, recruit, and onboard top talent efficiently, fractional talent acquisition professionals reduce time-to-fill, helping your business meet its goals sooner.

How Fractional Talent Acquisition Consultants Help

Fractional Talent Acquisition Consultants provide the full spectrum of recruitment services:

  1. Sourcing & Recruiting: Consultants use proprietary tools, advanced sourcing strategies, and techniques to identify top talent, ensuring your company gets the best candidates quickly.
  2. Recruitment Process Optimization: Consultants streamline the recruitment pipeline, from posting the job to final offer, cutting unnecessary steps and reducing time-to-hire by up to 25% or more.
  3. Onboarding: The role doesn’t stop at hiring; onboarding is also a critical function that fractional consultants can manage, ensuring new hires are smoothly integrated into your organization.
  4. Technology Integration: Consultants bring knowledge of the latest AI-driven technologies, reducing recruitment spend and increasing applicant flow.

Other Fractional Roles Your Company Can Benefit From

Fractional work isn’t limited to talent acquisition. Here are other high-value fractional roles companies should consider:

  1. Fractional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO): Perfect for companies needing marketing leadership without a full-time commitment, fractional CMOs can develop and execute marketing strategies aligned with growth objectives.
  2. Fractional Chief Financial Officer (CFO): Managing budgets, financial planning, and growth strategies are crucial, but hiring a full-time CFO may not always be feasible. A fractional CFO provides strategic financial insights when needed.
  3. Fractional Chief Technology Officer (CTO): For companies navigating complex tech landscapes, a fractional CTO offers technology leadership to drive innovation, enhance product development, and implement tech strategies.
  4. Fractional Sales Leader: When sales strategy and leadership are key but you don’t need a full-time executive, a fractional sales leader can improve revenue streams while maintaining flexibility in the workforce.
  5. Fractional HR Consultant: These consultants offer strategic HR services, including talent management, employee engagement, and compliance, without the cost of a full-time HR department.
  6. Fractional Operations Manager: Focuses on process optimization, scaling operations, and driving efficiency, especially useful during periods of rapid growth or restructuring.
  7. Fractional Sales Directors
    Helps develop and implement sales strategies, mentor teams, and boost revenue growth on a project or part-time basis, enhancing sales performance without committing to a full-time role.
  8. Fractional Digital Marketing Experts
    Manages digital campaigns, SEO, and social media strategies, enabling companies to enhance their online presence and drive traffic without the overhead of an in-house team.

The rise of fractional talent, particularly in talent acquisition, provides a win-win for both consultants and businesses. Companies gain access to high-level expertise without breaking the bank, while consultants enjoy flexibility, diverse opportunities, and competitive pay. In a world where agility and cost-effectiveness are paramount, embracing fractional roles is a smart strategy for forward-thinking organizations.

Considering fractional support for your business? Get in touch to discover how a Fractional Talent Acquisition Consultant can transform your hiring process, or explore how other fractional roles can boost your company’s success.

Now you might ask how can I sell this up the ladder? A Fractional Talent Acquisition model can benefit a wide range of companies and fit various business scenarios. Below are common scenarios and target companies that would benefit most from adopting this model:

