I find it fascinating that candidates still hang up on recruiters. It happens rarely but the fact remains it happens. Those candidates don’t want to listen to us speak, or give us any information about what they do, and why is that? Candidates don’t listen to us unless they need us and that shouldn’t be the case. Everyone has a lawyer for hard times, everyone has a doctor when their sick and everyone has an accountant for tax season. Isn’t it just logical that candidates would have a recruiter for career advice and advancement? You only need a lawyer when you’re in court, a doctor when you’re sick or an accountant on April 15^th. Yet most candidates Monday-Friday 40+ hours a week are working a constant career. They must keep in contact with a recruiter they trust.

Most good recruiters can find out enough pertinent information about a candidate’s career background in just 15 minutes on the phone. That 15 minute call allows us to better understand the type of opportunity that candidate needs and wants as a next step. It’s the difference between calling them when that “right fit” opportunity comes and not calling them.

The point is listen, actively listen. Talk to a recruiter, ask for advice, and get honest opinions. If we don’t think you’re right for a job we will tell you why. If we think your perfect for a job, we’ll tell you why. We will give you unbiased career advice as your career advisor. So call a recruiter and open up to them. Your future career path may depend on it.

Strategic onboarding improves executive retention

In too many companies new managers experience a less-than-rewarding introduction to the job. Strategic onboarding programs are either non-existent or executed poorly.

Onboarding is a formal process for integrating new hires into their roles with the organization. The best programs include a high level of personal interaction and are customized to meet the needs of the individual and the position. “Taking this approach can increase the effectiveness of the new manager and help companies get a better return on their recruiting investment,” said answerQuest CEO Paul Silitsky.

“A good onboarding program is not to be confused with the new employee orientation approach that most of us have suffered through during the course of our careers,” he said. “It is based on clear and measurable goals that are communicated to everyone involved in the process and it involves much more than providing a work space, a computer password and office supplies.” Although he notes, these practical necessities shouldn’t be overlooked either.

The goals of the onboarding program, according to Silitsky, should be to:

• Support the company brand as a good place to work.
• Reduce the time it takes new employees to become productive.
• Determine how best to manage individual new hires.
• Keep new employees from changing their minds.

“The onboarding process should begin during the recruitment process and extend beyond the first few days the employee is on the job,” says Silitsky. “It should be treated as a partnership that includes the new hire, an HR professional and a manager who is either senior to or on the same reporting level as the new hire.”

Silitsky has found the elements that characterize an effective onboarding strategy include:

• Clear vision of the position.
• Defined deliverables.
• Participation of key constituents.
• Involvement in a peer group.

Most importantly, doing a good job of onboarding means that management keeps in touch with new hires as they integrate into the organization, says Silitsky. “The process should make it easy for them to ask questions and express their concerns. Otherwise these things may first come out during an exit interview six months into the job.”

By Lauren Cohen, Executive Recruiter Technology Sales

Today’s economic conditions have provided frustration for many sales professionals in the job market. While some view this economy as a “half-empty glass,” you can be assured there is plenty of opportunity for the “glass half-filled candidates” in this market. Now is a great time to find a new sales position!

The core values and traits quality sales professionals embody are of great value in today’s economy. Sales professionals are coached to be persistent, to have a strong work ethic, and to close clients on why their product would be the best. With the job market recovering, sales professionals can call upon their expertise and passion to further their own careers. When trying to land a job the persistent candidate thrives. Strong work ethic can easily be documented from past sales positions.  And the ability to close is another very useful skill when making the case that you are the right person for the position.  Sales people have all the essential expertise that hiring officials look for when finding a prime candidate in this job market.

The hiring process in today’s market is a lot like closing a deal for a sales person. Listen, instead of doing most of the talking. It shows you want to know the customer/ hiring official’s needs.  Close the hiring official, much like you would close a sales deal It shows you have the ability to close and be successful at it. And most importantly, have fun doing it! As a sales person, you have the ability to control your own destiny.

As the saying goes, “Pressure either bursts pipes or makes diamonds,” and in the sales professional’s interview process, it is a prime time to make diamonds and go out there and shine.

Direct from the answerQuest team: Why can a recruiter do a better job at gauging the viability of a candidate than my Director of HR?

Jeff Feibelman: Because a candidate has one goal in mind –that’s to interview with that company the HR director is working for… so they will say what needs to be said to get in the door only to find out they aren’t right.. With a recruiter, we gauge the candidate on all levels for any potential job thus learning who they are as a person… not just their qualifications for a specific role.

Martin Schwartz: Because ALL we do is recruit, we don’t have other jobs, tasks, etc. – we eat at night if we make a placement or we don’t!

Chris Levin: It’s simply this, HR has many other things on their plate other than just recruiting. Recruiters dedicate their time learning how to gauge the viability of a candidate…and then they go into practice of gauging the viability of candidates, on the phone, for 7 hours a day.

It boils down to time, and recruiters have dedicated more time to knowing the ins and outs of candidates.

Meredith Michaelson: A recruiter’s sole function is to search out top talent and identify and qualify candidates before presenting them to the hiring company. In addition a recruiter is totally objective and can really focus on the skills the candidate possess and focus on how they can be an asset to the organization.  Recruiters spend time going after candidates that are CURRENTLY employed and successful and do not wait for resumes to come to them.

