In talking with hiring managers at these dynamic, market leading companies, they recognize that leaders have an “it” quality that must be “felt” rather than calculated. They realize that the makeup and proper execution of leadership has infinite variables. Even within these limitless possibilities are commonalities that all of their true leaders possess. One such denominator is the power of influence.

Okay, so this is not exactly stop the presses material. I will raise the stakes a bit, however, by stating that all leaders must have tremendous influence. With that, the task for organizations then becomes how to identify traits that eventually lead to having great influence. Most of us come into an organization with none, or very few of these traits. Influence is fluid and dynamic, just as leadership is. You can build influence through definable achievement, but it can only crest into new heights if something else co-exists with one’s accomplishments. Real influence, i,e., the power to impact  change and gather momentum behind you, comes from a simple and sincere trait that I believe all great leaders have: empathy.

Empathy is innate to an individual, but can be feigned by the disingenuous. That being said, sincerity in a truly empathetic person is consistent and unwavering over time. Empathy allows an individual to see both sides of a story, and make decisions that are crafted from the highest moral and ethical standards. Empathy is crucial to creating rapport, and establishing lasting and real relationships.

Look at it this way, when the ‘you know what’ hits the fan, you want your most empathetic person to re-build those washed away bridges. Within empathy is care and compassion, which are the foundational elements of kindness. What the most talented organizations are doing is identifying these traits very early on in an employee’s career, and tracking these individuals for bigger roles. There are clearly other factors in play when deciding who gets what opportunity, but only those who possess the critical leadership elements are to have the opportunity at all. 

I absolutely love working for clients who get this. There is nothing better in my job than getting to partner with a self-actualized client. In talking to the hiring managers, I always feel a genuine care and compassion for the job that I am doing for them. Now, they still demand excellence, and they should. But, they demand it in a way that you know they empathize with the process involved in what we do. I find myself working just a bit harder for these clients than others. I would imagine that the employees of this company likely feel the same way.

Nate Elgert, Aureus Group Senior Account Manager

About the Author Nate Elgert
Nate was born and raised in Lincoln, Neb., graduated from Lincoln East High School, and went on to The University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) where he was a four year letter-winner on the men’s golf team earning a bachelor’s degree in communication in 1999. Nate took a winding road back to Lincoln that led through Phoenix, Des Moines, Chicago, back to Kansas City, and then finally Lincoln once again in 2005. Before coming to Aureus Group in 2006 as an account manager in the Lincoln Accounting and Finance office, Nate was a golf professional, an advertising rep, and a mortgage lender. Currently, Nate is a senior account manager. He enjoys playing basketball, golf, and time with his wife Angie, and daughters Sofia & Cecilia.

I MADE A LOT OF MONEY IN MY LAST JOB BUT I AM FLEXIBLE NOW
This is a predicament that we’ve seen many people in during the last few years. Given the shake-up in the market, more qualified candidates have been looking for new opportunities in the last 18 months than any time in the past. Because of this, someone who made $200K in their last position may be open to looking at roles in the $150-$200K range and their reasons for doing so could be completely valid. Maybe they worked for a company that was constantly on the brink of closing. Maybe they worked for an abusive boss. Maybe they worked into the night and through the weekend, causing them to miss out on seeing their kids grow up.  Articulating your new found monetary flexibility must be done while also outlining the other things that you value outside of money. I would suggest this approach:

“In my last position, my compensation was $200K. That said, I worked long hours, in an abusive culture, for a company that clearly was financially unstable. I am looking for more than a certain W2 level in my next job. I am looking for an opportunity that will allow me to continue to be challenged professionally while allowing for a level of stability and work-life balance as well. Because of this, I am looking at positions in the $150-$200K range now and am absolutely comfortable taking a step back financially if I can improve my life outside of work while continuing to add value at work. As I think about my primary job considerations, there are several things that are above compensation in my wish list.”

