Friday, July 24, 2009
New Article from the Memphis Daily News
Check out our latest press at: http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/ArticleEmail.aspx?id=43817&print=1
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Scared Candidates? You are not alone
I am reflecting on where our surprises came from this past year. Besides the economy completely tanking in October--I really didn't see that coming--we underestimated the severity of how the real estate market affected our ability to move candidates. Looking in to my crystal ball for 2009, I anticipate a double whammy that I suggest recruiters and hiring authorities start addressing now: People's fear on making a move in a down economy coupled with a struggling real estate market.
We have all heard the phrase, "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know". Well, we are already hearing from candidates that they would rather stay in their current role versus making a change with all the uncertainty in the economy. I expect that this sentiment on risk will continue to pervade the hunt for top talent into 2009.
We suggest that you begin from the very first conversation with a candidate to address the issues of stability, growth and commitment to the open role and be ready to explain in detail why the open position is critical to the company's success--and that you as well as any other interviewers continue to stress those points throughout the interviewing process. As you have heard me say before, employment branding is great, but the individual person is still focused on their personal experience and now more than ever, if they get a whiff from anyone through the process that your organization's stability is in question, they will, most likely, decline your offer. While you reevaluate which positions to move forward with this year, take the time and plan your message to them as well.
We have all heard the phrase, "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know". Well, we are already hearing from candidates that they would rather stay in their current role versus making a change with all the uncertainty in the economy. I expect that this sentiment on risk will continue to pervade the hunt for top talent into 2009.
We suggest that you begin from the very first conversation with a candidate to address the issues of stability, growth and commitment to the open role and be ready to explain in detail why the open position is critical to the company's success--and that you as well as any other interviewers continue to stress those points throughout the interviewing process. As you have heard me say before, employment branding is great, but the individual person is still focused on their personal experience and now more than ever, if they get a whiff from anyone through the process that your organization's stability is in question, they will, most likely, decline your offer. While you reevaluate which positions to move forward with this year, take the time and plan your message to them as well.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Interim Solutions for a Rough Job Market
I am a Finance Manager and I know it is going to take me a while to find a new job, but I really can’t afford to have a lengthy job search. What are some ways to speed up the process?
Sometimes the quickest way to a job is a temporary assignment. Right now, many companies have hiring freezes that prevent them from adding headcount; however, that does not mean they do not need specific expertise and projects completed and that is where interim positions can be really helpful because you walk in the door as someone else’s employee and work without adding to the headcount. From your perspective, interim work has a number of reasons to be advantageous:
1. Speed. An interim role rarely has as lengthy an interviewing process as a permanent role and you can be gainfully employed quicker.
2. Professional Development. Working for a company on an interim basis can give you exposure to different processes, industries and cultures that might otherwise take years to gain.
3. Flexibility. You can continue your search for a permanent role while working and as long as you are honest with your employer, you will have plenty of flexibility to interview because you are essentially your own boss.
4. Freedom to try a company before you commit long term. When you work interim, you have the freedom to walk away after your assignment without burning a bridge. You also have the freedom to do your job without getting involved in company politics.
5. Initiative. When you choose to work interim assignments versus being unemployed, you show a perspective employer your initative and drive and your unwillingness to stand still—all traits important in today’s talent market.
6. Networking hands on. Although there are no promises, often interim projects can turn in to full time employment; other times, they can lead to other roles within a sister company or other division as well. Barring that, you end up with more testimonials and references to your expertise as your permanent search continues.
On that note, if you are interested in being considered for interim assignments through RSG, please email your resume to tpope@rsghunt.com
Happy Holidays!
Sometimes the quickest way to a job is a temporary assignment. Right now, many companies have hiring freezes that prevent them from adding headcount; however, that does not mean they do not need specific expertise and projects completed and that is where interim positions can be really helpful because you walk in the door as someone else’s employee and work without adding to the headcount. From your perspective, interim work has a number of reasons to be advantageous:
1. Speed. An interim role rarely has as lengthy an interviewing process as a permanent role and you can be gainfully employed quicker.
2. Professional Development. Working for a company on an interim basis can give you exposure to different processes, industries and cultures that might otherwise take years to gain.
3. Flexibility. You can continue your search for a permanent role while working and as long as you are honest with your employer, you will have plenty of flexibility to interview because you are essentially your own boss.
4. Freedom to try a company before you commit long term. When you work interim, you have the freedom to walk away after your assignment without burning a bridge. You also have the freedom to do your job without getting involved in company politics.
5. Initiative. When you choose to work interim assignments versus being unemployed, you show a perspective employer your initative and drive and your unwillingness to stand still—all traits important in today’s talent market.
6. Networking hands on. Although there are no promises, often interim projects can turn in to full time employment; other times, they can lead to other roles within a sister company or other division as well. Barring that, you end up with more testimonials and references to your expertise as your permanent search continues.