Whereas an HR Director has multiple functions within the organization and does not have time to sift through the resumes that come in and also spend time qualifying them before passing them on to the hiring manager.  They are not able to go after the “A” players who are still employed and try to recruit them out.

Can you do your job on a part-time basis and give it the focus you do now? Contact a member of our experienced answerQuest team to discuss your recruiting needs.

by Tafari Alexander, Director Certified Career Coach
Healthcare Software Sales
Interactive Marketing Sales

The economy is picking up.  Every survey says CEO’s will be hiring. The market is making more jobs than a year ago. But are you better off than you were a year ago? Many articles are written daily from the point of view of what the masses need to do to be more employable, but very few are focused on what bosses need to do to have people want to work for them.

The best managers have a fundamentally different understanding of workplace, company, and team dynamics. See what they get right.

1. Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield.

Average bosses see business as a conflict between companies, departments and groups. They build huge armies of “troops” to order about, demonize competitors as “enemies,” and treat customers as “territory” to be conquered.

Extraordinary bosses see business as a symbiosis where the most diverse firm is most likely to survive and thrive. They naturally create teams that adapt easily to new markets and can quickly form partnerships with other companies, customers … and even competitors.

2. A company is a community, not a machine.

Average bosses consider their company to be a machine with employees as cogs. They create rigid structures with rigid rules and then try to maintain control by “pulling levers” and “steering the ship.”

Extraordinary bosses see their company as a collection of individual hopes and dreams, all connected to a higher purpose. They inspire employees to dedicate themselves to the success of their peers and therefore to the community–and company–at large.

3. Management is service, not control.

Average bosses want employees to do exactly what they’re told. They’re hyper-aware of anything that smacks of insubordination and create environments where individual initiative is squelched by the “wait and see what the boss says” mentality.

Extraordinary bosses set a general direction and then commit themselves to obtaining the resources that their employees need to get the job done. They push decision making downward, allowing teams form their own rules and intervening only in emergencies.

4. My employees are my peers, not my children.

Average bosses see employees as inferior, immature beings who simply can’t be trusted if not overseen by a patriarchal management. Employees take their cues from this attitude, expend energy on looking busy and covering their behinds.

Extraordinary bosses treat every employee as if he or she were the most important person in the firm. Excellence is expected everywhere, from the loading dock to the boardroom. As a result, employees at all levels take charge of their own destinies.

5. Motivation comes from vision, not from fear.

Average bosses see fear–of getting fired, of ridicule, of loss of privilege–as a crucial way to motivate people. As a result, employees and managers alike become paralyzed and unable to make risky decisions.

Extraordinary bosses inspire people to see a better future and how they’ll be a part of it. As a result, employees work harder because they believe in the organization’s goals, truly enjoy what they’re doing and (of course) know they’ll share in the rewards.

6. Change equals growth, not pain.

Average bosses see change as both complicated and threatening, something to be endured only when a firm is in desperate shape. They subconsciously torpedo change … until it’s too late.

Extraordinary bosses see change as an inevitable part of life. While they don’t value change for its own sake, they know that success is only possible if employees and organization embrace new ideas and new ways of doing business.

7. Technology offers empowerment, not automation.

Average bosses adhere to the old IT-centric view that technology is primarily a way to strengthen management control and increase predictability. They install centralized computer systems that dehumanize and antagonize employees.

Extraordinary bosses see technology as a way to free human beings to be creative and to build better relationships. They adapt their back-office systems to the tools, like smartphones and tablets that people actually want to use.

8. Work should be fun, not mere toil.

Average bosses buy into the notion that work is, at best, a necessary evil. They fully expect employees to resent having to work, and therefore tend to subconsciously define themselves as oppressors and their employees as victims. Everyone then behaves accordingly.

Extraordinary bosses see work as something that should be inherently enjoyable–and believe therefore that the most important job of manager is, as far as possible, to put people in jobs that can and will make them truly happy.

As competition increase, the importance of hiring right for your team becomes increasingly important—hiring the best possible players is the key. Make sure you are an extraordinary boss!

Much of this post contributed by:   Geoffrey James

http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/8-core-beliefs-of-extraordinary-bosses.html

The purpose of a resume is to market a candidate by presenting their skills and achievements in the best possible light. But in difficult or static job markets there is more temptation than ever to bend the truth a little to get the job. This can leave the company with employees who can’t do the job they were hired for or worse, one whose mistakes cost money and undermine hard won customer relationships.

