Why Global Recruiters of Huntsville should be your Recruiting Resource

Hello David (although I think you go by Mac!) – I wanted to take a few minutes to give you some feedback on my recent experience in working with Doug Moore and other members of the GRN Huntsville team.  In a word:  Wonderful! 

As I’m sure you are aware, I began working with Doug and GRN at the end of July seeking to fill a Process Control Engineering position.  The requirements were very specific (a programmer – heavy & current coding experience on ABB or Delta V systems and must be local to our area). 

We saw numerous resumes from our ads on a number of the job boards – None appropriate.  And we received a few resumes from the other three agencies we listed with-  Good efforts, but no results.  Then Doug and Maggie put together their candidate effort and submitted them to me.

Yesterday we made an offer to a GRN Huntsville Candidate and he is exactly what we want.  The Candidate’s professionalism, eagerness, intelligence and ability to learn/adapt from his system knowledge to our ABB and incredible personality, have made him a hit with everyone he has met.  That, due to the recruiting efforts of Doug and his team (Brianna et al).

Based on my (at that time) limited, but positive, dealings with Doug, I asked him to help me recruit a Sales Manager for our company.   He accepted the challenge and presented me with three very nice candidates in the past three weeks.  Of the three candidates, the hiring manager saw two of them and now can’t stop talking about how great one of the candidates is.  Doug will bring me one more (comparison) and I know we will hire one of the two. 

Now I've asked him to find us a Sr. Process Engineer.   

Bottom line:  I haven’t worked with such a pleasant, professional, and knowledgeable search ‘partner’ in many years.  I’m sure that Doug was/is working on a number of other searches and speaking with a number of other clients, but his responsiveness and interest seemed totally focused on the demands of our company. 

And, of course, it has been a pleasure to speak with Brianna each time I would call.  Her friendly and upbeat personality is very refreshing and her sense of urgency and professionalism is special in today’s impersonal business environment.   

So, congratulations on having a wonderful team to represent you and your company.  Congratulations to ME for having such quality resources to depend on.     

For a variety of reasons, I haven’t worked with a Staffing agency for at least 10 years.  From now on I will ONLY work with GRN Huntsville when I need assistance.  

David (Mac) McElhaney

Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

102 Clinton Ave, West

Suite 201

Huntsville, AL 35801

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462

dmcelhaney@grnhuntsville.com 

Should I submit my resume to a company?

I hear this question all the time.  I thought I would just post this article from J.T. O'Donnell on the subject

Founder & CEO of CAREEREALISM.com | Creator & Coach at CareerHMO.com | Syndicated Author | Columnist | Blogger | Speaker

No Job Posted...Send Resume Anyway?

September 16, 2013

I got this question from a reader regarding submitting a resume to companies that don't appear to be hiring:

In one of your webinars recently you said go straight to the companies and avoid the postings. My question is: Do you make sure that a company is hiring or do you just send your letter and resume and hope for the best? Some companies do not accept resumes if they don't have a specific job opening.

The answer is "no." You shouldn't blindly submit your materials. But, not because a company won't accept them. They will. However...

Here's Why Your Resume Won't Get Seen...

When I tell people to go straight to the company, what I mean is there's no point in applying online unless you have someone you know in the company who can walk your credentials into the hiring manager and ask them to pull your resume from the thousands they've received online and take a closer look. Yep, I said THOUSANDS. Today, applying via job boards is the easiest way to look for a work - so, everyone is doing it. Yet, it also happens to be the least effective method for getting noticed. Why? The ATS (applicant tracking system) employers use to gather applications automatically screen you out for not being an exact keyword and experience match for the job. Still, people continue to waste hours upon hours filling out online applications only to be shocked and disappointed when they never hear back from the employers. They say to me, "But J.T., I was perfect for the job." I respond, "Yes, you and hundreds of other people." The reality is your chances of making it through the online process and into the hands of a human being are only slightly better than you winning the lottery.

Effective Job Seeker Rule #1: Submit Resumes to Actual People

Want to improve your odds of getting noticed by employers? Only submit your resume and cover letter to human beings. How? Network and connect with employees of the companies you desire to work at. Then, when a job gets posted you are a match for, instead of going into the ATS blackhole, you can reach out to your contacts and see if they can help you get your credentials in the hiring manager's hands. There's a reason 80%+ of jobs today are gotten via referral - it works!

