Today, collection offices across the country have their sights keenly honed on the compliance jungle surrounding us. One step out of our offices and we are consumed by changing regulations, predatory law firms, aggressive attorneys general, and federal regulators like the CFPB. Despite this perpetuation of dangerous grounds upon which to operate a collection office, our industry still has an equally pressing task of finding, sifting through, and ultimately hiring quality staff members. Depending on the location of an office, demographics can alter our individual hiring experiences dramatically.
I have conducted management and supervisory practices training in the industry for over 25 years. Apart from compliance concerns, the leading challenge in most organizations is finding quality staff members who will follow the rules and perform at or above expectations. Staffing, as has been shared at countless training programs, tends to dominate the time of most owners and managers. Not only is the recruiting process troublesome up front but the subsequent “baby sitting” many lament during the life of the staff member in the organization creates more angst for organizations.
Years ago I had an older gentleman in one of these programs. He had owned a collection firm for many years. He commented, “I would really love working in this industry if it wasn’t for all the d*** people I have to deal with.” And he was specifically referring to his staff members! If you have had more than one staffing frustration over the past week you are not alone.
This staffing dynamic exists across all industries and has been the foundation of many strategies, assessments, and recruiting consultations developed by firms dealing in human resource development. Anyone who manages people also understands the heart of a company has nothing to do with chairs, desks, computers and telephones. People create our corporate culture and perpetuate our business success. It’s the old cliché, “You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them.” But, where do we find these essential, and qualified, elements of our organizations?
Many agree the traditional ad in the local “help wanted” section of the local newspaper is not the productive source it used to be. Newspaper advertising is expensive and locally focused. Many have reverted to online postings to provide a larger breadth to staffing campaigns. Some of the most popular sites worth checking out are:
• Monster.com
• ZipRecruiter.com
• SimplyHired.com
• Indeed.com
• Snagajob.com
• Glassdoor.com
• CareerBuilder.com
• AOLJobs.com
• Beyond.com
I would urge our readers to spend some time reviewing each of these hiring resources to determine the best fit for your organization and the specific job you are attempting to fill.
After you feel you have identified candidates who appear to have the background and essential skills on paper, it might be time to utilize some staffing assessment models to help mine some valuable data to assist in making the right decision. Many of us get a “gut feeling” someone is going to be good for the job. Unfortunately we have also all been “punched in the gut” through bad choices related to new hires.
Some popular human resource assessment companies used in our industry are:
• AssessmentCompany.com
• DiscPersonalityTesting.com
• ETC-Easy.com
• OmniaGroup.com
• WindridgeConsulting.com
These are just a few examples of the many choices available. Companies like the Omnia Group and Employment Technologies Corporation (ETC) actually offer assessments for positions within the collection industry including front line collectors. ETC specifically offers a type of “position simulator,” much like a flight simulator for collection professionals. These can be incredibly useful resources for the staff recruiter whether you are a large firm looking to fill a class of new hires or the owner of a small agency looking for one position.
Thoughtful and controlled staff recruiting is paramount in executing a hiring program geared toward onboarding candidates who will eventually become productive members of your company’s team. There is no fail-safe option for securing the best possible human resources. Even though you might think you’re better off orchestrating a strategic eeney, meeney, miney mo routine for your next new hire, try these proven resources.
We encourage our readers to submit a “best practice” idea for inclusion in this column. Until next time, I’m in a collection office near you.
Harry A. Strausser III is the President of Interact Training and Development. He can be reached at