Archive for January, 2009

Archives for Recruiters

Employers know the problem with great job candidates is that they usually have jobs and aren’t actively seeking another one. And why should they? It’s a hassle to send out resumes, shake the trees on a social network or chat-up recruiters.

Typically it’s unhappy employees that seek new opportunities. Apart from these active job seekers, most employed workers are considered “passive” job candidates who may leave if the right opportunity finds them. Frankly, the grass is often greener elsewhere.

To help nudge talented, yet passive job candidates to test the waters, a Silicon Valley startup has identified sponsors willing to pay top candidates up to $500 or more for an interview. NotchUp, as it is known, hopes that this incentive will entice talented workers to forsake job boards and recruiters.

For employers, paying $500 for an interview is a relative bargain compared to the cost of job board ads and recruiters.

The radical part of the business model is the disintermediation (which is to say eliminating) of middlemen in the talent supply chain -job boards and recruiters.

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Archives for Coaching

Ask anyone who has sourced or managed a globally distributed project. Collaborating with a customer, supplier, or co-worker located in another country typically brings more than you bargained for – a multicultural learning experience.

You can muddle through on your own or get help. Specialized trainers can heighten your cultural awareness and teach you about the tendencies and work styles of one culture compared to another. But there’s a catch: Fostering multicultural awareness usually involves perpetuating generalizations.

Let’s face it, cultural stereotypes often have more than grain of truth to them, but they also tend to rub people the wrong way. Is it possible to educate globally-collaborative workers about different cultures without making generalizations?

“People don’t like to be generalized about,” concedes Craig Storti, one of the leading cultural consultants. “And they especially don’t like somebody from another culture doing it. What I say in my book and in my workshops is I’m describing how Indians come across to westerners – it’s not how Indians see themselves.”

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