Scenarios for Fractional Talent Acquisition

  1. Scaling Startups
    • Scenario: Startups experiencing rapid growth need to hire quickly but cannot afford full-time HR staff or recruiters.
    • Why Fractional Works: A fractional talent acquisition consultant can manage high-volume hiring efficiently without the long-term financial commitment.
  2. Project-Based Hiring
    • Scenario: Companies with short-term projects or contracts require specific skills on a temporary basis.
    • Why Fractional Works: Consultants provide agile support by sourcing and hiring talent for temporary or contract roles, saving the company from hiring full-time staff for short-term needs.
  3. Expansion into New Markets
    • Scenario: Companies expanding into new geographical regions or markets need local talent quickly.
    • Why Fractional Works: A consultant experienced in various markets can handle recruitment efficiently, tailoring the process to the specific needs of new regions.
  4. Seasonal Hiring Peaks
    • Scenario: Industries with seasonal spikes in demand (e.g., retail, hospitality) often need to scale up their workforce for a short period.
    • Why Fractional Works: A consultant can manage the seasonal surge in recruitment needs, ensuring the company is adequately staffed without long-term payroll obligations.
  5. Internal Recruitment Overload
    • Scenario: Internal HR or recruitment teams are overwhelmed by multiple open positions and high hiring demand.
    • Why Fractional Works: A fractional consultant can step in to relieve pressure on internal teams, handling the overflow and enabling quicker placements.
  6. Niche or Executive Hiring
    • Scenario: Companies need to hire specialized talent or fill executive-level roles, which requires a targeted search and niche expertise.
    • Why Fractional Works: Fractional consultants often have experience in specialized areas, making them ideal for niche or senior-level hiring, without the hefty fees associated with traditional headhunters.
  7. Company Reorganization or Restructuring
    • Scenario: Companies going through restructuring or downsizing still need to hire selectively but can’t justify a full-time talent acquisition team.
    • Why Fractional Works: Fractional consultants provide flexible and cost-effective recruitment services during periods of uncertainty or transition.
  8. New Product Launches
    • Scenario: Companies launching new products or services may require specific talent quickly to meet development or sales deadlines.
    • Why Fractional Works: A fractional consultant can quickly source talent in product development, marketing, and sales to ensure the successful launch.
  9. Limited Recruitment Budget
    • Scenario: Small to mid-sized companies need to hire strategically but face tight recruitment budgets.
    • Why Fractional Works: Hiring a fractional consultant helps companies optimize their recruiting processes at a lower cost, providing expertise without the overhead of a full-time salary.
  10. Crisis or Emergency Hiring
    • Scenario: In case of unexpected departures or urgent hiring needs, companies must quickly replace critical staff.
    • Why Fractional Works: Fractional consultants can mobilize quickly, filling roles without the delays of a full-time hiring process, and minimizing disruption.

The Fractional Talent Acquisition model is a powerful solution for companies looking to scale quickly, manage short-term hiring needs, or optimize their recruiting process without overcommitting financially. Whether it’s tech startups, retail businesses, or healthcare organizations, fractional consultants offer expertise, flexibility, and efficiency that traditional hiring models cannot match.

By embracing this approach, companies can stay nimble, reduce costs, and hire the right talent at the right time.

#FractionalConsultant #TalentAcquisition #BusinessGrowth #FractionalHiring #Recruiting #HR #CostSavings #BusinessStrategy #FlexibleWork

The Truth About Older (50+) Salespeople

Wisdom is the knowledge base that will assist our future leaders.

Imagine if you will a time when you are getting a little bit older, a touch grayer and you start reflecting on what are you going to do when you get too mature for the industry you are in.

I have always had this question, but never bold enough to write about it. I’ve had a lot of opinions on this as the market is getting younger by the minute. People want to put millennials on pedestals and assume they are the next coming of…well whatever. I do not. But what I do say is they are dang smart. We Xers can learn tons from them.

The problem, however, is they lack the experience of hitting a curve ball. This can be taught of course, but won’t happen until they have failed a number of times. Knowledge and wisdom come from experience, not case studies.

I don’t fear getting older. I love it. I don’t fear millennials, I encourage them. 1+1 = power. Let’s embrace learning from one another. By the way, I am not 50+!!!

~The Organic Recruiter

Published on

The Truth About Older (50+) Salespeople

 | Technology Sales Author, Sales Researcher, Founder Heavy Hitter Sales Training, USC Faculty

It is still hard times for salespeople (and sales managers) over 50 today. When companies downsize, they find themselves five times more likely to be let go when compared to their younger counterparts. They also have a more difficult time finding new jobs because younger sales managers have five basic fears about hiring someone older than themselves:

They are Un-coachable. Younger sales managers fear older salespeople are set in their ways and won’t take their directions.

They aren’t Technically Savvy. Younger sales managers fear they haven’t ingrained technology (smartphones, e-mail, and web-based sales force automation) into their daily working routine (nor are they up-to-date on the internet, social media, etc.).

They are “Washed Up.” Younger sales managers fear older reps are burned out from too many years “carrying the bag.”

They Have a Poor Work Ethic.  For a variety of family, personal, or health reasons, younger sales managers question how hard they will work.

They Really Want My Job! Perhaps the biggest fear of a younger manager is that he is hiring someone who may upstage him or her in the eyes of senior management in order to fulfill an ulterior motive of taking over their job.

Given these fears, I would like to offer five factors sales managers should consider when choosing between younger and more senior salespeople.