No Job Posted? Even More Reason to Network

When there's a company you'd like to work for but they've no jobs posted, you've got an opportunity to prepare for the day they finally hire for your skill set. You can start the networking process now with employees and get to know first-hand what it will take to eventually earn a position at their company. Better still, you may learn about the "hidden" jobs at the company. The ones that are open but not posted anywhere online. While sending a resume to HR will likely end up in the circular file. (a.k.a. trash can), connecting and having meaningful conversations with employees will result in you being fully prepared to fast-track your resume to the right hiring manager.

Ashton Kutcher hits a home run

Ashton Kutcher hits a home run

Now, I must admit, I am not an Ashton Kutcher fan.  I didn’t watch “That 70’s Show”.  I don’t particularly care for his run on “Two and a half Men”.  But, with that said, I hope you caught some of the information about his speech at the Teen Choice Awards because his speech has gone viral.  If you missed it, here is a link to the You Tube posting; http://youtu.be/FNXwKGZHmDc  

Just a word of caution, you will have to get over the screaming of young females throughout the speech.  I had to listen to it twice to get past all the screams.

Why is this speech so memorable?  Because it’s not your typical Entertainer/Actor babble about what is wrong with our society or some special interest.  It is spoken from the heart about value and responsibilities.

Here are some of the highlights;

“I believe that opportunity looks a lot like work,”

 “I never had a job in my life that I was better than. I was always just lucky to have a job. Every job I had was a stepping stone to my next job and I never quit my job before I had my next job.”

“The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart. And being thoughtful and being generous. Everything else is crap,”

 “I promise you. It’s just crap that people try to sell to you to make you feel like less. So don’t buy it. Be smart. Be thoughtful and be generous.”

“Steve Jobs said when you grow up you tend to get told that world is the way that it is.” Kutcher said that’s not the way to go through life.

“Everything around us that we call life was made up of people that are no smarter than you,”

 “And you can build your own things and you can build your own life that other people can live in. So build a life, don’t live one, find your opportunities and always be sexy.”

Yes, I’m now a fan, a BIG FAN.

David (Mac) McElhaney, Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

102 Clinton Ave, West

Suite 201

Huntsville, AL 35801

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462

dmcelhaney@grnhuntsville.com

 

 

Why Don’t I Ever Hear Back From Companies?

Why Don’t I Ever Hear Back From Companies?

Candidates ask me this all the time.  Why can’t companies just take a minute to let me know what’s going on.  Why do I have to assume that because I haven’t heard from them that I am not being considered?  How do I know that I am even being considered? 
Let's face the first question should be; Am I being considered?  Did the hiring manager even get to look at my resume?  

When a hiring manager brings a job description to HR to be a recruit assignment, they will typically want to see the top 10-15 candidates to perhaps phone screen for a face-to-face interview.  The reality of today’s job market is that a company posting any job will get hundreds, maybe even thousands of resumes for a single posting.  This response will include the unemployed, the unqualified and the unhappy candidates out there that are scouring the web for any job opportunities.

So, you may be the best candidate in the in-basket but there is a good chance you won’t even get looked at because of the pressure to submit the top 10 or 15 resumes that match the key word search for the job in question.

The reality is that companies go into a defensive posture and are screening out people rather that screening in.  You might be well qualified for the job but might not even get looked at by anyone.  You probably won’t hear from anyone.  At best, you might get an auto response that your resume has been received and loaded into the system.

This is where a good recruiting firm can be your best friend.  In our case, we don’t just send out your resume and hope like you do, that it gets looked at.  We seek out the hiring manager and present your profile, you skills, your accomplishments.  We market candidates to specifically targeted customers to get you in front of the people who can make a decision.

Reach out to us and let us make a difference.

David (Mac) McElhaney, Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

102 Clinton Ave, West.  Suite 201

Huntsville, AL 35801

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462dmcelhaney@grnhuntsville.com

 

Why Should I Work With Just One Recruiter?

Why Should I Work With Just One Recruiter?

We hear that question almost every day, and it is a great one.  Why should a job seeker work with just a single recruiter?  Why not hook up with a bunch of recruiters; won’t that increase my odds of getting a job?

The short answer is probably not.  The long answer is about 10 pages, but I’ll keep this short.

Just as there are good, bad and ugly jobs to work, there are good, bad and ugly candidates to work with as well.  Now, I’m not talking about looks –  I’m talking about evaluating a candidate to decide if we are going to 1) market that candidate to our clients, 2) match that candidate to jobs we currently are working or 3) put them into our system in case their skills match a job farther down the line.

If we have a Qualified, Committed Candidate that we can take to the marketplace, we develop a confidence in that candidate.  We want to know what jobs you have already applied for, where you have posted your resume and what jobs you have in play (in the interview process).  These things help us determine if you are the QCC we want to assist in his or her job search.

