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Career Insight

The Secret To A More Productive Workforce

Career Insight, Employee Retention, Employer Insight, Inspiration, Recruitment /

It’s amazing when you think about the correlation between encouragement and labour… I don’t quite understand how this behavioural phenomenon works, but the results are always the same… A person who feels appreciated, will always do more – this is true 100% of the time. My Mother would often say to me as a child that a little encouragement sweetens labour. Wise words from a woman who understood that the real intrinsic motivator lies in appreciating the effort of others… This often came in the form of cooking lunch for a general contractor who was doing work around the house for us in addition to their regular monetary payment. She always went above and beyond, and some how that encouraged the people around her to do the same… Business Leader – try recognizing the contributions of that employee with a lunch or a gift card for Amazon. If a gift card is not your thing, then a verbal acknowledgement has an equally positive impact on behaviour – “I saw the work you did for this project, and you did an excellent job – thank you!” (followed up with an Amazon gift card 😉)… We’ve done a great job of normalizing excellence – let’s get back to openly recognizing the contributions of our employees and loved ones… Leadership does not need to be treated like a mathematical equation…..this will challenge a lot of engineers!

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We Want You In The Office 5 Days A Week, Or Else!

Career Insight, Career Preparation, Employee Retention, Employer Insight, Recruitment /

Talent retention remains a trending topic as we approach a new year. With over 14 years in recruitment, I’ve facilitated career moves at all levels. The common denominator in all of those encounters is a motivator. Motivators in this context are underlying reasons behind a prospects willingness to listen to what I have to offer and ultimately engage in the hiring process. The motivators expressed normally stem from a form of dissatisfaction with their current employer – dissatisfaction can take many forms and varies from person to person. As a Recruiter, understanding a candidate’s motivator is vital to a successful Candidate / Recruiter / Company courtship (yes, in many respects, it is a courtship or voyage to a long-term relationship). Any company can post a job advertisement, screen candidates, and onboard new talent. This process is pretty straightforward. Check out an earlier article I wrote titled, Thanks For Another Great Hire, Troy! So, How Do I Retain This Talent? In it, I tackle the inability of business leaders to cultivate a culture that grooms talent and promotes career path options for their top performers. Most say they have such a career path program in place, but it is seldom monitored and fine-tuned to keep up with market trends and the ever-changing needs of their people. While the motivator is important to my business, it is also a pain point for me as a professional who understands that people are an organizations greatest assets. I’ve seen my fair share of top performers and quality human beings leave companies for reasons that could have been remediated or altogether avoided if leaders cared enough about their people. If a better job was being done in this area, admittedly, I would need to find another day job. Thankfully for me, there will always be a disgruntled employee who wants nothing more than to change companies. Talent retention is just as important to me as talent extraction. My success as a Recruiter is measured against 2 metrics – fill rate and employment past a year. I had a conversation this afternoon with an exceptional candidate who I placed a few years ago who he told me that his employment with the company ended recently because of an internal struggle over them wanting him to be in the office 5 days a week, a condition that was not a requirement when he was originally hired. At the heart of this story and what is most disheartening is an organization’s callous parting with a good technical and character employee for something that could have remained a point of ongoing communication & negotiation. When it comes to working from home requests, I believe in a balance when it makes sense for the parties involved, especially when the performance of that employee warrants it. The point to leaders is for them to remain communicative with their people encouraging open dialogue about their career goals, and making sure that they are aligned with the resources, tools, and training to get to where they need and deserve to be. It is also important not to make all of your policies one-size fits all as it relates to retention. If you decide not to put your employees first, then I can assure you that your competitors will. Related Article – The Great Departure – A Recruiter’s Guide To Retaining Your Best Talent

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The Key To Selling Anything

Career Insight, Inspiration, Recruitment /

The mark of a good product or service is its ability to give you your time back. Time is our greatest asset in this life, yet it’s the most wasted and taken for granted. Retail sales representatives fail miserably when they follow a new customer around the store telling them repeatedly about items that are on sale. Rather than presuming what a customer is willing to spend, why not ask what type of experience they are looking for? If you sell the experience, then it doesn’t matter what a product or service cost. Sell the peace of mind and the benefit to their lives that a product or service can offer, and they’ll pay any amount for it. Focusing on the experience will buy your time back (and save you money in the long-run). I rule a candidate out immediately when their first question to me is, “how much does the position pay?” Your focus should be on the experience. Tell me about the opportunity and how it can benefit my career and my family. Everything else is low hanging fruit.