  1. Do you have to Sell to the C-Level? The C-level Executive sell is based upon establishing credibility and trust. Who do think has an easier time establishing rapport with senior executives; a 26 or 56 year old salesperson?
  2. It’s about relationships (not Rolodexes). Never hire any salesperson solely based on their Rolodex (if you’re under 30 you might have to look this word up) of customer contacts they claim to possess. Hire the salesperson who has a successful track record at penetrating new accounts and proven their ability of turning aloof prospects into close friends.
  3. Wit. Most companies make previous experience in the same industry their main criterion for hiring. Since these salespeople command the industry nomenclature, they are assumed to be qualified candidates. A more important hiring criterion is how candidates respond to pressure. In other words, how quick-witted or fast on their feet are they? What is their ability to learn quickly? Are they able to solve complex problems in real time? In this regard, don’t judge a book by its cover and assume a little gray hair means a lot less grey matter.
  4. Sales is a Mentor-based Profession. Sales organizations are mentor-based environments. Inexperienced salespeople don’t know what they haven’t seen for themselves. Usually, it’s through the “school of hard knocks” that they gain their experience. Unfortunately, this takes time. The entire sales team can benefit from emulating salespeople who have accumulated a reservoir of experience working with customers.
  5. Who Do You Trust!?! Peek into the cockpit as you board your next commercial flight. Chances are you are putting your life in the hands of one of the 70,000 airline pilots that are over 50 years old.

About the Author:  Steve W. Martin is the author of the “Heavy Hitter” series of books for senior salespeople on the human nature of complex sales. The Heavy Hitter corporate sales training program has helped over 100,000 salespeople become top revenue producers. Steve is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review and he teaches at the University of Southern California Marshall Business School MBA program. Visit www.stevewmartin.com to learn more.

When is the Wrong Time to Do the Right Thing?

NEVER! Why must we question when something is right? If you are questioning it, it is probably wrong. People have made many blunders throughout history and sometimes you don’t know until it is too late. Hindsight is always 20/20. The same could be said in business.

I can tell you I am not rich by any means; however, I know a number of people in sales with much larger checkbooks because they took shortcuts or cheated clients on many occasions. I have to sleep every night therefore I choose to make the right decisions. It’s hard enough to sleep at night just being in sales!

Sadly, the unsung hero rarely gets his/her due. Take Peter Norman: during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City Mr. Norman broke the Australian record for fastest 200M race (which still stands today). Unfortunately for Norman, he came in 2nd and 2 Americans named John Carlos and Tommie Smith won the gold and bronze.

There is an iconic picture taken a few hours after the race the world knows but has often been misconstrued as a nod to Black Power. What better stage than the Olympics for Carlos and Smith to recognize the Human Rights Movement around the globe? The 2 men were never allowed to compete at the highest level again, but what they stood for was greater than that. It was a stance against the unjust wrongs of society at the time.

Carlos forgot his black gloves at Olympic Park and before they went on their way to the podium, Norman suggested they use his gloves on opposite hands to which they did. In a continued effort to respect the cause, Norman found an American who had the Olympic Project for Human Rights pin on him and asked to wear it. This was another profound statement as Apartheid in Australia was still widely felt and Norman did what he thought was right regardless of potential repercussions.

Unfortunately for Norman, Australia was not forgiving one bit. Eventually when his life ended much later at the age of 64, his home country of Australia never appreciated what the man really stood for. At the cost of aiding all human-kind who were unfairly treated throughout history to be treated as equals, Norman died with no money or recognition.

Why am I telling this story, you may be wondering? There are a lot of great salespeople out there who put the client in front of their financial aspirations. Sure, we want to be millionaires, but that shouldn’t come at the risk of doing the wrong thing.

So the next time you get a call from a salesperson, do me a favor and listen to what they have to say and realize there are win-win scenarios, but it might not always be at the advantage of the company we work for.

I promise I am here to help you get to your goals with what I have in hand…and it might not always be what I am selling.

Today San Jose State University dons a likeness of the day with a statue of Carlos and Smith without Norman. Not to eliminate that part of the legacy, rather so you and me and anyone can stand up and represent Norman as Human Rights is everyone’s business and there is never and wrong time to do the right thing.

The Organic Recruiter

For more on Carlos, Smith and Norman

 

A Speedy Sourcer’s Guide To Conquering The Intake Session

There are many ways companies want to set up their processes to find the right people. From finding the people,to who talks to them first and how many people are in the interview process. One thing is for sure, you need to hire people. So why is it taking so dang long? This is the first time I read an article from Nicole Nespeca and I find myself to be in love with what she has to say about sourcing.

Time to fill is taking far too long. You can blame it on the supply (just ask me for supply and demand information), the economy or even the election for some weird reason. But I think it is time for some reflection and accountability that you are just getting in your own way.

