Are you a Mid-to-Senior Level Professional working in the "Tech Sector" trying to find a new job, but need to "fly under the radar" so your employer doesn't find out? Are you trying to avoid publicizing your resume for fear of being over-whelmed by the countless amount of emails and calls from recruiters trying to talk you into a opening that doesn't fit? If you answered yes to one or both of those questions then I may have a solution for you!

The strategies I'm proposing are proven effective for individuals wanting to conduct a highly confidential job search to try and move in-between or upward into a technical or managerial position where discretion is important. The strategies I'm specifically referring to is Social Media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc...). I understand most people know how to use these tools already, but I can assure you there is an incredible amount of things these tools can do for your job search that you can't even begin to imagine! Take it from someone who over the last couple years has dedicated themselves to really understanding how to use Social Media for my job. The only boundary Social Media has is the limits of your creativity!
Why is a Job Search Different for Technology Professionals Then Other Professions?

So there are a couple of reasons I really wanted to focuse this blog on professionals working in the Tech Industry. For one, I have spent the majority of my professional work life recruiting, evaluating and hiring Information Technology skill sets so I have a very good understanding of the importance that their abilities and talents directly have on an organization. Therefore I have some specific job search strategies that someone working in technology can leverage to best market themselves. The second and most important reason I wanted to reach out specifically to technology people and folks in management is that their search is very specific and focused, thus making it different and in most cases more difficult.

Believe it or not conducting a search when you are employed is far more difficult than when you are a "free agent" or in between jobs. The reason is when you are employed in most instances, you don't want your current employer to know you are looking. This means you don't have the ability to advertise out to the "free world" that you are looking for a new job for fear of consequences you could face if your employer finds out. The second problem with looking for a job when you are working is the lack of flexibility to interview. In fact having initial conversations with potential employers to do initial inquires are even difficult during business hours when you are working.

Due to the nature of work and the level of difficulties that technical professionals possess make them attractive to many potential employers out there. The training IT people have to endure is intense and very expensive, so if an employer can hire someone who already owns those skills without having to pay for it makes that person attractive to a company. With that said technical people have many opportunities which on the surface sounds great, but if you dig deeper this could be a negative because a lot of these opportunities may not be a good fit at all. For any of us who have taken the wrong job, that could prove to be a disaster. Hence this is a great transition to the main focus of my article, how to leverage Social Media to conduct a confidential job search.

CREATE YOUR PERSONAL BRAND USING SOCIAL MEDIA
Earlier in this article I teased you mentioning the amazing things Social Media can do for your job search, especially when you are trying to "fly under the radar". Social Media really is an incredible gift technology has given us, you can be anywhere in the world and at the touch of your fingertips communicate anything you want and access any information you want. Best of all its free!!!

One thing to keep in mind is that freedom comes with a price. Just as you have the ability to communicate anything you want and research anything you want at the the touch of your finger tips, everyone else also has that power. That is why the first thing you need to do which is what I consider to be the most critical when getting onto Social Media, establish credibility!! You not only want people to take you serious from a professional perspective, but you want them to believe that you have some level of expertise in at least one if not many subject areas. If you can't do this, then there is no amount of technology that will help your job search. The best way to accomplish this is to develop a strong professional brand for yourself that will create "buzz".

When I talk about "buzz" I'm referring to things about your professional background that will make people "stand up and take notice" wanting to know more about you. The way to do that is through your special milestones you have accomplished on the job. As a recruiter one of my "pet peeves" is to see someone take the time to put a profile on Linkedin or Twitter, especially Linkedin and just list your jobs you worked at with maybe a short bullet list of your daily task; "BORING". Being someone in the profession hiring for my job openings, I use social media a lot to find people. If someone doesn't excite me with how they made a difference at their organizations and what they accomplished, I will not give them a 2nd look let alone reach out to them to learn more.