Identifying “red flags” will help you ensure that you can identify candidates with a depth of experience and expertise. Here are a few pointers:

• Before sorting through your pile of resumes, have a checklist of essential skills, qualifications or attributes that are the “benchmark” for finding the right person. These include education, general and specific job experience, as well as skill and performance requirements.
• Look for unexplained time periods that might indicate unemployment or a job the applicant doesn’t want you to know about. Date-stretching to cover gaps is not uncommon. Check references to detect this.
• Though employee mobility has increased, as a general rule more time in once place shows loyalty. You don’t want to be hiring again in six months. However, even the best employees can sometimes have a short period in a specific role due to unforeseen, personal or uncontrollable circumstances.
• Watch out for resume filled with vague responsibilities and claims. Enhancing job titles is common practice. Check for inconsistencies between title, responsibilities and salary. Look for very specific details of achievements and outcomes.
• At the same time, don’t be “dazzled” by an achievement-based style of resume. Go behind it to consider actual roles and responsibilities. Flag achievements and require the candidate to elaborate in the interview.
• Salary is a common area for embellishment. This can be hard to detect, especially when you can’t check with a present employer. Ask for evidence such as a contract, pay slip or bank statements. If you are suspicious, aim to uncover half truths in interviews by asking probing questions.
• Check references. Always! Flag specific items to check with referees.
• In today’s market place employees can be highly mobile — both domestically and internationally. The internet has made it even more tempting to lie on a resume. There is no substitute for thorough checks on every critical aspect of a resume.

by Noel Glacer, Senior Vice President, Security

Don’t take interviewing lightly.  After all it’s not your full time job.

If you are committed to the interview and the potential of the meeting, then be sure to take some time to prepare. It does not take a long time to prepare, but it can take you a long way.  There are several interviewing tips located at http://www.answerquest.net/refresh/templates/candidate_resources.php?id=51

Take the time to take a look and use the resource.  Listed are tips about types of interview styles, do’s and don’ts, and ways to impress a potential new employer.

Some of the biggest “misses” I hear about from clients is that a candidate did not do their homework on their company.  Today, with LinkedIn and other on-line resources, it’s easy to find plenty of information on any interviewer out there as well as the company and other folks at the company.  It’s easy to get enough information to sound informed, interested and knowledgeable on the company.

My favorite piece of information from the AQ website is http://www.answerquest.net/refresh/templates/candidate_resources.php?id=51

It’s a simple list of 30 common sense things to review before going on an interview.  I advise all my candidates to review the list not once but twice, there is always something on the list that will have any candidate think “glad I reviewed that.”

Somebody once said, “Nothing is more uncommon than common sense.” Accordingly, here are 30 things to review prior to the interview that common sense should dictate:

1. Leave for the interview with plenty of time to spare for the unexpected: traffic jam, car trouble, etc.
2. Never go to an interview with a full bladder.
3. Never chew gum, and obviously not tobacco.
4. Don’t allow the job title to influence your decision.
5. Wear conservative business attire. If the venue is very casual, overdress slightly. (Men: wear a sport jacket and tie. Women: wear tailored separates.)
6. Never consider moving anywhere your family has no desire to live.
7. Never ask to use the hiring authority’s phone.
8. Don’t look at your watch.
9. Remove your sunglasses.
10. Maintain eye contact, but don’t stare.
11. Listen intently, so you don’t have to keep repeating, “I’m sorry, but could you say that again?”
12. Don’t ask about perks.
13. Ask for the spelling of the interviewer’s name and write it down.
14. Don’t mention a salary range in your resume or during an interview.
15. Don’t tailor your personality in an attempt to charm your interviewer.
16. Remain silent about your personal problems.
17. Go to the interview unaccompanied.
18. Don’t park at a meter or in a tow zone.
19. Don’t drop names.
20. Schedule nothing around your interview that will create a time crunch.
21. Turn off your cell phone.
22. Keep your eyes off the interviewer’s desk.
23. Don’t handle anything, especially personal belongings.
24. Get a haircut and shave if you need one.
25. Avoid strong fragrances.
26. Never be sarcastic.
27. If required to drive others, perhaps to lunch, obey the law, exercise caution, and stay calm.
28. Never criticize anyone, especially an employer.
29. If asked to complete a form or application, fill in every space. Never write, “See resume.”
30. Don’t linger. A long farewell is annoying.

Follow these common sense suggestions and go land that new opportunity!

by Paul Silitsky,  CEO

One of our clients, Peer 1 Hosting for whom I have tremendous respect, has a Leadership Vision:

At PEER 1, leadership is an essence that exists in everyone, and our commitment is in creating an environment where each and every person can realize and express this potential.

PEER 1 leaders inspire and support people to do and be their best. Our people’s success is our highest priority. As leaders, it is both a privilege and responsibility to create an environment where every person thrives.

Through our actions, we are vigilant in upholding the values that define what we stand for. We are fiercely committed to protecting our culture. PEER 1 leaders are caring while driven, bold while humble, and courageous while curious. We are restless in our pursuit of growth—learning is fundamental to how we operate.

Leadership is a reflection of who we are—much more than a set of skills or a specific role. It is an innate quality, commitment, and desire to have a positive impact on people.

Isn’t that what really matters? Quality, commitment and having a positive impact on people—

We are currently working on several positions with Peer 1 and foster a similar message in answerQuest’s “Rules of Engagement”

creating quality placements, not just filling a role but have longevity for our clients. What is your company’s message?

by Josh Vaughan

One of the most common phrases across all job postings:  Do you really qualify?

“Must be a team player.”  More likely than not, the topic of working well with others will come up at some point during the interview process.  Maybe in the job posting itself. Maybe in a critical late stage interview.  No matter where it occurs, your ability to work well with others could very well play a major part in the decision-making process of a hiring official.  That said, it is best for any prospective candidate to have a well thought out answer ahead of time.

