I’ve always beleived that recruiters have a firmer grasp of the state of the economy than say, oh, outplacement counselors. Having spent time in the industry – acquiring some pretty nice kudos from some and Grim Reaper cards from others – I could never understand why layoff reports function as economic harbingers. Of course, I know why folks like listening to those involved in outplacement counseling (OPC); when OPC is “down”, many like to believe that the economy is good. Conversely, when OPC is “up”, many incorrectly believe that the economy is “down.”
Yeesh! I think its time to replace the Grim Reaper reports with indicators from those on the front line…recruiters. Dave Opton of Execunet puts out his Recruiter Confidence Index – I’d like to see Dave and the ERE Gang combine forces to put out a series of recruiter confidence indicators that measure things a bit more objectively. Nonetheless, recruiters on the frontline are voices that should be heard as economic indicators.
And considering all the plastic gift cards I received for the Holidays, these too should be viewed as part of a viable metric. I’m sure retailers already track Dollars per Gift Card as a Holiday-to-Holiday span metric. But what if recruiters got hold of these gift cards and used them as recruiting billboards? Hey Deena Clarke and Kristin Ruckman – how about finding those store managers by advertising for them on the back of your Coldwater Creek and Eddie Bauer gift cards? Same thing for those Starbucks cards (although I much prefer just refering candidates and receiving free lattes in return – “Refer five viable candidates for baristas and receive your choice of beverage!”)…
Well, I’m off with gift cards in hand to fuel the economic machine. Any of you retailers looking for talent? I just may know a person or two…if I knew what you were looking for.