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4 Sales Tips From My Wife

Career Insight, Inspiration, Recruitment /

My Wife is the greatest salesperson I’ve ever met! …formally, she has never worked a day in sales, but she has all of the traits of an effective salesperson. We met at Church… She approached me after one of our services. Her opening line – “I heard you work in HR……………I could use help with my resume.” I agreed to help, but I sat on it for 3 weeks… I finally made the time to call her. Turns out she was actually happy with her resume and didn’t need help… She wanted to get to know me and the cry for resume help was her way of breaking the ice… …7 years of blissful marriage and 2 kids later…her method to gain my attention worked (deal closed). Lessons for all sales professionals (…and everyone else): 1️⃣ My Wife was fearless. She didn’t let the potential of a “no” hinder her. She knew what she wanted and pursued it 2️⃣ She sold without selling – “I’ll share my resume with you, and we can talk about it” (it contained her email and direct number)… 3️⃣ She did her research beforehand (“I heard you work in HR”) and she used something that was familiar to me (i.e., resume talk), which lowered my guard and made me receptive to more conversations with her…(I was also new to the Church) 4️⃣ She waited patiently for 3 weeks. Sometimes you have to let the deal unfold without being too pushy… The fact that I was oblivious to her true motive is secondary (most men are). It was her approach that taught me a great life and professional lesson Kudos to a good Wife, and the greatest salesperson this world has ever seen.

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All She Wanted Was A Call Back (A Note To Recruiters – Part 2)

Career Insight, Career Preparation, Recruitment /

Your time away from your field or profession does not diminish your value… I’ve learned a great deal about people (and myself) over the past few years. More recently, I’ve seen my Wife selflessly sacrifice her career and what she enjoys doing to raise our Kids… Her desire to get back into the workforce has been an eye-opening and humbling experience for me to witness. I’ve seen her receive offers from those in my profession and companies that don’t come near her worth and what she can contribute to an organization. Kudos to her for not settling… A lesson to all of us…(especially recruiters and hiring officials within organizations)… Taking a career break for personal development, to prioritize your family, or for the sake of your well-being shouldn’t be penalized nor exploited… I am sorry for my years of poor judgment.

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A Recruiter is Calling…

Career Insight, Career Preparation, Inspiration /

A Recruiter is calling… Why not take that call? If you’re good for now, I get it. Who wants to waste their time speaking to a Recruiter when there’s no need to. “I only speak to a Recruiter when it’s in my best interest to do so…” …but why not take that call? “I’m doing well in my career…I work with a great team in a great environment. I’m progressing with my company and will be next in line for a lucrative promotion that will break me into a higher income bracket!” …but why not take that call? “I’ve never had an issue with finding meaningful employment. I’m highly sought after within my industry, and I’ll always be a high performer wherever I land…” …but why not take that call? “Recruiters are all the same – they take more than they give and never follow up with you after that initial call. I don’t need a Recruiter to find a job!” …but why not take that call? Better yet, why not meet for that coffee or lunch at the Recruiter’s request…It may seem unproductive to you given your present situation, but there are a lot of people who thought they were secure and insulated from the realities of the marketplace, only to find themselves now in need of a job… Now you’re willing to take that call?? I tried reaching you several times over the past year! …why didn’t you just have that conversation.

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“I Respectfully Declined The Search Assignment”

Career Insight, Recruitment /

Hiring Authorities have a responsibility to qualify their recruitment partners. The model has been fractured for years and it will only improve if both sides are willing to take an honest look at how they’ve been handling the relationship. There is a lack of trust (and with good reason) when it comes to the recruitment profession and hiring managers have failed to leverage the skills and network of a good recruitment partner. The only way to change this paradigm is by having conversations. You shouldn’t complain about the crookedness of recruiters when you’ve engaged in transactional behaviour that fosters similar actions from that recruiter. A good recruiter can be an extension of your company if they are leveraged properly. I had a conversation this week with a hiring manager who is looking to fill a vacancy for an employee who is leaving to pursue higher education. I was told that they already had 3-4 agencies on the search, but they were willing to let me run with it to see what I could come up with. I respectfully declined the search assignment. Too many recruiters work from a place of desperation and take anything that a hiring manager flings at them. They engage in these scavenger hunts against their better judgement and realize very quickly in the process that they’ve wasted their time with a search that had a low barrier to entry, and an even lower barrier to exit. The misconception is that the more eyes (i.e., recruitment agencies) you have on a given search, the greater the chances of finding that ideal candidate. This is absurdly incorrect!! This is precisely why ghosting is a thing. Our brand has been designed to change the narrative around the recruitment profession and to inject some much-needed credibility back into this industry. The secret sauce is really not a secret – return phone calls and emails and do what you said you would do! I don’t get the disconnect, but I’m working to repair the breach, one phone call at a time.