I HAVE A GREAT JOB SO I WILL NEED A RAISE TO CHANGE JOBS
This is completely fair. If you truly are a top performer who is valued by your employer, you surely enjoy a certain level of job security. Changing jobs would pose a certain level of risk, so financially it should make sense for you to make the move. If the money question is answered too timidly or too forcefully in this scenario, you could either set yourself up for an unacceptably low offer or knock yourself out of consideration for an excellent career opportunity. The tonality and clarity of your answer is very important here as well.  Also, in laying out aggressive financial expectations, it is important to show your value proposition. If you are interviewing for a CFO position with a wealth management firm that has very specific goals, and you bring deep experience in doing exactly what they want to do, make sure that the interviewing company understands, in specific terms, the level of value that you bring or your compensation expectations will be met with a laugh and a good-bye.  I would suggest this approach:

“As we discussed, I am in a good situation now. Not everything is perfect obviously or we wouldn’t be talking.  Right now I make $200K. I have poured some serious thought into this and in order for me to make a change I would need to be at or above the $230K level in order to accept a new position. Given my deep experience in doing exactly what your organization is looking to do, I believe that I am uniquely positioned to make a big impact for you if we agree that there is a fit and we move this process to the finish line.”

I DON’T KNOW WHAT MY VALUE IS ON THE MARKET
I see this every day. Many people are evasive with current compensation data because they truly don’t understand their value on the market. Also, people are naturally uncomfortable talking about money. The truth is – THAT’S OK! If you are talking about money with your next door neighbor or your parents or anyone else who doesn’t need to know what you make, it is OK to be evasive. There are certain times and places where it’s OK to open up though. If you’re talking with your wealth advisor, you open up. If you are in a job interview, you open up. If you are evasive, deflective, and nondescript in the interview you will be evaluated by the employer as an evasive, deflective, and nondescript communicator and this could hurt your candidacy.  A good way to approach this is to be honest and direct with your current compensation information and ask for the same level of honesty and directness in return from the interviewer. This will allow you to know, right away, where you stand financially.  Also, most candidates struggle to clearly articulate this the right way so it could play a part in elevating you above other candidates with whom you’re competing for a position. I would suggest this approach:

“I don’t do a lot of interviews so, to be honest, I don’t know if I am overpaid or underpaid in my position now so I will just be honest with you. In doing this, I will ask that you offer me the same level of honestly with regard to the salary range of this role. Is that fair?  Right now my salary is $200K. Money is clearly a big factor for me as I look at other roles, but it’s not the only driver. Tell me – what is the salary range for this position?”

These are just a few ways to answer this question. Frankly, I would love to hear ways that others have successfully answered this question in the past as I am always looking for new ways to help my candidates. If you have any other suggestions, you’re welcome to reach out directly to me at jkovar@aureusgroup.com or post a comment.

Jeff Kovar, Aureus Group Executive Recruiter

About Jeff Kovar

Jeff has been with the Aureus Executive Search team since September 2008 and in the recruiting business since April 2007. Prior to entering the recruiting world, he worked for five years in the corporate currency exchange business. He specializes in working with $100K+ candidates in the actuarial, financial, accounting, banking, and many other functional areas from coast to coast. Jeff enjoys golfing, watching Nebraska football, spending time with his wife Jenny, their son Connor, and jogging with their two labs, Freddy and Cali.

Legal Troubles
So you got in a little trouble back in college? You paid some fines, maybe a little probation, and it’s now all forgotten. A thing of the past, right? Maybe not. More companies than ever are using background checks to profile people they wish to hire. What is really troubling here is that many companies only run background checks on those who have already accepted offers, and resigned from a previous employer. If you fail to mention those little misdemeanors on your application you could be in for a very rude awakening down the road.

We have seen offers rescinded because of this, and when that happens it’s just a bad deal all around. The bottom line is this: If you have ever been arrested or received a ticket that resulted in a higher class misdemeanor (above a moving violation), it’s best to be upfront about it. If you are asked on the application about convictions of any class, and must consent to a background check, it’s best to assume they intend to run a criminal investigation before hiring you. At that point you should get out in front and own it. Be accountable regardless of the circumstances that were involved and show that you have grown from it. 

Frequent Job Changes
For definition’s sake, let’s say a frequent job changer is one who has had three or more job in the last five years, or five or more in the last 10 years. There is one common thread for nearly every one of these candidates I have interviewed. Excuses, and lots of them. You know one thing I almost never hear? Accountability. Just once I’d love to hear a candidate say, “You know what?  I really did not handle things well in that job and I was asked to resign.  It was totally my fault.” It always reminds me of that scene in “Shawshank Redemption” when the inmates declare that everyone in Shawshank is innocent.

If you were fired from a previous job, don’t say you were laid off, or that you resigned.  This is just a lie, and will upset any chance with an employer that does their homework. You may actually have very real reasons for leaving all of your positions, but just remember that your perception is only half of the equation. Those that could reference you must also see things the same way you do to make your reason hold water. Being accountable is really the only right thing to do.