Let’s look at the 5 techniques Nicole has put in front of us and see if that makes it easier for you to make that sound decision quicker.

~ The Organic Recruiter

elephant-700x467

By  Sourcecon

Now that the election is over, we no longer have to listen to donkeys or elephants. However, if you are a sourcing professional, you probably don’t mind purple squirrels and pink elephants and the PETA-approved hunt. Consequently, you will need to do the quintessential intake session and must prove just how valuable you are to your company’s talent acquisition team.

So where do you start? Should you read the job description first and start researching, or wait until you speak to with the hiring manager? Every recruiting paradigm is different and therefore will continue to shift. Some talent acquisition teams have intakes between the sourcer and the hiring manager and some are with the aligned recruiter only. The most advantageous are with the hiring manager and recruiter as it’s more streamlined. Anticipating the needs of your hiring manager and/or aligned recruiter is crucial to your success in finding the right candidate.

Here are five speedy techniques a sourcer can do to master the intake meeting.

  1. Forget about refreshing your Facebook page every two minutes, you need to research as quickly as possible before the intake session. I recommend focusing on market intelligence, specific demographic candidate pools, and the potential difficulty of the search.

Primarily, you must research the demographic of the open position as well as the candidate supply and demand. You can get this free data from Salary.com, Glassdoor or just by using a search engine. You want to know what the market looks like. Research this before the intake so you can speak to the statistics of the candidate pool and how you will circumvent any supply challenges. You want to come to the intake session armed with as much information as possible. This leads to my second action you should as a subset of research.

  1. Remember the old adage “In a race, I never look back?” Well, ironically it’s just as important when knowing your competitor.

Know your competitors and the market intelligence of the industry you are hiring for.  Sourcers are quick studies. They are fast and know how to speed read. One must be able to do this expediently prior to the intake session. Understanding the back story is pertinent to the search. You will impress the hiring manager and recruiter alike if you know what companies are downsizing candidates that could fit into the open opportunity. Furthermore, gaining knowledge as to where to find untapped talent is paramount.

  1. Use past resumes to source candidates in the future. Nothing compares to reading a resume in terms of learning about a person.

Once I reviewed a resume that had “Atari” as a skill. Until I saw that, the candidate looked like a match for the open requisition. You need to see resumes of previous candidates to succeed in a hire. Consequently, please get the resume of the person in the position being filled and read it carefully. Use the keywords in that resume to make Boolean searches and resume matches on social media. If the hiring manager or recruiter doesn’t have the resume, you can usually find it in your company’s ATS. If it’s a new position and therefore no resume exists, ask the hiring manager what keywords you should look for in your search and where the hiring manager has hired from previously in terms of competing companies to your own.

  1. Lighten your link’s load. It only takes two seconds to make a Bitly.

Every sourcer should construct a Bitly link because it makes campaign drivers and website pages much shorter for sharing on social, email, and SMS and directs applicants to an application typically. I highly recommend you write a catchy social media blurb to drive prospective candidates to your open requisition. When speaking with your hiring manager and recruiter on the intake you should share the blurb you will use on social media and ask them to share the same blurb. Leveraging another’s network is significant in giving visibility to the open requisition.

  1. “Organizations, schools and trade shows…oh my” as I say in my best Wizard of Oz impression.

When summarizing the job on the intake, make sure you ask about any organizations, schools or trade shows the team hiring might belong too. Part of being a good sourcer is uncovering lists of candidates online from job fairs or symposiums for example. In order to find these types of lists, you must delve deep into the hiring manager’s repertoire. Also, connect on LinkedIn with your hiring manager. Not only is doing so good for building a relationship, but it also allows you to see your hiring manager’s connections which could yield a hire.

Researching fast prior to your intake will help you establish credibility right away with your hiring manager and recruiter. You must perform this due diligence in order to be effective in hiring. Coming to the intake already understanding some of the challenges involved and then sharing resolutions to circumvent these issues will impress on the intake. Coming prepared is tantamount to being a successful sourcer. And all triumphant sourcers study and educate themselves on each position they recruit for. I hope these five tips will help you nail your next intake and if you can get a hold of an old Atari to play after a hard search, even better.

Time Management For Sourcers And Recruiters – Resume Reading

I’ve written a few articles on the importance of knowing your candidate because unfortunately, your hiring managers consider these awesome people as a resume and not an actual person. And you as recruiter spend 6 seconds on a resume if the candidate is lucky. Why is that? Not enough time, patience or the formatting is bugging you? I don’t know your answer, but these are the top ones. Kevin wrote some great points in managing your time.