Evaluate yourself on the following characteristics, some of the most common traits generally possessed by a team player.  Do you have these qualities?

Do you have top quality communication skills?

Are you a good listener?

Are you non-judgmental and professional?

Are you accepting of others opinions/views?

Do you have a positive attitude?

Can you empathize with others?

Are you willing to offer/accept feedback in a professional manner?

Are you willing to work with the entire team to accomplish a common goal?

Are you Encouraging and not quick to ridicule/critique?

Are you willing to share/accept the knowledge or expertise of others?

Are you likeable?

Are YOU a Team Player?

The next time you are asked whether you are a team player, do not answer with a perfunctory, “Yes.”  Enumerate several of the above traits and discuss not only how you personified them in the past, but how you will continue to exude characteristics of a team player with the prospective employer.

But what if you do not consider yourself a team player?  Though most people do in fact consider themselves team players, there are those that work better in a solo environment.  Though it may be perceived as one, the desire to work alone is not always a death sentence.  Even if a potential employer is looking for a “team player,” it is best to be truthful from the beginning.  Approach this topic in the most positive and respectful way possible.  Explain that you are capable of working in a team environment, that you have succeeded in that environment in the past, and that you are willing to do so going forward. Discuss how you tend to see better results when working alone.  Point out the positives of working alone, such as an ability to easily track your progress, to work at your own pace, and to limit inter-personal clashes that could limit productivity.  But most of all, express a willingness to adapt and to learn in any office environment.

In the never ending push to better the bottom line, managers are often faced with difficult decisions concerning under performing employees. Many managers often look at precedents set by top performing companies to determine the best way to handle these types of situations. When searching for a proper business philosophy to model, look no further than the ideas set forth by former CEO of General Electric Jack Welch.

In 1981, Jack Welch became CEO of GE and immediately began implementing his philosophy and changing the face of the company. His revolutionary ideas allowed GE to thrive and earned Welch the honor of being named “Manager of the Century” by Fortune Magazine in 1999. In his book Straight from the Gut he describes exactly where he came from and how he got to where he is now.

One of the issues discussed in this book is the dilemma of dealing with under performing employees. Welch’s idea was to annually purge the company of the bottom 10% of the staff. This notion, however imposing as it may be, is an assured way of not only evaluating the company but also motivating the employees to perform better. It works so well because it forces employees to work harder in fear that they will lose their jobs. This fear can be incredibly motivating and in turn can increase the productivity of the company as a whole. However, eliminating the bottom 10% of the staff was not the only aspect of his plan. The other piece to the puzzle was allocating bonuses and stock options to the top 20% of the staff. Having both ends of the spectrum accounted for gives the employees two reasons to work harder.

The next question asked is “what is the best way to implement this system?” The answer to that question is simply to create a ranking system for the company. What this means is that on a yearly basis, the company will organize all the employees into groups congruent with level of productivity. Welch’s system created three groups: the top 20, the vital 70 and the bottom 10. At the end of the year, the three groups would be established and the bottom 10% purged from the company. Meanwhile, the groups at the top of the company will receive bonuses for their hard work. By creating these groups employees know exactly where they are positioned in the company and how well they are performing compared to their coworkers. When this system is implemented into a company, every single employee is obligated to demonstrate they not only want to work but also deserve to work with the company.

Some critics say that the system is cruel and companies should not engage in this approach. However, Welch’s ideas present the argument that it is cruel to keep the bottom 10% around and hold down the company. By only keeping the employees who are driven to perform well, the company itself will operate at a much higher level. The system is deliberate, straight forward, easy for anyone to understand and provides constant feedback to all employees. No employee is ever left in the dark; he or she always knows what level they are operating at and if they are in danger of being a part of the bottom 10. Possibly the critical point of this ideology is that it communicates to the remaining employees at the end of every year that they are doing a good job and should continue to do so in the subsequent year.

Another argument against the critics is that the bottom 10% who lose their jobs will actually benefit as well. Employees know that the reason why they no longer have a job is because of a lack of performance. Everyone in the bottom 10% now understands that they need to perform at a higher level in their next job. This lesson, however hard it may be to learn, is beneficial and will help those employees in the future. Also, many times both the employee and the employer don’t mesh and suffer. Therefore, a yearly purge of any employees that are not the right fit will result in a win–win situation in the long run.

Jack Welch has proven that his theories work and the results can be seen in the massive growth of GE over his tenure. An integral part of that growth was his method of eliminating the bottom 10%. Success comes from the ability to motivate employees to produce to their highest level. Welch’s advice proposes an immediate change that will certainly increase the performance level of any organization.

This article is courtesy of Careerbuilder.com

by Dan Levine

A classic line from the 1992 cult drama classic,

Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross

brilliantly delivered by Alec Baldwin’s character, a “motivational” sales leader.

Now Prove It.

I see hundreds of salespeople’s resumes in any given month. What amazes me is that most salespeople have no idea how to write one. Your resume is simply the backside of your baseball card. It should only highlight the most important statistics of your career and that’s what employers care about.