On that note, if you are interested in being considered for interim assignments through RSG, please email your resume to tpope@rsghunt.com
Happy Holidays!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Searching for work in a rough market
I have been laid off due to this latest economic downturn and the news on all fronts is depressing. What approach should I take on my job search right now?
This question has been the topic of the day for the last two weeks as the credit crunch has begun affecting job seekers and their perspective employers. The news from the front can be downright depressing if you stay glued to the news so here is our advice. While the job market takes a breather over the next few weeks, spend this time wisely by doing the following:
Stay focused. News overload is very dangerous right now for your job search because it can take you off center and give you a depressing outlook which can be perceived by any conversations you may have with perspective employers. You can also have your day eaten away with what the Dow or S&P is doing at any given moment.
Don’t go for the buck shot approach on your search—which is another way to stay focused. It does not do any good to apply for every open job you see online-- it will dilute the time you spend on researching jobs that you are actually qualified for as well as dilute the time you have to research the companies that you would really like to work for. Create a business plan for yourself, putting together the best roles and the best employers that appear to have a current or soon to be need for your talents and come up with a marketing strategy to get in front of them.
Network Wisely. By avoiding the buckshot approach to your career, you can focus on working your current network and building relationships with people who are in the industries and/or companies that you see as a potential fit. This does not mean buying email lists and sending a bio to a bunch of strangers in the hope of creating a network. Focus through professional networking associations, friends, family, recruiters, etc…and have a strong personal approach to meeting new people.
Use this downtime to get your “personal house” in order. Normally we are so busy with our jobs and our families to get all of our personal “to do list” completed.
Take some time each day to whittle this list down—whether it is to sit down with your financial advisor, your family attorney, doctor or your child’s teacher, this is a great time to get a head start on personal needs and/or paperwork. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and make you all the more together when you do start a new job.
Recognize the stress of the time and deal with it. Personally, I am suggesting to everyone right now to exercise a lot! It helps and it has the added advantage of making you look better for those upcoming interviews too. And while you are getting your “personal affairs” in order, take some time to do something you have wanted to do that you simply haven’t had time to do—a cooking class, reading a particular book or going to a museum, etc…By keeping your balance and a healthy perspective on life in general you will be in a much better physical and mental space to start a new job in the future and all the stresses and excitement that go with it.
This question has been the topic of the day for the last two weeks as the credit crunch has begun affecting job seekers and their perspective employers. The news from the front can be downright depressing if you stay glued to the news so here is our advice. While the job market takes a breather over the next few weeks, spend this time wisely by doing the following:
Stay focused. News overload is very dangerous right now for your job search because it can take you off center and give you a depressing outlook which can be perceived by any conversations you may have with perspective employers. You can also have your day eaten away with what the Dow or S&P is doing at any given moment.
Don’t go for the buck shot approach on your search—which is another way to stay focused. It does not do any good to apply for every open job you see online-- it will dilute the time you spend on researching jobs that you are actually qualified for as well as dilute the time you have to research the companies that you would really like to work for. Create a business plan for yourself, putting together the best roles and the best employers that appear to have a current or soon to be need for your talents and come up with a marketing strategy to get in front of them.
Network Wisely. By avoiding the buckshot approach to your career, you can focus on working your current network and building relationships with people who are in the industries and/or companies that you see as a potential fit. This does not mean buying email lists and sending a bio to a bunch of strangers in the hope of creating a network. Focus through professional networking associations, friends, family, recruiters, etc…and have a strong personal approach to meeting new people.
Use this downtime to get your “personal house” in order. Normally we are so busy with our jobs and our families to get all of our personal “to do list” completed.
Take some time each day to whittle this list down—whether it is to sit down with your financial advisor, your family attorney, doctor or your child’s teacher, this is a great time to get a head start on personal needs and/or paperwork. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and make you all the more together when you do start a new job.
Recognize the stress of the time and deal with it. Personally, I am suggesting to everyone right now to exercise a lot! It helps and it has the added advantage of making you look better for those upcoming interviews too. And while you are getting your “personal affairs” in order, take some time to do something you have wanted to do that you simply haven’t had time to do—a cooking class, reading a particular book or going to a museum, etc…By keeping your balance and a healthy perspective on life in general you will be in a much better physical and mental space to start a new job in the future and all the stresses and excitement that go with it.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
One of the latest questions asked us:
I was told during a couple of recent interviews that I should go back to school and finish my Bachelors degree. I have been consistently promoted throughout my career so why should I go back now?
Completing your college degree—or starting one-- later in life as a working adult with a family at home can be far down the list of priorities, but here is why you should reconsider, particularly if your career has been on an upward track: Keep it tracking upward! Bachelor’s degrees have become a common item on the employment screening checklist. At some point in your career you are going to want a job that requires a Bachelors degree. It may be for that VP title or it may be when you lose a job and need to go back out to the marketplace, but somewhere along the way you are going to have competition for a role you want and it may come down to: Bob doesn’t have a degree and Jim does.