If we submit you to a job opening and we are told that you were submitted by another recruiter, you just determined your own fate with us, and it is definitely not happily ever after. On the other hand, this is not a till-death-do-we-part thing.  If we can’t meet your needs in a timely manner, you should move on to a recruiter that can help you. Just make sure that we are on the same page regarding that time frame so there are no surprises for anyone.

Remember – we work for the companies where we are trying to place you in a job.  It is in our best interest to present someone who is qualified for the position, excited about the company, motivated to make a change and not looking for a counter-offer from his or her present employer. If you have all of that along with a fantastic set of skills and work experience, then we are ready to give you priority status and take you to market.

David (Mac) McElhaney

Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

102 Clinton Ave West

Suite 201

Huntsville, AL 35801

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462

dmcelhaney@grnhuntsville.com
www.grnhuntsville.com

You Gotta Network

Don’t you just hear that from everyone these days?  Don’t you Just hate to hear that?

Let’s face it; some of us are just not very good at networking.  Networking means that we actually have to talk to someone.  If you’re shy or not outgoing, this can be a real nightmare.  What do you do about it?  How do you overcome the fear?

Some of my more outgoing friends talk about the four foot circle.  They mean if someone is within four feet of them, they will engage them in conversation.  Most of us however, aren’t like that.  How many strangers do you talk to in the grocery line?  If you’re like most of us, no one.  For most of us, it depends on how we feel, if we’re in a hurry or not, how we are dressed and if we are in the mood to engage a stranger in conversation.

Networking is a critical function in today’s job market.  If you are looking for a new job or if you are thinking about looking for a job, you have to learn to network.  You have about a 60-70% chance of finding your next position through someone you know, meet or have a connection.  In today’s job market, it is a critical skill you need to develop.

Here are some pointers for you to help get you out of your seat and onto the dance floor;

1. Make easy conversation first.  Take a deep breath and pick out a friendly face and say Hi to them.  Ask them if they are as new to this as you are?  That is an easy to get started.

2. Now that you have broken the ice, ask them about themselves.  Get them to talk about their job, what brought them here, how many people they have met.  

3. Remember you have two ears and one mouth for a reason.  You don’t have to talk a lot.  People will think you are a good communicator if you are a good listener.

4. Look them in the eye and respond to their information.  Don’t be looking over their shoulder for an escape route.  Stay focused on them.

5. Keep your conversation light, remember that you aren’t interviewing here, you are making contacts.  Don’t even think about asking them if they know of any jobs or anyone hiring.  

6. Remember you didn’t come to the event with them so don’t spend all you’re networking time with one person.  When It is appropriate, ask for a business card or a way to stay in their professional network and move on to another networker.

7. To paraphrase an Elton John song, don’t let the sun go down on your contact.  Send them a follow up message thanking them for their time and information.  Now ask them for a follow up meeting so you can get down to business.  Start networking with their contacts and built your confidence with the process.

8. Try it again.  Get out there to another networking event.

David (Mac) McElhaney

Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

102 Clinton Ave, West

Suite 201

Huntsville, AL 35801

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462

dmcelhaney@grnhuntsville.com
www.grnhuntsville.com

Companies are hiring again but, you still have to do your homework.

Companies are hiring again but, you still have to do your homework.

As a recruiting organization, we receive lots of calls in a week about the job market.  As you know, the numbers are all over the board.  In the unemployment rate really 7-8% or is it 13-15% counting all those who have dropped out of the job market?

Recent surveys indicate that what ever the real rate is, the job market is improving.  In our recruiting industry, we look at the marketplace much like a realtor.  There is a buyers market and a sellers market.  In our industry there is a company market and a candidate market.  When the economy gets tough (like the last few years) the companies drive the market.  But we are quickly moving into a candidate driven market and it is going to take special skills to find the talent companies are looking to hire.  Companies added 188,000 jobs in June, according to the ADP National Employment Report http://www.adpemploymentreport.com/2013/June/NER/NER-June-2013.aspx , up from 134,000 jobs added in May.

In our conversations with candidates, we try to focus on their accomplishments rather than the normal fluff you see in a resume.  It is the accomplishments that will show a potential employer what you can bring to the table.  It’s what we call a Features/Benefits/Accomplishment profile and it is what gets a Hiring Manager’s attention.

See our job board at; http://www.grnhuntsville.com/candidate/jobs.aspx

David McElhaney

Global Recruiters of Huntsville

256.533.1444

dmcelhaney@grnhuntsville.com

www.grnhuntsville.com