Be Just a Little Bit Better

We have an opening in our firm and so I have been conducting interviews over the past several weeks and I have interviewed some very interesting people.  There are some really big gaps that have stood out in those interviews that I wanted to talk about today.

We often hear that it’s the little things that matter, that you don’t have to be miles ahead of the competition; you just have to be a little better in order to stand out.  It is to this point that I want to talk about those things that stand out, in this case it is the things that most candidates don’t do during an interview.

Most of the candidates I have interviewed in the past several weeks have walked into my office, empty handed, that is to say, they didn’t bring anything to take notes on, and they didn’t bring any written questions to ask.  These are both critical mistakes in the interview process and they can be the difference in getting a new position or being second-place.

So on your next interview, bring a notepad.  After your greeting and after you sit down, ask the interviewer if they mind if you take notes.  No one will ever say NO.  Then open your notepad and take out your pen.  Your notes should be just the key words that the interviewer uses.  These key words are your chance to shine later.

Second, have questions written out that you want to ask.  The worst possible outcome from an interview I am conducting is for the candidate to say, no, I don’t have any questions or no, you answered all my questions.  NOTE TO FILE- If you did this in my interview, you just lost!  Always have questions to ask.  Even if I answered all of your pre-determined questions, ask them anyway.  Simply say, one of the questions I wanted answered, you already covered but please expand on your answer, tell me more.  Back to those key words you wrote down, now turn them into questions; you mentioned _____ tell me more about that.

The horse that wins the Kentucky Derby but a nose makes $ millions more than the second place horse.  Is the winner a million times better?  No, it’s just a little bit better but worth a lot more.  A little more effort on your part will make a difference.  It just might set you on a new career path.

David (Mac) McElhaney

Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462

dmcelhaney@grnhuntsville.com

www.grnhuntsville.com

Clarity, Confidence, Commitment

I once had a major stockholder in the company I was with make a presentation to my Sales Management team.  This was the topic of his presentation.  As he made his presentation to us, it became clear to me that this was one of those life lessons.  As I listened to him, I could sense the value of his words.

Clarity, he said, was the first step in understanding why we do the things that we do.  It is the ground step, the cornerstone of understanding what Steven Covey called “beginning with the end in mind”.  If you have a clear understanding of why you want to do something, you can figure out what you need to do in order to get to the end-game.  If you know why you are doing something, then you can clarify the steps necessary to accomplish your goal(s).

Confidence is the result of clarifying your why and understanding that you can accomplish your goal with the steps you have outlined.  As long as you make your steps through the process clear, you can move from A to B, to C and so on.  It doesn’t matter how many steps there are in your process or how few, as long as they can be accomplished   With a clear vision, you can move confidently through the steps to success keeping you eye on the plan.  Confidence gives you the positive attitude and a positive attitude makes all the difference.

Commitment is the final piece for your success plan.  With clarity and confidence you will only need to commit to accomplishing your goal.  If you know and believe that you can be successful, if you are willing to take the necessary steps to be successful and you are committed to accomplishing your goal(s), that commitment will serve you well through the completion of the project.  Without commitment, you won’t have the drive to continue through the steps and around the roadblocks.

Clarity, Confidence and Commitment are your three new BFF.  Use them well.

David (Mac) McElhaney

Managing Partner
Global Recruiters of Huntsville

Phone: 256-533-1444 Ext 201

Fax: 256-418-4485

Mobile: 407-341-4462

Change your Life

Every now and then, something happens in your life that changes our course.  We typically call those milestones.  We look back on those milestones and see how they altered our activities, beliefs, or whatever.  Sometimes those milestones are happy times, sometimes not.  The one thing they have in common is that they change our behavior (good or bad). 

In my experience, with only a few exceptions, have those milestones not been an event.  One of those milestones that wasn’t an event in my life was reading a book, not just any book but a book about happiness; The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor.   This book had such an impact on my life that I have purchased and given away well over 30 copies.  I am recommending this book to everyone, no matter where you are in your life or circumstances.

If you would like to get a flavor for the book beforehand, check out Shaun’s TED talk presentation; http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work?language=en

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

GRN’s Same Store Revenues Increase 11%

Global Recruiters^® Network, a worldwide executive search firm based in Chicago, IL had a same store sales increase of 11% in 2015. For the entire organization, they experienced a 16% rise in 2015 system wide revenue compared to 2014. That’s on top of a 25% increase from 2013 to 2014.