Career Goals
If you are interviewing for a position that requires constant evolution, and the expansion of your current skill set, you must convince your interviewer that you are ambitious.  You also must have a plan to get to your intended destination. Essentially, great employers want talent that is organized, thoughtful, and goal oriented.  They know that these are the types of individuals that achieve great things in life.

Competition for important positions at great companies is fierce, and it is rarely the closest technical fit that wins the job. Rather, most employers I work closely with hire the person that they believe in the most. Before any important interview, write out your career goals, and your plan to achieve them. Memorize this plan and not only will you be better professionally for it, but also more likely to win the job.

Accomplishments
Crazy as this sounds, many people have a hard time articulating what they have achieved in their career.  Those that can often can’t provide supporting data value to back up their claims. Your accomplishments are the sizzle that sells the steak, and without the knowledge of what you have done, you don’t stand a chance in a competitive race for a great job. This is why you should always have an updated resume, as it forces you to refresh these important benchmarks of your success.

When it comes down to interview time, be ready to really discuss these achievements in detail. However, be very careful not to brag or sound cocky. Humility and confidence is good. Cockiness is very bad. Take credit for the role you played, and give credit to those who supported you. This shows a team oriented quality that is highly sought after in top talent. 

References
It’s a really good idea to always know who your references are. And they should know who they are too. Have an agreement with a current or past supervisor, co-worker, and subordinate to be a reference for you.  Depending on your work history, this may not always be possible, but you must try. These people should be good communicators who are generally very responsive at returning messages. It does not speak well at all if one of your references takes a few days to call back, or doesn’t at all.  Also, you should know if they will give a reference. Many companies are adopting a no reference policy, and while some individuals within those companies will still give one, you need to know if your people will comply. 

Money
There is absolutely no excuse for not knowing exactly how you earn every cent that you make. This includes your bonuses. However convoluted they may be, you should be able to provide very specific details as to how those bonuses are earned. You should also know what your “W-2 Income” was for the year prior, and when you are due for a review and a raise in the current or following year. You should know how your pension plan works, how many vacations days you have, and precisely how your health insurance plan works. Without knowing these things, it is more difficult to have leverage in a salary negotiation when taking a new position. 

The bottom line with all of this is that you must know where you have been, to know where you are going.  You must also avoid at all costs the instinct to defend yourself against tough questions. Hey, we get it.  We have messed up, too. Who hasn’t? But you must approach your past in an interview with a sense of awareness, and closure. Self-awareness is a premium trait to have as it opens the door to self-improvement.  The dynamics of interviewing are as limitless as the stars, but knowledge of who you are will help overcome those tough questions about your past, and allow you to better move forward into the future.

Nate Elgert, Aureus Group Senior Account Manager

About the Author, Nate Elgert, Senior Account Manager
Nate was born and raised in Lincoln, Neb., graduated from Lincoln East High School, and went on to The University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) where he was a four year letter-winner on the men’s golf team earning a bachelor’s degree in communication in 1999. Nate took a winding road back to Lincoln that led through Phoenix, Des Moines, Chicago, back to Kansas City, and then finally Lincoln once again in 2005. Before coming to Aureus Group in 2006 as an account manager in the Lincoln Accounting and Finance office, Nate was a golf professional, an advertising rep, and a mortgage lender. Currently, Nate is a senior account manager. He enjoys playing basketball, golf, and time with his wife Angie, and daughters Sofia & Cecilia.

Let’s think about this for a moment. All of us have had experiences working with people who are, for lack of a better phrase, A-holes. Now, dig a little deeper with me? What do these A-holes have in common? Are you noticing a pattern as you reflect on these less than desirable colleagues/clients/customers’ personality traits and general attitudes in the workplace? 

According to Sutton, a certifiable A-hole is someone who demonstrates the following, every-day actions:

• Personal insults
• Invading one’s “personal territory”
• Uninvited physical contact
• Threats and intimidation, both verbal and nonverbal
• “Sarcastic jokes” and “teasing” used as insult delivery systems
• Withering e-mail flames
• Status slaps intended to humiliate their victims
• Public shaming or “status degradation” rituals
• Rude interruptions
• Two-faced attacks
• Dirty looks
• Treating people as if they were invisible

Okay, so now all of us are on the same page and have a vivid imagine in our mind of what the certifiable A-hole looks like. Out of all of the actions listed above, the one that I found myself reflecting on the most was the very last one — treating people as if they were invisible. It’s human nature to want to feel like you matter, like people see you and hear you and understand where you’re coming from. This particular certifiable A-hole strategy completely strips that away for people, in a very nonchalant way.