This article has some good tips to manage your time but time-management is the most important tool you can use. You are missing great people and without a semantic tool (like Monster has a number of them), you’ll need to rely on your boolean prowess and great ctrl+F. But remember, that doesn’t mean you know the person behind the not-so-pretty resume.

Please practice time-management and get to know the piece of paper.

~The Organic Recruiter

timem-700x467By  Sourcecon

We first started with Time Management for Sourcers and Recruiters – Schedule Building which, discussed how to plan your day to be effective and efficient. In this article, I will go through various techniques that will help you be even more effective and efficient for better time management that I am sure will increase productivity for you.

In our business one thing we must do is read a resume, in doing so we are expected to decipher the “code” embedded in the resume, compare work experience to the requirements from the hiring manager, and decide to or not to call/email the candidate. Then after we have all of our notes we need to make a decision if this is a viable candidate for the opening. This is a process that is repeated on every candidate we come across.

This is very time-consuming. Now that you have built your daily schedule and are staying on track with that schedule which you’re already seeing yourself being more effective and efficient, now we need to take it up a notch. Follow these proven steps in order to do just that.

First, after you craft that beautiful award winning Boolean string and enter it into whichever job board you prefer, you return a list of potential diamonds, and now the issue is to go through as many as candidates possible and build your list. The issue we all have is time, so why not use it to our advantage.  One thing we are all guilty of is getting sucked into the words on a resume or maybe the format is horrible and we’re just lost in translation. You need a two-minute sand timer.

When you pull up that list of potential diamonds and compile a bunch of resumes to filter, flip over the two-minute sand timer. You shouldn’t spend more than two minutes viewing a resume. Our attention on one aspect loses its ability to decipher new information after about two minutes and we need to take a minute to reset. With timing yourself you don’t get lost and develop the ability to say, yes this candidate looks great on paper, I still have a few questions regarding some of the experiences and technologies, or this candidate is not on the right track of what we are looking for.

As time goes on once you get the repetition down you will see yourself having time left out of the two minutes and becoming a resume reading legend.

Second, when you are getting ready to start using your timer and reading resumes, make sure you are prepared to understand the technology and what the surrounding words should be. Here are some red flags that will arise questions on candidate profiles:

  • Titles
    • A title is either what they want to be called or what they are given upon hire. This can be miss leading because each company may have a different ranking system however if you see someone progress from a help desk tech to a system engineer, to a desktop support tech, to a senior project manager, then there are some immediate red flags there.
  • Tenure
    • Look at the dates. Months and years are huge. If someone is only in one to two month positions for several years that raises a concern for a hiring manager that is looking for a stable candidate. If someone has gaps in the resume for more than six to nine months that is also concerning, but should be discussed with the candidate to dig deeper.
  • Description
    • This is where the research comes into play. If someone lists themselves as a project manager, they should be describing project manager work in that role.
  • Technologies
    • Candidates who put EVERY technology they have EVER worked with may just be looking for fluff. Tech is changing so fast that something they did in the 90s is irrelevant today!
  • Education
    • If your hiring manager requires a degree in a certain field of study views this first. Be sure it is listed and aligned with what you’re looking for.

Another cool trick is Ctrl + F (Find) which I’m surprised a lot of people are not using. Each opening role we have listed three to five skills that are MUST HAVES. A quick way to filter through other than the highlighted words on the resume from your Boolean string is to use Ctrl + F and pull up alternative spellings. You would be surprised what you may miss.

For example when candidates love abbreviations or alternative spellings so they are “hard to find:” Manager – Mgr or Mangr; SaS – S@S, $a$, or $@$; Citrix – Zen, ZenApp, ZenDesk, XApp, or XDesk etc. Now you may be thinking, well how many candidates actually do this? Who knows, but I have seen them and wouldn’t have found those candidates without doing just this. If you are searching for a hard to find skill set and need to take a different approach craft two Boolean strings, one narrow and one broad.  When you pull up the candidates that are found using the broad string, this is a tip that may work best with that.

If you are searching for a hard to find skill set and need to take a different approach craft two Boolean strings, one narrow and one broad. When you pull up the candidates that are found using the broad string, this is a tip that may work best with that.

I’m confident with this best practice you will see yourself being more successful with resume reading and utilizing the limited time you have to be more effective and efficient.