• Team – Company
• At Bats – Years of Experience
• Hits – Sales Wins
• Home runs – Major Deals Closed
• Steals – Advancement or promotions
• Awards – Relevant accolades i.e. President’s Club

You get the picture; cut all the fat out and stick to the numbers. With the wide-range of available candidates in the market, you need to standout and the only way to do it is to show revenues generated by you. A salesperson is only as good as their recent successes. Salespeople are not hired anymore based on experience and personality; it’s all about the numbers, recent numbers.

Many experts have said that employers will look at a resume anywhere from 15-25 seconds before deciding to move on or move forward. If your career must be summed up in less than 30 seconds, then you MUST draw the employer’s eyes directly to your numbers.

Here’s how to do it.

After your ‘Summary of Experience’ or ‘Career Snapshot’, you should list each year in a column with the Quota, your Performance and the Percentage above (or below) the quota and Company Ranking if applicable. Any solid, tenured, successful salesperson knows these numbers off the top of their head and can spew them off at any given moment.

Here are some common mistakes seen way too often on Salesperson’s resume:

• Makes 1,000 cold calls per week – Who cares? How many did you close and how much was the sale?
• Consistently exceeds sales quotas – Great! What’s the quota? What percentage did you hit?
• Number 1 salesperson in the company – Great! Are there only 2 of you?
• How many salespeople?
• Generated new business contacts from Fortune 500 companies – Really? Any person with internet access and a pulse can do this through LinkedIn.
• Grew territory revenues by 100% - Great! Is the territory the entire country, the northeast, your neighborhood? What were the revenues before you got there?

Even if you are happily employed and making good money, you should always have an up-to-date resume illustrating your most recent successes. It’s a smart plan each year to take 10 minutes to document your accomplishments for that year. This is not Major League Baseball where someone does this for you. It’s up to you to keep track or no one else will.

by Juanita Sierra

So you hire a firm to find top talent for your company. In your mind, this firm will have a recruiter go through resumes, call some folks and bring forth the top 3 candidates that can  do the job. Simple enough right? What you may not know is the time and effort that is put into the whole process and how one person alone cannot achieve a successful placement. “It Takes a Village to Raise a Child’?  How about it takes a village to find “A” players?

Sure there will always be piles of résumés from willing applicants readily available on Monster and Careerbuilder. But most of the time, the perfect candidate is not actively seeking a new position. Usually successful people are happy at their current company. So how do we go about finding the perfect non-looking candidates? It all starts with an amazing Internet Researcher. Hours are spent finding top-notch folks from LinkedIn, referrals, corporate website and good old-fashioned name gathering.

Now that we have our pool of candidates, the recruiter joins the process, and carefully reviews the qualifications of each potential candidate to decide who is worthy of continuing on in the process.

And so the recruit begins… After a few days of calls and hard work, we will find a handful of people that have the ability to do the job, the stability in previous jobs and the proof that they are “A” players.

We have established the relationship with the candidates, delved into their professional history and found out where they want to go in the future. Now the Practice Leader comes in to the process. They will talk to the candidates, screen them and present worthy candidates to our client. Together we prep the candidates, debrief them and do reference checks. Simultaneously, we are guiding our candidates through the ups and downs of a process that has been called one of the most stressful situations in a person’s life, a career change.

Three key contributors to the recruiting process at answerQuest work as a team to find “A” players for your business. It’s a well-oiled machine made up of an Internet Researcher, a Recruiter and a tenured Practice Leader. Not as simple as you thought…

by Martin Schwartz

What standards do you live by in your personal and professional life? Are you living with the highest integrity in your personal life only to succumb to less in your professional life? That shouldn’t be the case. Our Executive Vice President of Sales & Operations, Martin Schwartz, has the following suggestions for how business should be conducted:

Here are my Rules of Engagement

Everything that we do at answerQUEST is based on some simple core values:

• Customer satisfaction is our highest goal – and everything we do should drive it.

• Results are the most important thing, but we must get there ethically  and  legally.

• Celebrate team wins – and learn from our mistakes.

• Communicate clearly and truthfully.

• Have fun!

Working with us, you will experience many things—you should have high expectations for the quality of the candidates and service we provide. We believe that every recruiter on our team should represent you proudly.

Our team has the ability to dramatically enrich the employment relationship for our clients and candidates. What an amazing concept! We focus on building, Top-grading, and helping organizations bottom line revenue. We do this by aggressively finding the best candidates in the market place and advance their careers on a daily basis.

We have great opportunity in the marketplace – but, I can’t tell you that it’ll be easy. We seek to improve what we do and how we do it every day, in every area of the search process. If you’re striving for “A” level talent in Sales, Sales Leadership, and “C” level positions in the technology software and services space, you’ll be very happy with answerQUEST!

PS: We believe in mutual accountability at answerQUEST – send me your most difficult search that you are trying to fill – We would love to take that challenge!

We have placed people from Israel to the Netherlands and all the way to Belgium.

These are the firm’s “rules of engagement.” We ask all our recruiters to abide by these, as they are the foundation of how we do, why we do, what we do.

1. We will be passionate about answerQUEST’s mission, about our job.

2. We will love what we do for clients and candidates everywhere.

3. We will demonstrate respect for all, be nice and listen to others, and respect    myself.

4. We will act with integrity and professionalism.

5. We will do what it takes to get the job done, no matter what it takes, but within legal and ethical boundaries.

6. We will present a consultative approach to solving problems and suggest actionable recommendations.

7.  We will focus on results and winning-scoring points, not just gaining yardage.

8. We will be transparent and communicate clearly and be brutally honest, even when it’s difficult, because it is the right thing to do.