As I read through this list and considered how I interact with my colleagues, clients, and candidates on a daily basis, I realized that there may be times where I don’t do an effective job of making sure people know I am listening to what they’re telling me or acknowledging their opinions/feedback. Does this put me in the category of a certifiable A-hole? I sure hope not! 

Reading this was a great reminder of how important it is to acknowledge the people you have interactions with during the work day. I’m not referring to calling people up, sending emails, or stopping them in the hallway to announce that you appreciate what they do for you. Not that this would be a bad idea, but that’s not the point I’m trying to get across here! What I’m referring to is making a conscious effort to let the people you interact with know that their opinions matter, that you recognize the contributions they made, that you’ve learned something as a result of an interaction you’ve had with them — make sure they know that you are listening and aware of their perspective. 

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg.  Stay tuned for more of my reflections on “The No Asshole Rule.”  In my next blog spot, we’ll examine how certifiable A-holes negatively impact the workplace, not only from a morale standpoint, but from a financial perspective.

About the Author, Stephanie Miller, Senior Account Manager

Stephanie Miller, Aureus Group Account Manager

Stephanie Miller has worked for Aureus Group for five years.  As a senior account manager within the Finance and Accounting division, Stephanie partners with organizations throughout the state of Iowa and provides staffing solutions within the accounting, finance, and human resources departments. With a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Nebraska Wesleyan University, Stephanie is currently pursuing a master’s degree in negotiation and dispute resolution at Creighton University and is a certified professional consultant.

Stephanie reports that two of the most rewarding aspects of her job is seeing how pleased the client is when she’s successful in identifying a professional who meets the level of experience/skills the company desires for a particular position and also helping a candidate make a successful career change. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, Chad, and their two dogs, Benny and Olive. She also loves to travel, check out new restaurants, watch movies, run, attend sporting events and theatrical performances, and volunteer through the United Way a few times per month.

The place to start in choosing a team building exercise is to undertake an evaluation. If there are problems, you need to determine the causes. If there are no problems, you should identify how best to maintain or improve performance.  A poorly chosen exercise can actually waste everyone’s time and have a negative effect.

There are literally thousands of team building exercises. The most popular “activities” are not always the most beneficial. Baseball games, company picnics, and other social events are valuable for employee morale and are an excellent “thank you” to your associates. Outdoor activities are usually very fun, but often suffer from the problem that it is difficult to translate the benefits back into the workplace. 

The most effective team building exercises integrate programs that combine outdoor events with ongoing activities in the workplace, such as:

• Group discussions about objectives, roles, processes, time management, resources, etc.
• Personality styles and individual / team roles
• Lunch & Learns where topics are relevant to everyone
• Meetings designed to share success stories and lessons learned
• Joint break times with communication exercises

Don’t expect a single event to change your culture. Successful team building is an ongoing process that takes place within the team over a long period of time. Remember to choose activities that align with your teams’ initiatives or issues, and make a long-term commitment.  You will experience improved tenure, engaged employees, and most importantly happy customers.

What has been your most successful team building activity? How did taking part in it benefit your team and/or your business? We’d love to learn from your successes.

Chris Carlson, Aureus Group Regional Manager, CPC

About the Author, Chris Carlson, Aureus Group Regional Manager, CPC
Chris is an experienced executive in the staffing industry. She has extensive experience in developing and implementing operational analyses and programs and has assisted hundreds of firms streamline processes and upgrade the competencies of its workforce. Finding innovative ways to generate new business and build teams is her passion. She has developed and executed many successful strategic marketing plans. Chris began her career at Aureus Group, a full-service professional recruiting firm, in 1994 and currently serves as the regional manager of Aureus Group specializing in the Finance & Accounting, Systems and Executive search areas.

In addition, Chris is a Certified Professional Consultant, and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Most of my clients tell me that the hiring process, especially at the strategic levels, is painful enough. Finding a candidate you like, and feeling like you are closing in on bringing them aboard, only to have the rug swept out from under your feet has to be terrible. Point being, as a recruiter, I empathize with your pain when this happens. Great news though! All of it is 100 percent avoidable.

