How to Stay Ahead in Recruiting: Insights from NAPS Leadership, with Trinette Cunningham and Teresa Delibert, Ep #229

The Resilient Recruiter

As the recruitment industry rapidly evolves, it is crucial to stay on top of the trends shaping its future. In this episode, we talk with Trinette Cunningham and Teresa Delibert about shifts in candidate engagement, social media strategies, and the growing importance of wellness in hiring.

Trinette is the President of NAPS, the National Association of Personnel Services. She has held that office for 9 years and has been with NAPS for 23 years.

Teresa is on the board of NAPS, and she’s here to add her perspective as a recruitment business owner with over 20 years of experience in the industry.

I’m keen to get Trinette and Teresa’s perspective on the recruitment industry from her vantage point as the president of the oldest recruiting association in the United States. Working with their membership of thousands of recruiters, want to explore the trends, challenges, and opportunities they’re seeing in the market.

Episode Outline and Highlights

• [01:39] Trinette shared an overview of NAPS.

• [07:23] Teresa’s role within NAPS and how she started in the recruiting industry.

• [14:41] Discussion on the current economic and recruitment climate and how NAPS supports its members.

• [21:01] Enabling diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• [25:26] The size of NAPS membership and the value of their certification process.

• [29:06] Emerging trends of opportunities and challenges in the recruitment industry.

• [42:53] Shifting from a candidate-driven to a client-driven market.

• [45:20] Know about the upcoming NAPS conference.

Emerging Trends - Opportunities and Challenges in the Recruitment Industry

Being with NAPS for 23 years, Trinette’s insight into emerging trends in the recruitment industry is invaluable. As a recruitment leader or business owner, do you want to focus on capturing upcoming opportunities or mitigating future challenges? Below are some takeaways on the emerging trends that Trinette and Teresa shared:

1. AI Integration: AI significantly improves recruitment by automating tasks like job description writing, reducing unconscious bias, and aiding in candidate screening and interviews. AI helps recruiters become more efficient and data-driven, allowing faster decision-making.

2. Automation and Asynchronous Video: Automation is streamlining recruitment processes, particularly through technologies like asynchronous video interviews.

3. Data-Driven Strategies: With immediate access to metrics, recruiters can be more strategic and proactive, leveraging data to enhance decision-making and performance with artificial intelligence.

4. Passive Candidates: Building long-term relationships with passive candidates (those not actively looking for jobs) is becoming increasingly important across various job levels, not just for executive roles.

5. Social Media Shift: Recruitment is moving beyond LinkedIn. Companies use platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and even Snapchat to attract younger candidates, particularly Gen Z, reflecting changing social media habits.

6. Wellness and Mental Health Benefits: Post-COVID, companies are expanding their benefits packages to include mental health and wellness programs, responding to a growing emphasis on holistic employee wellbeing.

Enabling Equity and Inclusion

Trinette and Teresa also shared how they enable equity and inclusion by working with WBC (Women Business Collaborative).

NAPS and Trinette support DEI by fostering collaboration with industry groups focused on addressing gender inequality and promoting women in the recruitment industry. They actively engage in partnerships to provide opportunities for women, including initiatives like pairing women seeking capital with potential investors. NAPS conducts surveys and research across its membership base, sharing valuable insights on workplace diversity and DEI issues within the staffing and recruiting industry. They also work to raise awareness of gender pay disparity and the underrepresentation of women in C-suite roles, while advocating for progressive changes in the industry.

This has been an important topic for me and many of this podcast's guests. Fostering DEI and advocating equity not only brings about more talent and growth options but is also the direction most progressive organizations take.

How NAPS Supports Their Members in a Challenging Business Climate

The National Association of Personnel Services has existed since 1961 and enjoys the reputation as the oldest industry association. I wanted to hear from Trinette and Teresa how NAPS can support its members, especially in some industries where recruiters encounter challenges.

Trinette emphasized the importance of obtaining their certification programs. “So to give specifics on what NAPS can do, we're here to help you navigate that ever-changing landscape. We do offer, like I said, the certification program. That is an in-depth program. And I encourage everybody, everyone who's listening, if you do not have your certification, get it 'cause it will pay in dividends.” Both Trinette and Teresa shared their personal experience in obtaining these certifications and how shocked they were by how much there is to know about the industry.

They also mentioned another benefit of being a NAPS member: keeping them updated through different resources, ATS, and research partners.

In this call, Trinette also shared a conference they will hold next month. She outlined the speakers, topics, and other things attendees can look forward to.

Trinette Cunningham Bio and Contact Info

Trinette is a non-profit & event management professional with more than twenty-five years of combined association development, event operations, and sales experience. In 2005, after a six-year tenure as the Executive Director of the Corporate Event Marketing Association (CEMA), Trinette founded the non-profit and event management consulting company, TR2 Consulting.

Trinette specializes in financial management, membership/attendance growth, social media marketing communications, exhibit/sponsorship sales, and event logistics.

Through her leadership, NAPS has grown our membership, expanded our member benefits, and streamlined management operations.

She is a member of the Pennsylvania chapter of MPI, The American Society of Association Executives, ASAE, and was recently appointed to the Advisory Council of the Women's Business Collaborative Alliance based in Washington D.C.

Her proudest accomplishment though is raising her 21-year-old daughter, Maggie, who starts med school next month!

• Trinette on LinkedIn

• National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS) website link

Teresa Delibert Bio and Contact Info

Since 1998 Teresa has been recruiting in Rochester, New York for businesses of all sizes and industries such as; Insurance, Financial Services, Mortgage Services, Real Estate, Human Resources, Auto Dealers, and Medical. Currently, she partners with small to mid-sized businesses in the Rochester area to add to their bottom line through customized recruiting solutions. Although recruiting is her second career, she has been responsible for hiring and retaining talent for 20+ years. Her first career as a Merchandise Manager for a large corporate retailer taught her how to run a business and prepared her for her career in recruiting and business ownership. She is a native of Rochester, NY, and has strong ties to the community. She has a BS in Business Management from RIT.

• Teresa on LinkedIn

• Delibert Employment website link

• Delibert Employment on Facebook

People and Resources Mentioned

• Recruiter’s Ultimate Guide to Maximize Billings with AI

• Helen McGuire on LinkedIn

• Jon Krohn on LinkedIn

• Danny Cahill on LinkedIn

• Matt Walsh on LinkedIn

Related Podcasts You Might Enjoy

• TRR#153 Meet The Recruiter Who Survived And Thrived Through Four Recessions, with Gail Audibert

• TRR#220 How Purpose-Driven Business Models Help a Female Founder Achieve Acquisition Success, with Helen McGuire

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