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'Tis the Season to Start Your Job Search

Most people who know me well know this: I am a fanatical golfer, spending most of my weekends during the warmer months chasing a little white ball (generally through the woods!).

Being a lifelong resident of Connecticut, this time of year is a killer for my favorite pastime. Yet, I don’t let staying indoors keep me completely isolated from my favorite activity. I learned a while back that it makes sense to stay active, work on my short game, do core muscle exercises, etc. This way, when the snow finally melts, I’ll be ready to go- without wasting the first few weeks of the golf season shaking off the “rust”.

The Job Market Is Fierce. That’s Why You Should Hire a Recruiter

The job market is the hottest it’s been in over 20 years…

And the data backs it up: The Bureau of Labor recently reported the national unemployment rate at 4.1%.

What Does That Mean for Employers?

That statistic certainly does not benefit companies who need to grow their teams and/or hang on to talented employees. Many skilled positions are even harder to fill than the national average--especially those in engineering, technology, education, and medical fields.

When competition for talent is fierce, bringing in a knowledgeable and specialized recruiter can be the secret weapon you’ve been needing to win against the competition. A recruiting partner can bring you value by recruiting passive candidates (those who have their heads down, not looking for a new job) and by helping share your story, such as company culture, which is essential when recruiting top professionals. The best recruiting firms also use data and analytics—to pinpoint the best way to find and recruit exactly who you need—and to reproduce those results time and time again, even when talent is hard to find.

Recruiting specialists such as Hobson Associates happen to be pioneers of recruiting data and analytics, giving you:

Change Your Mindset Before You Change Your Job!

During a recent Monday morning meeting, our firm’s owner, Danny Cahill, brought up the idea of mindfulness. He discussed that the practice of mindfulness can help refocus your thoughts and energy on the things you can control, and let go of the things you can’t.

I couldn't help think how much this relates to the candidates I speak with about new job opportunities. One of the top reasons people are open to making a job move is that they are “in need of a change”. What does “change” really mean? Is the answer a new job, or does it go beyond that?...

If you're unsure of the answer, now might be a good time to do some reflecting on where you are, where you want to be, and the areas of your life which you can directly improve, such as: 

How Did Hobson Associates Get Its Name?

Chances are that you’ve seen the Hobson logo on our website, social channels, or the email signatures of our recruiters and researchers.  If you work in our fields of practice, chances are also high that you’ve received voicemails from someone at our firm, or are one of the thousands of people we’ve placed.

So how did our company get its name? WHO IS ‘Hobson’, exactly!? It’s actually a really great American Business story ...

It’s OK to Ask for Help

This morning at 2:14 a.m. our house alarm started going off, and wouldn’t stop. First problem: we DON’T HAVE an operating house alarm! (yet)… After 5 minutes of carelessly pounding any button I could see, I sought backup from our local PD. Within 15 minutes of the officer's arrival, we were dumbfounded--and he suggested we call the alarm company’s customer care line. The first rep was of little assistance, but could a) hear the alarm, and b) verify we didn’t have an account, but offered NO solutions on how to make the now continuous 45 minute alarm to stop. She proceeded to get her supervisor on the phone, and that person, after another 10 minutes of troubleshooting, suggested we disconnect the power. The officer and I went downstairs to the breakers, found the power source and voilà, alarm off!

Three people couldn’t figure out the simple solution of disconnecting the power, but the supervisor, who handled these kinds of escalations, was able to provide a temporary solution that allowed us to retreat back to bed for a couple more hours of shut eye...Today’s lesson, taught to me by my close friends “Bags-Under-the-Eyes” and “Sleep-Number-Decrease”, is that it’s OK to ask for help. 

And, oh my gosh, yes, this applies to my professional life and career as well! 

10 Job Interview Blunders to Avoid at All Costs

What makes a really bad impression at a job interview? Our friends at The Balance have a list of things you should NOT do if you want to move forward in the hiring process.  All of these blunders are easy to avoid- check it out for yourself and make sure none happen to you at your next job interview!

Mission Impossible: Fill this job! (this req, should you choose to accept it, will explode!)

With the holidays fast approaching and year-end around the corner for many of our clients, our office is abuzz with recruiters making calls, sending email blasts-trying to fill as many open roles as possible before the end of the calendar year. Our company spends time, money and resources to give our recruiters the best tools and analytics needed to determine whether a job we’re recruiting on will be filled. When a particular role is starting to get stale- even after countless recruiting calls, job ad / script tweaks, and candidate presentations to our clients -- we have to ask ourselves if a particular role is turning into an “impossible-to-fill” job. Sometimes the issue has NOTHING to do with our recruiting efforts or lack of good talent... it's the role.

Hiring managers, before you start to blame your internal team or your agency recruiters, take a look at some things you can improve:

Listen up Recruiters!

In today’s job market there are more available positions than there are qualified candidates, and this pretty much applies across all industries. In the recruiting world, this means that we're in what we call a “candidate crazy market”. It pretty much means that top performers are being inundated with recruiting calls, LinkedIn messages and emails about new jobs. Some of these jobs are stellar and can be awesome opportunities to move forward in your career, while others plainly suck. Not knowing which is which, and constantly taking or dodging these calls can be pretty annoying for a candidate!

Because of this, recruiters like myself, have to take on a whole new approach to recruiting top talent:

Fresh Mindset

As my firm takes on a new fiscal year, I can’t help thinking of this time as being reminiscent of the start of a new calendar year. You know the feeling… That first-week-of-January-feel, when you have it all figured out how you’re going to improve as a person…You talk about getting in better shape by actually using your gym membership and eating real food that doesn’t come in a cardboard box… You’re going to make a better effort at keeping in touch with friends and family you’ve become distant with, or just flat out earn more money…. All those things are great, and achievable – but what gets you there before all that? A new mindset.

I’m not implying you should become a totally new person, but making minor tweaks to the way you approach your day-to-day life, and sticking with them, can change your personal and professional life. I write this from the point of view of a headhunter, but the following can apply to EVERYONE – including my clients and candidates...

Crashed and Burned

Have you ever been burned by someone? Really burned? The kind of burn that leaves a mark? Have you envied a coworker who continually lands the big deals and sets sales records? Have you ever wished you were #1 in the office?

What do being burned and being #1 have in common? They usually go hand in hand. In fact, being burned and being in sales are usually mutually co-existing concepts. Most everyone who has been in sales for any period of time has been affected by either a dishonest candidate or client. In my opinion, the hardest one to take is being burned by a client.