Identifying signs of disengagement from a candidate is key, and also understanding how to best work with your recruiter will help eliminate this from happening altogether. Here are my top 5 (totally controllable) reasons why offers are turned down, and how to avoid them:

5.  Bonuses are not clearly spelled out – If you have a bonus plan, it’s best to be clearly benchmarked. Top talent just is not likely to make a move for a position weighted heavily in discretionary bonuses. If your bonuses are based on company or individual performance indicators, make sure they are clearly spelled out in writing. If a candidate is being offered a compensation package weighted in incentives, those incentives need to be transparent and attainable to acquire top talent. 

4.  Total compensation is not high enough – I should be clear here as I am not advising just simply offering more money as a general rule to get your offers accepted. Although, doing so would encourage positive results. Rather, we advise gathering intimate knowledge of a candidate’s total current compensation package once mutual interest is attained. Similarly, we feel you should know exactly where this candidate’s compensation requirements will be to make a move. My team and I at Aureus Group spend a large amount of time profiling compensation throughout the entire process so that surprises to do not happen at the finish line.

We also make sure to let the candidate know what to expect from the company. There have been times when companies have given us salary bands to work with in a search and inevitably we have gotten to the end too far apart on money to make a match. This is a huge waste of everyone’s time. Money is rarely the key reason why someone is interested in your job, but is more often the reason why they say no to an offer.

3.  Company not family friendly – I am amazed at the number of companies that refuse to allow for flexible scheduling, and remote/home office set up. There is simply no reason in this day and age to not allow for this to some degree. Cloud based and other technology has created the ability for easy exchange of secure information. Your best people are likely to have families now, or at some point in their career. Giving them the ability to take time off for kids’ activities, and to work from home at times is crucial to providing an attractive culture. I know of at least a dozen phenomenal accountants who I could place rather quickly, but the only reason they stay at their current job is because they have tremendous flexibility. Clearly, this is a retention and recruitment tool. If you make this change to your philosophy and company culture, we believe it will pay huge dividends in making your offers more attractive. Remember, your candidates are buying into a whole lifestyle when they choose your company, and elite talent requires the option to balance their work and life.

2.  No plan for succession – Simply put, you must have a plan for succession to recruit top talent. Imagine yourself in a great job. You are well-paid and generally very happy. But, you have run out of challenges and you are hungry to find a new mountain to climb. So you find a company that can meet that desire, and are pumped about moving forward in the process of taking a new position. But you come to find out that nobody really knows, or will share with you, what the company plan is for the future. Or, you come to find that the position you are interested in is in fact a dead end. Very clearly, this would be the end of your interest in this job, because it is just a job and not an opportunity.

Creating opportunities for your employees, and selling that succession culture to candidates is paramount to recruiting new talent. Elite talent is elite because they are not complacent. The very reason they are talking to you may even be that they feel they have hit the ceiling in their current position. If you can give them evidence that they will be challenged again and again, they will know that retaining them is your number one goal. They will also likely say yes to your offer.

1.“Tick-tock, tick- tock”….this is the sound of your deal going cold - As a third party recruiter absolutely nothing is more frustrating than engaging on a contingent search where we lose contact with the hiring manager for days, even weeks at a time. Similarly, it is confounding when we take on a search and after a first round of interviews the hiring manager takes a one week vacation or travels for business for 10 days. 

However, forget about how it makes us feel, because the only person who really matters is the candidate you covet. Top talent, even top passive talent, is turned off by slow processes. Think of it this way: if you slow down the hiring process with a desired candidate, you are essentially telling that person the position is not that important to fill. They may feel that once they are hired, it may be problematic getting feedback crucial to succeeding in a new position. Perception is everything, and your candidates must feel important to leave what they have and join your team. We absolutely, without fail, encourage a process that is not circumvented in any way, but one that acts with a true sense of urgency. This alone gives you the greatest opportunity to acquire the talent you want. When this happens, everything else seems to fall into place.

So there you have it.  My top 5 reasons top talent will say no to your offer, plus some ways to avoid that.  Good luck to you in your next hiring endeavor and please let me know if you have any thoughts or additional pitfalls we can all learn from. Happy recruiting!