9. We will always be in sales and drive customer satisfaction.

10. We will have fun at work and approach our work with enthusiasm.

SALES! Zig Ziglar, once said, “Nothing happens until someone sells something.” That is such a true statement.  Every business has to generate sales in some way—even in a one person consulting business where it is the same person providing the product as making the sale.

Why not choose a career in Sales? There is a wide range of sales positions with countless possibilities. Choose from selling tangible products to individuals to selling multimillion dollar contracts to Fortune 500 companies. Many colleges are now offering courses in selling. Internships can provide enough of a background to land the first “real” career job.

Sales allows for flexibility—work from home, travel.  And income potential– the payoffs in a career in Sales can be very lucrative. There are first-year sales people that make six figures and work a 40-hour workweek. Sales is one of those careers that depend on how smart you work, not on how many hours you work. Of course, that is not to say that the career is not challenging. It means doing what you say you are going to do– follow-up is key.  Identifying the proper skill set and personality traits for a Sales career can make or break the backbone of any company. It’s not the right job for everyone. A select few have what it takes to be successful.

Think of sales as problem solving for a potential buyer. Sales people are problem solvers. They are always learning something new. Sales people ask questions and unravel the answers to offer the right solution. Isolating the characteristics and skill set of the sales person is a unique specialty. Having the right person in the sales roll can make or break a company.

Training is key– the best companies will train new salespeople. When interviewing for a sales position, always ask about the training program. A good training program will include one-on-one coaching from a professional, as well as resources for the trainee.

Anyone whose goal is to end up in a corporate management position gets a large portion of their training doing sales at some point.  The majority of sales executives know that every business discipline and profession is related to sales in one way or another. Running a sales team is a microcosm of a company—a smaller version of the whole operation an excellent springboard to upper management.

Choosing the right sales person or to making the decision enter into a sales career should be based on solid evaluations and with the help of a professional recruiter specializing in sales.

Advice on re-recruiting key team members by Paul Silitsky

Seasoned recruiters at answerQUEST know firsthand about the factors that influence candidates to accept one job over another, and they also know what kind of things send them out looking for new employment. Paul Silitsky, answerQUEST CEO, believes that bosses should think of retention as re-recruiting their work force. “This means applying the strategies and tools of external recruiting to your current employees,” he says. “It means proactively reaching out to your top talent on a regular and ongoing basis.”

Silitsky says that bosses should always assume that their best employees are getting calls and offers from their competitors. “Adopt the policy that no one will work at a company longer than one year without being re-recruited by the boss,” he advised. “Drop loyalty from your vocabulary and accept that you must continually challenge top talent if you are to keep them.”

To help bosses effectively re-recruit employees, Silitsky offers ten questions that probe how employees feel about their jobs. The answers to the following questions can often determine whether or not they will stay on their jobs:

• If you could make any changes about your job, what would they be?
• What things about your job do you want to stay as they are?
• If you could go back to any previous position and stay for an extended period of time, which one would it be and why?
• If you suddenly became financially independent, what would you miss most about your job?
• In the morning, does your job make you jump out of bed or hit the snooze button?
• What makes for a great day?
• What can we do to make your job more satisfying?
• What can we do to support your career goals?
• Do you get enough recognition?
• What can we do to keep you with us?

Although they can be useful at review time, these questions don’t have to be asked in a formal session, says Silitsky. “We encourage bosses to schedule time when they can introduce these topics in an informal manner – over a cup of coffee or lunch, for instance,” says Silitsky. “The key to success is promptly addressing issues that could lead to losing a key member of the team, or making sure that the employee has a full understanding of situations that cannot be easily changed.”

Silitsky points out another benefit to taking this approach with employees. “You’ll often discover things about your company culture or work environment that need fixing,” he says. “If you’re hearing the same dissatisfaction – or the same contentment – from your people, it’s easy to determine what’s working and what’s not.”

by Meredith Michaelson

When was the last time you heard a patient dying of cancer asking the doctor how much they charge?  That patient wants the best care and knows that only the best care will produce the positive outcome they are in need of.

Same holds true with recruiting top talent.  This talent is the cure and future of the organization.  It is the bloodline that keeps things moving forward.  So why is this the one area that corporate America feels is not the place to spend the money?

The obvious objections when it comes to hiring a recruiter are:

1) We have an in house team that sources candidates-yes but they are not professionals.  They see the market from the corporation’s perspective.  They are not objective and do not have the time and resources needed to find the top talent.  Recruiters know how to source and obtain the talent that is NOT looking.

2) We cannot afford the fee-   this is the most common excuse recruiters get when trying to obtain a new client.  What many corporations fail to take into account is the cost involved with making an internal hire or a wrong hire.  During an internal hire you need to take into account the HR and managers involved in the hiring activity – the time they spend not being productive on their normal job functions. They also need to consider the costs of sourcing and pre-screening all candidates then corresponding with the hundreds of unqualified respondents just to find the one that might be a fit

BUT besides the objections there are so many more reasons to rely on a recruiter for your search.