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Counteroffers – Part 3 (Candidate Story)

Career Insight, Career Preparation /

February 1st, 2022 – The following counteroffer took place… …I was moments away from finalizing a major deal for a new Chief Financial Officer for a manufacturing customer of mine… After presenting the offer to my candidate, the following conversation took place… Candidate: Don’t worry, Troy. The only way I don’t take this offer is if they throw “stupid money” at me (Stupid Money = an exorbitant amount of money that you’d be stupid to walk away from). Me: Okay, let me know how it goes (an hour or so later) Candidate: So, I just had that conversation with the owner of the company and they offered me stupid money…………I think I’m going to stay where I’m at. I’m sorry, Troy. May 10th, 2024 – This is precisely why you should never accept a counteroffer from your current employer! It’s been over 2 years since this candidate took the counteroffer from his company. I decided to call him today… It’s not good news! Shortly after accepting the counter, he was approached by senior management and told that they were hiring another CFO and that his role would become redundant. He was given time to find another position while they transitioned this new CFO into the company. He was paid during that time, but not given a severance. “…I should’ve listened to you, Troy…” For those wondering whether I said, “I told you so!” I held my peace. This was not an “I told you so” moment – it never is… It was a lighthearted conversation, and it was great to catch up with him… I could tell that it was a learning experience for him, and reaffirmed to me that counteroffers may seem attractive in the moment, but you’ll face the consequences of your decision at some point… The candidate remains a top prospect in my mind, and I hope to work with him again!

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Career Move Regret – How To Avoid It

Career Insight, Career Preparation, Job Interviewing Tips /

Most candidates don’t know how to properly qualify a position that they are interested in. The most generic questions that candidates ask hiring managers when interviewing for a new position are: 1. What is the salary range for this position? 2. Can I work from home? 3. What are the primary tasks related to this position? All important questions, but in order to really get to the core of the position in question, you’ll need to be more thoughtful and strategic with your line of questioning. The heart of this issue is that most people have not been trained to ask good questions. They make decisions based on superficial questions & superficial answers that sound reasonable to them, not realizing that there is so much more to a career opportunity than the 3 questions mentioned above. I’ve outlined some thought-provoking questions that will help you make better career decisions: 1. Why is this position available? (Asking “why” is one of the most important questions you can ask in life). Don’t take anything at face value. Question the legitimacy of the position that you are applying for. 2. If you don’t fill this position, how will that impact your business 6 months to 1-year from now? If an employer cannot provide a credible business case for this position, then I would question the significance of the role and whether the position has support from the leadership team within the company. 3. What are some of the investments you’ve made in the growth plans you’ve outlined? “You say you want to be a market leader in the development of……, but what are some of the steps you have taken towards accomplishing this objective? What is your timeline for delivering this product/software to market? What happens if you don’t meet this deadline?” 4. How will your personal role be improved/impacted by filling this position? Again, dissect the relevance of this position to your immediate manager/team and to the organization. 5. Since I have to relocate for this position, how will the company support my relocation plans? Don’t always attach a $ sign to this. Is the company expecting you to figure out the move on your own or are they willing and able to provide ongoing personal support to you where necessary. I’ve seen many positions that have involved relocation fall by the wayside. Again, these are basic questions in theory that any reasonably minded hiring manager should have the answers for. If they don’t, question that, “Why don’t you have an answer to this question?” There is more to a career than money or whether you can work remotely. As a Recruiter, I can tell a lot about the quality of a candidate simply from the questions they ask me. I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve had with people who have told me that things didn’t work out the way it was advertised to them, or there was a significant change in the structure of the position that caused their layoff or forced them to resign. Things happen, but there’s a lot you can uncover by simply asking better questions. If you’d like to set up a personal coaching session on this, please reach out to me directly.

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Good Habits – A Memoir To Future Recruitment Professionals

Career Insight, Inspiration, Recruitment /

Budding RECRUITERS – Congratulations on choosing recruitment as your career path. You are in for a rollercoaster ride like you’ve never experienced before. It’s a demanding career but has no ceiling to financial gains. It will test you in ways you’ve never been tested before, but you will learn something new everyday. Your backbone & character will benefit from the losses, and you will remain humble during the wins. Your days will be long, but you will sleep well at night knowing that you did things the right way. My advice to anyone who is thinking about a long-term career path in recruitment: 1️⃣ Sit under a veteran in the industry who has tried & tested experience, who will teach you proper habits and help develop your character.2️⃣ Learn from your failures, but don’t cling to them. Celebrate wins and move on quickly.3️⃣ Don’t be in a rush to start your own recruitment agency. The barrier to entry is low in recruitment, but the turnover is endless.4️⃣ Devote as much time as you can to this profession. Take calls after regular hours and on weekends, and keep developing your skills.5️⃣ Return phone calls from candidates you can’t place.6️⃣ Meet with as many people as possible.7️⃣ Find a niche and build your knowledge in that area.8️⃣ Treat people with respect and they will bless you. The financial gains will come if you do everything I’ve listed. All the best to you as you grow in your career!

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