Nate Elgert, Aureus Group Senior Account Manager

About the Author, Nate Elgert
Nate was born and raised in Lincoln, Neb., graduated from Lincoln East High School, and went on to The University of Missouri at Kansas City (UMKC) where he was a four year letter-winner on the men’s golf team earning a bachelor’s degree in communication in 1999. Nate took a winding road back to Lincoln that led through Phoenix, Des Moines, Chicago, back to Kansas City, and then finally Lincoln once again in 2005. Before coming to Aureus Group in 2006 as an account manager in the Lincoln Accounting and Finance office, Nate was a golf professional, an advertising rep, and a mortgage lender. Currently, Nate is a senior account manager. He enjoys playing basketball, golf, and time with his wife Angie, and daughters Sofia & Cecilia.

If the recruiter determines that you are, for legitimate reasons, interested in moving to a new position and are a person who might potentially be an impact player in their clients’ companies, they will advance the conversation past the initial “get to know you” stage and set up a time to go deeper. Most strong recruiters are very adept at making accurate assessments of whether continuing a dialog is time well spent for both parties and can, within 5-10 minutes, decide whether they would like to continue working with you.

On the other hand, most candidates are not as skilled when it comes to evaluating the recruiter on the other line.  Choosing to work with the right recruiter can open a plethora of doors for strong candidates. Choosing to work with the wrong recruiter or recruiting firm is almost always more trouble than it’s worth.

Most candidates don’t understand that the initial call is not just an opportunity for recruiters to make a quick evaluation of candidates. This is also a prime opportunity for candidates to evaluate the competency level of the recruiter. In today’s economy, with the job market heating up by the minute, if you are an impact player, your phone is likely ringing again and your voice mail light is flashing with multiple excited recruiters calling to introduce themselves. Many of those recruiters can be a major value add – in both the short and long term.  Others can prove to be a speed bump in your career progression. 

The initial call is your opportunity to evaluate the recruiter while they are evaluating you. If you can align yourself with a recruiter who is an expert in your field, this can be hugely beneficial in unlocking the elusive hidden job market. Also, enlisting a trusted career agent to keep their ear to the ground on your behalf while you continue to “do your thing” in your current job can be an excellent way for you to ensure that you are always aware of your market value. Below I have outlined the criterion I would keep in mind when considering partnering with an executive recruiter.  Also, I have listed a few questions that I would ask if I was the candidate evaluating a recruiter.

1) Industry Knowledge – If you are a banking industry commercial lender, it doesn’t do you much good to align yourself with a recruiter who specializes in the automotive or oil industries. If you are a manufacturing operations leader, it makes no sense to align yourself with someone who specializes in placing actuaries. Ask the recruiter what types of positions they have filled in the past year. Ask them if they have a key area of focus or if they are a generalist. Keep in mind that it’s OK to work with a generalist, if they know the hot buttons of your industry well enough to be dangerous. Ask open ended questions that will give them the opportunity to prove their credibility. The goal is not to work with the most well connected person in your industry, it is to align yourself with someone who is competent enough in your areas of work that they can tell your story and open doors for you as your career moves forward.

Questions:
-”What trends are you seeing in the banking industry today?”
-”What qualities have elevated the candidates that you have placed ahead of their competition in a job interview?”
-”What are the biggest challenges that your banking industry clients are facing now?”

2) Communication Skills – Inevitably, the recruiter’s ability to communicate will be put to the test when they represent you. The communication skills that must be exhibited by a recruiter to get you excited about a position will translate to their ability to generate a company’s interest in you as a potential candidate. People do business with people that they like. Do you “click” with the recruiter? If not, you may want to re-evaluate partnering with them. 

This is not something that can be determined by asking qualifying questions. More than anything, this is a “gut feel” thing. It can be tempting to work with a choppy communicator who dangles an attractive position, but when the interview process stalls, when the company leans toward another candidate, when an unsatisfactory offer is delivered, how successful will the recruiter be in being your advocate to the company? I staunchly advise considering these factors when considering a recruiter. Having been in the recruiting business for more than four years, I know that no interview process is smooth and something always goes wrong between the candidate submittal and offer stage. Be prepared for this by attaching yourself to someone who can add value in the good times as well as the stressful times.

3)  Recruiting Firm – So, you have evaluated the recruiter and they seem to check out. Strong industry knowledge, strong communication skills.  Check, check.  The last factor I would consider is the firm that the recruiter works for. The recruiting business is peppered with firms of many kinds. There are large, publicly traded firms; small, boutique agencies; regional leaders; mom-and-pop shops; and solo recruiters making calls from their parents’ basement on a cordless phone. The recruiter on the other line could be anybody! 