1) Confidentiality- whether this is a new hire or replacement- hiring a recruiter keeps company intentions away from the public and competitors.  Depending on the reason for the hire you don’t need to alert your competitors to any weaknesses within your organization.  A recruiter’s job is to be discreet and to only disclose company information to possible candidates that fit the job presented.

2) Speed of recruitment process- using a recruiter almost always speeds up the process.  A top recruiter is knowledgeable on the market and knows exactly where to locate that top talent.  They know what your competitors are doing and watch for top talent within those organizations.  In addition every day that an open job order sits unfilled is another day someone else within the organization is working additional job responsibilities-double duty.

3) Training times reduced- the job of an effective recruiter is to locate the talent that can “hit the ground running.”  This reduces the ramp up and training required when the new employee on-boards.  The quicker they can ramp up into the new position the quicker they contribute to the bottom line.

…actions that identify high performers

Both the hiring official engaging sales talent and the candidate seeking a sales position need to be familiar with this set of expectations. Here’s what to look for during the interview process to assure sales success! These characteristics present in a high performing sales person can be used as a guide in evaluating the potential sales person. Credit to The United Professionals Sales Association (UPSA) www.upsa-intl.org/

A high sales performer:

• asks in-depth probing questions to better understand my business and my needs—quality questions to fully determine the situation and buying needs. Uncovering the customer’s goals, objectives, concerns and hesitations allowing them to discuss features and benefits of their products (or of hiring them)
• can discover what is on my mind by focusing on what I say and how I say it
• stays current and informed about my business performance, its strategy, recent changes, and emerging needs (knows your company in-depth)
• reassures me that the vendor company’s team working with me has experience and expertise in addressing needs (or in this case that they have the needed experience to do the job)
• finds other valuable resources for me that also might help address my needs (a resource for their potential employer)
• always remains diplomatically straightforward in describing issues (no blame game)
• tells me how the vendor company, its products and services are uniquely different from other vendors (how they are different than other candidates)
• provides clear, easy-to-understand examples of how the vendor company, its products or services will help me and my own customers (is prepared to offer concrete examples of successes)
• directly and creatively addresses real or perceived concerns that come up
• takes appropriate steps within the vendor company to accomplish tasks for me in a timely manner (follows up as you have requested in providing any documents requested, etc.)
• uses internal/external experts and resources to maximize the value to me of the vendor company’s products and services (has great references)
• ensures my company and I are receiving the promised benefits of the products and service provided (they deliver as promised)

Good prospective posted by Debra Auerbach on the AOL Jobs site:

The recession changed a lot of things. It changed the way people spend money, the way they save for retirement, the way they invest in stocks. It’s also changed the way companies recruit employees. Gone are the days when companies courted prospective employees, hiring managers offered generous starting bonuses and job seekers could choose from multiple offers.

Since the recession ended in June 2009, companies have been slowly emerging from survival mode and have begun more active hiring. Yet the job market has been forever changed, and job seekers have had to face a new reality when going about their job hunt.

So how does a job seeker emerge successful in this post-recession job market? Here are six ways the job search has changed and the adapted tactics needed to get hired.

1. Passive job searching is no longer an option

Pre-recession, it wasn’t uncommon for a skilled, qualified job seeker to be romanced by a prospective employer. Recruiters would actively seek out candidates without the candidates having to do much in the way of aggressive follow up. That’s rarely the case anymore. These days, job seekers need to be proactive in order to find jobs and get the attention of employers. “This means job seekers must be active in their job search and set ‘alerts’ on major job boards/search engines so they are notified when an appropriate job match is posted,” says Daniel Newell, job development and marketing specialist for San Jose State University’s Career Center in San Jose, Calif. “This also means that job seekers should utilize several job-search strategies, such as job boards, job-search engines, classifieds, networking sites and social media, in addition to job fairs and hiring events.”

2. Fewer jobs mean more competition

In the early 2000s, jobs were more plentiful, and if you didn’t get one job, chances are there’d be another one just like it. Yet nowadays, the odds are not in a job seeker’s favor. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, when the recession began in December 2007, the number of unemployed persons per job opening was 1.8. When the recession ended in June 2009, there were 6.1 unemployed persons per job opening. While the number has since been trending downward and is currently at 4.2 (as of November), you still need to find ways to stand out from the competition.

“The burden of proof has shifted to the job seeker to demonstrate value and fit,” says Roy Cohen,career coach and author of “The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide.” “Job seekers need to be bolder and more energetic in this very challenging market. They need to show that they’re willing to go above and beyond and that they’ll work hard, tirelessly and take initiative to get the job done.” Cohen also says that job seekers need to be more solution-oriented. “It’s not enough to say, ‘Here I am.’ The emphasis is now on, ‘Here’s what I can do for you.’”

3. Mistakes, even minor, are not tolerated

Back in the “glory days” before the recession, mistakes made in application materials or during an interview weren’t ideal, but they weren’t necessarily automatic deal breakers, either. If a candidate misspelled a word on their resumé but otherwise had all the right qualifications, the employer may have let the error slide. In this job market, there’s absolutely no room for errors. “Nothing less is accepted or tolerated in a market where there are many more candidates than positions, and companies need to be sold on adding headcount,” Cohen says.