President Glen Louthan states, “Back when we started in 2003, there were only projections about the war for talent.” Louthan continues, “Every other day it seems, there’s news about the talent pool shrinking and the skills gap widening. Last year alone, our seasoned search team helped companies solve that problem over 2,000 times. And we know the demand is only increasing.”

Employee Demographic Trends Affecting Your Business for the Next 20 Years

As the Baby Boomer Generation continues leaving the workforce at a rate of 20,000 individuals per day (allow that to sink in for just a moment), the generation following, the so-called "Generation-X" is 9 Million people fewer in number. Add to this disparity the fact that the current unemployment rate among workers with degrees is a scant 2.2%, and we are facing an extraordinarily tight labor market. For now, the career websites have mountains of resumes of active job seekers. However, the most qualified candidates for the job opening you have, cannot be found on such sites. Rather, they are excelling in their current positions and have not fully considered making a transition, if they've considered it at all.

Increasingly, the services of a search professional will become crucial in staffing the most critical jobs in your organization. As the labor market tightens (and it's already begun) the cost per hire for professional jobs will increase exponentially. Human Resources departments are overwhelmed with work and simply can not spend the amount of time necessary to seek top talent. It's not that they are incapable, it is because the scope of HR is so much more encompassing than serving as talent acquisition. This is where your organization can save an extraordinary amount of time and money by allowing a search professional to present candidates to you who meet or exceed your job requirements, are willing to make a transition for reasons other than money, and have a verifiable record of accomplishments.

Establishing a relationship with a trusted adviser rather than relying on commodity vendors for staffing purposes is how you will maintain a competitive edge over the next two decades. When it comes to successful college football programs, one of the most evident keys to success is recruitment. Your team is no different, and the number of available players is shrinking rapidly. 

For more information on how a placement professional can help propel your organization to greater success, you may contact me any time.

Matthew Doss

Search Consultant 

Global Recruiters of Huntsville

102 Clinton Avenue West Suite 201

Huntsville, Alabama 35801

Office: 256.533.1444 ext:  203

Cell: 256.808.6677

mdoss@grnhuntsville.com

www.grnhuntsville.com

Long-haired freaky people need not apply

We have some really great jobs with an outstanding organization that is in the process of massive growth.  

If you are a Software Test Engineer or a Senior Systems Engineer or a Project Manager and want to learn more about these great opportunities, we'd love to talk to you.  

BTW- You Long-Haired freaky people that are qualified are welcome to apply.

Just Do It (thanks Nike)

I used to think goal setting was silly. It seemed like a lot of ups and downs sprinkled with disappointments. Does anyone ever really reach a goal? It just seemed like an excuse to try hard for a while then give up.  Plus, why wouldn’t you work 110% all the time? Do you get to chill after the deadline comes? What if you never set another goal, do you get to work at 80% for the rest of your life?

So naturally, I rolled my eyes when my husband told me he would take me on a cruise if I stayed on an exercise plan for an entire year. I’ve tried before and failed and failed and failed. The day after his challenge, I started thinking about why I would fail—then I couldn’t find any excuses. I bought these DVDs on eBay for $25 so it’s not a huge gym membership. The exercises are low impact so the risk of injury was low. They take 25 minutes a day, so time isn’t a concern. Even my doctor said I needed to do something.

Then I remembered Nike: Just Do It.

Nike didn’t say to” Just Do It” if you liked it. They didn’t say “Just Do It” if you already look good in the exercise clothes. Just do it.

That’s what I have to do. I will go on my cruise next year.

Here are some tips I’ve learned:

·        Find something you at least semi like: My DVDs are hard but I love stretching. You might not like every aspect of your job, but you have to like parts of it.

·        Don’t set the goals too high: My husband didn’t say I had to lose x amount of weight (smart man) or get a six pack. He just wants me to be healthy. He knows I want to be fit. I have to stick to the plan and track my progress—however slow it may be.

·        Tell someone: I thought this was dumb, too, until I thought about telling my husband that I wanted to skip a day to watch NCIS for 11 hours. Fear of embarrassment can be an excellent motivator.

Find something that works for you. I think it’s OK for you to enjoy it—nobody set goals to drink more beer or anything, though.

Jessie Gable
Research Assistant
Global Recruiters of Huntsville
Office 256.533.1444 x200
Fax 256.418.4485
jgable@grnhuntsville.com
www.grnhuntsville.com