In today’s day and age of compliance and risk management, companies around the country are becoming more and more meticulous about which recruiting firms they will hire. Smaller firms often do not have the financial backing or insurance to navigate the legal hurdles that exist when working with big companies. The insurance and legal risk management battle that occurs every time a search agreement is signed between a company and a firm is intense. More and more, the financial power and size of the recruiting firm will play a role in the recruiter’s ability to provide the candidate with a good breadth of opportunities with companies of varying sizes.

Also, the corporate turnover that exists in the recruiting business is high.  Every day, numerous recruiting firms close up shop and several more open their doors. The average recruiter is in and out of the recruiting business in less than one year. I suggest doing your due diligence on the stability and strength of the firm and the experience level of the recruiter. Just as companies are attracted to candidates with a strong, complex work history, candidates should be magnetized to strong recruiters working for strong firms.

Questions:
-”How long have you been in the recruiting business?”
-”How long has your firm been in business?
-”How many recruiters work at your firm?
-”Where is your office located?”

Keeping all of this data in mind, I want to make it clear that I am not a militant advocate of following these rules blindly. In the end, there will be extenuating circumstances that make some or all of these rules more or less important. If you feel that you have found a recruiter who impresses you, who you like and can trust, but doesn’t meet all of the criterion above, go ahead and give them a shot. 

In a hiring market that has abruptly shifted from company driven market to candidate driven, the importance of attaching yourself to someone who can add value is critical.  If you are a “rock star” candidate, you should settle for nothing less than a “rock star” recruiter.

Jeff Kovar, Aureus Group Executive Recruiter

About the Aurthor, Jeff Kovar, Recruiter

Jeff has been with the Aureus Group Executive Search team since September 2008 and in the recruiting business since April 2007. Prior to entering the recruiting world, he worked for five years in the corporate currency exchange business. He specializes in working with $100K+ candidates in the actuarial, financial, accounting, banking, and many other functional areas from coast to coast. Jeff enjoys golfing, watching Nebraska football, spending time with his wife Jenny, their son Connor, and jogging with their two labs, Freddy and Cali.

The few companies that apply rigor to identifying and grooming their top players enjoy retention and increased bottom lines. So let’s discuss the practices of an effective succession process. There are three initial steps:

 1. Align and communicate the people strategy with the business strategy.
2. Identify employees with high management potential and actively plan their careers and development to build “bench strength“.
3. Anticipate and fill talent gaps.

Do you have a people strategy? Does it align with the business initiatives? The succession process needs to be a part of your company culture. World-class organizations open up the succession management process making it transparent to every employee. This encourages clarity and integrity and minimizes politics. Human resources departments should support the process, but management must own it.

Accountability for selecting and developing top performers and leaders can’t be delegated, it needs to be lived. Throw away the forms and processes and start flexible, open, inclusive discussions. The goal is for leaders to gain insights into their employees’ performance and potential. This is the first step in understanding the realities of the workforce, creating career paths for up and comers, and recognizing talent gaps.

Businesses that build bench strength make succession management an integral part of its corporate culture. Start by identifying the right players and escorting other employees to an intersection of choice. Organizations that implement successful people strategies actively approach the development of their top players and leaders with stretch assignments. Real development happens on the job, not in the classroom.

Smart companies create diverse experiences within a functional area. Carefully design assignments and quantify goals. Once an employee is tackling the stretch assignment, encourage and help him / her make connections. Studies show that 40 percent of all newly promoted managers and executives fail because they don’t build strong relationships. Building working relationships is a critical success factor and has substantial impact on the employees’ effectiveness.

The reality is that sometimes it’s not possible to grow talent. Anticipating the talent gaps your business strategy needs today and in the years to come will help communicate and implement smart recruiting strategies. Human capital is your most important asset, so invest wisely. Driving this people strategy occurs by staging on-going discussions that evaluate strengths and vulnerabilities against business goals and priorities. Start the discussions by asking the following questions:

• Given our strategy, what are this team’s strengths and vulnerabilities?
• Do we have the talent and competencies to deliver on the strategy and accomplish our business goals?
• Who do we need to hire? Do we need to alter the requirements of our new hires? What’s our compelling story to attract these hard to find skill sets?