First step, take a note book or type somewhere on your computer where you can make a list of neat things you accomplished job by job. Speak about special projects you were involved with, the role you took on those projects and how they made your department or company better for this accomplishment. Another key thing to cover for technology people is talk about the technology you used and relate it to how it served the business purposes. Some examples might be (task you did to reduce cost/increase revenue/processes you implemented to drive better efficiency). These functions "scream" you are a potentially valuable employee to a future employer.

Target your Search Through Research
Now that your professional branding is created and you have some credibility behind you which will drive people to your profile through key word searches, this is where your search on social media begins. That beginning starts with you identifying organizations that you want to work for. You are working and you have skills that are attractive to many employers, so I beg of you please be selective of where you choose to work for your next place of employment. Take it from someone who has made this mistake in the past, you are better to be mildly miserable at your current employer then to take a risk going to a new company and taking on a role you are not 100% sure is the right move.

What I mean by that is you have built up credibility and tenure at your current company, if you give that up for a new job you are unsure about and it turns out bad that could be a very nasty situation. At least with your current job you should have some flexibility since you have proven your credibility. At a new job you have to prove yourself all over again meaning lack of flexibility to look for a new job if things turn "sour". Now that I have your attention, this is where you want to take your time and figure out the best company to make your next move to. You want to take into account factors that are important to you such as industry preference, company size, initiatives they are involved with that might match up with things you want to do in your career and most important, their reputation with their customers and how they treat employees. Luckily with Social Media which again I stress is free, this information is very easy to obtain and the accuracy of the information is very easy to confirm.

The two tools I think you get the most "bang for your buck" meaning allocation of your time is LinkedIn and Glass Door. First LinkedIn, you can search company profiles and employee profiles to see all company history and the backgrounds of key personnel who run that organization. This is where you can get a first glance to see if the projects they are working on match your skills and things you want to do. Also you look to see if the backgrounds of the people working their share common backgrounds and interest to you. This is the first and most important indicator if this is a possible organization that is right for you. I also mentioned a tool called Glass Door, this is basically Yelp for Companies. Employees can go to Glass Door on strictly a confidential basis and post their true experiences and feelings about working at a company without fear of having their identity discovered. This is where you can learn about specific examples of how a company treats their employees and sure you have to take this information with a "grain of salt", but I have found it to be very accurate especially if comments are in a majority fashion sway one way or the other. If you have 10 people within a year or so time frame saying negative or positive comments about a company and they have worked in various areas of the organization, its safe to say that is probably a trend you will find to be true.

"Let the Networking Begin"
Ok, you have completed your thorough preparation of short listing some organizations you want to work at that match your values. You have also created a very attractive profile so those companies can gain an awareness of you and see if you match what they look for in an employee. Now you are ready to take the plunge and let those companies know you are interested, "let the networking begin".

Networking, this is where a lot of job seekers make their biggest mistakes. Most people think networking is connecting with others to ask for a job directly. True networking is more passive and less aggressive and is one of those situations where "less is more". Yes you do want to reach out and connect with people who share your same skills or work for a company you are looking to possibly work at, but it is for information purposes only with advertising yourself through intelligent questions is a "byproduct". Reaching out to others should be for the purpose of learning what they like about the company, initiatives they are working on that they enjoy, things they feel the company could improve on and last advice seeking.

People are more likely to answer your invitation and be open to speaking with you if you let them know you are seeking their advice or want to do information sharing. It is ok to say once you have established some credibility with the people you are reaching out to "look I'm looking to potentially make a move from my organization but I want to seek your advice on some places that you feel would be best for me to perform certain types of work". "I notice you are doing some similar things to what I have done, what do you like about your organization". This tactic will get you much further with people because all you are asking them for is information as opposed to a job. Also they gain respect for you because you are coming off as someone who is thought provoking and very serious about a job change as vs. someone just desperate to find a job.

Another way to get yourself known as an expert in your field is joining professional groups in LinkedIn and Meetup in your areas of expertise and post useful information and questions. This is a great way to get yourself known in the industry and advertise your knowledge.
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Steve Rosen

 By Steve Rosen  Thought Leadership  December 12, 2018

Organizations can have the best ideas or products in the world but without great employees and more particular talented leadership to facilitate the process of managing the flow of operations, those ideas and products will die. In today’s economy, hiring the best people is more critical than ever. Entrepreneurs to Large Organizations can’t afford to lose time, money and results from a bad hiring choice (a recent Forbes article by David K. Williams pegs the cost of a single bad hire at anywhere from $25-50,000). “The cost of finding, interviewing, engaging and training new employees is high”, says Williams. When trying to identify new employees there are 7 factors to consider in your evaluation process that David Williams framed “the 7 C’s”.
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1. Competent: This is still the first factor to consider. Does the potential employee have the necessary skills, experiences, and education to successfully complete the tasks you need to be performed?
2. Capable: Will this person complete not only the easy tasks but will he or she also find ways to deliver on the functions that require more effort and creativity? For me, being capable means the employee has the potential for growth and the ability and willingness to take on more responsibility.
3. Compatible: Can this person get along with colleagues, and more importantly, can he or she get along with existing and potential clients and partners? A critical component to also remember is the person’s willingness and ability to be harmonious with you, his or her boss. If the new employee can’t, there will be problems.
4. Commitment: Is the candidate serious about working for the long-term? Or is he or she just passing through, always looking for something better? A history of past jobs and time spent at each provides a clear insight into the matter.
5. Character: Does the person have values that align
with yours? Are they honest; do they tell the truth and keep promises? Are they above reproach? Are they selfless and a team player?
6. Culture: Every business has a culture or a way that people behave and interact with each other. Culture is based on certain values, expectations, policies, and procedures that influence the behavior of a leader and employees. Workers who don’t reflect a company’s culture tend to be disruptive and difficult.
7. Compensation: As the employer, be sure the person hired agrees to a market-based compensation package and is satisfied with what is offered. If not, an employee may feel unappreciated and thereby underperform.


Steve Rosen is an accomplished HR and talent acquisition professional with more than 18 years of HR and recruitment experience. Mr. Rosen is actively engaged in the local entrepreneurship ecosystem and is a member of the Tampa Bay Wave mentor network. ​

​By Steve Rosen  Community  October 26, 2018What is the Major Hurdle in Scaling your Organization?
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Congratulations, your organization has reached its first major milestone; the company made its first Million Dollars in Revenue! As a growing Entrepreneur, your next desire is probably $2MM, $3MM, etc...  However, this is easier said than done.  As a newer Leadership Team, Scalability is probably presenting some major “hurdles” for you that maybe you didn’t quite anticipate.  The most common challenge for organizations of the Million Dollar Size is lack of bandwidth to generate this additional revenue to grow.
Lack of Sales is usually the 1st problem to be identified.  “If we could just sell more to our current customer base while adding just a few more new clients, we could probably double our size within one, two, three years.”  This is the most common line of thinking that CEO’s and Founders usually gravitate towards.  However, if you really take an extended deep dive analysis into the problem, lack of sales is usually not the culprit.  In fact, even if you could line up an additional project or two from your current customers or add another client would you still make more money?  This answer may surprise you, BUT NO!  The reason is if your current workforce is producing at full capacity and additional resources are not added, your organization can’t generate any more revenue beyond what your resources are producing.  It’s impossible to grow as you can see.
What is the Solution?
So now that we have identified a lack of resources as the root cause of achieving scalability for your organization, the next question is how to solve it?  These challenges can easily be solved with a Talent Acquisition Strategy.  The key is your strategy has to be consistent with a committed effort to keep up with a regular cadence of activities.  Even if you may not be hiring in that particular moment, the key is giving the world the perception that you are always looking to hire strong people.  So how exactly does this work and what components need to be in place in order to execute this strategy?
The first piece that I mentioned is a commitment to be consistent with execution.  Let us compare this with how any organization views their sales functions.  Companies don’t stop selling just because they land one or two deals, so why should they stop recruiting for talent just because you hired someone?  Believe it or not, hiring is far more volatile than landing a sale.  With sales, there are contracts involved binding both parties to the agreed terms.  Hiring a candidate for a job does not bind them at all to take the job or even stay in the job once they start.  Most States abide by “Employment at Will” Laws meaning a company can let an employee go for almost any legal reason and an employee can certainly quit without giving notice.  So would it not make sense to always have your “Plan B…Plan C..” etc… in place just in case?
The other critical component to have in place is either have a dedicated HR Talent Acquisition Department or the very least have a person in place dedicated to ONLY recruiting functions.  The mindset of the organization has to be that this Recruiting Resource is to be viewed as an investment to building Talent Funnels.  If an organization is thinking, “we don’t anticipate doing any hiring for minimal 6 months probably a year why should we waste the money paying for a Recruiter?”  Then as an organization, you could be making a critical mistake.  People quit all the time, new projects come up all the time so the smart organizations that think strategically “two moves ahead” are the ones that have a higher success rate of achieving their scalability goals.
Implementing the Talent Acquisition Strategy
The first step, engage in an internal assessment of where you are now and what that next level goal is.  More important once you figure out where you want to go, then you want to figure out from a resource and fulfillment perspective what you need to get there.  Essentially your organization wants to build hiring profiles that will serve as a blueprint for the type of talent the organization needs to achieve that next milestone.
Second step and this is critical for implementing the Talent Acquisition Process, “go all in” and make the investment in the Hiring Department.  This is where a lot of smaller organizations get caught up.  It’s difficult to invest money into hiring functions when you don’t always need to hire.  I get it but think of it from an ROI perspective.  If opportunities come up that can bring your organization instant revenue stream, having the ability to take advantage of that “real-time” far outweighs the alternative which is showing your customer you CAN’T DELIVER.  This leads organizations into desperation where reactive hiring activities take place, which then leads to bad hires and we all know the consequences of bad hires!
To be honest it would not take a whole lot of investment to implement this strategy.  As a smaller organization, you can even start out with one employee who takes the mold of a Corporate Recruiter.  Let this person drive your Hiring Profile Strategy where potentially all they are doing for you is building candidate relationships and pipelining talent.  You don’t want to compensate them like a salesperson, however, you may want to have a bonus component in place on how many people they are pipelining that fit the hiring profiles the organization has set up.  I would mix into the strategy some corporate branding on Social Media from an HR Talent Acquisition perspective.  The messaging should be specific for what the company does, why people would want to work here and some specific information on some of the exciting initiatives the company is involved with.  Essentially the company wants to take on a Persona that they are always hiring if strong talent comes across.
The final step is what I term “Storing Your Treasures”, what I mean by that is you want a safe place to save your information.  If you have implemented Steps 1 & 2 then you will be generating candidate leads and resumes.  You will want to have this stored in some type of Database specific to Recruiting called an Applicant Tracking System or “ATS”.  So as situations come up where you need to hire, you now have a virtual “Tickler File” of warm leads to find applicants from.  This certainly beats what most organizations do when they need to hire quickly, pay hundreds of dollars to post an online add then have to scramble to find the right people from applicants who apply even though they don’t fit the job requirements.  If you follow the system, your recruiter should be always speaking with candidates that fit your company profile therefore when you do have to hire, you will be selecting from profiles where an initial match has been identified.
If you are serious about looking to scale up your business, a Talent Acquisition Strategy might be your “Best Medicine”!


Steve Rosen is an accomplished HR and talent acquisition professional with more than 18 years of HR and recruitment experience. Mr. Rosen is actively engaged in the local entrepreneurship ecosystem and is a member of the Tampa Bay Wave mentor network. 

      

As both a professional in Talent Acquisition and someone who went to College and took many years to pay back my loans, Adam Carroll's movie documentary "Broke Busted & Disgusted" https://www.brokebusteddisgusted.com/the-film/ really moved me!  Mr. Carroll is the CEO of National Financial Educators.  My take on his documentary, is that in NO Way is he discouraging Young Adults from going to College after High School. However he does intend to communicate a clear message, that before jumping in and accepting the responsibility for the Financial Burden of College, High School Kids need to be strategic and smart!  
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This means NO More can future College Students afford to just go to College thinking they will figure out their future along the way.  My suggestion and I wish I did this for myself back then, was to take High School Senior year to explore career options. Whether that is doing informational interviews, or even doing a non-paid internship if it means getting a real taste at what a potential career would encompass.  If that is not possible, maybe consider delaying college for 1-2 years to do some exploring.  My message is when you decide to jump in and take the financial responsibility, make sure you make the most of every moment to make it a valuable investment!

With that said, I don't want you to think I'm putting all the responsibility for this on the students, because I'm not!  The Universities as well need to take some responsibility for the problem that Mr. Carroll points out.  These students are customers of the Universities so if they are taking money for services they are providing, that comes with obligations to make sure the students are getting maximum value for what they are paying for!
So what is the responsibility of colleges and universities to students after graduation ? Do they have any ? Are the schools there to meet their own needs of tuition, over the needs of students to transition into the profession they majored in ?
I want to try to answer this.

I am a Technology Recruiter, and for the most part I place Senior Level Executives in Technology Firms. Recently I have received many requests from Millennials that are college graduates frustrated and needing help because they can't find work in a program they just paid $100,000 or more for. In each situation they are struggling to support themselves forced to take a combination of 2 or more part time jobs just to pay the bills . I try to do my part to help because I truly feel for these individuals so I outsource these requests to professionals that work with millennials in finding entry level positions.  The question I have is why does this problem exist and what could be done about it ?

I was without an answer on this . After that I was told about the documentary of Broke Busted & Disgusted www.brokebusted&disgusted.com  The title is what most college graduates feel after the party of college is done with . They are broke because they have a student loan that they could not pay back. They are busted with the economic situation they are in, feeling as if they have nothing . They are disgusted, that means they have a feeling of dislike to the schools after they played the game as they were told .

As I was watching Broke Busted & Disgusted, the schools are in on encouraging students to take out these loans. As the students naively think that employment after college is going to allow for the means to payback the loans.  In most situations this is not reality.

When i talk to recent college graduates, In each situation I was told the schools do not want to hear from them and that the schools resources is for current students. What they are saying pick a major, take general education classes, pay your tuition, books, supplies and fees and that is it.  If you should switch your major, you must take more classes and increasing the expense even more! Some majors do not have a high percentage of placement success for a rewarding career after graduation. This means some college administrators are encouraging students to take classes that have minimal to no value in the professional business world .

What I hear from employers is that recent college graduates generally do not have the skills to qualify themselves in the workplace. This is where talent is overlooked . What is it that students are learning besides what they are being tested on ? This is not what they signed up and paid for.

Is the solution that college is only for those that have the means ? I think not. Should tuition not be so high ? I think so.
A solution I have is that all students need to find a Professional Mentor. This person should not be connected with the school, since most professionals that are employed at schools have not worked in the business world for sometime.   The people working on behalf of the Universities who are giving guidance to the students really mean well and they do try.  The problem is there are not enough resources to go around, as well as lacking the insights on what the new trends are like out in the Business World.  My solution is, if the Counselors really want to do justice on the students behalf they could put their efforts to designing Mentor Programs to help find and coordinate efforts to set students up with Mentors from various Industries.  This program needs to start as early as Freshman Year, so that while students are taking prerequisites they can be learning about different career options.  This way when Junior Year comes, they are armed with some very updated and credible information to help them make an informed decision when they have to declare a major.

I want to make this clear I am not Anti-education. I am just suggesting there must be some way to fix and work with the system to do the proper "justice" for Graduates and Alumni. 
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Written By:
Steve Rosen-Talent Acquisition Consultant

​Generation Z Profile
Recent college graduates are the first of Generation Z entering the workplace.  The way they socialize is through texting and social media, as they are attached to their phones. Gen Z do not have a reference of what the world was like before the internet and social media. They are valuable to employers because they have the knowledge to adapt to different technologies and usually would not require much training.  What makes them even more valuable as an employee is this is the first generation ever to grow up in a truly Global Society.  Because of Social Media Gen Z grew up with limitless avenues for learning and interaction with people their own age around the World.  This is going to go a long way in developing their skills to be "Major Players" in a truly Global Economy world.

What Motivates Generation Z
What most people are not aware of about this generation is what motivates them, their personal goals they have and what many of them value in a career.  This may come as a shock to many, but Generation Z from a career standpoint are focused on being entrepreneurs through their own self-directed inventions.  A lot of them will be going to College with purpose.  
Because of growing up witnessing student debt and economic uncertainty they are determined in making post high school education an investment.  The purpose is to learn skills that can make an immediate impact in generating a salary, as opposed to their prior Generation Predecessors who went to College with a more abstract purpose for general learning and social interaction.  Instead of a more General Business Degree, a lot of Gen Z's will major in newer Business Curriculums that has been developed such as running an entrepreneurial business.  In fact a lot of Gen Z's are trading Four Year University Education for Apprenticeships.  This way they can learn on the job while earning a salary and then combine the skills they are learning with their "Tech Savy" creative skills to advance the "Trade Professions".  

So what is driving this intense ambition from a group of teenagers and college aged kids never seen before from any prior generation?  One very interesting theory presented by professionals out there that could make a lot of sense is that they are a product of their parents.  Where many Millennials were offspring of the late "Baby Boom" Generation, Generation Z are a product of "Generation X" Parents.  What difference does that make you ask?  This is where analyzing this particular theory gets very intriguing!  

Generation X which is the post "Baby Boom" Generation grew up in a world where the majority went to college and graduated with a four year degree in four years no matter what the major.  There was not a lot of strategy for the most part in choice of curriculum.  The end goal was to just graduate with a degree and then figure out your profession from that point.  The byproduct of that was, an entire generation of over saturated educated graduates entering the workforce all at once without any differentiating skills or meaningful internships "under their belt".  This caused a lot of new graduates to stay unemployed for many months going into years.  Finally a lot of these Gen X's had to settle for just any job that paid the bills and just settled into doing that for their career.  So when they had their Generation X children, they instilled in them the reality that not everybody unfortunately can win at the same time and the "sense of urgency" in "cutting your own career path".

Summary
This new up and coming Generation with a "deadly combination" of technology and a fierce ambition  is where the organizations who want to stay ahead of the competition need to invest their future recruiting.  This is going to require a lot of companies to restructure their jobs to quench that "individualistic thirst" that Generation Z is going to want out of their career.  This will not be an easy task for most organizations, which is why the "balance of power" in the recruitment of talent for the first time could be shifting.  Now it might be the Startups that soon could have the major talent acquisition edge over the more traditional Fortune 500 Conglomerates for acquiring "Grade A Superstar Talent"!  
Career Compass Group has a strong interest in promoting the growth of the Future Generation Z Workforce! I would love to invite current and future Entrepreneurs to share their ideas and innovations with us and our audience through the platform of a Feature Story.  Email me at Srosen.ccg@gmail.com with your idea.
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Written By:
Steve Rosen-Talent Acquisition Consultant

​Joan V.  Out of Minneapolis writes,
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"Dear Recruiter I need help.  I've been in the Accounting Profession for 20 years now and I'm bored I want to do something else completely different.  In fact just over the last few years I discovered I'm a people person and want a job that utilizes my personality but Accounting is all I have ever done.  Any suggestions?"
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Joan actually I do and it starts with you.  I know the first thing people tend to want to do is jump back in and go to school but that is the last thing to do.  First figure out do you like Accounting but need something that quenches your thirst for being an extrovert.  If so maybe look into being an Accounting Recruiter where you can talk to people all day but still utilize your accounting knowledge.

​Or if you want to completely do something that leaves Accounting behind take a notebook and do a job journal where you list some key attributes or skills you would like to use in a job.  Then run a search on one of the job boards with those skills to see what jobs come up.  If something interest you I would then use Linkedin or your network to find out who is doing that job and set up an informational interview.  That person can give you some insights into what that job is like, how to get into a job like that and any other suggestions.  If you like the job I would see if there is a way to do some side projects even for free just to get some experience.

Joan the biggest roadblock to switching careers is experience.  If you can find a way to get applicable experience even if it means doing some project work for free.  That will help eliminate what seems like an impossible feat and make it manageable.

Hope this helps and stay tuned for our next "Dear Recruiter Help" story!

James CEO of XYZ Company in Austin, TX writes...

"My name is James and I own a 5 year old Technology Consulting firm specializing in Medical Applications.  We just hit our first milestone of $1mm in revenue and have been given additional project work which is great.  However the problem is we need to hire critical tech talent in order to "ride the wave" and scale, however I know we don't have the "deep pockets" of bigger organizations to compete.  I have spoken to a couple of candidates that are definitely interested in coming to work for us because they like the idea of working for a small company and like our mission.  However I know I can't pay them what they are worth."
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"Help Me Recruiter" what do I do?"
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James first of all thank you for writing in I appreciate you writing in and sharing your issue! It's one that a lot of organizations of your size have so you asking will also help others in our community!  The easy answer to that question is you don't play a game you can't win and don't compete with those organizations on trying to "one up them" on paying a higher salary.  
Now that doesn't mean James I'm telling you not pursue the talent you need and want, you absolutely should!  You just need to play to your organizations strengths.  Here is what I mean.

First of all you want to find out other motivating factors the candidate has in selecting a "new home".  If money is their top motivating factor, then James that is a candidate you DON'T WANT to pursue.  Because even if you could give them the salary they are asking for.  More than likely another firm will come in with more money 6 to 12 months down the road and they will leave you anyway.

Next you want to evaluate what makes your organization special to work for?  Being a smaller firm you can offer more flexibility in work/life balance such as working from home or generous PTO.  Work/Life is a very important factor to employees.  Also being a smaller firm there is far less layers of management . Therefore the employee has more autonomy to do the type of work they want to do and have their efforts more visible at a higher level then in a large silo organization.  Also being in a smaller firm opportunities to  "wear different hats" gives employees the opportunity to expand their skills and maybe move into a different area far easier then in a larger organization.

James I can go on and on with the examples but I think you understand, find what makes your company special.  Then when you are interviewing candidates hone in on what is motivating them besides money.  If you can't find anything else I would decline them immediately in the process even if they are a "Rock Star" that you covet.  

As mentioned earlier even if you "go all in" and can land them, chances are you will lose them in less than a year because someone will throw "outrageous money"  to lure them away and if you are relying on them in a critical project that could be more devastating then never having that employee in the first place.

Once you find what motivates them this next step I know seems risky but it makes your organization look classy.  I would say to the person, "so and so we are very interested in your candidacy and potentially see you as someone we want to bring onboard.  However to be honest, with your skill sets I know you are going to have a lot of interest out in the market which will probably pay you way more than what we have budget for.  We would love to compete in salary for you and would so without hesitation if we could.  However being honest with ourselves we can't do that, but here are some other perks of working for us."  Then James you  start making your case.  You would be surprised what that type of honesty and vulnerability does with a candidates emotions.  If they can work with the salary you can afford, they would rather work for an organization like yours than a larger firm that will just throw money their way.

James I hope this helps and hang in there and good luck hiring that person to keep your business growing!
Hey guys if you like this article and think it helps or want to ask me another Hiring Question, feel free to write me at srosen@careercompassgroup.com.

​I would love to hear from you!  Until next time, Peace out!
 
Signed
"Help Me Recruiter"

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Leadership is rarely taught in school. All business problems are a result of a lack of leadership. The solution is leadership training. The fact is, professional leadership is teachable to every employee and employer.
What is Leadership?

A Leader establishes a clear vision of goals, provides the proper information, knowledge and methods to manifest that vision.  Good Leaders proactively facilitates as well as balances the conflicting interests of all employees and employers.
Once you learn and use leadership skills, it transforms your professional life, your personal life and increases your happiness. When you commit to developing leaders within your organization, company goals are achieved. 

Let's take a look at why lack of leadership is the cause of all your business problems.
An effective leader is proactive and takes personal responsibility for the situation they are in and reaches company goals. The fact is, most leaders are reactive and irresponsible and do not make a difference. Your company requires effective leaders starting from the top down to entry level employees and interns.  Leadership and Management are different, this is why.

Management  provides the proper information, knowledge and methods to manifest that vision as does leadership. After that they are different. The characteristics of effective leadership are:

• Establishes a clear vision of goals.   
• Manages employees to a focused course of action. 
• Effectively motivates employees.
• Inspires employees to take action with responsibility. 
• Selects the right people, with instruction to lead a project. 
• Does not take short-cuts. 
• Is a problem solver and reaches company goals. 

They are in it to win it! 
They want to thrive and make a difference. They  use compelling communications skills to win over new accounts and manage difficult clients. They worry as much as you do, and stress about the results of a spreadsheet. 
Leadership has 3 characteristics :

1. Shows Confidence
2. Is a communicator
3. Has emotional intelligence

These characteristics are teachable, when practiced and developed the results achieve a high level of accomplishments. 
Having confidence in leaders solves problems. They value different viewpoints from employees. The results have a shared outcome. Leaders are selfless, they want what is best for themselves and everyone else. They create the ‘win-win’ situations we all strive for.  They facilitate these wins from having an  ability to generate confidence (this is rare). They have learned to effectively communicate clearly to show everyone around them they earned the confidence to lead.

To achieve this, it is in the leader’s emotional Intelligence. This is where leaders manage their negative emotions,  recognize negative emotional traits in others. This signals them to speak effectively and persuasively to people experiencing a broad range of emotions. All business problems, are solvable when leaders work towards a solution. It is that simple, it requires an effort to learn leadership skills.  It takes work and an honest introspection on what skills and traits you are currently lacking. From there, you build a Leadership Development Platform to improve your skills and start thriving and succeeding!

​Written By:
Steve Rosen-Sr. Recruiting Consultant

If you want retention of good employees at your company, this is a list of what makes employed professionals want out. Note to Bad Managers, the problem is YOU. The fact is good employees leave bad managers.  Employees want good leaders that can help them not only be productive, but grow!

Why Employees Leave Your Organization:

• Management is on top of you in an unproductive way.
• Management has temper tantrums.
• Your boss is a bully. Your responsibility is to please his/her ego.
• Your manager is an egomaniac that wants attention and power.
• Management makes threats of firing you. Employee feels replaceable.
• Majority of employees are unmotivated, only getting paid is the motivating factor.
• Lack of opportunity for personal growth. Usually this is not encouraged.
• Boredom and not challenged, usually your responsibilities are repetitive .
• Co workers tattling, only the boss knows who the tattler is .
• Not valued and respected.
• Management takes all credit for your accomplishments.
• Management stagnates and rejects creativity.
• Management does not do as they promise.
• Your compensation of salary does not match your qualifications.
• Your overworked  and unproductive.
• There is no equality in compensation among the entire organization.

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​Written By:
Steve Rosen-Sr. Recruiting Consultant