To avoid making costly mistakes, proofread your resumé backward and forward, and then have someone else proof it again. Ensure you’re fully prepared for an interview by researching the company and practicing answering interview questions.

4. Social media is the new recruiting tool

Before the recession, HR teams were more robust and better equipped to manage the hiring process. During the recession many companies downsized, leaving HR short-staffed and buried under piles of resumés. Recruiters have had to finds ways to more efficiently recruit, and social media has become a solution for hiring managers to more quickly find and screen candidates. That means job seekers need to have a social media presence, and a professional one at that.

“Social media has made a huge impact for job seekers,” says Lavie Margolin, career coach and author of “Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers.” “Employers are using social media to post job openings and look into candidate backgrounds via private Facebook pages. Job seekers have an opportunity to increase their visibility … via their LinkedIn page and possibly a blog that is industry-focused.”

5. Customization is critical

It is no longer acceptable in this post-recession job market to use a “spray and pray” method of applying for jobs. Blanket emailing recruiters with the same generic resumé will ensure your application gets tossed to the side. Newell says it’s important that job seekers create targeted resumés. “They must have a different resumé for each job they are applying for, and they must ensure that they effectively communicate their skills which relate to the job [for which] they are applying.” The same goes for cover letters.

6. Networking is more important than ever

It’s becoming more and more of an advantage in today’s world to know someone within the company you’re applying to so your resumé gets in the right hands. While not everyone has automatic connections, there are other ways to build relationships. One way to do so is through networking. “My advice to today’s job seeker is to network,” Newell says. “Job seekers should join groups and attend socials through sites such as MeetUp and LinkedIn. Attending a casual social and being active in online and offline groups can open many doors to employment.”

The job market may not look the same as it did five years ago, but that doesn’t mean you have to start from square one. It just means that by equipping yourself with the job-search tools needed in today’s world, you’ll be in a better position to get hired.

A question asked time and time again. A great response was written by Harry Urschel in Recruiting Bloggers.com back in 2009. We are reprinting it below becuse it answers the question so well:

Why use a recruiter when I’m getting plenty of resumes from my ads and job postings?

In times of economic downturn companies often decide that one way to “save” money is by eliminating fees to recruiters when looking for new employees.

Why shouldn’t they? After all, they post an ad online, or in the paper, and there’s a much larger stream of applicants than they’ve had in the past.

“Why pay a 20% to 30% fee when I seem to be able to get plenty of people on my own?” Good question.

The answer is two-fold…
What is your true cost-to-hire?
and
Does that pile have the best candidate?

Most smaller companies have never examined what it truly costs them to hire a new employee. There are a great number of factors to consider, including…

Direct Costs:

• How much do the ads cost?
• How much time does it take at your “hourly rate” to:

o Write an ad
o List the ad
o Field x number of phone calls from the ad at 2 to 10 minutes each
o Initially review x number of resumes at 30 seconds to 2 minutes each
(x= 20? 50? 100? 500?…It’s not unusual to receive over 1,000)
o 2nd review x number of resumes to confirm who to screen at 2 to 5 minutes each
o Prep time for phone screens
o Phone screen x number of candidates at 15 to 30 minutes each
o Prep time for interviews
o Conduct first interviews with x number of candidates at 1 hour each
o Debrief with others in the organization that also interviewed the candidates
o Conduct 2nd interviews with x number of candidates at 1 hour each
o Debrief with others
o Prep time for reference checks
o Complete reference checks at 15 to 30 minutes each
(Repeat the process if bad references)
o Create and present an offer letter
o Repeat the whole process if the offer is rejected

Also consider the Indirect Costs:

• What was the “opportunity cost” to you

o What could you have otherwise accomplished with the time you spent looking and sorting?
o What additional business didn’t get found or serviced due to your search process?
o How much time did the process take?
o What could the new employee have produced had you had one 2 weeks or 2 months faster?
o What fell behind because there was no one hired yet to get it done?

• How frazzled are you from the process?!?

At the end of your process…are you sure you got the best candidate?

You got active seekers who noticed your ad. Is there someone else that’s currently working somewhere and not actively looking, or someone that didn’t see your ad, a better fit?

So, even with all that, is a recruiter cheaper?

Maybe, or maybe not. Here are points to consider:

• A good recruiter will help with defining the role and set expectations of candidates, salaries, etc.
• A good recruiter will handle the sourcing, sorting, screening and present the 1 to 3 best candidates
• A good recruiter will coordinate the process for you and help you prepare for interviews
• A good recruiter will complete reference checks and follow ups
• A good recruiter will pursue “passive” candidates as well as active one to find the best fit
• A good recruiter will present candidates and help you get through the interview process much faster
• A good recruiter can be a 3rd party mediator to make sure an offer will result in an acceptance
• A good recruiter will allow you the time and emotional capital to focus on your business, not the process
• A good recruiter significantly reduces your stress!

After 4 recessions in my career, a similar pattern occurs each time. As the volume of resumes increase in response to ads, companies cut out the use of recruiters. After a while, realizing that their hiring process has slowed down and they are still not finding the best candidates, the value of recruiters becomes more evident and they return.

If this sounds like it makes sense to you…

Save yourself the time and frustration, and call a good recruiter now!