Succession planning is a delicate practice. The discipline it takes to develop, align, and execute requires “buy in” at all levels. However, this is a highly valuable process that shouldn’t be left to chance. The bottom line is, leading organization invest time and resources to human capital or succession planning. Are you tackling this crucial task? Let’s discuss your strategy, implementation plans, and how Aureus Group may be a strategic recruiting partner for hard-to-fill positions.

Chris Carlson, Aureus Group Regional Manager, CPC

About the Author, Chris Carlson, CPC
Chris is an experienced executive in the staffing industry. She has extensive experience in developing and implementing operational analyses and programs and has assisted hundreds of firms streamline processes and upgrade the competencies of its workforce. Finding innovative ways to tap into talent and build effective work teams is her passion. She has developed and executed many successful people strategy initatives. Chris began her career at Aureus Group, a full-service professional recruiting firm, in 1994 and currently serves as the regional manager of Aureus Group specializing in the Finance & Accounting, Systems and Executive search areas.

In addition, Chris is a Certified Professional Consultant, and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master’s of Business Administration from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

In my role, as a senior account manager, I have the opportunity to serve as a “matchmaker”, of sorts.  I work directly with hiring managers who have internal staffing needs and are looking to us for assistance. I try to learn about all the redeeming qualities the company has to offer a prospective employee, as well as uncover any potential factors that may be concerning to our candidates. It’s critical for me to present the candidate with a realistic understanding of what work life is going to be like, after the “honeymoon” phase is over. 

Staying with the “dating game” analogy, one of the best pieces of advice I can share with professionals who are seeking new job opportunities is to let go of all the baggage!  In this instance, the baggage I’m referring to is the negative experiences a candidate may have had working for a previous employer, or perhaps the frustration a candidate experienced while being unemployed and searching for a new position. 

While I am empathetic to anyone who has worked for a challenging boss or faced unemployment situations, it’s absolutely necessary to “check this baggage at the door” when going into an interview.  Hiring managers often sense when a candidate has a chip on their shoulder and that’s not an attractive trait! There are many different ways a candidate can respond to questions about their previous work experience or recent job search (if currently unemployed) without sounding negative and jaded. In fact, this is something that we (account managers and recruiters) can provide coaching on when helping a candidate prepare for an interview. 

It’s amazing how much a candidate can benefit from paying closer attention to the words and phrases they are using when trying to describe a challenge they’ve faced in a previous position, why they chose to leave a former employer, or why they’ve been searching for a job for the past six months after being downsized. 

My advice is also geared toward hiring managers who tend to base their decisions on pre-conceived notions of what the “right candidate” is going to look like for their open position. Instead of immediately discrediting a prospective candidate because they don’t have previous public accounting experience or because they don’t live in the area and would need to relocate for the opportunity (just a few examples–many more exist), I would encourage you to keep an open mind at the beginning of the search.  Sometimes it’s worth taking a risk and considering a different type of background/skill set to diversify your current team of employees.

In the end, there has to be good chemistry between the two parties involved–the candidate and the hiring team. By getting rid of that extra baggage up front, there’s a far greater chance that a match is going to be made. Even if the candidate doesn’t prove to be the perfect match for that particular role, the hiring manager is hopefully going to walk away from the interview experience with a positive impression of the candidate’s overall professional demeanor. 

We never know what the future holds…that same hiring manager may very well keep the candidate in mind for future opportunities that surface in the organization, as a result of that positive interaction during the initial interview.

Stephanie Miller, Aureus Group Account Manager

About the Author, Stephanie Miller, Senior Account Manager
Stephanie Miller has worked for Aureus Group for five years.  As a senior account manager within the Finance and Accounting division, Stephanie partners with organizations throughout the state of Iowa and provides staffing solutions within the accounting, finance, and human resources departments. With a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from Nebraska Wesleyan University, Stephanie is currently pursuing a master’s degree in negotiation and dispute resolution at Creighton University and is a certified professional consultant.

Stephanie reports that two of the most rewarding aspects of her job is seeing how pleased the client is when she’s successful in identifying a professional who meets the level of experience/skills the company desires for a particular position and also helping a candidate make a successful career change. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, Chad, and their two dogs, Benny and Olive. She also loves to travel, check out new restaurants, watch movies, run, attend sporting events and theatrical performances, and volunteer through the United Way a few times per month.