Being in executive placement, we see this all the time with Masters degrees. If there are two great equal candidates with similar experiences and similar compensation structures, sometimes the only thing that sets one apart is the simple fact they went back to school to get their MBA. Do they have better business acumen because of the MBA? Maybe or maybe not, but the perception is that they do and in the business world perception counts.
By not finishing a degree which you started you raise the question on whether you complete projects or leave them half done. By not beginning your degree, the question is often, “Why not”? Did you not have ambition to grow in your career? Obviously, there are some industries where having a four year degree is not the norm, but with technology becoming so advanced in most facets of life, we don’t see the trend reversing itself. By going back to school or starting school later in life you not only show you can multi-task with the best, but that you are a continuous learner and are invested and proactive in improving your career options and learning new tools and best practices.
We all know that most interviewers decide whether they like you within the first ten seconds of an interview. Having a degree or not having a degree can determine on the first run through your resume whether you will even be considered for an interview. Will having a Bachelors degree get you a job? No. But it can help ensure that you get a chance for the job. And in that interview, you can show all those other important skills like leadership and common sense that you didn’t get in school.
Completing your college degree—or starting one-- later in life as a working adult with a family at home can be far down the list of priorities, but here is why you should reconsider, particularly if your career has been on an upward track: Keep it tracking upward! Bachelor’s degrees have become a common item on the employment screening checklist. At some point in your career you are going to want a job that requires a Bachelors degree. It may be for that VP title or it may be when you lose a job and need to go back out to the marketplace, but somewhere along the way you are going to have competition for a role you want and it may come down to: Bob doesn’t have a degree and Jim does.
Being in executive placement, we see this all the time with Masters degrees. If there are two great equal candidates with similar experiences and similar compensation structures, sometimes the only thing that sets one apart is the simple fact they went back to school to get their MBA. Do they have better business acumen because of the MBA? Maybe or maybe not, but the perception is that they do and in the business world perception counts.
By not finishing a degree which you started you raise the question on whether you complete projects or leave them half done. By not beginning your degree, the question is often, “Why not”? Did you not have ambition to grow in your career? Obviously, there are some industries where having a four year degree is not the norm, but with technology becoming so advanced in most facets of life, we don’t see the trend reversing itself. By going back to school or starting school later in life you not only show you can multi-task with the best, but that you are a continuous learner and are invested and proactive in improving your career options and learning new tools and best practices.
We all know that most interviewers decide whether they like you within the first ten seconds of an interview. Having a degree or not having a degree can determine on the first run through your resume whether you will even be considered for an interview. Will having a Bachelors degree get you a job? No. But it can help ensure that you get a chance for the job. And in that interview, you can show all those other important skills like leadership and common sense that you didn’t get in school.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Quote of the Day
"I don't want yes-men around me. I want everyone to tell the truth, even if it costs them their jobs.
~Samuel Goldwyn
~Samuel Goldwyn
Friday, August 15, 2008
So Sorry, too busy to write
I have had a lot on my mind recently. Much of it has to do with wanting to take a baseball bat and slinging it around a little bit just to shake things up a bit, but I digress and I haven't even gotten started yet. Of course, for readers who live anywhere around Memphis, you know that the weather, prior to a week or so ago, was enough to start a violent streak in any sane person, but that isn't the problem now either.
No. What I have had on my mind has had to do with personal accountability versus collaborative decision making. Matter a fact, it is going to be the theme of my e-newsletter coming out in a couple of weeks. If anybody tells me they have to go ask for permission or have a meeting to decide something, I think I'll scream. What happened to the days when someone in business could make a decision without going to ask a committee or "team" for their "input?"
Nike's slogan, "Just do it" has lasted successfully --since 1988-- because some brilliant person laser focused a HUGE problem and the solution down to those three words. If all companies could just take that attitude, we might have less economic malaise and more UMPH in our workforce right now.
So besides sitting around and pondering life's issues, RSG has been working on an expansion plan that I'll be sharing over the coming weeks and months. I hope everyone has had a terrific summer and email me at whodges@rsghunt.com if there is a Ask The Recruiter question I can attempt to answer
No. What I have had on my mind has had to do with personal accountability versus collaborative decision making. Matter a fact, it is going to be the theme of my e-newsletter coming out in a couple of weeks. If anybody tells me they have to go ask for permission or have a meeting to decide something, I think I'll scream. What happened to the days when someone in business could make a decision without going to ask a committee or "team" for their "input?"
Nike's slogan, "Just do it" has lasted successfully --since 1988-- because some brilliant person laser focused a HUGE problem and the solution down to those three words. If all companies could just take that attitude, we might have less economic malaise and more UMPH in our workforce right now.
So besides sitting around and pondering life's issues, RSG has been working on an expansion plan that I'll be sharing over the coming weeks and months. I hope everyone has had a terrific summer and email me at whodges@rsghunt.com if there is a Ask The Recruiter question I can attempt to answer
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