Not too long ago I was a starving college student and intern, and today I work as a Business Development professional at one of the country’s top search firms--working to align our company’s value to the needs of companies who are looking for critical talent. How did I get there? Well, let’s just say it’s been one hell of a journey and I’m only getting started. Here are five lessons I’ve learned along the way...
Ready or not, 2017 is coming to an end (wasn’t it JUST summer?!)…This is usually the time of year for reflection and planning. Did you set good goals this past year, personal and/or professional? Did you reach them?
I don’t necessarily believe that New Year resolutions are all that effective. While I do believe that the effort to adopt resolution shows positive intent, a better alternative is to develop new goals for the future. Here are some ways you can get started:
I often get the impression that the outside world doesn’t really “get” what a recruiter does in their day-to-day life. Sure, hiring managers and candidates get tons of calls from us, you hear us pitching jobs or candidates for jobs, but that’s about all the exposure you get into what we do. So, I decided to dedicate this blog installment to giving you a glimpse into how my process works when trying to fill a job, and how it’s beneficial to my clients and candidates...
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 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%.
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:
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:
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 ...
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!
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!
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: