Define Your Wish List Prior to Embarking on a Job Search

“I am underpaid.”

“I can’t stand my boss.”

“I HATE my job.”

These are very powerful statements that I hear on a regular basis from normal people all around the country. These statements come from actuaries, bankers, food production professionals and sales people who are frustrated. Normal, talented, hardworking people are humbled every day by confounding professional situations that affect them both inside and outside the normal work hours – these frustrations permeate their personal lives, affecting spouses, children and others in their wake.

‘Listen’ and ‘See’ During Your Next Interview for Greater Success

The interview process is a minefield. With precision and care, the interviewee must navigate a road flush with opportunities meant to derail thee from the process. A litany of questions arise in the mind of the candidate as they move from interview to interview. Am I the right functional fit for this role? Will I click with the hiring official? How much money should I demand? When it comes to things that could go wrong in an interview, as Goose said in Top Gun, “The list is long but distinguished.”

‘Show Me The Money’: How to Answer the Money Question in an Interview

Money is and always will be a touchy subject. In my years doing recruitment, I have seen people handle this topic in a wide variety of ways. Some choose to be direct and honest, some are evasive and indirect, while others are flat out confused and awkward. If you fumble the money question in an interview, you could knock yourself out of the process for a position that you desire, so it must be handled cogently and with confidence. I have outlined below how I would suggest handling the money question in a few different situations. Hopefully this will help you to maintain your market value and keep yourself in consideration for a great position.

Tips for Finding a Rock-Star Recruiter

If you have been cold called by an executive recruiter in your career, it likely comes as no surprise that the recruiter’s goal in the initial call with you is to come to two conclusions. First of all, they want to determine if you are open to exploring new opportunities. Secondly, they are judging you on your communication skills and professional exposures.

Need to Know Resume Tips

Now that the economy is picking up (knock on wood), all indicators tell us that employees are more ready than ever to dip their toes in the proverbial job search waters and evaluate other opportunities for growth, which is good news for job seekers.

New Year, New You

Statistics show that more than 40 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions. Some of the most popular resolutions are to lose weight, stop smoking, and better manage finances. Research also shows that people who set New Years resolutions are 10 times more likely to achieve their goals than those who don’t. What if we all made resolutions connected to the main areas of our lives? How would that impact our overall satisfaction? I read an article on LinkedIn recently that strongly suggested that we all should set resolutions aimed at improving our lives in six key areas:

Leadership Qualities that Our Clients Seek

The Executive Division at Aureus Group does a great deal of work in the retained search arena. We have helped companies fill high-priority executive-level roles within operations, finance, actuarial, lending, engineering, sales, and marketing in the past year. This work has spanned most industries as we have dedicated professionals who have their fingers on the pulse of different market segments including banking, investments, insurance, consumer goods, and manufacturing from sea to shining sea.

When we listen to companies talk about their needs from a leadership perspective, the functional requirements are never the same, but the leadership qualities that they desire are extremely consistent.

Are you Ready to Change Jobs?

Many indicators flash when someone is ready to change jobs. Maybe they clean up their resume, start perusing job boards, place a call to their favorite recruiter, or increase the complaint frequency to their friends and family about their professional situation. Sometimes the reasons for evaluating other opportunities are appropriate, but sometimes they aren’t. Sometimes the timing is good, and sometimes it is bad. We have spent a great deal of time as recruiters separating legitimate corporate wounds from those that are not.

Striking the Balance Between Ethical Leadership and Bottom-Line Leadership

I took a class this summer about leadership and I found it to be extremely interesting as it relates to what I do. Our class researched the last 100 years of leadership styles in the world, the methodologies behind them, and studied the evolution of approaches to leadership from 1900 to today.

I found the ethical leadership research to be the most interesting and timely in today’s environment. The vast majority of the work that the Executive team at Aureus Group does is tied to helping our clients find great leaders. We are hired by companies that are looking for people to lead initiatives, lead teams, lead change – all in an ethical environment.

A Look into What Makes Top Talent Take Flight

Last week I opened up the grill on our back deck at home with the intention of firing up some hamburgers. When I opened up the grill, I was shocked to find that the neighborhood birds had targeted it for their next home. The grill was filled with twigs, grass, and debris from all over the neighborhood. Luckily, there weren’t any eggs or birds in there, but this forced me to spend some time cleaning out the grill and cook the burgers in the house.

As I reluctantly cooked dinner for my wife and myself on the George Foreman Grill in the kitchen, it got me thinking. The birds chose my grill for their next home. What prompted them to select my grill? What separated my grill from other locations in the neighborhood? We have plenty of trees, my other neighbors have grills – why my grill on my back porch?

That thought gave me an idea for my first blog entry. I decided to look back at 100 random interviews that I’ve done in the last year with candidates looking to take the next step in their careers. My goal was to track their number one job consideration and really try to get to the bottom of what people are looking for in their next opportunity.